Connecting with your target audience has always been important. Consumers have come to expect to see businesses on social media platforms... and if you are not e-socializing, then you are already trailing behind.
However YouTube has not been the ”go-to” platform to boost business visibility, but trends have changed. YouTube has become increasingly popular for marketers focusing their social media energy. About 70% of business are using You Tube for informational, instructional, or basically marketing purposes.
A. Starting a YouTube channel
Before creating your channel, first think about your goals and what the purpose of your channel will be. Will it be for promoting your products? Help videos and tutorials? Entertainment or all of the above? Once you determine the best angle to take, then you are ready to start to create a You Tube account and set-up your channel.
B. Create a YouTube Account
To set up a YouTube channel, you will need to sign up for a Google Account. On Google click “Sign in” then “Create an account”. After that, you are good to go, time to start building your channel.
C. The Name of Your Channel
The name of your channel can determine whether your channel soars or barely gets aloft. It is usually a good idea to keep it simple and self-title it. Then, you can choose to add suffixes such as -TV and -vision to your name to ensure it stands out as a content-producing channel, for example Vancouver Landscaping TV.
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D. Channel Description
You will want to tell viewers what your channel is all about. The key is to create compelling content is to help your channel stand out from the million other channels. The first 100 characters or so of your description will be displayed on your YouTube, and in search engine results. Create a simplified description that highlights your key content first.
F. Add Your Website Links
In order for people to find your business, include web links. To link a website on your account, you will need to verify your account first. To do this, you’ll need to go to your Channel Settings and click on the “Verify” button. A form will display with a field for a code. It’s very important to verify your account for two reasons. First, it shows your business is legitimate and people will know you are who you say you are. Second, it helps drive traffic to your site, which is the goal.
G. Channel Trailer
A great way to show your channel viewers what you are all about is to create a trailer featuring your company, products, and services. A channel trailer is a smart way to turn unsubscribed viewers into subscribers; as they’ll get a good idea of what to expect from your channel.
Channel trailers always auto-play for unsubscribed viewers and there is nothing you can do to fix this. You might want to consider this when creating your trailer video. Do you want something calm and subtle, or loud action-packed? Just keep in mind, users will stop the video if it is annoying, especially since they didn’t start it in the first place.
I. Managing Comments
You may want to moderate the comments posted on your channel and videos. You can do this by navigating to your Dashboard and clicking “Comment settings” under the “Community” tab. There are a few options you have when it comes to comment moderation. For any comments that need your approval, you will be sent an email so you can jump on it quickly.
J. Channel Art
Add channel art to give your channel personality. Every YouTube channel homepage displays a large background image as well as a smaller square image; the square image doubles as your YouTube avatar. You can update your channel art by simply clicking on “My Channel” and hovering over the image you want to edit; click on the pencil icon to make changes. Picking channel art might sound easy, but you’ll want to ensure your images are sized correctly and display at optimal resolution. A stretched out and distorted image indicates to viewers you either don’t care about quality, or you aren’t web savvy – neither of which makes a good first impression. Here are a few of the key dimensions you’ll want to keep in mind when adding channel art:
Channel icon:
· Square image at least 98 x 98 px (800 x 800 px is recommended by Google)
· Format must be .jpg, .gif, .bmp, or .png
· Images must be your own and keep it clean!
Background image:
· Must be one image
· 2560 x 1440 pixels (px)
· Images are automatically cropped/scaled for mobile devices
Conclusion
With your channel up, it is time to add engaging videos. You will want to add content regularly. People expect some new relevant content… so keep it fresh!
When building up a YouTube channel can be time-consuming, it can also be fun, it really to establish a respectable social media business presence. A quality YouTube channel effectively drives up organic search rankings, and also brings more credibility to your business.
