Your YouTube Channel Should Be Cleaned
Before we get into the crux of the matter, a little housekeeping is required. While you may believe everything your company does is wonderful, you are not Beyoncé, and your audience may not... It's difficult to believe, but it's necessary to take a step back from yourself and put yourself in the shoes of an outsider from time to time.
Taking a serious look at your YouTube channel and re-evaluating what's there will almost certainly lead you to the conclusion that some old content should be removed—whether it's outdated, poorly produced, or simply a flop of a video that should have never made it up there in the first place. If you have something like this associated with your brand, it will immediately turn off that lead and cause them to lose faith in it.
Create and share only highly watchable content.
Yes, I realise this is an obvious recommendation, but YouTube is so cluttered that it's tempting to think you can get away with publishing low-quality material. You just cannot! The only way to truly differentiate yourself and develop your subscriber base is to generate the finest of the best content in your niche.
The key to doing this is to plan ahead of time during pre-production. Here are a few ways you may outperform your competitors in this area:
Do your homework
Take notes on the most interesting sections of your rivals' films, as well as those from sectors other than yours. Find a more inventive approach to accomplish it better rather than mimicking what your competitors are doing. For example, if I were in the gum business (or any other industry), I'd definitely learn a thing or two from The Story of Sarah and Juan, my all-time favourite YouTube ad. Try to tell me this didn't make you cry after seeing it.
What makes this commercial so special is its capacity to trigger strong emotions. How could your firm accomplish this?
You may believe you can improvise on screen. You certainly can—but you shouldn't. You must lay out your script, table read it, rewrite it, table read it again, and so on. This procedure enhances your script so that it can effectively represent the tale you're attempting to tell. Businesses sometimes undervalue the potential of scripting, yet mastering this skill may elevate your movies to new heights.
Purchase the necessary equipment for a home studio.
What is the "correct" gear? Are you able to afford it? Yes, in response to the second question. Surprisingly, your camera isn't your most critical piece of gear. Why? In fact, the camera on your iPhone currently is comparable to a much more costly option.
The most critical equipment to have if you're filming in-house is a basic background, studio lights, and a tripod. Yes, other items such as props and audio equipment may be required depending on the movie, but nailing down the essentials and establishing a robust in-office studio will lead to better video production.
Make your video's initial 10 seconds the most memorable.
Did you know that 20% of your visitors will abandon your video after the first 10 seconds? This is why you must take advantage of the initial few seconds.
Start your video with the most climactic element of your film rather of a dull opening to generate an outstanding first impression. Viewers will not want to leave if you start with a bang.
Create outstanding channel trailers
Channel trailers are a fantastic feature on YouTube for marketers wanting to boost their subscriber base. These are exactly what they sound like: brief trailers that play automatically when someone visits your YouTube channel page.
If, and only if, you generate outrageously captivating material, this is the ideal time to grow your subscriber list.
These trailers should be brief (30-60 seconds), interesting, and most importantly, offer your visitors a reason to stick around. Is it necessary for them to be funny, attractive, and emotionally charged? It will undoubtedly assist! What I can't emphasise enough is the need of a strong call-to-action that motivates viewers to subscribe.
Make sure your videos aren't more than 5 minutes long.
So, because your digital engineering software is difficult to explain, your movies are all 30-60 minutes long? Perhaps you work in law and feel that the best way to build trust is to post lengthy video testimonials on your YouTube channel?
While testimonials are fantastic, extended videos and YouTube do not mix. Your films should never be more than 5 minutes, regardless of how difficult the product you're promoting is.
Make a binge-worthy playlist out of a collection of videos
Do you have a collection of related videos? Perhaps you host a weekly instructional series or a series of webinars centred on the same topic?
Whatever it is, you should create a YouTube playlist for it. This will allow your audience to keep viewing without having to look for and click onto the next video manually.
What are the benefits of this for subscriber growth? It will keep viewers on your channel longer and demonstrate that you have a wealth of high-quality material. This will help keep your video material well-organized, preventing your channel from becoming a chaotic jumble that repels viewers.
Incorporate strong CTAs into your videos.
Effective calls-to-action, or CTAs, are something that all competent marketers are familiar with. So, why not put your abilities to work by creating a subscribe-able call-to-action that encourages people to return to your channel?
What is the mechanism behind this? If the concept of integrating a CTA into a video seemed difficult and maybe beyond your technical capabilities, I have good news for you: it isn't! YouTube has made this simple for marketers by enabling them to include end screens and cards in their films. Let me explain these two possibilities in more detail:
End Screens: An end screen is exactly what it sounds like: a screen that appears at the end of your video with a call-to-action. End cards may be used to urge viewers to subscribe to your channel, direct them to the next video, or even advertise your website or crowdfunding effort. Depending on your purpose, end screens let you choose from four distinct aspects.
