Marketers, take good notes and learn three lessons about YouTube educational content

Few people enjoy taking tests, but fewer people object to a no-pressure, “eliminate the least desirable answer” quiz.

Consider this one. Put yourself in the position of a YouTube viewer (which you probably are at some point during the week) and choose the video that portends the least visual appeal:

1. A video showing “how to make a memorable impression at networking events with pretentious people”

2. A video showing “how to stock a bar at a business open house without going broke in three hours”

3. A video showing “how to write a marketing plan”

Nobody would blame you if you chose No. 3 – a topic that lends itself to a traditional speaker-addresses-audience format. Nos. 1 and 2 hold the promise of being much more entertaining.

But here's the pop in this pop quiz: all three topics are hugely popular with business professionals. In fact, YouTube reports skill-building, entrepreneurship, marketing and small business are some of the most popular content categories on a channel where 500 million views of educational content take place every day.

If you're disinclined to give up on No. 3 – and kudos for not giving up so easily – consider three tips about creating educational videos with drawing power:

Select a niche

Just as your business cannot possibly be “all things to all people,” neither can your educational content. And just as you've chosen a niche for your business, so too should you select a niche for your content. Don't be fearful about “going niche”; YouTube reports people are targeting their searches with more precision. And your educational videos – like the educational content on your blog – will benefit from a sharp focus. They will help burnish your reputation for being a subject-matter authority. So if writing marketing plans is your niche, exploit it to best advantage.

Select a format

It may take some experimentation, but land on a format that complements your niche, your business' image and your personality (if you're featured on a video) and stick with it. YouTube viewers prize reliability, just as they do from TV shows and other content they seek out on a regular basis. Put another way, variant formats signal inconsistency – much like a late-night TV show known for its biting wit would confuse viewers by changing course and becoming somber and preachy. A consistent format is just as important as sticking with a regular publication schedule. If a classroom setting clicks with you for all the right reasons, it should click with viewers, too.

Select an upbeat tone

It could be humor. It could be sarcasm. It could be humor trading barbs with sarcasm. But like every teacher knows, injecting some entertainment value never hurts and often helps make messages more memorable. There are many ways you can entertain viewers while writing a marketing plan if you put yourself in their shoes. Just think, for example, how much fun you could have by showing people what could happen if they do not take the time to write a marketing plan. Cautionary tales abound – and can supply the sugar that will make your educational content go down.

The creative types at ADTACK can help you brainstorm, develop and execute educational content that complements your marketing strategy. (And if your strategy is lacking, we can help fortify that, too.) We promise not to present a pop quiz at the end of our collaboration, but we guarantee you'll learn lessons that will help invigorate your business and your bottom line. Download our Defining: Inbound Marketing guide today!