If you’re on the fence about using YouTube or shooting video for your next marketing campaign, it may be time to rethink your strategy.

Video is watched more than any other type of online content, and posting on YouTube gives you access to an international audience, especially when you consider it’s the second largest search engine in the world.  

Everyone starts somewhere, so start planning now.  

6 Video Marketing Tips to Build Your YouTube Channel 

1. Earn subscribers naturally. Don’t buy them. YouTube is all about being authentic. Learn from the pros and earn ‘free’ subscribers by subscribing to and liking other channels. Think of it like being part of a social pod. You can do it yourself or outsource the task. Bots don’t work and they don’t engage. 
2. Don’t ask don’t get. If you have a following and are sharing videos on other platforms, ask your audience to subscribe. Besides creating valuable content, your goal is to convert viewers into subscribers, and subscribers into customers. Tease them with what’s coming up next, let them know you’re engaged! 
3. Verify your Google Account. If you have a YouTube channel, you can upload videos up to 15 minutes long. But, when you’re verified, you can post longer content – up to 12 hours long. That may seem like forever, but options give you opportunities, like posting a 45-minute webinar. Make sense? 
4. Build a community. Just like with a blog, you want to engage and build relationships in a real way. Thank people for watching your videos, give some folks a shout out, and let them know what they can expect. Respond to comments in a timely manner, too. Let people like, know, trust and believe in you.  
5. Create a professional brand. You are your brand 24/7. Create banner art, a welcome video, and supporting videos that make it clear who you are and what you stand for. Design your branding and copy so that they’re compelling. Make it easy for someone to find you and get in touch.
6. Optimize your channel.  YouTube offers an opportunity to describe your channel on the About page and on each video. Your channel description lets your audience understand what you’re all about (your mission) and individual video descriptions give viewers the chance to find your content and potentially watch it. 

I’ve learned that optimizing descriptions with key words, adding a call-to-action, front-loading important information, using the http://or https:// to make your links clickable, and including a few hashtags helps. And don’t forget links to valuable resources. 

Lastly, let people know you’re human, not a piece of cardboard. Have fun and don’t sweat a mistake. Guilt is a waste of time and everyone isn’t your next client.