What Is An Evergreen Video?
Evergreen videos are videos optimized for YouTube and Google search, about topics that stay relevant for years. It's a great way for businesses to get free long-term traffic to their business. Typically evergreen videos are these types of videos:
- How-To Videos
- Tutorial Videos
- Product Reviews
- Comparison Videos
- Industry Education
- List Videos
- FAQ Videos
These types of videos are exactly what people search for on YouTube. They generate new customers by establishing your brand as authority by providing some sort of value to the viewer, which could be - education, entertainment, information, or inspiration. They catch new customers in the awareness portion of their buying journey.
If you've ever uploaded marketing videos to your Youtube channel and seen no results,... it's probably because it wasn't an evergreen style video. Nobody really wants to watch a sales video on YouTube. They watch videos that provide them sort of value. Because of that, this video strategy makes it the best way for businesses to grow organically on YouTube.
We put together a short guide on Evergreen videos for businesses. If you prefer to watch over read see our video at the top of the page.
Key Characteristics Of Evergreen Videos
The main characteristic of evergreen videos is that they target the search intent of your target customers. They are videos that your audience will be searching for continually even 5 years after you post one. They are basically the video version of SEO, except you double dip on both Google and YouTube search rankings. Here are a few more characteristics.
- Highly searchable videos
- Content stays relevant for years
- Made for the viewer
- No ad spend required
- Typically takes 4-12 months for videos to rank in YouTube and Google search
The main goal of evergreen videos and content should be to rank in Youtube and Google search. This is how they become an extremely cost effective marketing strategy for businesses. When you rank in search you essentially get free traffic to your business.
A great way to tell if your content has ranked on YouTube is to look at the traffic sources. If you see the majority of traffic coming from suggested videos or YouTube search you know that YouTube has ranked your video.
How To Come Up With Ideas For Evergreen Videos
Coming up with ideas for videos starts with truly understanding your target customer and industry. What are they searching for? What solutions do the need? What do they enjoy watching? What is their pain points? If you can answer those questions you can start to formulate some video ideas that will do well organically.
For example if you were an direct-to-consumer patio manufacturer you would want to create videos encompassing outdoor living instead of solely focusing on your products. This could be ideas on how to improve their outdoor patio space or how to perform maintenance on key items. Do a few searches on YouTube to see the type of content that pops up.
It's important for these videos not to be salesy. That is a major turn-off for a viewer and they will usually click away if they notice too much sales in the video. For businesses you can simply use your products in the video without drawing too much attention to them or do a small pitch at the very end of the video.
I also suggest wearing a simple shirt with your logo so you can introduce some elements of your brand. But most important... focus on providing value to your viewer. You want to encourage viewers to engage with your content as that is a key metric in YouTube ranking algorithm.
Examples Of Evergreen Videos
Here's a few examples of businesses using this marketing strategy. This can work for any size business but it works best for companies who can service or sell products over a large area. Local businesses won't find as great of success with this, but they still can depending on their business.
Howies Hockey Tape
Howies Hockey Tape is small direct-to-consumer brand that also sells in retail stores. All of their most popular videos are evergreen style content. Topics like "How To Tape a Hockey Stick" or "How To Tape Your Shin Pads" don't really ever change, so they can make one video that generates traffic to their business 7 years later. Check out their YouTube channel to watch some of their videos.
Running Warehouse
Running warehouse sells online products so they can use an evergreen strategy very effectively in their marketing. In addition to how-to videos they also utilize reviews of shoes. This strategy works great for their business because their customers are searching for this type of content before they make a purchase. Check out their YouTube channel to watch some of their videos.
Schluter Systems
Schluter Systems entire video strategy is based around intent-based marketing. Since their product line is based upon the DIYer being able to tackle a shower or bath themselves, evergreen style videos work really well. They are also repurposing content for spanish speaking audiences which is a great way to get even more value out of your videos. Check out their YouTube channel to see all of their videos.
Lowes
Even big brands like Lowes can use this type of marketing strategy. The key is to identify topics that your customers will always be searching for. Lowes does a great job of balancing product promotion and providing actionable value for their audience.
How To Post Evergreen Videos
There are a few important things you'll want to do when you post the video. Follow these steps to maximize the effectiveness of the video.
1. Write A Blog Post About It
In addition to the video ranking on YouTube and Google search, you can write a blog that can additionally rank itself on Google. This is a compounding type effect where they both help each other. Simply take the content of the video and write a blog providing a little bit more context to the information.
2. Research Title & Thumbnail For Video
When first posting to YouTube take some time to research a proper title and create a thumbnail. You want them to accurately describe what the video is about but also provide some intrigue or a reason for someone to click on it. Don't overdo it with the clickbait though.
3. Share Early On Social
The more views you can get in the first 48-72 hours of video the quicker the video will rank. So share the video on your social media channel or send it out via an email newsletter. Try to get people to engage with it as well
4. Wait
The hardest part is just waiting. Evergreen videos almost always take time for them to rank and generate results. But, once they do rank they will provide free, long-term traffic to your business.
Need Help Coming Up With An Organic Video Strategy?
We specialize in organic video marketing. We create the types of videos people actually want to watch and the ones they search for. We'll help you get started with an in-depth audit of your current video strategy and outline a detailed plan going forward.
