Many of us use YouTube for personal or business purposes. If you own a YouTube channel, then you know how frustrating it can be to build and grow one. Due to the heavy competition on the video platform, you have to work harder and smarter in order to make your YouTube channel reach a wider audience.
If you like to increase your YouTube views and grow your YouTube channel, you have to apply the right tactics. Here are 10 easy tactics you can implement right away to establish a bigger presence on YouTube.
Optimize your videos with the right keywords
Before people can appreciate your YouTube videos, they have to be able to search your videos first. You can make your videos searchable on YouTube and other search engines by using the right keywords. For instance, the video title must match the words people would use to search for your video. Once you crafted a nice title, test it by running a YouTube search with your chosen keywords. If there is no result or if your video did not come up, try rephrasing the title by thinking like your audience or using keywords used by your top competitors.
Organize your videos into playlists
Make it easy for visitors to view all the videos on your YouTube channel. Do that by organizing your videos, and a good way is to create playlists that will group videos according to types.
Grab attention with thumbnails
Pick the best scenes in your video as your thumbnail. People will get a good preview about your video through those small, clickable images. By using attractive, catchy, relevant thumbnails, you should be able to pique your viewers’ interest and have them click, watch, and like your video.
Check out how to do custom thumbnails with this video tutorial:
Make a channel trailer
A trailer for your YouTube channel will be good for your branding and establish a unique first impression. A trailer will encourage viewers to keep coming back to see more of your interesting stuff. YouTube expert and consultant Alan Spicer shared some tips on how to make a good channel trailer:
Have a clear call-to-action (CTA)
People may enjoy your video, but they have this tendency to forget subscribing to your channel or liking your video. It’s up to you then to remind them to do such things by putting a clear call-to-action (CTA). Post the CTA at least at the start and at the end of the video so that people won’t miss doing what you want them to do. Look again at Allan Spicer’s tutorial on making a channel trailer above; he mentioned CTAs multiple times in that video.
Have a consistent schedule
Consistent video uploads let people know that you are involved in and dedicated to growing your YouTube channel. People follow channels they find interesting, but they will lose interest and unfollow you if they don’t have new content in weeks or months. Having an upload schedule (say, on a Wednesday) will make people anticipate your upcoming videos and encourage them to watch regularly.
Cross-promote your videos
Cross-promotion is a winning strategy you shouldn’t ignore. By filling out your social media profiles with embedded links of your YouTube videos, you can bring in more people from other platforms to visit your channel.
On the other hand, you can also encourage your current YouTube followers to share your videos on their own accounts. This will also widen the reach of your YouTube videos.
Create videos for trending topics
While you have a niche to target, it wouldn’t hurt to make videos on trending topics a part of your video marketing strategy. Take for instance those video creators who rode on Fortnite’s wave; the videos aren’t necessarily about the game, but these video creators were able to get millions of views by leveraging Fortnite’s popularity. Just like this Fortnite Dance Challenge that has been popularized by the Eh Bee Family:
If you want to know what trending topics to use, you can check out YouTube itself, visit Twitter, or use keyword tools.
Collaborate with fellow YouTubers
Reach out to people within your niche, whose values and content are aligned with yours. By collaborating with other YouTube channel owners, you can promote your channels with each other’s audiences and possibly gain an all a new set of subscribers.
Do contests or giveaways
You can generate more engagement within a short period by running a contest or giveaway. The prizes don’t have to be costly, but you have to ensure that it’s something that your followers will be interested in. You can also explore collaborating with other brands for those prizes. In this manner, you and that brand will both benefit from the attention generated by your contest or giveaway.
Make sure to follow YouTube’s contest rules and guidelines. Failing to do so can result in punishment for your channel.
If you include any of these 10 strategies into your YouTube marketing strategy, you’ll be able to amass those precious YouTube views and subs over time. Start implementing these tactics today, and see your YouTube channel grow in no time.