YouTube is a great way to connect with your audience and build brand loyalty. It's a social platform with the second-largest monthly active user base globally, and it has strong purchase intent from viewers.
YouTube has evolved since its launch in 2005 into something much bigger than just cat videos (although there are plenty of those). There are now all sorts of different content niches that attract audiences from across the world. If you're like me, then it probably won't surprise you that more people watch videos online than on TV these days. Some statistics even suggest viewership rates for internet video top cable television nowadays! The popularity boom has made YouTube what it is today - one of the most popular websites on earth.
There are tons of video marketing strategies that have been tried and tested by some of the world's best digital marketers. We know that it can be a bit intimidating to start your YouTube channel. There are so many channels out there, and it seems like everyone is doing something different. Here are eleven strategies for getting started on YouTube to help you stand out from the crowd and reach new audiences!
1. Know Your Niche
To get started on YouTube, think about what made you love watching videos online when you first got started. Was it gaming? Music? Comedy sketches? What makes you want to watch more video clips every day? Once you know this, then try creating your original material that falls into one or several of those categories.
There is tons of inspiration from others who do strong work within any number of genres on YouTube and look for ways that you can improve on what they have already created.
2. Know and Cater to Your Audience
As soon as you start a YouTube channel, the first thing that you must do is define who will be watching it. Once this has been determined, stick with those guidelines when creating content.
This way, before long, viewers interested in similar things can easily find your videos via search or recommendations from other channels they already subscribe to! If every video upload reflects something different than what was expected, confusion might arise about what type of person would like the content being provided, and viewership numbers may drop off rapidly over time.
3. Make Sure the Content is Exciting and Relevant to them
Creating content for YouTube takes a lot of time and effort. You can't expect to upload something that no one is interested in (and if you do, it will probably be quickly buried by other posts).
If you're not sure how interesting your videos are going to be every week, then try asking friends or family members what they thought the video was about after viewing! Ask them questions like: "what could I have done better?" or "would this type of video interest anyone else besides me?”
This helps because now you know who would enjoy watching your new creation and where to post/market, so more people find out about it too!
4. Create a Great Thumbnail
According to marketing expert Neil Patel, "The number one reason why people choose to watch a video is based on the thumbnail." That means that if your thumbnails are ugly or unappealing (or even worse, boring!), then you might be losing out on views! This doesn't mean you need to hire someone else to do it for you -simply pick an image that will make potential viewers want more information about what's inside before clicking play!
Thumbnail designs can vary depending on how serious you plan on taking this channel and what type of content gets uploaded each week. If humorous videos are going up now and then, try making them into funny-looking squares with text that says, "This is my new video! Check it out here!"
This way, viewers know exactly what to expect when watching, and you'll have a much higher chance at gaining more subscribers over time, which is the ultimate goal of this whole process, right?
5. Think of an Engaging Title that will Make People want to Click Play
The title and description must be clear, concise, and engaging! You can do this by simply using relevant keywords in both text areas (when you're optimizing for SEO), as it will help improve your organic search rankings on YouTube.
Another tip to remember—it's not just about having a good title; make sure everything else, such as tags, annotations, etc., helps drive more traffic towards your video page itself.
If your video is about a new invention in the science world, try naming it "a discovery that's going to blow everyone away!” This way, when viewers are scrolling through their feeds, they'll see something familiar but with an exciting twist and feel compelled enough to watch since you've given them all of the information needed right there in one sentence!
6. Upload Videos Regularly
YouTube's algorithm is designed to promote videos that are being watched frequently. So if you want your viewers to see the content, it needs to be on YouTube so they can watch it!
Don't upload too often, or your viewers will get annoyed and turn off the videos.
It is best to stick with a schedule of once a week, but you can vary it depending on how busy you are.
Following a YouTube schedule means that you can benefit from increased exposure on your channel due to gaining momentum via continuous uploads, which allows viewers opportunities to discover your content; it also allows you to tie up with like-minded people who may be uploading similar videos, which can lead to opportunities for collaboration
7. Make Sure Your Video is Clear, Concise, and Well-lit
If your videos are poorly lit, they will be difficult to watch, and people won't want to take the time. Please don't make a video where it's impossible to see what you're saying or doing! The whole point of having a video is so that people can see what you have to say.
You want to give your viewers the best experience you can. So make sure it's clear, concise, and well-lit! It's also essential to make sure the sound is clear and well-balanced.
Also Check: How anyone can make money on YouTube - Even with Zero Subscribers?
8. Use Captions to Make Your Videos More Accessible for Viewers
Captioning is the process of transcribing spoken words into written text. This helps your content rank for search terms, but more importantly, it can be used to provide transcriptions of any sound effects or background music in the video that viewers might not be able to hear because they could have turned off their speakers!
Write captions as if you were speaking them so that people with hearing difficulties won't miss any important information.
Using subtitles also makes sharing easier by allowing users who speak different languages to translate and communicate with other audiences.
9. Encourage Feedback and Engage with Your Audience
You must respond quickly to comments left by viewers. Viewers want someone they can identify with, and interacting will help them feel connected to you. If possible, try replying within twenty-four hours after receiving their comment, so it feels personal rather than automated.
10. Utilize Social Media to Promote Your Channel
Social media is a great way to promote your channel and gain views, likes, comments, shares, etc. You can share links on things like Reddit or Twitter where the correct audience will see it at the right time.
Use Facebook, which you should make sure to set up a page too if you don't already have one (which would probably be considered a personal profile).
The other thing to do with social media is utilizing hashtags – they help get more eyes on videos, especially if it's something that has been going viral recently, so take advantage of this! If there aren't any trending hashtags that relate to your video, make some up!
11. Have Fun!
With YouTube, it's all about having fun while you're creating content that will be entertaining for others as well!
When creating content, have fun with it. YouTube is all about entertainment, so make sure to include this! If you're not having fun while recording videos, then viewers will notice and will start losing interest in watching your channel grow.
Do not be intimidated by the thought of starting your own YouTube channel. There is a lot to think about, but once you have an understanding of what goes into getting started on YouTube, it can seem much less daunting.
