YouTube Survival 101: How to get your marketing videos thriving in 2018
In the age of the video, your brand wants to make waves on YouTube but you’re already drowning. The good news is you already know modern brands are more memorable with a video marketing campaign. The bad news is no one cares about your videos (or at least that’s how it feels). You wonder how to increase YouTube views and subscribers. After all, your competitors are getting thousands of views and you can barely crack one hundred. Well, we’ve got more good news– no, great news! Your content is probably wonderfully compelling. So, you just have to make it easy to find, and magnetic enough to attract an audience before they even watch your video. No worries! Your Raleigh video marketing masters are here to show you the way. Let’s get you started by optimizing your existing videos.
Optimizing your videos for search
Your title needs a searchable keyword. YouTube is a very search-heavy platform with Google and YouTube searches being the primary way of video discovery. If your audience can’t type in a phrase and find your video, your title might be a big culprit. By inserting a relevant keyword that gets good search volume, you’ll be funneling more traffic in no time.
Your description needs optimization. It’s simple really: include a link and a micro-blog post with your video’s keyword. Your description is more of a secondary reference for what your video’s actually about. However, you need quality information here that’s going to keep them intrigued. Otherwise, they might think you baited them into a useless video. Inspire curiosity, spark some emotion, and give them the info they’ll actually want.
Add a captioning transcription. Again, this is just more text to fuel the search algorithms to your advantage. It’s well-known that YouTube generates their own transcripts, but it’s just as well known that their transcripts are heavy with errors in grammar and mistranslations. Create your own transcript, or outsource it and you’ll be SEO-ready when your audience comes to find you. This also makes your videos accessible to the hearing impaired, which is a hidden advantage your competitors will miss almost every time.
Magnetizing your videos
Create an eye-catching custom thumbnail. Any time a viewer is choosing a video, they’re noticing the attractive thumbnails before they even notice the titles. It’s critical that you capture your video’s message with a few branding and psychology tricks to boost your pre-click appeal. First, keep in mind most traffic is mobile so the image must be readable even when scaled down. Include a short bit of relevant text that gets your audience curious. Overlay this over an image that relates to your video. Need a suggestion? Human faces making eye contact with the viewer and showing strong emotion have been shown to create a connection that fosters engagement. Finally, don’t forget to include your logo in the corner of the image!
Above all else, create compelling videos!
The key to a successful YouTube video is always going to be phenomenal content. You’ll just waste time if you optimize a poorly produced video. As one of the top video marketing agencies Raleigh trusts for creative video content, we at Blueforest Studios want to guide you closer to massive viewer engagement. You’ve already learned a ton from just browsing this article. For more info and guidance, just set up a quick chat and we’ll be glad to help.