Is your YouTube Channel getting the attention you’re looking for?
For most of us, that would be a “no.” There’s definitely room for improvement. Look at the stats: Over 30 million YouTube users watch nearly 5 billion videos every single day. That’s a ton of competition. At the same time, it’s a tremendous marketing opportunity. On your expert topic. Worldwide. For umm, free.
So, how do you drive traffic to your channel? How do you make your video marketing more effective, so viewers will stop, look and take action?
8 Video Marketing Tips to Grow YouTube Traffic
- Make quality videos.Your content should be entertaining, educational or ideally both. At the same time, the video and audio quality should be the best you can afford. That doesn’t mean you have buy professional gear, but use a good camera. Better yet, learn the nuances of your phone. If you’re a perfectionist hire a professional. Still too expensive? College interns are more reasonably priced. If you’re determined to tackle it alone, a little online training – like YouTube videos – go a long way.
- Don’t downplay your expertise.If you’re the expert on a topic, own it. No time to be a shrinking violet. With YouTube being the second largest search engine in the world (after its parent company Google), videos are a top resource for education. Viewers want to make sure they’re learning from the best. So, be sure to name your channel and videos accordingly. Instead of the “Bob’s Plumbing,” name your channel “Boston’s Best Plumber.” You’ll gain some SEO juice too.
- Mix it up with some fun.Most videos you upload should be business-oriented, but all work and no play — well you know the rest. If you have something silly going on in the office, like an innocent prank or someone’s birthday, post videos of that too. Even on serious videos, you can add an element of humor to keep your audience entertained. Marketing pros will always tell you to make people laugh, cry or think. No crying allowed here though. OK?
- Name your videos with purpose. The title, description and tags should have frequently searched terms related to your videos’ content. Include keywords for your business also. This will help create search results for people looking for specific content and for your business. Make sure to choose great thumbnails too; those small graphics and images are the first impression people get of your videos. Branding counts, as always, so stay consistent with your brand.
- Spread the news.Post your videos as many places as possible. Write blog posts on your website and embed the videos. Post it to all of your social media, business and personal. Embed it in your monthly newsletter. There are video syndication platforms out there too. We recently discussed content syndication, and some of those rules can apply to video as well. The more eyes, the better, especially in front of your target market. You want to make them raving fans.
- Encourage feedback.Just like on other social media, interaction increases buzz around a video. Here’s where a CTA (call to action) counts. Ask people for their feedback or comments at the end of your video. Ask them to subscribe to your channel. Most people won’t act unless you ask them to, so ask away. Thank people who respond positively, but ignore the trolls. You’ll only egg them on with a response.The best tools for CTAs are YouTube Cards. These are the little boxes you see popping up throughout YouTube videos. Here’s a great video explaining how to use them.
- Utilize playlists and end screens.Create playlists of your videos, so the next one automatically plays. It’s like when you “accidentally” binged the whole fourth season of “Game of Thrones” in one sitting. Whoops. End screens have a similar effect, allowing users to click on another related video.
- Rinse. Repeat.Once you get into a good flow, post a new video as often as you’re able to without sacrificing quality. It’s a game of odds. The more videos you have, the more likely people are to find them, but you don’t want to rush the process and make subpar videos. If you’re doing your best to post often and upload interesting video, you’re on the right track.
A few more quick things.
If you need a little extra boost, there are tools out there that can help to do some of this for you. TubeBuddy, for example, is a free browser extension that helps to edit and optimize your videos.
There’s also livestream. Don’t be afraid to livestream a YouTube video. It’s becoming increasingly popular and is great for big announcements, new products, events, etc.
And, try to keep your videos under five minutes. Under three is even better. People have short attention spans.
On that note, I’m out.
0 Comments