Everyone wants a share of the YouTube revenue pie nowadays. With the pandemic last year, professionals worldwide are seeking sustainable income streams to stay afloat and manage their finances. Full-time YouTube seems to be a lucrative career now more than ever. Around 500 hours of content is uploaded every minute on the platform, but not all of it is optimized for maximum engagement. That’s what sets the winners apart from the regular YouTube crowd. To achieve those big-shot numbers, you have one ace up your sleeve: the YouTube algorithm.
The Magic Mantra
If you’re a business, you’re not on YouTube just for fun. A YouTube channel takes time, effort, and resources to maintain. Making the most of that investment is par for the course. In the interest of those new to the platform as a marketing avenue, let’s start with the basics.
– The algorithm prioritizes two things upfront: click-through rate (CTR) and watch time. There are other factors as well, but this is a good starting block. Therefore, those are the two factors you must focus on while creating YouTube content. Plain clickbait won’t do!
– The YouTube algorithm covers everything about your channel. From your metadata to your metrics, your videos are assigned a “number” which is then used to match the videos based on individual users’ watch history. Simple so far, right?
We’ve gone over the broad strokes of YouTube’s performance ratings. How can these influence your marketing potential on the platform? In 2021, the name of the YouTube game is consistency and detail. Want more traction? Here’s how you can go about it.
Watching And Learning
– Pick a lane and stick to it. YouTube is not a place to dump any and all video content associated with your brand. Having a haphazard content plan severely tanks your subscriber count and viewership. Find a content premise that works for your niche and work on it, instead of trying to branch out all the time. One way to do this is through regular SWOT analyses for your channel.
– Work on the metadata. YouTube has stated that 70% of its views come straight from the recommendations algorithm. To help the algorithm find your content, you’ll need to fine-tune your SEO. Infuse keywords in your video descriptions and specify relevant tags with the title. Mention keywords in your video content and thumbnail as well for a specific touch.
– Understand and engage with your audience. Many channels suffer from the common problem that is high view count, but low subscriber count. YouTube users need a reason to stay and hit that subscribe button. Look through your analytics and find your target audience. Ask your audience questions through the Community tab. Optimize your videos by plugging in your other socials. YouTube is much more than just videos!
– Invest in channel elements. As a brand, you want to appear professional. Having professionally designed channel art and thumbnails go a long way in your online perception. 90% of top-tier YouTube videos all have custom thumbnails and take time to provide transcripts to their content.
– Partner with influencers. Aside from pulling in a large audience, influencer partnerships also lend credibility to your brand. The YouTube scene generally favors content creators over big brands, so it’s good business to have one on your side.
– Be smart with uploading. Upload consistently, but also use Analytics to check when your channel gets maximum traffic. Your audience will evolve over time. So should your content! Regularly update playlists for new users and shoot a channel trailer once you’re getting good traction. Check trending topics and tailor them to your niche. Play smart!
YouTube Marketing Mastery Understanding how YouTube marketing works takes time and effort. You always need to have a Plan B ready as well! With the right methods, you’ll be well on your way to YouTube success!