You can even have numerous end-screen items (like in the image below). End cards can appear anywhere between 5 and 20 seconds into your film, which must be at least 25 seconds long. To learn more about end screens, see this page.
Check out YouTube cards if end screens aren't your thing. These puppies let you add extra interaction to your video by directing viewers to a specific URL, displaying a movie or playlist, advertising your channel, or even polling your viewers.
Customize YouTube Thumbnails
Let's face it: we do it all the time, which is why we're told not to judge a book by its cover. Because your video thumbnail serves as the cover of your video, it must be really captivating. In fact, I'd argue that the video thumbnail is the single most important factor in determining whether or not a visitor will watch your video.
Using an image of a happy individual making direct eye contact as the thumbnail for your video is the best approach to ensure that people watch it. Why? People form bonds with one another. Another great way to improve your thumbnail is to put a smile on it!
Post Frequently and Regularly
Yes, I realise this is difficult to comprehend at first. After all, not every marketing organisation has a full-time cameraman churning out content.
Fortunately, if you followed my suggestion from earlier about setting up an in-house studio, writing and producing high-quality films will become a natural part of your weekly routine. Subscribers will not stay subscribed if you never update your channel or if you update four times in one week and then take a month off.
Make an investment in YouTube advertising.
Now is the moment to get your wallet out. You didn't expect all of these suggestions to be free, did you?
Take a big breath; I'm not asking you to spend a lot of money, but dedicating some resources to advertising your YouTube channel is an almost foolproof strategy to grow your subscriber base. Because the internet is a busy place where money talks, it's critical to dedicate some of your marketing budget to your channel.
Promote your channel on relevant online forums.
You should be actively engaged in these environments and disseminating your video material when applicable, whether it's a Twitter conversation, LinkedIn group, Reddit, or another big online community in your sector.
Assume you work for an accounting company and are listening in on a conversation in which folks appear to be having trouble with their taxes. This is the ideal opportunity to distribute your informative film introducing your services, which some of these taxpayers may choose to use.
Encourage people to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
Bribery is a powerful tool that all parents are aware of. "I'll let you watch the iPad for 10 minutes before night if you eat your veggies." These are phrases I've heard my sister utter over and over to her boys.
Bribery is not something we grow out of, which is ironic. Adults, in particular, respond positively to it since we are wired to enjoy free stuff. So, yeah, bribing people to subscribe to your YouTube channel is a good idea. It may appear absurd, but it truly works!
Here are two methods to encourage folks to sign up:
Run a cross-channel contest: This is one of the oldest marketing bribery tactics in the book, but when done correctly, it works wonderfully. Let's imagine you own and operate a bowling facility in town. Create a contest on Facebook and Instagram in which participants must like your Instagram post, comment on it, and subscribe to your YouTube channel in order to win a free night of food and bowling. Inform participants that the link to your YouTube channel is in your Instagram bio, so they may subscribe to your videos quickly. And that's it! Your YouTube subscriber base has skyrocketed.
Encourage people to subscribe to your videos for further benefits: Working the viewers who have already landed on one of your YouTube videos is another simple technique to increase subscribers. They're obviously interested in your brand on some level, so why not take advantage of this chance to encourage them to subscribe? Make a gift only to subscribers: In the video, mention that if they subscribe, they'll receive a free e-book or a month-long trial of your programme. Of course, you'll have to follow through on those promises, but this is a terrific approach to attract new members.
Search Engine Optimization for Your YouTube Channel
Last but not least, ensure that your YouTube videos are optimised to appear in search engine results as well as in the results that appear when users search within YouTube itself.
Although YouTube video SEO might be a bit complicated, there are several quick gains you can make to improve the SEO of your videos. Among the finest practises are the following:
Be Searchable Titles: Try to connect your movie with a popular keyword, and make sure to include the keyword in the title (you can use AdWords or our Free Keyword Tool to do some quick keyword research and pinpoint some good terms people are searching for). Also, make sure your title isn't too lengthy; I'd suggest no more than 50 characters.
Add a Transcript to Every Video: Video transcripts are a terrific method to make your videos more accessible to a wider audience while also assisting with SEO! Transcripts effectively serve as page copy, allowing you to rank for more searches by adding additional indexable text to your video.
Optimize Your Video Descriptions: Instead of stuffing this area with keywords, make it a compelling and well-written explanation of what the video is about, and be sure to include your most important ones.
Remember to Include Meta Tags: Meta tags are another option to include keywords in your movie and make it more searchable. I'd suggest looking up popular videos in your area to see what meta tags they use. Again, don't go overboard with the keywords; instead, concentrate on the most important ones.
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