YouTube is a powerful video platform, especially for businesses, but it can be tricky to use.
With so many videos on the site and so much content coming in every day, it's easy for your video to get lost or overlooked. You need to stand out from the crowd if you want people to find your videos and watch them.
We've put together this guide with some of our best tips for using YouTube as a marketing tool. Whether you're just starting out or have been using the platform for years, there are plenty of little things you can do that will help you maximize exposure and grow your business.
This includes things like:
- Your YouTube channel's focus
- How to effectively brand your channel
- How to maximize your exposure on your channel
- Choosing the right content format for your channel
- What you can do to increase your subscribers
Creating a successful YouTube channel can be hard. There are so many components to creating an effective YouTube channel that it is easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated, which leads to giving up before you even start.
We will help you create the best possible channel by guiding you through all the essentials of setting up your channel in a way that attracts subscribers, planning content, and producing videos effectively.
Your YouTube Channel’s Focus
You can find many online tutorials that will walk you through the YouTube sign-up process, so we won't take a look at that in this article.
We'll start by talking about what's really important: Your channel's focus.
The only way to succeed on YouTube is if you plan ahead and create an organized workflow which will allow you to grow your audience consistently over time. This means coming up with a strong topic for your channel early on so that it's easier for viewers to find what they're looking for and subscribe to see more videos from you in the future.
If you're just getting started, you should focus on one topic instead of trying to appeal to everyone. As you grow your business, you may want to develop new content that appeals to various segments of your market.
Start by focusing on a single topic and create videos about things people will find interesting and entertaining. If you can do this consistently over time, then your channel will gain momentum as new viewers subscribe and watch more videos on a regular basis.
Do you know what your customers are searching for? Do they want a more casual tone or one with an educational feel? Which will resonate better to them personally. This will help create engaging content that is most appealing to them so they don't get lost in all of those other channels vying for their attention.
The most successful channels are based on topics that the content creator is passionate about and interested in. Be sure that you integrate your content with your existing website, blogs, and products.
The integration of a YouTube channel with your blog is an excellent way to reach out and engage more people. By creating one seamless brand, you can create greater exposure for yourself by providing content via text-based posts as well.
Before you start your YouTube channel, make sure that there's a demand for it. Research what people want in the niche where you plan on focusing and create content based off their needs.
Your channel is a diamond in the rough. You'll want to find the information that your audience needs and deliver on it with excellent content that's not widely available anywhere else. As you add more videos, you can also begin incorporating video ads to promote your content.
If you are looking for topics to focus on, here are some popular ones featured in many successful YouTube channels:
DIY/How-To/Tutorials
The demand for how-to channels continues to rise, as people are always looking for practical solutions. No matter what your niche is - software development or marketing strategies, interior design tips and tricks (from decorating ideas to the best paint colors), home renovations that will save you money in taxes - you can create an instructional video showing others exactly what they need to do.
Best-Of Clips
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to update your channel, then video roundups are just what the doctor ordered. This type of content works well on channels that highlight popular videos such as funny home movies or top vacation spots from around the world.
There is no limit when it comes down to creating these types of compilations. Just make sure you have the right to include segments of videos and that you are not infringing on anyone's content.
Traveling
Travel channels are great for anyone who wants to share their travel recommendations with the world. Many people want reviews on where they can vacation and the activities that are available in that destination. You could even monetize your channel with sponsorships once it starts growing.
Technology
Videos about the latest tech and gadgets are always popular. Covering tech news or reviewing products, such as computers and electronics can be a great way to provide this type of content for your site.
Crafting
As a crafter, you have the opportunity to teach others how they can create their own handmade crafts and sell them on channels such as YouTube or Etsy.
One of the more popular types of channel is showing people how to make digital items and then sell them on sites like Etsy and Shopify.
There are countless other channel themes out there that can make you money, including gaming channels and podcasting. Video story-telling or cooking channels are other examples of popular channels on YouTube that have found success with their particular niche.
There are a lot of factors that go into creating successful content, but if you start with research and planning first things will be much easier.
Local Business
Using video marketing for local business is an awesome strategy to be able to showcase the inside of your business location. You could also ask customers if you can share before and after images in your videos so others can see the work you've done. This is also a good opportunity to make videos showing all your five star reviews.
Creating content can be challenging, but it's worth the effort when you have an outline to work from. Research your market and analyze popular YouTube channels in your niche before creating a channel plan. This way you can stay on track with what needs done and decide what topics you are going to cover next.
Channel Name
Think of the channel name as an extension or representation of your brand. A channel's name is the first thing that potential subscribers see when they visit your profile. It should be something that will indicate what type of content you offer and who or what company it comes from, which in turn helps them connect with whatever topic interests them most, at a quick glance.
There are successful Vloggers who have created their channel using their own name. However, it can often be easier to grow your audience when your channel name reflects the kind of content you will be providing.
To recap, you need to do some market research and produce content that your target audience is actually interested in and wants to watch.
The secret to success with YouTube is narrowing down the type of content you create for your channel. If a creator wants their brand and stand-out, they should focus on one specific niche that will make it easier for them to be noticed by viewers.
If you want to be successful in this competitive field then it is recommended to build up your channel by specializing solely on one type of content for now and later expanding into other niches as needed or desired.
By taking a laser-focused approach to creating your channel, you'll be able to create a more robust content plan.
Make sure the name you choose for your channel has an available domain name that you can register or one that is closely related. Register that domain before you even start your channel.
You will be able to protect your business better by claiming the domain and username on popular social media platforms. Plus, it's a great place to sell merchandise in the future.
