If you’re not using YouTube to help market opens in new window your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
More than half of all marketers opens in new window(55%) use YouTube as part of their marketing strategy and for good reason.
Not only is YouTube a great source of entertaining content, but it also has a wide reach with over two billion active users worldwide opens in new window.
The platform is so extensive that it can be accessed in 76 different languages.
According to online video consumption statistics, 92.7 percent opens in new window of global internet users worldwide watch digital videos each week and with so much content available, there is something for everyone.
Not only is YouTube a great platform for sharing engaging and visually appealing content, but it’s also a powerful tool for building brand awareness opens in new window and reaching new audiences.
As the second largest search engine after Google, YouTube allows marketers to present unique content that’s easy for viewers to consume and share.
Thanks to its ability to reach a wide range of people, YouTube can help you improve your brand presence and reach your target market opens in new window.
If you’re looking to get the best results from your YouTube marketing, here are eight things you can do to optimise your videos.
1. Learn about the different types of YouTube video
YouTube has become the go-to platform for many companies looking to showcase their products and services through interesting and informative content that tells a story and provides value to viewers.
You can create a variety of different content on YouTube that can help boost your start-up’s credibility, including:
- customer testimonials opens in new window
- video blogs
- live broadcasts
- reviews
- on-demand product demonstrations
- explainer videos
- event videos
- thought leader interviews.
Each different video type can be used to achieve a different goal, whether its boosting awareness of your products opens in new window, building your brand’s reputation, or educating your customer base.
By using a mix of content types, businesses can create a well-rounded YouTube strategy that will engage viewers and help build trust.
It’s also worth investing in quality production.
A lower quality video is less likely to perform well on YouTube, so it’s important to invest in high production values if you want your videos to be successful.
2. Keep to a schedule
YouTube watchers are some of the most loyal viewers on the internet.
Once they find a channel they like, they tend to stick with it, and they expect their favourite channels to produce new content on a regular basis.
That’s why one of the biggest mistakes new YouTubers can make is being inconsistent with their publishing schedule.
If you only publish one video per month, your viewers will be more forgiving if you take an occasional two-week break than if you’re posting a new video every week and then suddenly go dark for two weeks.
Of course, the best way to keep your viewers happy is to publish new content on a regular basis, but if you’re just starting out, it’s better to err on the side of caution and focus on quality over quantity.
3. Encourage engagement
YouTube is all about engagement, so make sure to encourage comments, likes, and shares on your videos.
The more engagement your videos get, the more likely they are to succeed on YouTube.
While YouTube offers a great way to share videos and build a subscriber base, it can be difficult initially to rank highly in search results.
That’s why it’s important to always spread the word about your YouTube channel and videos across other platforms.
Fortunately, YouTube and other platforms make it easy to share video content.
For example, you can share your YouTube video on Facebook opens in new window by simply copying and pasting the video URL into your post.
You can also embed your YouTube video on your blog or website opens in new window.
By sharing your videos on multiple platforms, you’ll be more likely to reach a wider audience and achieve your goals.
4. Don’t forget about meta descriptions
Just like with any other form of content, your YouTube videos need to be properly titled and described so that they can be easily found by your target audience.
Therefore, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure your video’s metadata is accurate and up to date.
This includes your title, description, tags, category, thumbnail, subtitles, and closed captions.
Providing accurate information in your metadata helps YouTube properly index your video and makes it more likely to show up in relevant search results.
5. Choosing the right title and description
By using relevant keywords in your title and description, you’ll improve your chances of ranking highly in YouTube’s search results.
When people are scrolling through a list of videos, your title is the first thing they see.
A clear and compelling title will make searchers curious about your content and more likely to watch your video.
You can do some keyword research to better understand what viewers are searching for and remember to include the most important information and keywords at the beginning of your title.
A good rule of thumb is to keep titles to around 60 characters to avoid any of the title being cut off in results pages.
Similarly, it’s important to keep in mind that YouTube will only show the first two to three lines (about 100 characters) of your video’s description.
To read beyond that, viewers will need to click “Show more” to see the rest.
For that reason, always include important links or a Call-To-Action (CTA) at the beginning of your description.
6. Get creative with thumbnail images
Since YouTube videos are displayed as thumbnails in the search results, it’s important to make sure that your thumbnail image is eye-catching and relevant to the video content.
Thumbnails are the main images viewers see when scrolling through a list of video results and having a strong thumbnail can mean the difference between getting clicks and views or being ignored.
YouTube will auto-generate a few thumbnail options for your video, but these are often not as effective as a custom thumbnail that you upload yourself.
That’s because custom thumbnails allow you to really highlight what your video is about and grab attention in the process.
When creating custom thumbnails, it’s important to use images that are high quality and accurately represent your video.
YouTube recommends using a 1280 x 720 px image to ensure that your thumbnail looks great on all screen sizes.
To upload a custom thumbnail, you’ll need to verify your YouTube account opens in new window.
7. Provide a transcript to boost SEO
Adding subtitles and closed captions can be a great way to improve your reach.
Not only do subtitles and closed captions help viewers opens in new window, but they also help optimise your video for search by giving you another opportunity to highlight important keywords.
You can add subtitles or closed captions by uploading a supported text transcript or timed subtitles file.
Transcripts provide a written version of your video’s content, which makes it easier for people to find and watch your videos.
You can also provide a full transcript of the video and have YouTube time the subtitles automatically, type the subtitles or translation as you watch the video, or hire a professional opens in new window to translate or transcribe your video.
8. Using YouTube cards and end screens
YouTube used to rely on annotations to engage with viewers, but fortunately, they’ve since updated their platform to include cards and end screens.
YouTube now recommends that users utilize cards and end screens to perform similar actions, such as linking to external sites or directing people to other videos.
Cards are small, rectangular notifications that appear on both desktop and mobile screens, and up to five can be included per video.
If a user is including multiple cards in one video, it is important to space them out evenly so that viewers have time to take the desired action.
End screens are like cards in that they link to other videos or websites, but they appear at the end of a video instead of throughout.
End screens extend the duration of a video by 5-20 seconds and can be used to encourage users to subscribe to your channel or click an external link to your website opens in new window.
Bear in mind though that YouTube requires users to promote another YouTube video or a playlist with any end screen you add to your video.
YouTube provides a variety of templates and guidelines to help users get started with incorporating cards and end screens into their videos.
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