Video is a must have for any small business, but thank to YouTube's free model, simplicity, and target audience, it's a marketing opportunity to jump on. However, just like anything, if you want the most out of it, you must work hard at it.

I've compiled a list of ideas to get the most bang for your buck out of YouTube. Instead of the usual clues or production guidelines (there are thousands of resources out there) here are the essentials of using YouTube for a greater outlook.

Customize
You must realize this, customizing your channel is worth the effort to bring it more eyes. Add your brand, change the color schemes to give it a unique look, and include informational content and links. A channel also gives you the choice to subscribe to your media using one simple click and the ability to search through your uploaded content.

Subtitles
Automatic captioning has been accessible to all for about a couple of months, so you have no reason to not use it. By adding captioning for the millions of people around the world, you guarantee your content is easily understood by those who wish to watch it. It's such a simple technique that uses voice recognition; the final draft can be chopped up some more for accuracy.

Light comments
A handy feature from YouTube is the display of comments over your video. Go easy on that idea, the comments make it feel cluttered, it's such a major distraction from what you're trying to say and usually causes a headache for your viewers. Yea, you want to bring in new eyes and make lasting impressions, but the information you added to your site should be enough.

Delete offense comments
I know trolls are a pain when they add silly comments to your channel, but you must have the power to delete comments from their raids. Use your good judgment, it's also not a good idea to remove constructive criticism or any helpful complaints, especially comments that hit hard at home, but delete any offensive language. If you're called out for the removal make a statement about a tolerance policy. If one person is doing all the trolling, you can block them, but this should be the last step. You can moderate any comments before they appear on your channel, so you can clip that hedge before it grows out of control.

Engage your viewers
YouTube is a social medium, so make sure you check out others on the site, favorite any funnies and establish friends. If you can't, or you don't feel like it's a good idea to associate your company with other businesses or users, then think more. Take a look at all the other channels that's in your local scene, or a couple that are a good cause that you support. Besides interacting with your viewers, make sure to keep them updated with your own news. Your site will go through major overhauls here and there, so it’s critical to post a blog entry, at least to keep the fans on the same page.

Organize
Make sure you organize your content in a way that makes it visually appealing and easy on the eyes. Produce fun playlists for related videos, or crunch older material into a quick review if it's important. YouTube features embedded playlists into external sites, so you must put some effort in creating them, giving them appealing names and descriptions.

Tags
Like a lot of sites, YouTube is structured using a tag word arrangement. It's worth the time to add the right tags to your videos. The great thing about the tag system is that it follows logic, but also on the collective thinking habits of people. Sit back and think about the tags you're going to add. For example, if your company sells gadgets add "smartphone," "tech," "geek," etc. YouTube also gives you 15 categories to choose from. It's really important to set your content to the most relevant, but you should try adding your material in a wild card category so see how well they spread.

Promote
Your viewers are less likely to find you, or think of you in some random moment and look you up on YouTube. When you post a new vid that’s for sharing, blog it, tweet it or add it to all of your social media profiles. YouTube makes it easy to publish your videos if you're connected with other social sites. Additionally, be bold and embed your videos on other sites, the more hits the better.

Analytics
YouTube has a free analytics tool for every video uploaded. This neat tool should be regarded as your knight in shining armor since it offers you viewer stats, demographics, and the holy discovery data on how viewers found your content, including links they followed to get to it. It's out there, keep looking...

Keep it up
It's a downer to see channels that are unkempt, even from new companies that you'd expect to lead the pack in standards for their company. On the other hand, you shouldn't create useless videos, if you’re going to walk the YouTube path then don’t let enthusiasm lack for a couple of months. If you have no new material to add, keep logging in to let others know you approve their comments, accept friend requests, favorite funny content, etc.