Video is a marketing strategy must-have. This year it has been predicted that video content will take 79% of consumer’s internet traffic. This statistic alone should be enough to convince you to include video in your promotional plans!
The first thing you have to do is choose the best platform to host your videos. With over one billion users, it’s obvious that YouTube is the best video platform to go for. But the downside of this is that it is hard to stand out. You will have to be smart and differentiate your content in order to rule out the competition.
How will you stand out? How will you make a difference? How will you make people notice you and your business on YouTube? It may seem difficult at the beginning but there are steps that can help you grow your channel and gain a strong following.
Before you get started, think about why people watch YouTube videos in the first place. People watch YouTube primarily for entertainment. Education follows suit. Choose the area that is most suitable for your business and you are ready to begin.
As always, before you dive into any new endeavors you have to do the following steps:
Do your research
Whatever your business is, you will have to research what your competitors are doing on YouTube. How have they positioned themselves and how will you be able to differentiate from them? What are they good at? What are they lacking? What are their key interests? Learn from them but be original. It is important to remain current and to research Google Trends for any trending topics that might be suitable for discussion.
Find your niche and have a vision
Make sure that you have a clear vision of what your channel will be about and find your niche market. Have a specific brand identity in mind and build your profile around it.
Add value
Whatever type of video you choose to create, it should add value to your viewers. They have to feel that they were entertained or gained knowledge after watching your videos. Keep your brand and audience in mind when you shoot your videos if you want to get noticed and grow your following.
How to get your first subscriptions on YouTube
You have created your first video having followed the tips mentioned above and now you want people to watch it and start subscribing to your channel. Follow the below tips to help get your first subscribers.
1. Share your content
The first thing you do is to let everyone know that you have created a YouTube channel and explain to them what you will be talking about.
- Invite your friends and family to subscribe and watch your video. Start with the people you know well first, and ask them to spread the word with their friends and family.
- Create an email campaign with all of your contacts inviting them to watch your video and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
- Share your content across all of your social media channels and ask people to subscribe.
- Share your content on all relevant Facebook groups, and forums and let people know how they will benefit from watching your videos.
2. Engage and interact
Start engaging with other YouTube channels that have similar content to yours. A useful method is to interact in the comments section introducing yourself and your channel.
3. Don’t spam
When you share your content, don’t spam! Always be mindful of the information you are sharing and clearly explain how your video will be beneficial.
4. Structure your videos
The most important part when building your video platform is to find the best structure for your content. Whatever the nature of your videos make sure to follow a script, include an introduction, analyze your main topic and always have a call to action. At the end of your videos always ask people to subscribe to your channel.
5. Collaborate
What better way to grow along with your competition than to collaborate with them. Foster valuable collaborations with other YouTube channels and create videos that you can use for both channels. This opportunity can bring a new set of viewers and increase your subscriptions.
6. Optimize
Straight after you upload your video on YouTube you have to optimize it so it can be easily found on Google and YouTube search. Find the best keywords for your video using Google’s Adwords keyword planner and create a title that includes strong keywords.
After identifying the most suitable keywords, add them in the tag and description section of your video. Make sure that the name of the file and the name of the video describe the content in an effective manner.
7. Be consistent
Another important aspect when growing your YouTube channel is to remain consistent. It is advisable to upload at least one video a week to keep your channel active, so pick a day of the week, and let your followers know that there will be a new video published every week on that specific day. Try to create a habit for your followers, so they will continue to come back for more.
8. Build a YouTube art
Treat your YouTube Channel as your own creative space. Be creative with your YouTube channel art, choose your colors and a theme that best represents your business and again remain consistent. People will be more likely to subscribe to a channel that is consistent throughout as it shows your viewers that you care about the content you share and reflects your professionalism.
See examples of YouTube channels with consistent YouTube channel art:
You don’t need to be a graphic designer to get creative with your YouTube channel art. All you need is to be able to build a YouTube banner and thumbnail that you can use for all your videos. Design Wizard is an online graphic design tool that allows users to create YouTube channel art without the need for design expertise. Simply log in and select the most suitable template available for your YouTube Banner and YouTube thumbnail. Each template is easy to edit to suit any industry.
9. Increase watch time
YouTube suggests other videos suitable to the viewer according to its algorithm. YouTube can only determine if a video is important by its watch time. Watch time is not the number of views of a particular video but instead how many hours this video has been watched. To encourage people to continue watching your videos you can create YouTube playlists. Such playlists will allow your viewers to watch your content back to back. This is very easy to do and you can do it after uploading your video in the edit video section. Lastly, make sure to keep your videos under categories, eg: healthy tips, makeup tips, food recipes so the videos in your playlists are relevant to your audience.
If you follow the above tips, and you love video creation and editing then you will see your channel grow. For more information on YouTube check YouTube Creators Academy.
Guest author: Kassiani Cheirogergou is a Social Media Specialist and Content Writer working with Design Wizard. She has over 8 years experience in Marketing Communications and Project Management working on online and offline marketing projects and is passionate about helping business to grow online. Design Wizard is an online graphic design tool that enables users to create and share brilliant visual content within minutes in a fun and easy way.