YouTube Marketing Strategies: 7 Tips to Grow Your Channel

Intro

Whenever we need a quick explanation of a subject, a quick laugh, or a quick how-to guide, we all turn to YouTube. It comes as no surprise that over 2.49 billion people use it each month.

So, how hard can it be to make your mark, right?

While, yes, many of us use YouTube to watch content, many also use it to create and share their own videos. New content is uploaded daily, so standing out might not be as easy.

It’s possible, though. With the right marketing strategies, that is. And you know what? The right strategy is just around the corner, so without further ado, let’s dive in!

All about YouTube marketing strategies

A YouTube marketing strategy is the same as any other marketing strategy designed to promote your brand. How so? Well, it’s made up of techniques to increase the visibility of your channel and potentially convert your viewers into subscribers. What’s unique is that you’re dealing with video content rather than just written, which comes with its own benefits and challenges.

Video content, by its very nature, is much more appealing to people. Especially educational and instructional videos, as per statistics. However, many of the videos created never see the light of day. If I were to guess why, I’d say it’s because creators fail to address aspects beyond video creation. Aspects that you’ll learn more about in the following YouTube marketing strategies.

Find out what your audience wants

You know how when buying a gift, you put the recipient’s preferences before your own. This is the mindset you need when creating video content for your YouTube channel. It’s the only way you’re ever going to be able to deliver content that meets their expectations. No, you don’t have to read someone’s mind, as you can gain insight into your audience's preferences through:

• **Analytics:**YouTube Analytics exists so that you can understand which of your videos perform best. It gives you insight into metrics like audience demographics, how much time your viewers have spent watching your videos, and how they’ve found your videos.
• **Comments and feedback:**No one fancies negative feedback, but it’s incredibly beneficial when trying to understand your audience and their preferences. Just by going over the comments on your videos, you can learn a lot about what you need to improve.
• **Competitor analysis:**A little sneak peek has hurt nobody. Instead of focusing only on your channel, take a look at which types of videos are working for your competitors.

Now you have an idea about what your targeted audience enjoys watching. Making it twice as easy for you to deliver. You’re doing what you’ve been doing all along but better.

Use SEO to its maximum potential

You’re probably wondering what SEO has to do with videos. And you’re probably not the only one. Historically, SEO was introduced as a way to optimize WEBSITES for search engines, and for some reason, this use case stuck with us. However, this isn’t the case anymore.

You can now use SEO to maximize the visibility of your VIDEO CONTENT as well.

It’s the same principle, just a different platform:

• Include relevant keywords in the topics and descriptions of your videos;
• Sure, YouTube video descriptions are optional, but not if you’re after visibility. To this extent, you must write as informative and as detailed video descriptions as possible;
• Use meta tags that are relevant to your videos so that people find them more easily;
• Create thumbnails that act as a window into your video content. After all, they’re the first thing viewers notice when first stumbling upon your video;
• Add hashtags and a call-to-action (CTA) to your video descriptions, etc.

These might seem like minor details, but they can make a huge difference in your efforts. You’ll soon find out why the time spent mastering YouTube SEO is time well spent.

Transcribe and caption your YouTube videos

Don’t fret - you won’t need to write captions and transcripts by yourself. With today’s transcription and captioning services, you can convert YouTube to text in no time.

The important question is, why should you do it?

Having both the visual and written versions of your content is much more advantageous than you might think. First of all, it makes your content more ACCESSIBLE - not only for those who’re having trouble with the language but also for those who are deaf or hard of hearing and those who are watching the video in noisy environments where audio may not be as clear.

But even if that’s not the case, many viewers find it easier to follow the video if captions are provided. In fact, statistics show that videos with captions are viewed 40% more.

It’s also SEO-beneficial. It turns out that search engines can index transcripts and captions, meaning that you’re maximizing the chances for your content to be found.

Use timestamps

If your videos tend to be longer than 10 minutes, you’re left with no other choice but to use timestamps. Timestamps act as a content outline, allowing your viewers to jump to specific sections of the video that interest them the most. Think about it - why should someone sit and listen to something for 20 minutes just to get to the part they find interesting?

The answer is simple - they shouldn’t.

By using timestamps, you’re giving your audience a chance to navigate directly to the content they care about most. They’ll leave your channel satisfied, looking forward to your next upload.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll even earn yourself a new subscriber.

Play with video length

The length of your YouTube videos depends on the type of content and the attention span of your audience. However, there are some general recommendations you can take into account:

• If to the point, even 3-5 minute long videos lead to good viewers retention;
• 20% of people leave the YouTube video after the first 10 minutes;
• Instructional videos should be no longer than 20 minutes;
• Commentary videos should be no longer than 8 minutes.

You might have a lot to say, but you need to understand that viewers are watching your videos primarily because they want to avoid reading lengthy texts. So, try to be as direct as possible.

Create evergreen content

An example of evergreen YouTube content is music videos. I speak for everyone when I say that no matter how much time has passed, we’ll never stop going back to Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, isn’t that right?

Your best bet when looking to grow your YouTube channel is to create evergreen content that your viewers will not only want but also NEED to come back to, and here’s why:

• Long-term success: These types of videos stay relevant and continue to gain viewers even after a significant time has passed. They never go out of style, so to speak.
• **SEO benefits:**Evergreen videos are more likely to rank higher on search engines as they include relevant topics and keywords. They help consistently attract organic traffic.
• **Builds authority:**Having at least one evergreen video on your channel positions you as a reliable source of information within your niche. This will lead viewers to trust you.

If you’re after long-term success and your YouTube aspirations aren’t just spur-of-the-moment, then creating evergreen content can be a good idea. Not only will it help you attract a steady stream of viewers over time, but it will also enhance your reputation as a video creator.

Don’t forget to engage with your community

When you have a loyal community, you can safely say that your YouTube channel is a successful one. You can achieve this by communicating with your audience, maybe by replying to their comments, asking for their feedback, or by hosting live videos answering their questions.

This attracts more viewers to your channel and positions you as trustworthy.

Growing a successful YouTube channel

Have managed many with the right YouTube marketing strategies. While creating great content, that is, engaging videos, is a viable strategy, you’re not limited only to content creation.

Promoting your channel and attracting viewers on YouTube requires you to do a little bit of everything - from using SEO’s potential to transcribing your videos and creating evergreen content. However, it’s a small price to pay for the revenue a fruitful strategy can bring.