Using YouTube as a business strategy, not just a content channel

Written by Neil Betts from Go True North

Many business owners feel an increasing pressure to be visible online.

They know they should be “doing content”, but often struggle to see how it fits into a real business strategy that delivers tangible outcomes.

For founders and small business leaders, the challenge is rarely a lack of expertise.

Across the Greater Birmingham business community, there is no shortage of knowledge, experience, and capability. The real difficulty lies in translating that expertise into clear, consistent messaging that supports growth, builds trust, and works alongside existing business development activity.

My own journey into business has been anything but linear as told in a recent interview with Dan Dennis from Video Formula.

Like many founders, it has been shaped by hands on experience, experimentation, and learning what does not work as much as what does.

That backstory, from early career decisions through to building and evolving businesses, often mirrors the challenges I now see in other business owners. Knowing your craft is one thing. Communicating it clearly is another.

This is where content, and video in particular, can play a meaningful role.

When used intentionally, video becomes less about visibility for visibility’s sake and more about clarity.

It allows business owners to explain how they think, the problems they solve, and the type of work they do best, without relying on constant one to one conversations. 

Around the 45 minute mark of the interview, the conversation shifts to how YouTube can be used as a strategic tool rather than a vanity metric. This includes using long form video to build trust, educate potential clients, and create consistent messaging that supports sales, partnerships, and service delivery. 

Long form video offers a practical way to do this.

It creates space to go beyond soundbites and trends, allowing founders to share context, reasoning, and insight. Over time, this builds trust with the right audience and filters out those who are not a good fit. The result is fewer, better conversations rather than more noise.

One of the biggest mindset shifts for founders is moving away from the idea that content needs to be frequent or performative.

A more sustainable approach focuses on creating fewer, higher quality pieces that can be reused across multiple channels. A single long form video can support sales conversations, follow up after networking events, reinforce partnerships, and align teams internally.

Within established business communities such as Greater Birmingham, this approach also helps bridge the gap between digital presence and real world relationships. Video supports continuity. It reinforces conversations already had and keeps messaging consistent without becoming intrusive or sales led.

Content should always serve a business objective. Whether the goal is attracting the right clients, supporting partnerships, or positioning a business for long term growth, video works best when it is part of a wider system rather than a standalone tactic.

Many of the insights above are rooted in my own experiences of building, refining, and sometimes restarting businesses. I recently shared more of that backstory, along with practical reflections on how YouTube has been used as a strategic tool rather than a vanity metric, in a longer form interview.

You can watch the full interview on YouTube.

For founders considering how content could better support their business, the key is not to chase trends, but to create clarity. When content reflects real experience and is aligned with business intent, it becomes a long term asset rather than another task on the list.