Using YouTube Successfully As A Hearing Care Professional

As a video hosting site, YouTube serves a valuable purpose. It allows users to post, collect, and promote videos, along with subscribing to specific accounts. They can keep track of users worth following, and share videos to other sites. As the largest video site on the web, YouTube is a valuable place to build your brand and market yourself as a hearing care professional. However, doing so requires knowledge on how the site works, and what kind of content succeeds.

What is YouTube?

At first glance, YouTube is just a video hosting site. However, it has quickly established itself as the place to go for all things video and audio. Many musicians have gotten their start on YouTube, internet celebrities have roots there, and the site is home to thousands of genres. Video games, music, films, and even informational content like video essays and tutorials are popular here. 

Chances are, almost everyone on the internet has used YouTube at one point. It works as the perfect video sharing platform, and that is its only purpose. Clutter like text and links are not included on your profile, while your video library is visible to everyone. In order to use YouTube effectively, it’s important to build a successful account with successful videos.

Building an Account

Unlike other sites, your account must be made using a Google account. Creating a separate Google account for your business is recommended, especially if you plan on using YouTube as a social media platform for your company. 

After you’ve created an account, you need to make sure your profile is properly customized. Choosing a profile picture and header image is important, and you should only use high-quality photos. Make sure to choose a professional username and profile photo for your account, as this is what will be displayed when you post and comment. 

Unlike many sites, your “about” section on YouTube is somewhat hidden. However, this does not mean it cannot be used to your advantage. Chances are, if someone has navigated to the “about” tab on your profile, they are interested in you and your company in some way. Include your contact information here, link your professional website, and make sure your description is accurate and concise.

What Works on YouTube

There is no exact formula to gain a good standing on YouTube. However, there are ways to make sure your videos benefit your brand. Signia does this by posting tutorials and professional content about hearing aids. As a hearing care professional, your videos should cater to hard of hearing people, their friends, and their family. Post videos centering around hearing loss, aural health, and how proper treatment can help. 

Informational videos on hearing loss, how to cope with various problems, and inspirational videos are good sources of content for your YouTube profile. Once you have a decent library posted, you can begin commenting on other videos, subscribing to relevant channels, and brainstorming new ideas. 

If you’re trying to gain traction on YouTube as a content creator, try to avoid posting promotional content too often. Do not comment on videos promoting yourself and try to make content that helps others — not yourself. 

When posting a video, make sure it’s a polished, final product. All videos should have easily readable captions to make them accessible to hard of hearing viewers. Smooth transitions, crisp images, and quality audio are important. Avoid loud or jumbled audio, as many people, including hearing aid users, will click away if your video is hard to listen to. 

In the description of the video, make sure to include any relevant information. This means keywords, a summary of the video, and what purpose the video serves. You can also include links to your personal website, other social media profiles, and even contact information. From there, try to interact with users who comment on your video. Liking their comments and replying to questions is a good way to encourage engagement. 

Stay tuned for a future post where we’ll highlight how to use Facebook successfully as a Hearing Care Professional!