While many YouTube channel owners have raised their voices, the video giant continues its algorithm changes in the name of “personalizing their feed.” The good news is that there are several ways you can effectively grow your following and attract more subscribers with organic methods.
Whether you are a business offering products or services or an influencer needing to build an interested audience, video marketing is one the best ways to gain visibility and produce more sales. Currently YouTube reports that it has over one billion active users. According to Google 75 percent of adults are watching videos on their mobile devices. It’s important to have a video marketing plan in place if you want your brand to be noticed online.
How can you grow a channel without having to use paid methods? Here are 10 ways you can stand out to your targeted audience:
1 – Match a Custom URL to your other Social Channels
Once a channel arrives at 100 subscribers and is at least a month old a custom URL can be generated, which should match your other social media accounts.
Because you cannot change it to another name you will want to choose wisely before making it permanent. YouTube allows brands to create a name based on a URL, display name, or YouTube username.
You may also like to read: 7 Marketing Strategies To Boost Online Marketing Results On YouTube
2 – Focus your Playlists and Videos in the Right Categories
A clear, concise playlist(s) will help viewers on YouTube find your videos easier. Choose categories that relate to your channel and have short titles — remember, YouTube is a search engine! This will help users find what they are looking for faster and will encourage them to stay on your channel and subscribe.
3 – Showcase your “Featured” Video
If your brand or business has a new product or service that you would like to showcase this as a feature on your main profile. This provides a more prominent position of what you have to offer as well as directs your audience to your selected playlists below. Choose your selection carefully — think of your video as promo or trailer for your brand. Here’s a great example from Hubspot:
4 – Use Only Brief Theme Music
While these may add consistency and help brand your videos, slick intros are not what will hook your viewers. In fact, any longer than 5 seconds, and you’ve probably lost them. Your viewers will quickly leave your channel if they are not finding the information they are looking for right away. If you choose themed music first make sure that is is not under copyright and compliments your video in a way that does not distract from your brand message.
5 – Share a “Call To Action” at the End of your Videos
The goal of any video is to encourage people to “subscribe” to your channel and click the bell for notifications. If you have put in the time and effort of presenting your message you need to include something of value that is a good pay off for your viewers.
Here are a few different examples of what works for your viewers:
• A promise of “more ways to…”
• Further parts in the series or a valuable discount
• A call to action that connects to the emotions and needs of your audience
• Displaying more videos in a series that they’ll want to click through and view
6 – Make Your Topic Clear and Easy to Find in Search
Your viewer should never be left wondering what your video is about. Do your due diligence in keyword research in order to learn what people are searching for. Take advantage of YouTube’s built-in keyword suggest tool to find specific results. Although this is not in-depth, it’s a great starting point in your research.
You may also want to read: 3 Ways Small Niche Businesses Can Breathe New Life Into Their Content
7 – Use a Professional App or Software for Editing
A basic video editor like Adobe Premier or iMovie will help you make your work the best it can be. There are various mobile apps also available that can help you quickly edit and add the right captions on videos recorded on a mobile device. For example, remove extra talking points that don’t pertain to the topic of interest, add a quick intro, place a logo or add special effects such as fade-outs, and non-copyrighted music. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “is this clip really necessary to getting my message across?”
You may not be worried about using top of the line, quality equipment or professional quality sound editors – but your message should be clear, dynamic, entertaining, and authentic.
8 – Plan Your Video Marketing Strategy For Promotion
The more focused you are on your niche the more targeted followers you will have. This is an important part of building a relevant brand that people turn to as their source of information and includes cross channel promotion on places like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow relevant channels to your business and leave helpful comments on their content that does not outwardly promote your own brand. This is one of the most effective ways to start building a new following fast while making great connections in your industry.
9- Create Eye-Catching Titles
A good headline should create a strong interest or curiosity and compel the viewer to want to see more. Check out similar titles in your niche in order to create something that will stand out from the rest. A good rule of thumb is to keep these less than 66 characters long, and to include key terms that pertain to the video’s topic.
10 – Host a Live YouTube Event
Just like Facebook and Instagram Live your brand can gain a whole set of new targeted followers with a fun and interesting live broadcast.
This is a great place to share an event, the latest news, a product demonstration, and much more. Not only are you tapping into mobile and desktop users, but also those who have smart televisions.
As video continues to expand online it is more important than ever to build a brand channel. With the right optimization, message, videos and focus you can attract more focused subscribers who are interested in what you have to offer.
Over To You
Do you have any other suggestions to help your fellow readers improve their YouTube marketing? Or maybe more specifically, do you have further hints on how to improve their YouTube channels? If so, please share them in the comments section, below. Thanks!
Featured image: Copyright: https://www.123rf.com/profile_fizkes / 123RF Stock photo
Susan Gilbert
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