How To Use YouTube’s Community Tab To Increase Engagement

  • December 10, 2018·
  • 1257  Views·

Thinking of ways on how to encourage your YouTube subscribers to like or interact on your channel? How about knowing what your audience is thinking? Don’t know what topic to create next on your video? Then you must check out YouTube’s community tab.

YouTube’s community tab allows creators to create activities or posts for their subscribers and visitors that they can interact with. Some of the activities that they can do are post updates, create polls, share some photos and GIFs. It replaces the old discussion tab. You can access your community tab by visiting your channel and below your channel art, the community tab is located in place of the discussion tab.

In the discussion tab, creators are only allowed to post text-based updates. Whilst in the community tab, you can be as creative as posting a GIF, images, links, and texts. Visitors and subscribers can reply text-based comment on your post.

How To Use YouTube’s Community Tab To Increase Engagement

How To Use YouTube’s Community Tab

Community tab is enabled on some verified and non-verified YouTube channels with over 100,000 subscribers. It is like a mini-experiment that will be implemented soon for everyone.

If you want to know what content to post on your community tab, it is better to check out the community tab or subscriptions tab on YouTube App of the channels you follow.

But if you want more tips on how to create the kind of content for community tab and how to maximize it to increase your subscribers and visitors, here are some tips that you should consider.

  1. Create a video about your community tab

Your subscribers are expecting videos from your channel, so what better way to introduce your community tab is to create a video about it.

Under the video description of your video, include your community tab link. Share also the video on your community to ensure that first-time viewers or subscribers can know how to engage and interact with your channel.

  1. Enable notifications

In the introductory video, you will be creating about your community tab. Encourage your subscribers or viewers to enable notifications so they can be notified for any latest activities in your channel. In getting notifications, they simply click the bell icon beside the subscribed button.

  1. Explain the purpose of your community tab

Why do you need it? What is it for?

In your first post, explain to your viewers and subscribers what is the community tab for. It is also the best place to welcome them. YouTube is recommending creators to also create a creed or house rules on how to use the community tab.

  1. Promote your products

One of the things that you can take advantage of the community tab is promoting your products. You can create a post or an update about your product or a link to your product’s page. You can also include discounts to further encourage your subscribers or viewers to check out your page. It is also catchy if you will include an image in your post.

  1. Market your latest video

It is also a smart move to promote your latest video on your community tab so that your viewers and subscribers will know that you have a new video on the channel. Good thing, YouTube will give a little preview of your video link with an image, title, number of views and age of your video.

  1. Sneak peek

Another way to create content on your community channel is to provide some sneak peek preview of the video that you are currently creating. This teaser will pique their interest and make them excited about your coming video.

It is also a smart way to promote old videos for the convenience of your new visitors or new subscribers.

  1. Use poll

One of the most effective ways to engage in interaction with your community tab is by creating a poll. Ask them what they think of your latest video. Or you can also ask them about the topic they would like to watch on your next video. This is possible since the community tab is allowing poll posts.

  1. Ask questions

Another way to interact with your community is to ask questions. Promote it in advance. Say “I’ll be answering marketing questions this Tuesday. So make sure to comment below something you want to ask me.” This way you are giving your audience time in taking part to your Q & A.

  1. Ask them for ideas

We’ve mentioned it before and will mention it again. Community tab is a great way to reach out to your audience on what they would like to see. This will give you an inspiration for your next video. Double benefit – since this promote community interaction and at the same time content for your next material. Furthermore, this increases views and subscribers because you are creating content based on what people would like to see and consume.

  1. Be funny with GIFs and Memes

Everyone likes a good meme. So humor your community with occasional GIFs and memes that can laugh at. If they can relate to it, you’d be lucky to have some comments about it.

  1. Ask for support.

You can also use your community tab if you need support in a specific campaign. Or if you need them to complete a task. One example is asking them to like a page or asking them to vote for you in a contest. Just make sure to explain why you are doing it and include important links and details.

Community tab is a great way to interact with your subscribers and viewers. It is also a great way to know what they think about your videos and your channel in general. You can also understand your subscribers better with it. Just make sure to post content or updates that will give value or entertain them.

Maximize the use of community tab to help you grow your following or your business. Ask questions, post updates, create polls, creating content on the community tab is endless you just need to be creative in thinking of content to post.

Simple Methods To Increase Your YouTube Views And Subscribers

  • December 3, 2018·
  • 594  Views·

YouTube is one of the most powerful channels in existence. It gains millions of views every day. And yet many marketers are overlooking its marketing potential. In fact, only 9% of small businesses use it.

Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that many marketers and businesses are a little intimidated on how to get views on YouTube. For them, they think that you need to put a lot of work and effort to get the attention and engagement that you want.

In reality, YouTube is easy to use. You can get a thousand views on your video even though your channel is not that popular as other brands. You don’t necessarily need to have a million subscribers to get millions of views. But getting a million views is not enough. You should also know how to turn those million views into website visits.

This process, in turn, opens an opportunity into your sales funnel of converting website visits into leads and customers.  So how do you do that?

The first thing to do is…

 

How to get more views

Before getting into the main topic, it is important to first understand some basic concepts. If you want to drive traffic, you must GET that traffic.

Create an awesome and engaging content, optimize it for easy search, and keep on sharing your content.

Creating engaging content is the most important part of the process. You should know your target audience – what they like and what they would like to see. Then create that content.

Second is to optimize that content. You need to make your videos easy to find. If you know how SEO works, it will be easy for you to optimize your content. You need to focus on the video title, description, and most importantly your video thumbnail.

Your title should be able to answer the questions of your target audience. Also, in using tags, the key numbers are 10 to 12 tags. You should also use keywords that are related to your video.

When it comes to description, there is no real formula for that. But you should not stuff it with a bunch of keywords. And making your description long is the key.

Then lastly, make your video thumbnail very attractive.

When it comes to your thumbnails, don’t hesitate to experiment with images, colors and text overlays. Most people, decide to watch based on the thumbnail alone. So take time to make the best thumbnail for your video that viewers will click.

 

How to convert views into website traffic

One way to do this is to get referrals.

According to the study by Bain & Company, 87% of customers will give referrals if you will ask them. Surprisingly, only 7% of sales people are asking for referrals. Imagine the many chances that they could have created a new customer.

This concept is not just applicable in the sales industry. It also applies to YouTube. If you ask your viewers to visit your site, then there is a higher percentage that they will do that.

A formula you can use in creating your video and at the same time attracting visitors on your site is this: Introduce your name and your website at the beginning of your video. Then, give everything that your viewers would want to see on your video. Give them something of value. Then at the end, advise them to check out your website.

Since they got something from your video, they have the tendency to repay you by visiting your site. So don’t forget to mention your website at the start of the video and mention it again at the end. It will also help if you type your website at the end of the video.

If you are into extra engagement, try putting an annotation at the end of your video. With this annotation, they can just click it and they will be on your website in an instant.

But before adding an annotation to your video, it is important to verify first your account. It is just easy. You go to Creator Studio, then Channel, then Advanced.

Under there, you will see a section called “Associated website.” Enter your website URL here and then click Add.

You will be redirected to Google Search Console. This will end the process.

Once Google has verified your website, go to Creator Studio again and then Video Manager. Find the video you would like to add an annotation, click the Edit button, and select Cards.

Click the Add card and then insert your website URL.

You can also include a text or an image on the card. This is highly recommended to increase the visibility of your website.

After doing this process, it should look like this.

Don’t overlook this tactic, and you will be surprised by the result.

 

How to create a description

As we have mentioned, description is an important tool to increase the visibility and views of your video. But how do you create an effective description?

Since YouTube is cutting the content on description box and putting “Show more” at the end of your first sentence, it is important to cut your description into bits and pieces where your audience can easily read the most important element of your video description.

Don’t just write. The first couple of lines should say something valuable about the video that can grab the audience’s interests.

Try to experiment also by including URLs on the first couple of sentences.

Set a UTM parameter on your link so you can track how your viewers are dealing with your description.

But if you already have a link on your annotation, you can skip putting it in the description box.

If you decide to include a link on your description box, make sure to start with http:// or https://. This is for your viewers to easily click the link.

After creating a compelling and interesting intro to your description, continue writing your description. This time, include keywords to optimize it. Remember that it is not good to bombard your description with lots of keywords. Use one or two as long as it will sound okay and natural.

You can try using latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords. They are very close to your focus keywords. Put your keywords at the start of your description. Use also focus keywords, as recommended by YouTube. Be thoughtful in creating your description. It can result in good referral traffic.

 

How to encourage viewers to subscribe

It is a long strategy, but very effective. Unlike the direct method of sending clients to your website, this one is different. Subscribing to your channel is very easy to do. Just hit the red subscribe button near your YouTube avatar.

Hooking your viewers to your content is the key for your viewers to subscribe to your channel. Subscribing to your channel will give you more views and repeat views. Views can turn into fans, and those fans are bound to check your website and possibly turn into customers.

