Marketing for YouTube
In the era of social media, there are a lot of new kids on the rise, and there are also new platforms that are coming such as TikTok. Despite this, one platform still stands on top: Youtube. With more than 2.1 billion visitors globally, it is the second most popular website on the internet, google itself being the first. In these highly competitive times where new channels are created at every minute, it is essential to Learn how to market your channel if you want to take use of this platform’s possibilities.
Youtube apart from being a good educational platform also act as great advertising platform. It allows companies to gain greater exposure, which results in an expansion of their customer base. In order to improve their Google rankings, brands should create detailed tutorials, live streams, guides, and lessons. Businesses also use the online video sharing platform to run advertisements in order to gain new customers and reach a wider audience. furthermore, It is also much more affordable than paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
There is no shortage of excellent content on YouTube. With so many YouTube channels to choose from, deciding which ones to follow is difficult.
Utilize as many promotional strategies as you can is must, if you want to be harness the true power of YouTube.
Before understanding and working on a good promotional strategy for youtube we first need to understand the following:
- How youtube actually works?
- How content creators are able to make money on youtube?
- what are the key factors for successful youtube video?
Let’s answer these question first!
How YouTube works?
The YouTube algorithm chooses videos for users with the intention of finding the most relevant content for them and keeping them interested.
There isn’t a person monitoring your video and rating it at the YouTube headquarters.
Instead, the algorithm looks at your information to determine the topic of the video, similar videos or categories, and potential viewers.
when we say “the algorithm” we basically mean the three techniques that YouTube uses for every video.
- on that chooses the videos that appear on the YouTube main page or activity, these are the videos which you see automatically when you first open the app
- one that ranks the result of any given search, it basically uses keywork mapping to find the ideal video
- one that helps you find the recommended videos, it searches for those videos whose keywords matches with the one you are watching.
For most channels, the homepage and suggested videos are the main traffic generators. With the exception of explainer or instructional videos, which frequently receive the most traffic via search (e.g., “how to make a website”)
How content creators make money on YouTube?
YouTube creators are people who create content for the platform. This is a one-of-a-kind model that allows creators to earn money directly from the platform in a variety of ways, including placement advertising, merchandise sales, and subscriptions.
YouTube streaming information (views majorly) has been used to measure users thought for marketing decisions. Celebrities and big companies, particularly leading music labels, big brands, have used YouTube as a focused advertising tool for directing mass no of people towards purchasing and using their products and services, those small banners and short videos that you see while watching YouTube are majorly used to convert users to potential customers.
Their main agenda is to develop huge audience and then convert them into potential buyers, to achieve this they use money effectively to increase their consumer base. They usually partner with advertisers to develop their own audiences, and these advertisers then reach out to content creators for various brand deals, which enables various content creators to monetize their videos and get good money immediately from sending content, with top earners exceeding more than 10 million per year.
what are the key factors for successful youtube video?
- A good Intro
you know according to youtube analytics, most of the people will just watch and leave after the first 2 mins of a video. Even worse, they might end up giving dislikes on your video.
so as to tackle this problem content creators came up with intro for their videos. they basically create a short, explained video of 1-2 min highlighting all the content of the full video and add it at the start of the video. this is done to convince viewer to keep watching the video.
- Keep titles short
Our attention span is getting shorter and shorter each day. Nowadays it’s really to grab the attention of viewers and and the only thing that is harder than that is to retain it.
In older times people used to add flashy titles and intros in order to add some cool funky animation and to increase the timestamp of the whole video.
But nowadays this technique is hugely disregarded as the longer opening and flashy titles will end up just discouraging the binge – watchers.
Honestly who like to watch the same openings over and over again. And not to mention people most of the time end up overdoing the openings and titles.
They end up adding a 4-5min of opening in a 10 min video.
People nowadays like an opening which is short, catchy and straight to the point. An opening should be small and crisp and to the point.
- Video Thumbnails
Out of everything on this list, Thumbnails have the greatest power to make or break your YouTube success.
On YouTube, suggested videos are frequently the top source of organic traffic. By suggesting it as something a viewer might also like, YouTube in a way “endorses” your content.
