This week as we continue our series, weâre going to be talking about YouTube. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is a powerful search engine, and every day, more and more people are going to YouTube to learn new things and find out information. The way people gather and consume their information is now changing. People are more likely now to watch a video rather than read a blog post.
Youâre probably wondering if thatâs the case, why didnât I create a video for this topic or even this whole series. Remember what I said in the beginning, we must always consult Holy Spirit on any strategy we want to use before we implement it. Just because everyone else is doing something, doesnât mean itâs Godâs path for me. So until I hear Holy Spirit say otherwise, we are continuing with blog posts.
Now assuming Holy Spirit gave you the âgo aheadâ to use YouTube for your business, letâs talk about 10 tips that may help you as you get started on YouTube.
Just Start
My first tip is just to get started. If being on YouTube is new to you, it can seem overwhelming. You may decide to try to learn everything you can about YouTube and making videos before you start. However, this can lead to analysis paralysis. We can get stuck in constant research mode and are unable to move forward. So my suggestion is, stop worrying about everything you think you need to learn and just get started; especially, if God already told you to start. Delaying and procrastinating this step is not acting in faith and wisdom, itâs operating in fear, and itâs disobedience.
Donât worry if your videos donât look amazing in the beginning. It takes time and practice, but you will get better.
Share Your Channel
Even though youâre on a new platform, it doesnât mean you have to start from scratch to build your subscribers. Share your channel on your other social media platforms. Create an announcement and put the link in your newsletter, and send it to your email list. Ask those that are following you to subscribe and share the channel with their friends and family.
15 Seconds Hook
When it comes to YouTube, watch time is essential. The longer someone watches your videos, the better chances they have to rank higher in the search. To maximize your watch time, youâll want to try to hook in your audience with the first 15 seconds of your video. Fifteen seconds isnât much time; so, youâre probably wondering how can you do that. Start your video by telling us what we can expect. What will we gain or learn by watching your video? What is it going to accomplish? For example, you can say something like this, âIn todayâs video, Iâm going to share with you why YouTube may be the best platform for your business and 10 tips to get you started.â
SEO
This probably goes without saying, but make sure your posts are SEO friendly. Remember, YouTube is a search engine, and good SEO will help you rank higher in the search results. Make sure to optimize your video titles and your tags.
Titles
Make sure to use your keyword(s) in your titles. If your video is about B2B marketing tips, then make sure to include the keywords âB2Bâ and âmarketingâ somewhere in your title. Try to make your titles longer and more specific, use YouTubeâs search bar to test out video titles. Enter your keywords into the search bar and see what types of titles come up. Another tip is to say your keyword(s) in your video. YouTube and Google can pick up your keywords in your video and, again, this will help with ranking.
Tags
Tags are a great SEO feature that YouTube has available. However, tags are not the same as hashtags used on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. YouTubeâs tag feature allows you to type in different alternative titles that people are searching for. For example, if youâre video is titled âHow to grow your subscriber list from 0-1,000 on YouTube,â then some alternative titles you can use in the tag section would be âHow to grow your subscribers on YouTube,â âHow to grow your channel on YouTube,â âHow to build your subscriber list,â âHow to build your audience on YouTube,â etc. By doing this, it will help you get found more easily by people who are searching using one of the alternative titles.
Great Thumbnails
Youâll want to create clear thumbnails that get people to click on your video. Find a way to make your thumbnails stand out from the others. Use your brandâs colors and fonts to set yourself apart. If youâre worried about how to create thumbnails, search YouTube. There are plenty of tutorials to show you how.
Longer Videos
I mentioned earlier that your watch time is an essential factor in helping you rank on YouTube. YouTube wants to promote videos that keep people on their platform for longer periods of time. Longer videos help increase your total watch time. Now longer videos donât mean you have to come up with a 30- or 60-minute episode or video. Even a 10-minute video will help your ranking much more than a three-minute video.
Description
The first two lines in your description box will appear with the search results; so, make them count. Use your keywords, but donât stuff the description with keywords. Those days are gone. Briefly share in the description what your video is about and what your audience will gain or take away from your video. At the end of your description, you can add links to your other social media platforms, website, email list, etc.
Engagement
Have a call to action at the end (or beginning) of your video, and ask people to like, subscribe, and share your video. If you want people to comment on your video, try to ask a specific question related to what was talked about in the video, not a generic request to comment below.
Speaking of a specific question, let me know in the comments below what is your favorite thing about using YouTube for your business? If you donât have a YouTube channel, then what is your favorite platform to use for your business and why?
To your success!