The secret here is to produce valuable content that your viewers will be hooked to watch every single time.

 

How to optimize your channel’s about page

Optimizing your video is not the only thing you need to do. If you want to increase your views and attract subscribers, you should know how to optimize your channel’s about page.

If people are interested with what you are producing, they are bound to check your about page.

The thing is, you need to keep your about page interesting and up to date. Put relevant information about your business. Your ‘about page’ is bound to create more traffic to your website. So tell the readers what they would like to know about your company and how it will be beneficial to them.

At the end of your About page, make sure to include your website link and social profiles. So people can easily check it out.

 

The importance of interaction

Getting comments on your videos is a good sign. Good or bad, it means that people are interested and taking the time to give their two cents about your video. But you can’t just ignore these comments, especially if you are getting positive comments or questions.

You need to answer and interact with these comments and their users.

Interacting with them on the comment section shows that your viewers are dealing with real human and not just some kind of bot. It also shows that you are listening and engaging with them. It projects an image that your brand is easy to reach out.

Don’t also ignore questions. They are better than positive comments. Answer questions and some of your viewers who read comment section will get an idea of the problems and solution you are providing.

This means that you are generous in giving valuable information, not just on your video but also on the people who are asking you.

In the comment section, also include links that are valuable to them. Just make sure to provide links that really help answer their question.

 

Reach out to other YouTuber

There are other YouTuber on your niche. So make sure to maximize this opportunity by partnering with them. By partnering with them, you can share audiences and you both get new and more traffic.

Do a YouTube search and look for YouTuber that you can partner with.

Make sure that these channels have more subscribers than you do.

Don’t neglect the power of YouTube. Yes, it is not easy to create content and it is a bit intimidating to compete with billions of users in the channel.

But it is completely free to use and you can possibly tap your customers within those billions of users. So give it a try and use the above tips to increase your views and subscribers.

How Influencers are Shaping Up the Video Game Marketing Scheme

  • November 16, 2018·
  • 704  Views·

The gaming community is a dedicated fanbase that marketers and gaming franchises aim to reach and influence. But despite the loyalty that these gamers and enthusiasts have for video games, there is still the challenge that developers have of standing out and capturing people’s attention.

That is not an easy feat to overcome considering how many games are released per day. On iOS alone, the number of games distributed in 2014 per day was estimated to have been around 500, while roughly 250 games were released on Android. With thousands of games made available, both free and paid, in the market every week, gamers are left to decide on which ones they would like to try out. Consequently, it falls upon the video game marketer to capture the consumer’s attention – and one of the most effective ways to do this is by partnering up with an influencer. Continue Reading

Five YouTube Marketing Campaigns Your Brand Can Use

  • October 9, 2018·
  • 792  Views·

The kind of YouTube marketing campaign your brand chooses to launch will be shaped by the culture of the brand, the goals, and objectives of the campaign, and your target market. For companies that never run a marketing campaign on the video platform, YouTube marketing can help you optimize their brand awareness and reach which in turn means more sales conversions.

Five YouTube Marketing Campaigns Your Brand Can Use

But apart from the obvious pre-roll ads, we all know YouTube for, what other kinds of campaigns can your brand run?

 

  • Marketing Product Placements on YouTube. Among the most frequent and efficient kinds of video marketing campaigns is incorporating a product, service, or even a logo into a video posted on YouTube that is often not directly related to your brand. By featuring a product or service of the brand on YouTube, or even showing the brand’s logo in a favorable light, a company can easily grab the attention of thousands or even millions of YouTube viewers and potential customers. The product could be a part of the set or logo placed on the screen.

 

  • YouTube Unboxing Videos. Unboxing videos are where a YouTube user will unpack a new product and explore the features of a product or even give viewers a quick tutorial on assembling or using the new item. Unboxing-style videos on YouTube are unbelievably popular and have become a preferred marketing strategy for many brands. These have some of the highest ROI of YouTube video marketing. Brands will often send a select package of their products to a YouTube influencer who then chooses how and when to unbox.

 

  • YouTube Tutorials, Demonstrations, Guides, and How-Tos. Working with a prominent YouTube celebrity or even a micro influencer,  to create a very instructional, demonstration, how-to guide, or tutorial is among the top ways for brands to get in touch with millions of engaged viewers while at the same time providing value to his or her subscribers and even global audiences. This is a hugely popular reason for people buying YouTube subscribers.

 

  • Vlog-Style Marketing Campaigns. For top personalities on YouTube, one of the most engaging and shareable ways of sharing is when they document an experience or create a video blog talking with subscribers. For brands, tapping the attentive followers of a YouTube personality, using vlogs can help them get exposed to thousands, if not millions, of online followers. Behind your brand and marketing campaign will be the personality of the Youtuber you choose to partner with.