Click-baited thumbnails are more likely to feed the algorithm, which will lead to more clicks, and so on.
Creators on youtube have learned this technique and are constantly trying to create click baited thumbnails in order to attract viewers. These click- baits are mostly filled with wrong information.
The purpose of click bait is not to make you watch that youtube video, it is to make sure that you at least click on the video once it is suggested to you.
- Be Audible
The only thing that can ruin a youtube video is a broken or low quality microphone.
Always keep in mind that the main objective of your audience is to comprehend what you are trying to say. No matter how good your background music is, it won’t do anything if your video is just a collection of images.
Your voice should be highly audible and it should be in the sync with the video, especially if you create content which involves audio majorly like a podcast or a Stand up comedy video, then in that case apart from using a good quality microphone you should also care to add subtitles for the video, so people who are unable to understand your accent are still able to understand what you are actually trying to say.
Adding subtitles will increase the chances of getting some international audience
So now we understand how Youtube actually works and how creators make money out of it, and what are some good practices while making a youtube video, it’s time to see some of the top marketing Strategies that creators use to increase their reach over this platform.
Top Marketing Strategies for Youtube
If you want your youtube video to stand out, utilizing as many promotional strategies is a must for you.
1.Eye catching Titles
When it comes to the effectiveness of your video, titles can either make-or-break it. The secret to writing compelling titles is to draw readers in without using clickbait headlines. People want engaging content, and they also want to know what your video is about right away.
Think about it, the only thing that explains what your video is about or gives a fresh perspective about it is your title and if it isn’t catchy enough, user just scroll over It
Think of it with a business perspective, your youtube channel is like a small shop and titles are the billboard. If user doesn’t know what the billboard is about they probably never come to visit your shop again.
Be clear and to the point. YouTube videos with the most followings typically have the shortest titles.
In order to prevent losing important information, place your keyword(s) in the first half of the title. Most internet readers just pay attention to the first few words of a phrase before moving on.
- Create custom thumbnails
Perhaps even more important than titles are thumbnails. We notice pictures first because it’s just how our brains are wired. we process them, In less than 13 milliseconds.
YouTube does have a function that generates thumbnails automatically for all your videos, but they are usually of low quality and not that much clear. You should create a custom thumbnail for each video as it adds some kind of uniqueness to the video which will in turn helps you to increase your views.
- Organize your Content
The more videos you make, the more challenging it gets for your viewers to find what they’re looking for on your channel.
To address this issue youtube created features like customized playlist. These Playlists encourage your visitors to binge watch your videos by categorizing your videos and allowing you to arrange your channel.
Playlists are a great method to encourage viewers to watch more of your material at once. This is because of these collection’s slight addictiveness. One video stops , then the next starts right away.
The channel’s various playlists help viewers to engage with relevant content without having to dig for it.
- Make use of live streaming
One of the largest social media trends is live video, and it won’t be going away any time soon.
More and more businesses are embracing live streaming thanks to apps like Facebook, Periscope, and Instagram that make it simpler than ever.
Live video streaming has been available on YouTube for years, but it has only recently gained popularity. To get a feel for how other brands are utilizing the platform, take a look at some of the most well-liked YouTube Live broadcasts.
You can use the features of live video for all sort of things like :
- Q &A sessions
- Brand Promotions
- Insights
- Demonstrations
If your streams don’t go as well as you’d want, don’t stress. Live video is
unpolished, organic nature of live video is exactly what makes it exciting for viewers.
- Collaborate with other creators
Working with other creators is a strategy that some of the biggest YouTube stars have used to increase their fan base. Each partnership exposes you to a new group of people. The best part is that because you’re collaborating with a content creator they already know, like, and trust, those new viewers are more likely to subscribe to your channel.
YouTube personalities can assist you in connecting with existing, highly engaged communities. And if you’re stuck for ideas, they can also help you come up with new content.
However, there is one golden rule to any successful partnership: Be genuine.
Identify creators who represent values that are compatible with your brand.
Here are the some of the questions that you should ask yourself before collaborating with any creator
Is it a good idea to collaborate with them?
Will it be beneficial to your audience?
