We are over two weeks into the new year now so hopefully, you're back into the swing of things. Many businesses this year are going to be revitalising their websites and revamping their marketing strategies to pave a way for success. Are you on this same path?
Have you considered your business website or marketing strategy for 2018 yet? If you are still thinking about strategies and heard about video advertising or thought about setting up a business YouTube channel, now is the time.
With over 30 million visitors per day, YouTube is the second most visited website on the internet, behind Google, of course. With its sheer popularity, it should be a top priority to have a great business YouTube channel in 2018 no matter what industry you are based in.
We are going to delve into the steps for YouTube success.
1) Research
The first step is to research. By this I mean really delve into your business target market and demographics. What type of content do they like and what's going to appeal to them? You need to answer this before even setting up a channel. Why? So, you know what to focus on. It would be pointless to create a YouTube channel without any focus. From your research, set clear goals and outline your strategy.
2) Creating Your Channel
Creating your business YouTube channel is next on our list and it's important to get the set up right. First, you'll need a Gmail account so if you don't have one then go ahead and set one up. Creating the channel is quite simple, head on over to YouTube, in the top right corner click on the avatar icon and then from the drop-down click my channel. When it asks who you are using YouTube as, ignore the first name and last name bit and select “use a business or other name”. Enter your business or brand name and there you go!
Now you need to optimise your channel.
3) Optimising Your Channel
Optimising your YouTube channel correctly will help you stand out from the competition. Here are a few key elements that you need to be sure to update...
Channel Artwork: Customise your channel artwork by adding your company logo and a banner image. Make sure your logo is the highest quality possible and the same for your banner image. A good banner image should stand out and be consistent with your branding but there's no right or wrong here really. Many channels do this very differently. It is worth taking the time though to make your channel visually pleasing.
Channel Description: This is basically an “about me” text section but it is a crucial piece of your YouTube channel. Optimising your description correctly will help result in more subscribers and more leads in the long run. Use this description to tell your channel viewers what your business or brand is about and be sure you make an impression on them, Also, include links to your Social accounts, website and blog in here. There is a separate section under the description for this called custom links. Finally, make sure your business email address is included in the email section.
The two above points are essential in channel optimisation. If you want to go the distance with the optimisation though, here are a few more elements to look at:
- Create and include a YouTube channel trailer that introduces first-time viewers to your channel.
- Add featured channels and liked videos in a subtle way.
- Make sure you optimise each individual video you upload with a great title, awesome description and relevant tags etc.
4) Create Great Content Consistently
The last step I am going to go through here in our steps to YouTube success is to create great content consistently. By this I mean don't just create one great video and stop there. Continue to produce and create excellent video content that your viewers will love and want to subscribe and come back for more.
Summary
For more information and advice on video marketing, check out some of our related articles:
- How To Do Online Video Marketing: The Digital Prosperity Podcast Season 2, Episode 5
- 5 Of The Best Benefits Of Video Marketing
- Why Use Video Marketing
The ultimate key to YouTube success is hard work, motivation and consistency. If you stick by that and continue to produce great, optimised content then you'll be sure to get results.
