Creating fresh, top quality and interesting content on YouTube is only half the battle. The next step is to drive traffic to your videos. Here is a step by step guide to effectively promoting your YouTube videos and getting followers for your channel.
With around 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, the competition can feel rather daunting – but all it takes to drive as much traffic to your channel as possible is to understand the way the site’s algorithm works and what tricks you can implement to promote your videos.
Step 1
Your first step is to rank your videos by optimizing them around popular keywords. You can do this by typing in a word or phrase that is related to your video and then using YouTube’s Search Suggest feature to pick the one that works best. The terms that pop up are popular ones that most users type in to find that type of video that you’ve created.
You can also take a look at other popular videos that have similar content to see which video tags they’re using. In the same vain you will also need to optimize your video’s title. Make sure that your focus keyword is included in your title. You can also use Google Adwords’ Keyword Planner to get keyword ideas and view how many monthly searches they get.
Doing a Google search on a keyword phrase that is relevant to your video is also incredibly helpful as it will give you recommendations on popular related searches.
Step 2
The next step in getting your video out there is to write effective descriptions of around 150 words. Make sure to use your primary keywords in your description and to add hashtags as this will make it easier for more people to find your video.
Step 3
Ensure that your videos are no more than around two minutes as most people are likely to watch a shorter video right to the end, which will improve your ranking.
Step 4
Get creative with your thumbnails. Don’t just use a still from your video but rather create an image that includes your brand. It’s best if your thumbnails are themed in a way that will make your channel’s video’s immediately stand out and be recognizable.
Step 5
Use Facebook to drive traffic to your videos. You can do this by posting your video to Facebook with an exciting blurb that will encourage people to watch your video. To get even more traffic using Facebook you can boost your post or create a Facebook ad.
Even though promoting your videos on Facebook is most effective, you can also advertise on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn to drive even more traffic to your channel. If you have a blog, you should also use it to promote your videos to your followers.
Step 6
Once you have exhausted all of the free avenues to promoting your videos, you can advertise your video on YouTube by using Google Ads. You will need to link your Google Ads account to your YouTube channel and select a video you wish to display in your ad campaign.
Step 7
Finally, consistently interact with your audience once they start commenting on your videos and posts directing them to your videos. This will serve to develop your community and encourage your followers to subscribe to your channel and like and share your videos. If you wish to partner with someone who knows how to apply the best practices to achieve your online goals, don’t hesitate to email us at zani@mobimeme.com.
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