How To Grow Your YouTube Channel

There’s no denying it; video marketing has been on the rise over the past few years, growing ever more popular and accessible for brands. And while popular sites such as SnapChat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even your own website are great places to invest, YouTube remains the giant in the space, with individuals spending a billion hours each day watching videos on this platform. Often referred to as the world’s “second largest search engine,” YouTube can help your content be found quickly and engaged with thoroughly – if you know a few tricks. Here are effective ways you can grow your YouTube channel.

Build videos around a single keyword/topic

It may seem obvious, but building your video around a single topic/keyword is the best way to get the traffic you want and grow your audience. Many people who are unaware of SEO best practices skip this step, but it’s crucial if you want your videos to get the maximum amount of viewers. Try using a keyword tool like KeywordTool.io, which is specific to YouTube, to look for the most searched keywords in the niche you’re looking to target. It’s important to pick your keyword before you even build your video content because it helps you construct the best information around that specific topic.

Post great thumbnails

They may seem like a small thing (because they are), but thumbnails can have a big impact. YouTube advertises other videos via thumbnail in its sidebar, so you want yours to stand out among the pack. The same goes for YouTube search. Videos with a catchy title and appealing thumbnail usually rank higher, even if the content itself isn’t as valuable because they have a higher click-through-rate (CTR). To get your CTR where it needs to be, try using tactics such as highlighted areas, arrows, large text, and unexpected or unusual images. Consider utilizing tools like Adobe Express Thumbnails to enhance your visual elements and create thumbnails that captivate your audience’s attention

Reformat existing quality content

Of course, the easiest way to grow your channel is to build great content. But that content doesn’t always have to be built from scratch. Some of your best videos can be built from engaging, valuable, useful and actionable content you’ve already created. Many people go to YouTube to find answers and how-to tutorials for the issues they’re facing, so content that solves problems is a great fit. Look at the blogs, guides, and other high-performing pieces you currently have and think about how to make them into cool videos.

Engage with your audience

It’s important not to overlook the fact that YouTube is a social media channel, and therefore demands social interaction. If you’re just posting videos without encouraging comments and discussion, you’re missing a trick. YouTube rewards channels with great engagement, including overall time spent on the channel, watch time, likes and dislikes, and most importantly, comments. Try to respond to every comment you receive (if possible!) and ask users to engage with audio/visual prompts.

Get branded

So your content is great. But is your channel itself visually appealing? If you want visitors to take your YouTube channel seriously and subscribe to your channel, you need to look professional. Branding your channel will also help users immediately recognize your content. If you have a blog or website, you probably already have some sort of look and feel you use to differentiate yourself from other individuals and/or companies, so it only makes sense to carry over that branding to your YouTube channel as well.

Promote your YouTube videos on other social channels

One of the beautiful things about social media is that you can cross-promote content on different channels. Promoting your YouTube videos on your other social channels is the easiest way to grow your audience. What channels are you on? Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter? There are many from which to choose. And if there’s a channel (such as Facebook) on which you want to post videos directly, you can always do a teaser for the full-length video on YouTube so that you have optimum engagement on all channels. Don’t forget about your blog; you can post your videos there as well!

Push for subscriptions

One of the ways you know for sure that viewers are engaged with your channel is when they “subscribe’ to see any new videos that are posted. Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel in each video that you upload, and keep engaged with your existing subscribed users. Never pay for subscribers. This will only bring down your engagement and hurt the authenticity of your account in the long run. Try to grow organically to get real YouTube subscribers. Remember, if you don’t ask your viewers to subscribe, you may be missing out on a lot of potential followers.

Increase your uploading frequency

This tip may sound intimidating at first, but to grow your audience, you need to increase your posting frequency to at least one video a week. Don’t worry; you don’t need a design firm or fancy advertising budget to get this done. Today’s smartphones offer excellent video recording ability and tools such as Animoto make editing videos easy for anyone. Consistency is of the utmost importance. Try to post at the same time each day or week (depending on your frequency), and keep your subscribers updated about when new videos will arrive. Then stick to your schedule.