Why Most Brands Struggle on YouTube (And How You Can Make It Work)
If you’re a marketer or business owner, you probably already know that YouTube is massive. We’re talking 2.5 billion active monthly users. It’s the world’s second-largest search engine, just behind Google, and it’s become a goldmine for discovery and brand building. A recent report showed that 90% of people find new brands through YouTube (Think with google).
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: despite all that opportunity, most brands fail badly regarding YouTube. They pump out videos with big budgets, yet the views barely trickle in. So, what’s going wrong?
Let’s break this down and explore how you can get it right.
Why YouTube Feels Like Such a Challenge
For many businesses, especially those in B2B, YouTube is attractive because video marketing clearly works. Around 75% of B2B marketers already use video, and nearly 70% plan to double down on YouTube (Business Dasher). Why? Because video directly impacts buying decisions. 65% of B2B buyers have said YouTube influenced their choices (Think with Google).
The tricky part is that most brands approach YouTube exactly the way they approach TV ads or commercials. And guess what? YouTube isn’t TV (yet). It doesn’t care about your corporate status, your budgets, or how impressive your business is. It cares about attention, engagement, and value. If you can’t hold someone’s interest, you’ll lose, no matter who you are.
Common Mistakes Most Brands Make
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is treating YouTube as an ad platform rather than as it actually is. Nobody logs onto YouTube thinking, “I can’t wait to see some corporate ads!” People go there to solve problems, learn new skills, or just be entertained. The brands that win (think of HubSpot’s tutorials or Ahrefs’ SEO guides) succeed because they focus on providing real, genuine value.
Another huge issue is inconsistent content planning. Brands often upload randomly without thinking about what their audience actually wants or searches for. Your videos will disappear into the void without clarity about who you’re speaking to and what they need. If you run a SaaS company, don’t just showcase your software. Answering common customer questions directly, something like: “How to simplify project management for remote teams” will outperform a product feature video every single time.
And then there’s YouTube SEO, which most brands completely overlook. Did you know there are over 114 million active channels on YouTube (wyzowl)? Even amazing content can become invisible if you don’t optimize your titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and tags properly.
The Biggest Secret: YouTube Rewards Consistency
The most overlooked ingredient in YouTube’s success is consistency. Many brands publish just a handful of videos, get disappointed when they don’t go viral, and then quit. But here’s the truth: most successful YouTube channels don’t see real traction until they publish at least 50 videos. YouTube’s algorithm loves consistency. It rewards creators & brands who show up regularly, providing predictable value.
Engagement: YouTube’s Hidden Growth Engine
YouTube isn’t just about videos, and it’s a vibrant community. Yet brands often ignore their audiences, disabling comments or not responding to interactions. But those interactions matter enormously. 70% of YouTube’s total views come from recommendations, and engagement (likes, comments, shares) signals YouTube’s algorithm that people care about your content (Hootsuite Blog). Ignoring your viewers tells YouTube your videos aren’t worth recommending.
How the YouTube Algorithm Actually Works (Simplified)
Forget complex explanations—here’s how YouTube’s algorithm actually functions in simple terms:
- It cares about the click-through rate (CTR). Good titles and thumbnails matter a lot.
- It loves videos that keep viewers watching (watch time and retention).
- It favours content that gets interactions, likes, comments, shares, and discussions.
Brands that create focused, consistent content that delivers value and encourages engagement get boosted. Channels that jump from random topic to random topic confuse viewers and the algorithm, leading to poor performance.
[Case Study]: Reviving a Struggling Healthcare Brand on YouTube
Here’s a quick story of a stuck healthcare brand (name withheld due to NDA). Their content was valuable, yet each video only got around 10K–20K views, and older videos were forgotten entirely.
We did three key things:
- Optimized their older videos (improving thumbnails, titles, and metadata), turning “dead” videos into traffic magnets again.
- Focused heavily on thumbnails and intro hooks, small tweaks significantly boosted viewer retention.
- Reorganized playlists for binge-watching, increasing viewers’ sessions from about 1 video to nearly 3 per session.
The results after just six months:
- Video views jumped to around 70K–80K each, with some hitting over 100K+ views.
- One revived video alone got over 669K views, 32K hours of watch time, and 2,700 new subscribers.
- Direct revenue increased, and one video earned $2,302 in AdSense revenue.
This proves one important thing: even struggling channels can explode with the right tweaks.
YouTube Shorts vs. Long-Form: Which to Focus On?
YouTube Shorts now generate 70 billion daily views (YouTube Blog). They’re amazing for fast awareness, but beware, they rarely drive deep engagement or conversions. Shorts are best at quickly reaching new people, but the algorithm treats them separately from longer videos.
The smart play is to combine both formats: Shorts for discovery and long-form for deep value and relationship building.
The Bottom Line for Brands on YouTube
Winning on YouTube isn’t about big budgets or flashy productions. It’s about consistently creating helpful, interesting content, optimizing it correctly, and genuinely engaging with your audience. Brands that approach YouTube as a committed, strategic channel and not just another advertising outlet will see real, sustainable growth.
In short, deliver genuine value, optimize consistently, engage authentically, and you’ll succeed on YouTube. It’s not optional anymore. It’s essential.
Quick Wins to Remember:
- Stop thinking like an advertiser. Think like your viewers.
- Consistency is your secret weapon. Commit to long-term strategy.
- Engage with your viewers, comments, questions, and community matters.
- Use Shorts to attract viewers, but rely on long-form content to build trust.
- Great thumbnails and titles aren’t nice to have. They’re essential.
Follow these guidelines, and your brand will stand out where others fail.
About Aniket Mishra
Aniket Mishra, Founder & CEO of Born21 Media, is a seasoned YouTube strategist with a track record of helping global brands and Fortune 500 companies maximize their video content strategy. Formerly with Raffiti Media, he now runs an independent consultancy, guiding brands on how to turn YouTube into a sustainable growth engine. Aniket specializes in YouTube consulting and full-service management, optimizing content for organic reach and long-term brand authority. He believes in YouTube’s power as the best platform for creators to build lasting businesses. His latest venture includes a YouTube strategy newsletter, offering insights to brands looking to reduce acquisition costs and drive revenue through video.
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Last updated: March 2025
