Should your business start a YouTube channel?

“Should my business start a YouTube channel?” has become an age-old marketing question without a definitive answer. There are arguments both ways, and only you can decide whether it’s right for your company.

That’s right, this time round we’re tackling the tough topic of whether you should launch a YouTube channel for your B2B technology organisation.

Our simple-but-not-so-simple answer is that it depends. Let us explain.

Why YouTube is a must-have marketing channel for B2B

YouTube is the second-biggest website in the world, and it’s a search engine in its own right. While it’s great for entertainment, it’s also a goldmine of information and millions (if not billions) of people use it as such.

It’s an intent-driven platform where users know what they’re looking for; supply that demand better than your competition and you’re winning.

• How do I replace a graphics card?
• Which note-taking app would suit me best?
• How do I finally tackle that digital marketing task that’s been on my list for months? What tools will I need?
• Can I save time in my complex spreadsheet at work by using a helpful formula? If so, which should I try?

YouTube is incredible for not only finding the information you need, but also for getting informed opinions based on that information to skip the often-painful decision-making process.

Many studies have found that people retain much more information when delivered by video versus text. Combine the two, and you can see why YouTube is a powerful tool for many to find the answers they need.

In addition, as marketing continues to evolve, having a YouTube channel strengthens your company’s discoverability within AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. These platforms often use YouTube as a source, increasing your likelihood of being recommended when a user asks a question about your industry, products, or services.

Is YouTube worthwhile for my technology business?

Now we’ve highlighted the immense opportunity for discovery on the platform, it’s time to explain what YouTube can (and cannot) offer your company.

YouTube is a long-term play, and like many brand building exercises, you may not see a directly attributable return on your investment. These two facts alone are enough to disqualify some businesses from launching a YouTube channel.

In a B2B context, we believe YouTube is great for:

• Building your brand
• Positioning your people as subject matter experts and authorities
• Growing your ability to show in SERPs and AI platforms
• Generating supplementary income (you won’t earn MrBeast money without MrBeast views, but you can definitely earn)

In a B2B context, YouTube is not ideal for:

• Quickly generating leads
• Going viral
• Making lots of money, and fast (there are monetisation thresholds)
• Targeting your desired audience geographically (you can’t control the algorithm!)
• Directly selling your products and services

While it’s possible to generate leads and sales on YouTube, we’d recommend viewing it as a vehicle for demonstrating expertise, building your subject matter experts’ authority, and creating a new audience to tastefully and carefully market your services to.

Think of it like blogging; it may not generate business for you directly, but that’s not its primary purpose.

Why YouTube takes time… But it is worth it

Google has given us ample warning that search will Sure, it’s possible to pop off on YouTube with your first video. Find the right topic with a budding audience, package your video attractively, retain viewership for much of the video, and you may hit the algorithm.

This is unlikely, though, especially when you’re starting out.

See your experience on YouTube as an experiment. The best businesses on YouTube have all stuck with it for years, continually optimising to find what works for them. They do more of what works and less of what doesn’t to move the needle in the right direction. The difference between 100 views and 100,000 could be a title and thumbnail.

This should excite marketers, but it’s been known to cause some frustration too; further cementing that YouTube isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

As with any marketing activity, it takes time and experimentation to determine what works. How your business performs is unique to your audience and niche. What’s almost guaranteed, though, is that it will take time, patience, and lots of iteration.

How to approach YouTube for your business

There isn’t a YouTube playbook—not one that’s universally effective, at least. While we can’t provide a definitive step-by-step approach that you can later hold responsible for your YouTube dominance, we can provide some starting points for you to build upon.

Make content that people want to watch

• Content solely focused on your company has a much lower viewership ceiling than your industry and niche do.
• Research keywords and key topics that you believe your target audience is searching for, and target those.

What kind of content should you create?

• Is the topic complicated? Perhaps a long-form podcast would be the best way to approach it.
• Want to demonstrate how your solution or product solves a pain point? Short-form, how-to videos could be most effective.
• Will visuals help to simplify a complex point? Adding an illustrated, visual representation may be better than just having a talking head.

You don’t have to be the first, but you should aim to be the best

• There is nothing wrong with identifying content that is already popular and adding your own spin on it.
• Iterate, don’t replicate: Try to improve upon the title, thumbnail, hook, quality of information, graphics, etc – take the topic and make it your own.

Convinced that YouTube is worth a shot? If you’re prepared to play the long game, experiment often, and build value before expecting return, YouTube could become a powerful engine for brand trust and thought leadership.

Bamboo is no stranger to building extensive content marketing strategies that capture the value of video.

Want more? Here are some other key considerations for a successful strategy.