WHY YOUTUBE?
Youtube is the world’s 3rd most-visited website!
YouTube is the world’s second biggest search engine (just behind Google).
Cisco predicts that 80% of all Internet traffic will be video content by 2019
Everyone is watching YouTube.
You can no longer afford to ignore video marketing. It’s a core competency within marketing.
The good news is it’s easy to get started.
Bonus: Download a PDF version of this YouTube Marketing Guide. Access it offline anytime. Use the 8 Steps outlined as a checklist for your account.
YOUTUBE MARKETING STRATEGY
Create simple “how to” videos that “engage” your buyer persona.
Focus on searchability and discoverability i.e. keyword research + SEO optimization.
Build up audience on the platform and funnel back to website with incentives & offers.
Note: If you want become a famous vlogger, gamer or YouTube viral sensation, then this strategy should be adjusted.
“WATCH TIME” IS GOLDEN
Watch Time is the most important metric on YouTube.
Before, number of “views” on a video drove it’s discoverability and rank.
Now, YouTube suggests videos in search and recommendations based on “watch time”. Put simply, YouTube will your promote videos if they keep users engaged.
This metric is key to the success of your YouTube marketing strategy. Keep it in mind as you go through the next steps.
Source: YouTube Creator Academy
THE SUBSCRIBER ADVANTAGE
Subscribers are critical to your success on YouTube:
Subscriber help you get you those critical initial views as soon as you post a video.
Subscribers watch more than anyone else. Remember ‘Watch Time” is golden.
How to Increase YouTube Subscribers
Set a goal to for your channel subscribers: 100,1000,10,000, 1M or 10M!
Increase subscribers numbers with call to action at the end of videos.
Bonus: Simple Trick to Increase YouTube Subscribers by 400%.
Prompt your users to subscribe to your channel when you mention your YouTube channel in emails, link to YouTube from your website or any social media profile.
Just add this small parameter (?sub_confirmation=1) at the end of your channel URL to show this popup: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQz2VpIRSApVqoZ_wDt5sfg?sub_confirmation=1
Note, this particular trick will only work on user pages or channel pages, not on links for individual videos.
To recap, increasing subscribers should be part of your YouTube Marketing Strategy because it will ultimately help you drive more website traffic.
YOUTUBE TOOLBOX
Recording Software (screen + camera)
Budget: Screencastomatic – free with watermark. $15/year premium
Professional: Camtasia – $99 on mac
Microphones:
Budget: Samsung Go Mic USB Microphone $40
Professional: Blue Yeti USB Microphone $129
YouTube Video Manager
Make changes to uploaded videos: Add annotations, cards, subtitles, closed captions and more.
- YOUTUBE ACCOUNT SET UP & OPTIMIZATION
Essentials:
Create a channel with a business or other name.
Add a Channel Icon
Associate Your Website. Required so you can link back to your site inside your videos. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/advanced_settings
Optional:
Link to Adwords Accounts
Link to Google Analytics (analytics for channel page only)
YouTube Channel Art (Use Canva.com for banner templates & sizes)
- YOUTUBE KEYWORD RESEARCH
Use these 3 keyword research tools to find untapped video keywords:
YouTube’s Autocomplete Feature. (use private browsing so your search history doesn’t skew the suggestions)
Keyword Everywhere Chrome Extension
Google Keyword Planner
- YOUTUBE VIDEO STRUCTURE
Remember “watch time” is golden.
Follow this exact sequence to maximise audience retention:
Headline. Keyword Optimised. Show benefits compared to other videos in the search results.
Problem. The first 30 seconds is the most important. Identify the problem you will solve and visual stimuli to keep people interested.
Solution: The core of your video is the educational segment which provides the solution to the problem outlined.
Call To Action (CTA). End with a strong CTA, either to subscribe like comment or link back to your website. Use annotations, cards and end templates.
- YOUTUBE SEO
Follow these key points when you upload your video:
File name:Include your target keyword e.g. seo-tutorial-for-beginners.mp4
Title: Include your target keywords at the start of your title. Highlight benefits compared to other videos.
Description: Summarise the content of your video in 200 words. Include keywords 3-4 times.
Video Tags: Include your keyword as the first tag and a few related keywords as tags.
Closed Captioning: Great for non native speakers, search, user experience and mobile viewers in sound sensitive environments. Further reading: 85% of Facebook Video is watch with no sound.
- YOUTUBE THUMBNAILS
Take these steps to create eye catching thumbnails:
Use custom thumbnails. Stand out in the search results.
Use solid background colors to catch viewers’ eye.
Add text: Many viewers look at a thumbnail before they read the actual text title.
Thumbnail Size: 1280px * 720 px. Make sure it looks good when it’s sized down.
Youtube Thumbnail Maker: Use free templates in Canva.com
- YOUTUBE ANNOTATIONS & CARDS
Add cards and annotations to uploaded videos inside the YouTube Video Manager.
Use these to add text notes, promote a video or playlist, add links an approved website, promote another channel etc.
Cards: Allow viewers to click on CTA a mobile device (annotations don’t allow this). Teaser text appears in upper right corner of the video for five seconds then reverts to “i” icon. Easily add images to videos without editing software. Limited to 5 per video
Annotations: Allows for flexible “spotlights” and pop-up locations. Can be any size and many colour schemes. However, they are not mobile friendly and YouTube plans to phase this feature out.
- YOUTUBE PROMOTION
5 Ways to Promote Your Video to Get Initial Views:
Promote to email list.
Embed Video in Blog Posts (embed at certain time).
Embed in Quora Answers.
Share in relevant Facebook groups.
Share short clip on Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Twitter and link back to YouTube.
- YOUTUBE ANALYTICS
5 YouTube Metrics to Measure Video Performance:
Watch Time: Watch time is your key metric rather than video views.
Subscriptions Driven: Subscribers watch more than anyone else.
Engagement: Shares, comments, likes.
Audience Retention: See exactly where viewers dropped off.
Traffic Sources: Shows how viewers find your content (sites and YouTube features)
Get additional insights: Use Vid IQ Chrome Extension to see what the top creators are doing to drive growth, increase engagement, and create viral content. Competitor tags, rank position and more!