YouTube, as the world's largest video platform, reaches users around the globe with over 2 billion monthly active users, except in some special countries.
For overseas advertising, YouTube is an indispensable marketing platform. In terms of advertising, besides using Google's advertising system, building and operating a channel is also a good choice.
So, how can you make your YouTube content stand out among the thousands of videos on YouTube?
To help you quickly gain attention on YouTube, PASA has created this actionable in-depth guide to unveil the mysteries of YouTube marketing.
First, let's understand how to better build your channel:
YouTube Channel Art
Channel images (or "channel header images" or "YouTube banners") are large banners that appear on your channel's homepage, usually used to convey your brand and personality.
This banner serves as a free billboard, as it is the first thing others see when they click into your channel homepage and the most prominent place in your channel, so the image you use as a banner should let people know what your channel is about and should reflect the channel's characteristics well.
Channel Name and Description
Your channel name is the official name of your YouTube channel. If it's a personal account, you can use your name (first name, last name) or a descriptive name to tell everyone the theme of your channel; if you are a brand or business account, be sure to use the correct brand name, and not choose some strange names that mislead the audience.
Your YouTube channel description is basically your "About" page on YouTube. It should include a brief summary of the type of content you post on the channel. Be sure to fill in your description carefully, as it generally appears on your channel page and in YouTube search results.
Channel Trailer
You can choose a video to add as a channel trailer to your YouTube page, which can help people learn more about your YouTube channel.
When viewers who have not subscribed to your channel visit your homepage, the trailer automatically displays at the top of your YouTube channel page. This is a very good advertising spot, and if your trailer is outstanding, it will easily attract new fans.
Channel Positioning
The importance of channel positioning is that it can help you showcase your channel's features and distinguish you from other similar-themed YouTube channels.
There are many factors that affect channel positioning, here are some key points to consider:
· Define your target audience
· Determine your unique value proposition
· Focus on 1-2 types of videos
· Plan and adhere to your publishing schedule
· Define your visual style
· Segment your content into different channels
How to create high-quality YouTube video content?
Once you have set up your YouTube channel, you can start making videos! You can create various types of videos for your channel, but they are generally divided into the following 8 categories:
· Customer reviews
· Product demonstrations
· Explainers/Tutorials
· Interviews
· Case studies
· Live broadcasts
· Video blogs
· Event videos
Although there are many types of YouTube content you can create, creating YouTube videos is a standardized process. Each piece of content creation requires some fixed steps.
Keyword Research for Videos
Video keywords are crucial for SEO optimization of videos and greatly influence your video content, so this should be your focus. Video keyword research mainly involves understanding the search hot words that audiences are searching for recently, and how different keywords perform under different circumstances.
To find the right keywords for your YouTube videos, you can find some key hints in various ways.
YouTube Autocomplete
YouTube's keyword autocomplete feature will recommend some keywords that match your channel or video content, and these words are very suitable for inclusion in your scripts, titles, and tags.
Competitor Videos and Tags
You can find many ideas about target keywords by looking at what your competitors are doing. First, enter a competitor's channel and click on the video tags. (Taking Li Ziqi's channel as an example)
Then sort by the most popular videos:
Then, you can find the keywords used in the video titles and descriptions. But it's a bit difficult to see the tags of others' videos directly.
Since YouTube does not publicly display tags, you must right-click on the video page, select "View Source Code" to bring up the HTML of that page. Then search for keywords in the code page.
Planning and Outlining
Planning, writing outlines, and scripts are completely subjective. Some YouTube creators can start recording as soon as they turn on the camera, while others like to be fully prepared and write down every word before they feel secure.
However, we strongly recommend that you at least plan the first 15 seconds of the video to ensure that the content you produce can attract viewers to continue watching. The beginning of the video is a "hook," and you must ensure it hooks the audience to continue watching.