 

  • Creative Video Marketing Campaigns. Engaging marketing campaigns usually involve integrating creative video idea about a product or service. Creative campaigns often show a different take compared with other types of video marketing campaigns. They are most likely to garner good engagement levels on the part of the consumers (such as likes or even social shares) and have a better chance at going viral on YouTube.

 

Tapping YouTube Influencers

Based on the tips above, brands have a good reason to tap into the fanbase of an influencer on YouTube to help spread the word about their product or service.

But finding the right influencer for your campaign can be a difficult path. Here are some tips your brand can use.

 

Filter Through Channels Immediately. You can look for YouTube influencers based on their views per video as well as engagement in terms of the number of comments, likes, or shares per video. You can also look at influencers based on the countries they are in and where their majority audience is based as well as the language they speak.

 

You can also look for influencers who talk about topics that may be relevant to the product or service you are selling. Their age and the tone of their videos should also match up with your brand story.

 

Look at Real-Time Analytics. You can tap influencers but see their real-time metrics first. Check if the influencer is the right fit for your video marketing campaign. For example, how consistent are the video views of the influencer? A product or service can look at the last 20 or 30 videos of a YouTube creator, and see the average views of his or her videos.

 

You can also look at the sponsorship density of the influencer’s account. How many of his videos are sponsored? You don’t want to partner with an influencer who may dilute your brand because they share all sorts of diverse brand stories. Seeing the number of sponsored videos will give products and services an idea of whether or not the influencer is a good candidate for your campaign.

 

Select the Right Influencers. You can select the right YouTube influencers for your product or service. Studying the right influencers on YouTube can be extremely time consuming and may only provide limited insight into your product or service. This means content creators and marketers should look for important data such as demographics, popularity, or influence of the YouTube personality.

 

One of the huge mistakes marketers commit in influencer marketing is underestimating the pull that top YouTube stars have with their audience and consequently the amount of money you would be required to pay them. It is crucial to know that YouTube influencers who have millions of fans can often cost as much as traditional media celebrities.

 

The influence of YouTube celebrities is just as engaging these days, if not more relevant than traditional advertising methods because Youtube content creators can engage and directly speak with their viewers. However, for brands and campaigns that are smaller, the huge costs of YouTube stars make collaborations quite an impossibility. These companies should focus on fostering relationships with micro YouTubers as a means of building brand awareness through the video platform.

 

Micro-influencers often have a high value and return on investment than expected because they have small but very dedicated fanbases.  Partnering with a highly relevant micro-influencer on YouTube is a good way to have a good break into the video influencer marketing landscape. At the same time, tapping a YouTube influencer who is an expert in a niche means not spending the large financial investment that is often budgeted to work with the more high-profile, established influencers.

 

So What is Next for Businesses?

After you have selected the best YouTube influencers for your video marketing campaign, the product or service will need to begin the influencer outreach process and negotiate a mutually beneficial brand deal.

Following these considerations should help products and services by selecting the right YouTube influencers and marketing to promote organic conversations that will result in shortened and better sales cycles as well as lower acquisition costs.

 

Conclusion

So what do you think of the tips here? Join us in our conversation.

YouTube End Screens: Why Your Business Needs This Tool

  • September 18, 2018·
  • 1734  Views·

You may have recently seen some videos on YouTube having end screens. A relatively new feature of the online video sharing platform, end screens include links to other YouTube videos and even external websites.

For some, end screens seem like a small thing. After all, for a few years, platform users used the annotations feature to put in links, and of course, you can to put in a link to sites in the video’s description.

But taken from a larger perspective especially for businesses and marketers, end screens pose several benefits compared with these older tools. When they are properly used, end screens can be a digital marketer’s best friend.

YouTube End Screens: Why Your Business Needs This Tool

Why End Screens May Be Good for Your Business

For a while now, YouTube has been experimenting with how to make videos on their platform more interactive. At first, YouTube tried annotations, a good tool if the user was using a computer. However, the tool was completely useless to those who watch videos using their mobile phones. YouTube then moved to cards. Sure, they were mobile friendly, although they were still intrusive. After all, when you watch a video on YouTube, do you actually want a link to interrupt your viewing time? Some users might be forgiving if they see cards as more of an annoying tool more than anything.

