7 Clever Steps to Better YouTube Marketing (and Grow Your Channel)

Video content is the secret to successful content marketing in 2018. And YouTube is the home of online video, both for marketers and otherwise.

Just think about these recent stats:

YouTube is basically essential for businesses, especially for marketing teams. And you have no other option than to seek more visibility for your YouTube videos.

In this article, you’ll find 7 proven tactics to create Google-friendly content and double subscribers to your YouTube channel.

1. Make Compelling Titles

No matter how good your video looks, it’s useless if no one clicks on it. So it’s imperative that you optimize your video titles to bring in viewers.

Here are some useful tips for creating perfect YouTube titles for greater reach:

• Find the right keywords: Keywords in the title tells Google crawlers what your video is about. And good keywords also tell your viewers what they can expect, so it’s a win/win.

• Keep the title short. The ideal length of video titles shouldn’t exceed 60 characters. Readers should see the whole title in a glance.

• Create clear and descriptive titles. Don’t force viewers to figure it out. Let readers know what the video is about.

• Tell readers why they need to watch the video. They need a reason to spend their time and view the content. They want to know how they will benefit from it.

Use this formula to come up with a good title:

1. Identify a central idea of your video
2. Search for short and descriptive keyword phrases that address this theme
3. Choose a title which answers the most important question for viewers

Useful resources

2. Create Perfect YouTube Thumbnails

Effective thumbnails make users click right away and make your YouTube channel more recognizable. Thumbnails should be relevant to the video’s content and title.

Include short descriptions and relevant images in your thumbnails to help people understand what your video is about. Here is how Amerisleep does that:

Catch the interest of people and tell a story using your thumbnails. You should make them wonder what happens next. Ideally, your title and thumbnail will tell a complementary story together.

Here are some useful tips for custom thumbnails:

1. Use standard video sizes – 1280×720 or 1920×1080. Smaller sizes can look blurry.
2. Use only high-quality images.
3. Include the video title on your thumbnail as it helps attract more views.
4. Image formats should be JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, or TIF.
5. Use the 16:9 aspect ratio that works best for YouTube players.
6. Keep a consistent look and adhere this style to all your thumbnails.
7. Use emotion. Include excited faces and focus on the eyes.

Useful resources:

• Use Photoshop to customize thumbnails.
• If you want to know how well your thumbnails will work, you can test them using AdWords.

3. Limit Videos to Under 5 Minutes

If you want to get the most out of your videos, focus on their total watch time. Based on the Comscore survey, the duration of the majority of the YouTube videos is about 5 minutes.

If you create long videos by just repeating yourself, it won’t help. People need a good reason to be interested in your video. You can experiment with video length to figure out what works best for maximum engagement.

Here are a few tips you should follow:

• Create high-quality content in each video
• Optimize your videos to be under 5 minutes
• Make them interesting, informative and short

Useful resources

• Use YouTube Analytics to view what’s working for your channel and get deeper insights into views, subscribers, watch time, and more.

4. Brand Your YouTube Channel

Branding your YouTube channel is the next thing you should do to make it visually attractive and encourage visitors to take you seriously. It helps you increase brand awareness and spend more time with your audience.

Here is a good example of branded YouTube channel at Work Examiner:

Use your company logo for your channel. If you’re an independent video blogger, you can use your headshot instead of a logo.

To help people find you, add titles and descriptions to your videos. On the top of the banner image, you also can include links to your website and social media.

If you talk about a certain product in your video, you can also use self-branded overlays. Many people don’t know about these, but they give you a chance to retain people when they watch your videos.

As well as creating visual branding, it’s important to make an informative and relevant bio about your company or your personality. Let people know what interests and inspires you. Make it short and engaging.

Here is a good example from Injury Trial Lawyers, APC:

Useful resources

• Use Bannersnack to create online banner covers for your YouTube channel.

5. Include Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Adding calls to action to your videos will help you create more engagement on YouTube. They can also be irritating, so try to use them in the right way.

No matter what goals you have, to get more likes or more subscribers, be clear and concise about key actions people need to take.

You can add your website link or ask for subscribers to your channel within the video or at the end to help people understand the next step.

If your goal is to attract a lot of subscribers, try to do it smartly. Your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.

6. Share Videos via Social Media

Sharing your videos on social media is fundamental if you want to grow your channel. As a savvy marketer, it’s important not only to publish your latest videos on social media, but also to be active in social communities and groups.

Each social platform has its own culture, and you need to figure out which one is best for you and where your efforts will be appreciated.

Use the following effective tips to promote your videos:

• Add YouTube videos to SlideShare presentations
• Share your videos on Pinterest and Twitter
• Make mini promo videos on your Facebook page and link back to your original YouTube video
• Integrate your videos into your blog content
• Publish your videos on Scoop.it
• Promote and share your videos on relevant Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn groups and communities
• Include your videos in guest posts on related websites
• Add your YouTube channel to your Instagram bio
• Use Reddit for getting YouTube views

Useful resources

• Use the SE Ranking social management tool to upload, schedule and share your videos on your social networks.
• YouTube APIs let you create YouTube badges for your website to increase visibility and link back to your channel.
• Boosterberg helps automatically evaluate and promote your videos that create much value on Facebook.

7. Work With Other Youtubers

Сollaborative videos have become popular among content creators. It’s a good way to find a new audience and increase your subscriber base. It’s also a win/win situation for you, your partner and your target audience.

Collaborating with other influencers is great social proof for your audience. Working with other well-known channels makes you look good by association.

Here are a few ideas on how to do that:

1. Interact with your audience and ask what else they want to watch in the comments.
2. Find YouTube influencers and other brands in your niche and make videos together.
3. Collaborate with brands and Youtubers that are more powerful than yours. The most powerful Youtubers work only with people they know well.
4. It is not obligatory to work only with one brand or a person. You can connect with a few at a time or even more.
5. Collaborate with influencers from other social networks.

Collaborating with other people has a lot of advantages as it helps you make solid relationships with brands and influencers and grow your audience exponentially.

Useful resources

• If you want to track a channel’s size and audience on YouTube and figure out who has the same audience as you, you can use Social Blade.

Wrapping up

M. C. Escher said that “only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible”. If you want to grow your YouTube channel, you should start experimenting and learning what works best for you and adhere to these tactics.

Staying true to your brand is as important as your personality. Keep monitoring any changes and see how they are influencing your audience behavior. Create quality, interesting video content for your viewers, grab their attention with thumbnails, hook your audience, stick to your word, and deliver on your promises.

Do you know other methods to get more YouTube subscribers? Let us know in the comments below.

Irina is a marketing specialist, blogger, guest writer and social media expert for SE Ranking. Find her on Twitter at @irinaweber048