The first 15 seconds can include the following content:
· Video content summary
· Cool visual effects
· A curious title
· A preview of the upcoming content
We suggest you prepare a video outline, listing the key points you want to cover in the video. Because if you finish recording and realize you forgot some important parts, you'll have to re-record, which is a hassle. A good YouTube video format needs to meet the "HICC" structure mentioned by Backlinko:
H=HOOK, the hook that attracts the audience
The first 15 seconds of the video that grabs the audience's attention
I=INTRO, a simple introduction
Introduce your topic and summarize your entire video content
C=CONTENT, the main content of the video
This is the main content of the video.
CTA, CALL TO ACTION, call-to-action phrases
End your video with a call-to-action phrase, telling the audience what to do next.
Marie Forleo uses this format in most of her videos and has achieved great success. Here is an example:
Filming and Editing
One of the reasons for YouTube's success is that, compared to commercial value, YouTube cares more about whether your content is high-quality and matches the interests of the audience, so some of the most popular YouTubers on YouTube can make videos with just a smartphone and basic editing tools.
That being said, however, if you want your videos to be more competitive and visually appealing, you can pay attention to the following aspects:
· Use ambient lighting and direct lighting together
· Choose settings, wardrobes, props, backgrounds, and music that match your style
· Only present important content in the video
· Ensure your filming environment has good sound quality
If you are editing videos, it is best to choose a software that provides the features you need and is easy to operate. Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and iMovie are all good choices. You can also add graphics and B-roll materials to your videos to improve the quality of your videos.
Cards and End Screens
Cards are interactive elements that you can add to your videos to promote other videos, playlists, websites, merchandise, or other channels, and this card feature is only visible on desktop and mobile devices.
Here is an example using the Poll format:
Here is an example of an end screen:
Thumbnail
The thumbnail on a YouTube video is a clickable visual icon that can be used to showcase your video content. It's best to use custom thumbnails on each video, as thumbnails can increase click-through rates and views.
Here are some tips about YouTube thumbnails:
· Use a consistent layout and colors
· Use high-contrast colors
· Use graphics and text together
Marie Forleo's video thumbnails are very representative:
How to Optimize Your YouTube Videos for SEO
We mentioned channel keyword research earlier, now let's talk about how and where to use these keywords for YouTube SEO.
Video Title and Description
Your video title is important for click-through rates and SEO. We suggest you include your keywords in the video title and add some eye-catching keywords.
The video description is important "metadata" that helps YouTube understand the content of your video. Optimizing the video description can achieve higher rankings in YouTube searches.
To write a good video description, we suggest you follow these practices:
· Write a description of at least 200 words
· Ensure the first few sentences contain your keywords and use attractive words
· Use the target keyword 2-3 times throughout the description
· Include related keywords in your YouTube video description
· Write your description in a conversational style
YouTube Tags
YouTube tags are keywords and phrases that provide information about your video to YouTube. Tags are an important ranking factor in the YouTube algorithm.
Expansion Strategies Outside the YouTube Platform
If you have made a killer YouTube video optimized for YouTube SEO, how should you spread it?
SocialBook recommends 5 ways to promote YouTube content, helping you attract more subscribers, comments, likes, and shares.
Social Media Platforms
YouTube videos can be easily shared to other platforms, you can directly use YouTube's built-in function, just click share below the video.
But just sharing your video on social media is unlikely to have much impact on views or subscribers. When you share your video, you need to tell everyone why you are sharing it. So, before you post your exciting content to your social media platforms, it's best to write some introductions about the video, letting everyone know what benefits they will get from watching the video.
Websites and Blogs
In addition to sharing your YouTube videos on social media, you can also embed them in your website and blog posts. This not only increases the play count of the videos but also enriches the content of your website or blog, killing two birds with one stone.
If you have spent a lot of time creating exciting YouTube content, you can also share it with your email contacts.
Collaborations
Collaborating with other channels or bloggers is a great expansion opportunity that can bring you significant exposure in a short time, but when considering collaborators, please choose people with similar audiences and goals to yours.
Interacting with the Audience
Interacting with new viewers is one of the simplest ways to increase followers and views. You can directly solicit feedback, comments, and opinions from the audience in your videos, and then respond to the comments left. The interaction rate of the channel is also a key point in attracting traffic.