Consider end screens as the next logical step in YouTube’s experiments, and if you are basing it on the limited use of the tool, end screens seem to be an exciting one. The tool makes YouTube videos more interactive and engaging without sacrificing a clean viewing experience. It’s a great way for businesses to improve their YouTube presence and brand reinforcement.

End screens perfectly work on devices people currently use: computer, smartphone, tablet, or whatever is a hot communication item these days. End screens also give content creators greater control and flexibility over what viewers on YouTube do after they have done watching. Inserting an end screen on a YouTube video would give viewers a rather limited choice after they have finished watching, thus essentially helping them in a direction that is favorable to your product or service. For instance, if you maintain an online shop, you might want to include the link of your website or social media page. You can also link to the website page of a particular product or service featured in your video.

In short, end screens can keep your YouTube channel as well as your brand sticky. With end screens, products and services can keep the viewer engaged with them and them alone for a certain period of time. If you optimize your YouTube channel properly, this could drastically increase your conversion.

A top reason why brands and publishers should begin using end screens is primarily due to the fact that the tool is mobile-friendly, which is particularly useful for your business given that half of YouTube users now check out the platform from mobile.

End Screens are also beneficial in improving watch times across the YouTube channel of your business, thus increasing the possibility of all your videos getting more attention. Since YouTube uses and is guided by the watch time metric, it determines which content target audiences deem worth their time. The platform, using this algorithm, promotes that content in search results and video suggestions of YouTube users. If brands produce quality videos that can convince users to watch more videos with the help of compelling end screens, products and services may see higher retention and watch time. Thus, brands and publishers may want to produce at least one end screen each video that points viewers to another, relatively relevant video or content on their channels. After some time, this tactic should boost overall watch time metrics as well as more content organically promoted with the help of YouTube’s video algorithm.

Brands and publishers can use the tool to get concrete actions from YouTube users. One instance is by promoting products and services via video (which is crucial since the online video sharing platform is routinely a top go-to source for consumers who are looking for more information and reviews before buying products and services).

Promoting products and services is not the only method or manner brands and publishers can get from end screens that would result in better actions from audiences. The tool can also be utilized to encourage YouTube viewers to visit the website of a brand for more information or subscribe to a channel. It ultimately depends on individual brands and marketers to select how to create and implement their end screens as specialized call-to-actions, according to their objectives for a particular video, a bigger campaign, or a long-term marketing strategy. However, although call-to-actions are crucial for businesses, brands and publishers should likewise pay close attention to the reaction of viewers if you placed so many end screens asking them to do this or that.

Creating Your Own End Screens

It is easy to create specialized end screens for your products and services. In the platform’s video manager, you can go to the video you want to edit, and choose End Screens & Annotations. You can get a frame or clip from the video’s last 20 seconds, apply a template, or even import a new one that can serve as your background. From there, you can provide as many as four links to other videos as well as external sites, which may include online storefronts. You can tell your viewers to go and subscribe to your YouTube channel. End screens are not only a good way of boosting driving traffic to your videos, but they can also bring more customers and potential leads right to your online shop.

The best part of the tool is its drag-and-drop functionality. There is no need for any additional video editing or complicated coding skills in order for you to produce an end screen that wows viewers and will direct them to the videos or links you want. Although you may want to spend a little more time checking out the links you want to provide in the end screens and the layout itself, the actual work you need to make an end screen is relatively minimal.

Key Strategies for Successful YouTube Advertising

  • August 21, 2018·
  • 786  Views·

YouTube is the king of rich media. It’s the video God to which we are slaves, consuming 5 billion videos a day on the platform! YouTube IS video for the internet and has been since 2005. The reason it’s so popular is because people love videos and rich media. It’s also why more people buy YouTube views than ever before. If you’re not currently including video as part of your marketing strategy, you’re going to get left behind, fast!

However, most marketers are now aware of this and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out from the competition. Big brands shoot ads not just for TV anymore but also, professionally produce advertisements just for YouTube alone as part of their marketing. This is why advertising spend is necessary to put your brand in front of the right audience. So, how do you go about advertising your brand on YouTube, and where do you even start? The YouTube advertising landscape is confusing with lots of different options. Here’s some key tips for successful YouTube advertising.

 

Native, Quality Content

There is a LOT of video on the internet and, with so much content, it’s easy to just scroll on past, or skip video ads. Therefore, you need to produce high quality, engaging videos that feel native. That is, videos that don’t feel like ads. Native content is simply content that doesn’t annoy, detract or even disturb the viewer. It could be a heartfelt story, a comedy sketch, or something entertaining that people want to watch. Think of the super bowl ads which have now become almost as big as the game itself! They deliver a message and promote a brand but they’re also highly entertaining in their own right. For ideas, check out the 10 most viewed YouTube videos of 2016.

