Video content is one of the most powerful forms of content marketers have available. It can deliver a message with clarity. It can give the viewer the most correct perception that the video maker wants the viewer to have. By giving that perception, the video maker has the ability to sell a view, a thought, or even a product. Businesses use video all of the time to portray the quality of their product or service. For these reasons good marketing plans should heavily involve video content.

Promoting the video content is another story and it can be oftentimes more difficult than creating video. Promoting any content online in general is actually a very difficult thing to do. Youtube is the second largest search engine in the world and it’s whole focus is video content, meaning it’s the largest video promotional platform online. It can seem like rocket science to get a business to do very well on YouTube. The good thing about marketing is you can always look at who’s doing it right and then that can teach you things that you can possibly carry into your strategy. Let’s take a look at some businesses that did a really good job with their YouTube channel.

1: PewDiePie

With more than 30 million subscribers, PewDiePie is YouTube’s greatest success story and one of the many entrepreneurs whose business exists solely on Google’s video platform. Google’s YouTube Partner Program allows content producers to share the revenue earned by their videos, with thousands of YouTube channels earning more than $100,000 per year. PewDiePie has taken this business model to its fullest extreme, producing approximately 2,000 videos in total and earning more than $4 million per year. PewDiePie’s videos consist primarily of himself playing video games, proving that an extremely profitable YouTube business can be created on a shoestring budget. What unexplored YouTube niches could your business take advantage of?

2: Blendtec

If you want to use YouTube to market a mundane product, you have to be creative. Although there are many potential niches on YouTube that haven’t been fully explored, one thing the world doesn’t need is another video about making smoothies. With its brilliant “Will It Blend?” campaign, Blendtec chose a different route and used its blenders to reduce popular gadgets such as mobile phones and iPods to dust. Although the videos were shocking and entertaining, they also served a purpose by illustrating the power of Blendtec’s blenders. This campaign netted Blendtec 744,000 YouTube subscribers.

3: Lay’s

When you want a YouTube video to get a lot of attention and quickly, nothing gives viewers more incentive to watch than a giveaway. In 2012, Lay’s launched its “Do Us a Flavor” campaign, asking viewers to send their ideas for new potato chip flavors. The contest netted a Wisconsin librarian a million dollars and the YouTube video announcing the promotion was viewed more than 12 million times.

4: Williams-Sonoma

Although it is impossible to deny the excitement and buzz of a viral video, sometimes it is better to simply give the public what they want. Williams-Sonoma’s YouTube channel is an example of a content marketing strategy with perfect execution. If you aren’t sure whether a particular grill, food processor, knife set or other product is the right one for you, simply click a video link and see how the product works in the hands of a professional. Switching between YouTube and the Williams-Sonoma website is easy as all of Williams-Sonoma’s videos can be viewed on either website.

5: Apple

If you have a company with a great deal of history, why bother producing new videos when you can repurpose the content you already have? Apple’s product announcements are met with a great deal of hype as gadget lovers can’t wait to see the latest generation of Macs and iDevices. Although Apple displays videos of these events on its official website, they also cross-post the content to YouTube with great results. The recording of Apple’s WWDC 2014 conference was viewed more than 1.8 million times on YouTube. Apple also uploads all of its television commercials to YouTube.

6: PlayStation

Sony designed its PlayStation 4 console from the ground up to generate a steady stream of video content. As you play games, the PlayStation 4 automatically records your activities. When something interesting happens, pressing a single button on the PlayStation 4 controller allows you to save the event as a video and upload it to YouTube or another website. In this way, Sony’s users essentially advertise the company’s products for free. How could you get your customers to work for you?

7: Nu Skin

When developing a content marketing strategy for YouTube, you should never underestimate the power of playlists. When you visit the Nu Skin YouTube page, you immediately know how to find the content you want, thanks to the large buttons pointing you toward various content headings such as “Product” and “Opportunity.” Dig a little deeper and you’ll find playlists that further segment Nu Skin’s videos into laser-targeted sub-niches. If you aren’t finding the success that you hoped for on YouTube, is it because users can’t find the content they want?

In Conclusion

YouTube marketing takes some real learning from others who have had success. The biggest thing is to test, test, and test. Not everything that works for another business will work for your business. These channels are great examples of what you should do on YouTube and they will really help you promote your video content all over the web.