Last Updated on: 11th October 2024, 04:15 pm
Last week we focused on social media marketing for your club. This week we’re talking YouTube. When it comes to content, video is a big deal for audiences. It continues to be one of the most effective marketing methods because people engage with it more. Not only does video content appeal to our appreciation of visual but it is easily consumable. If you really want people to engage with your brand you need to start embracing video.
Why?
The numbers don’t lie: people are watching more video content than ever before. 2016 saw a big increase in the popularity of video as an example of content marketing. Mobile video consumption increases by 100% every year. According to recent statistics, video traffic will be 82% of all internet traffic. 78% of people watch videos online every week and 55% watch them every day. That’s quite a big potential audience.
There can be no denying it, video is an important part of people’s lives and is an incredibly effective tool when it comes to marketing. Compared to other areas, it raises a few issues but, unfortunately, the video trend won’t be going anywhere soon.
YouTube
When it comes to creating video content, the first site that you’ll probably think of will be YouTube and it’s easy to see why. YouTube is the second most popular website after Google. It currently has over 1.9 billion users, which works out as about 1/3 of all internet users. According to their own statistics, people watch over a billion hours of video every day. Many people admit that they much prefer watching videos online instead of television. Young people, in particular, are relying on YouTube and other video platforms as their main source of entertainment.
YouTube and Football
YouTube is proving to be an invaluable resource for football clubs. In 2017, there was an 80% increase in sports fans watching sports highlight videos on YouTube. It also saw a rise in the number of sports-related interviews. The platform also saw a rise in the amount of sports-related searches featuring the phrase “how to”. There is a huge audience for sports-related videos on YouTube and it’s something professional clubs have all taken advantage of. Manchester United was the final Premier League side to get an official YouTube presence back in 2018 and they can now boast 2.06M subscribers.
Benefits of YouTube
As we have seen, people are already watching football-related content on YouTube. So, why do you want to get involved? So, you can control where and how they view content related to your club. Look at all of the top clubs. Before they started their own channel, Manchester United would have featured heavily on YouTube thanks to unofficial videos. Starting their own channel meant that they were able to direct people to their own content and enhance their presence on the site. If your fans are interested in viewing your content, then why leave it to other people? Get them invested in your club with your original content and, hopefully, have a say over how they continue to interact with your club. If they are viewing content featuring your club elsewhere, then what is going to push them into finding out more about you?
Sunday League YouTube Teams
There is a market out there for Sunday league teams to find their global audience on YouTube. Several teams have been able to reach an audience of thousands from all over the world with their original content. It started in 2014 with Palmers FC and was expanded by Hashtag FC in 2016. The team Hashtag FC was started by YouTuber Spencer Owen who had already amassed a following thanks to his videos about football and video games. Starting his own football teams with friends, Spencer found his following grew to millions. Now Hashtag FC have their own channel with about 440,000 subscribers.
This has only seen the rise of teams attempting to find a following by uploading their videos to YouTube. Savvy teams are managing to bring in some great new talent and make some money off their endeavours.
Create Quality Content
The main thing you need to do if you want to start your own channel is to make sure you are creating content that people want to watch. There are varying options for video equipment these days and it’s about finding the one that works for you. Ask around in your club and you might find that someone has, or knows someone, who has experience with making videos. If not, there will be plenty of useful guides online for where to start. However you decide to make your videos, you need to make sure that you’re offering your fans something that they want to watch.
As well as introducing your football club to new fans, YouTube gives you the chance to show fans behind the scenes. You’re able to showcase your players on a more personal level so loyal supporters get to know more about them. It allows them to feel that they are an even closer part of the club than they currently are and gives them further access to their team. Carry out your own post-match interviews or match highlights. Or go one further and live-stream your games so people who can’t make it in person get to experience the action for themselves.
Or maybe you want to further highlight your community spirit and offer training guides or tips? Upload a few videos of some of your favourite drills and explain how to do them safely. This will set you up as an authority and make you a channel that people regularly come to for advice and help. It also gives you the chance to showcase your skills and, potentially, bring in new talent. The main thing you need to do when creating original content if highlight your club. How you do that is up to you and your fans. Ask them what kind of videos they’d appreciate and maybe even get them to contribute. YouTube can be a tricky platform to master but, if you’re careful, you can get some great results.
And if you want to create quality content then you need to be looking your best. Check out our full range of football kit deals and we’ll have you looking video-ready in no time.