Image result for Key Strategies for Successful YouTube Advertising

Re-Marketing

Remember that Sunday morning you were on Amazon, searching for that perfect camping tent for a weekend getaway? Remember how, after that, you kept seeing ads for camping tent on every site and social platform you went to, as if it was haunting you! This is no coincidence. It’s called re-marketing. That is, targeting people who have already shown an interest in your site or clicked a call to action. The audience has already expressed interest which dramatically increases your chances of conversion. Re-marketing is easy to setup, so after preparation you can just sit back and watch the results come in!

 

Target Your Audience

Like any advertising, the better you narrow your potential audience, the better your chances of converting them. You don’t want to waste time paying for clicks or YouTube views from disengaged people who will never be interested in your brand. Instead target your advertising to specific interests and/or locations. For example, if you’re offering guitar lessons in Manhattan, there’s no point having your ads displaying to someone watching a fishing video in Florida. Instead, target people in your desired location interested in guitar, music tutorials and more.

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Choose Your Ad Format

The options for ad formats on YouTube are extensive and can be confusing. The best first step is to check out their help page and match your objective with the best option available. At first, be sure to experiment with different ad formats and work out which one works best for your needs. If you’re just looking to raise brand awareness, then you’d be best running an entertaining video ad. Whereas if you’re looking to just generate leads by pushing viewers to a landing page then a sponsored card would be the way to go.

 

Separate Your Ad Types Into Different Campaigns

In-stream ads, that is ads that show during a video perform differently to discovery ads, that is ads that appear as ‘sponsored’ search results when a user searches for a video. In-stream is great for brand awareness, whereas discovery can be effective in getting clicks and building your subscriber audience. Because both ad types behave differently, it’s important to set them up as different campaigns. That way you can easily tweak and make changes on each ad type depending on how they perform.

Image result for Key Strategies for Successful YouTube Advertising

Make Your Ads Interactive

You can add interactive links to your ads, like a popup window pushing people directly to a shopping cart or to sign up to your website. Using these specific call to actions is more effective than just a general link to your website as it makes it that little bit easier for a user to reach the relevant part of your site and seamlessly continue their journey with your brand. You can customize these screens to appear when you want them to and to push the viewer to a landing page, download, or shopping cart… easy!

 

Optimize For Mobile

Rich media and video used to only be a thing for fast, stable internet connections on a desktop. However now, almost every few feeds on Facebook or Twitter feature video. When people are bored, say waiting for a bus, they pull out their device and browse social media. There is a massive audience out there that predominantly views video on their smart devices as opposed to a PC. So, when you’re choosing your ad type, make sure you choose one that’s optimized for mobile and don’t miss out on potential customers on their smartphones.

YouTube can be incredibly powerful in promoting your brand. With so many options and ad types available, it really does cater to whatever your objective is and allows you control over how and when your ad gets displayed. However, exposure is only part of it. Exposure is only great if it’s backed by quality, native content that’s engaging. So, use YouTube to your advantage but do so in a way that your ads don’t feel like ads and your viewers are entertained by your message. Be creative with your rich media marketing, stand out from the crowd and watch your audience grow.

youtube updates auto generated thumbnails

YouTube Updates: Controversial Auto-Generated Thumbnails, Picture-in-Picture Now Free

  • June 29, 2018·
  • 1234  Views·

YouTube is making efforts to improve the platform’s interface by adding new features. However, while the PiP (Picture-in-picture) will certainly make YouTube users happy, an auto-generated thumbnail experiment might not as it is causing controversy. Read on to find out more about the latest YouTube updates.

YouTube updates: Auto-generated thumbnails experiment

Over the next couple of weeks, YouTube will be running an experiment with a new feature that only 0.3% of YouTube users can see. Instead of displaying the custom thumbnail uploaded by the channel, YouTube will show an auto-generated thumbnail.

Thumbnails are a big part of what drives viewership on YouTube. YouTube creators have so far enjoyed the freedom of creating their own custom thumbnail that allows them to pick one particular image to represent the content of the entire video. It looks like this experiment by YouTube is highly motivated by the infamous tradition of “clickbait,” a common bad strategy for getting views when there are better view strategies available.

There are a lot of clickbait scams that display a thumbnail that has nothing to do with the content of the video, thus fooling people into clicking on the video. It looks like YouTube is sick of that, and they’re trying to put an end to it by considering the auto-generated thumbnails. Here’s what YouTube said regarding this experiment;

“Over the next few weeks, a small group of viewers (0.3% of those on YouTube site-wide) will see the default, auto-generated thumbnail for all videos instead of the custom thumbnail. For creators, this is the second thumbnail that’s suggested when you upload your video. Note: this will not affect the content of the videos.”

