YouTube is the second most used search engine on the web, only surpassed by Google itself. Anyone who says it’s dying a death probably doesn’t know that people watch one billion hours of videos on YouTube every day and generate billions of views.
Platform popularity means competition. This article is specifically for businesses looking to take actionable steps to build engagement, retention and loyal customers from Youtube.
7-step strategy to increasing visibility on Youtube
1. Get the basics right
Before posting another video or even uploading your first, it’s crucial to have an inviting channel page. Your channel art needs to be coherent, optimised for different devices.
A channel with noticeable and enticing outbound links has a higher chance of converting people to their site. With this article being geared towards businesses, we’re assuming that this will be the goal of your Youtube videos for most of you.
Your channel description doesn’t just give your viewers an insight into your business. Youtube’s algorithm has a better chance of placing your brand within the correct industry and hence suggest your videos to those most likely to connect with your content. So take time to craft channel descriptions, create outbound links and upload high-quality graphics.
2. Own your niche
With other social media channels, diversifying your feed tends to work in a business’s favour. With Youtube, it’s far better to laser focus on a niche. Again this isn’t about beating the algorithm but working with it.
Since Youtube is the leading platform for long-form video content, viewers commit a good chunk of time to a video. For a viewer to become a loyal follower of your page, you’ll need to focus on your niche so they can anticipate that new content from your channel is going to be engaging for them. It can be tempting to branch out, but your brand visibility should offer engaging, entertaining and informative content around your industry. If you’re a food tour in Dublin or a wine business in Clapton, know what your focus is.
3. Research and SEO
Rather than creating videos that you think will do well, you can take out the guesswork with some research.
You can purchase SEO plug-ins such as Keywords Everywhere that are reasonably priced. These will allow you to search for terms within Youtube and see the search volume per month. You can also filter the search based on country, which is handy if your content is location-specific.
If you’re new or have a small following on Youtube, search for terms that fit well into your brand but don’t have a massive search volume. The big channels in the industry will likely cover 1,000+ p/m search terms. Look for search terms that are more obscure and look at the quality of videos on the first page. Once you find a gap where the quality isn’t super or doesn’t quite fit the search term, it’s time to make a video!
4. Custom Thumbnails
It’s tempting to screenshot an image out of your footage. The problem is that the quality will never be as good as a photo. Have a think about what might draw in a viewer ad take time to lay out the scene. You can have an incredible video behind a mediocre thumbnail and caption, and it will never get the attention and views it deserves.
Peter McKinnon does a wonderful job of showing what viewers will get out of the next 10 minutes of viewing. If using text in your thumbnail, choose a consistent font, but play around with the layout. Font consistency combined with playful text placement keeps the thumbnails looking unique but still in-keeping with your brand.
5. Alert your followers
Drive traffic to your new video as soon as it’s uploaded.
Neil Patel divulges that, unlike traditional SEO, videos that perform well in the first 24 hours tend to do well for the life of the video. Have a trailer video prepared to upload to your other social channels.
Head onto your stories and discuss the ins and outs of the video, why you thought it was essential. Maybe let viewers in on the filming process. Essentially, get people curious enough about the Youtube video that they’ll click on your Youtube. Send an exciting email through your mailing. All of these elements will help boost that initial view, which will mean that the video will perform better in the long term.
6. Control traffic using cards and end screens
Cards and end screens help you have more of a say in what an engaged viewer will watch next.
Cards are clickable and interactive CTA’s that you can weave into your video. This can greatly influence view counts and promote other videos, or even playlists, in your channel.
Besides playlists, cards and end screens are two of the only tools that YouTubers can use to bypass the algorithm and directly influence our audience’s next choice.
Two top tips for cards:
- Limit the number of cards in a video as too many can disrupt the viewer’s enjoyment of the video.
- Place a card at the moment when there is a significant drop-off in viewership. This helps direct them to one of your videos that they might find more relevant or entertaining for them rather than leaving your channel altogether.
7. Add closed captions
YouTube has a simple feature for you to add closed captions to notate your video as it plays. Not only does this increase your video’s accessibility for those with hearing difficulties, but it’s also useful for those who don’t wish to play the video out loud.
The third benefit being Google and Youtube crawl these captions, which will help twitch the video’s SEO.
Engaging viewers through Youtube requires a blend of creativity but also a deep understanding of viewer behaviour and Youtube’s algorithm.
We’re a small team here at Videoworks London with a knack for storytelling and creating video content that connects people to your brand. If you’d like to collaborate on a Youtube video for your business, you can get in touch with us at Videoworks London.