YouTube states that there are no plans to remove the ability to add custom thumbnails (yet) and that this experiment only aims to improve auto-generated thumbnails.

Even though only 0.03% of all users will actually be a part of the experiment, it still it is a fairly big number when you do the math. Considering that YouTube attracts approximately 1.8 billion active users, the auto-generated thumbnails may actually be seen by more than 5 million people.

YouTube updates: Rolling out Picture in Picture

This update will in no doubt be gladly accepted by the YouTube community. For a long time, YouTube users have been waiting for the opportunity to watch YouTube videos while using other apps. This option was available for paid YouTube premium and YouTube Red subscribers, it looks like YouTube is rolling out the PiP support to non-paying Android users in the US.

I don’t think it’s that serious, Jeyska, but you do you…

If you’re not familiar with the feature, here’s how it works:

  • Picture-in-picture shrinks the video into a small player that users can move around their home screen and position over other apps. This feature allows you to watch YouTube videos while using other apps on your mobile device.
  • In order to start the PiP playback while a video is playing, tap the Android home button. The video will then be shrunk into a PiP window, which can be dragged to different parts of the screen.

Keep in mind that this update is available for Android users in the US. Additionally, music content is unavailable for PiP playback without a YouTube Premium subscription.

Mixed feelings about YouTube’s latest updates

Even though the PiP update is deemed as positive, the auto-generated thumbnails experiment is causing a lot of arguments. YouTube users, especially hard-working creators, have had separate opinions regarding this experiment; with many complaining about the auto-generated thumbnails.

YouTube may not be making any definite moves regarding the thumbnail situation soon, but creators are certainly fuming because they put a lot of effort into their custom thumbnails. YouTube creators can be calm, for now, because YouTube has repeatedly said that the custom thumbnails option will not be removed and that this experiment is for research purposes only.

make money on youtube

New Ways To Make Money On YouTube Announced: Channel Memberships, Merchandise, And Premieres

  • June 22, 2018·
  • 1823  Views·

YouTube is announcing fresh ways to monetize and get revenue on the platform. After the successful launch of the Super Chat feature last year, YouTube decided to focus on providing more ways for its valuable creators to make money on YouTube.

New monetization on YouTube: Channel membership

This is a new feature that will be welcomed by creators. YouTube is rolling out a new channel membership feature that will be available for every eligible account with over 100,000 subscribers;

“With Channel Memberships, viewers pay a monthly recurring fee of $4.99 to get unique badges, new emoji, Members-only posts in the Community tab, and access to unique custom perks offered by creators, such as exclusive live-streams, extra videos, or shout-outs.”

According to YouTube, creators have already been experimenting with this update, and the results are positive. The traveling duo Simon and Martina have been using the Channel Memberships option to create a miniseries exclusively for their members.

make money on yotube channel membership buttonChannels with this program will be able to earn revenue when their viewers purchase public badges, emoji, and access the creator perks offered by the channel via monthly recurring payments. Channels without it, because they don’t have 100,000 subscribers, have their work cut out for them. Start reading about ways to get more subscribers now to meet the 100,000 goal!

Channel Memberships instead of sponsorships

If you already had the “Sponsorships” feature on your YouTube profile, then this is the same thing. YouTube confirmed that this is actually the same feature and that only the name will be changing in the upcoming weeks.

make money on youtube channel membershipsAccording to YouTube, the “Sponsor” symbol, will soon be replaced with Channel Memberships;

“A select group of creators have been using channel memberships under the name sponsorships. We want more creators to continue to find different ways to earn money from sources other than ads. We believe that changing the name to memberships will make it more broadly appealing to both creators and viewers.”

YouTube announced that the name change was going to take place in late June or August 2018.

New monetization on YouTube: Merchandise

YouTube creators have been using YouTube to sell their merchandise for ages. Now, YouTube has revealed a more convenient way for creators to sell merchandise right from their channel.

From t-shirts to mugs, to posters; creators will have the chance to individually customize their merchandise. This update is already available for all eligible U.S.-based channels with over 10,000 subscribers, and YouTube plans to expand the tool to more creators around to globe soon.

If your channel doesn’t yet have 10,000 subscriber, spending a little bit on buying subscribers with well-reviewed sites can get you over that hump. You can start earning money faster as even small audiences can spend a bit if they’re dedicated.

New monetization on YouTube: Premieres

This update will vastly improve content uploading on YouTube. With “Premieres,” creators will have a new and better way to create content and upload it on the platform. Basically, with Premieres, creators will be able to debut pre-recorded videos as a live moment;

“When creators choose to release a premiere, we’ll automatically create a public landing page to build anticipation and hype up new content. When all fans show up to watch the premiere, they’ll be able to chat with each other (and with the creator!) in real time via live chat. It’s as if a creator’s entire community is one theater together watching their latest upload.”

The Premieres will also unlock new revenue streams. Creators will be able to use the Super Chat feature on traditional YouTube videos and also utilize the Channel Memberships (Sponsorships) perks that were previously only available on live videos.

This will be an excellent feature to use when you want to show an exciting new video to your fans and share the premiere moment together. Premieres have started rolling out to creators yesterday and will be available more broadly soon.

New ways to make money on YouTube

It looks like YouTube is taking its competition seriously. With Facebook and Instagram making efforts to compete with YouTube, it is up to YouTube to keep its status as the number one video-sharing platform. Their response couldn’t have been better:

  • Channel Memberships for ongoing funding.
  • Improved merchandise options for one-time purchases.
  • Premieres to make money with the debut of each video.

All of these updates will be gladly accepted on the platform and will improve the overall user experience. Creators have been looking for more ways to make money on YouTube, and now they’ve got them. A good move by YouTube, indeed.

youtube creative suite

YouTube Creative Suite: A New Tool For Marketers To Make Better YouTube Ads

  • June 21, 2018·
  • 711  Views·

YouTube is releasing its new YouTube Creative Suite marketing tools. They say that these tools will help marketers deliver a more engaging ad experience for their audiences, and allow them to more easily accomplish their marketing goals.

YouTube Creative Suite video testing tools

The site announced the new suite in an official blog post on Wednesday. The YouTube Creative Suite is comprised of several tools that will focus on providing better video insights for brands. These insights, YouTube said, will help them improve their campaigns’ storytelling.

Video Experiments is the first of the new tools. It allows brands to test their Google Adwords video ads right on YouTube. The tool lets marketers measure the effect of content on metrics like awareness or purchase intent in real time, offering you real ways to get more views.

Video Experiments is intended as an alternative to using focus groups to measure the above metrics and lets you conduct your tests in a real ad environment. The service is set to roll out for beta testing later this month.

Video Creative Analytics

Meanwhile, Video Creative Analytics will help you keep track of the various elements of your video ads and build better reports on creative performance. It lets you include audience segmentation in your retention reports. This gives you a clearer picture of how your videos attract different audience groups.

YouTube will also introduce the ability to annotate sections of your videos, like logos or product shots, later this year. The feature will show the percentage of your audience who saw these elements. This helps you track the impact various video elements have on your campaign and refine them.

Improving video storytelling

Rounding up the YouTube Creative Suite are the Director Mix and Video Ad Sequencing tools. With Director Mix, you can break down a video ad into its components, such as video, text, and key message. You can then easily rearrange these elements into different video combinations based on the context or audience that you want to capture. The tool is currently in alpha development.

The Video Ad Sequencing tool, on the other hand, lets you string a set of YouTube ads together and create a coherent story in many different ways. The feature could also be used to share your product message through multiple pieces of video content. Video Ad Sequencing is also currently in alpha testing.

Using the YouTube Creative Suite tools

YouTube revealed that several major brands have already been using the individual tools in the YouTube Creative Suite to enhance their online advertising campaigns. 20th Century Fox, for instance, relied on Video Ad Sequencing to create story-driven promotional ads for The Greatest Showman, such as this one.

Meanwhile, Kellogg’s took advantage of Director Mix to create more personalized YouTube ads for its Rice Krispies Treats. The campaign resulted in a 4% increase in product sales.

These companies highlight the advantage that YouTuber Creative Suite offers. By using each tool, you can better dissect your YouTube video campaigns and see which elements work best. This will help you build better ads around these elements.

Creating YouTube ads

Check out what each tool in the YouTube Creative Suite has to offer as they become available. They will be rolling out slowly over the next few weeks. Start experimenting with them right away, and you will definitely find them handy when creating the perfect YouTube ads for your brand.

 

youtube music expands

YouTube Music Expands, Available in Canada, UK, and More!

  • June 19, 2018·
  • 889  Views·

YouTube is expanding its YouTube Music streaming services into 12 more countries and offering more music content to subscribers. As YouTube Music expands, this will lead to more opportunities for musicians on the platform.
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