According to Brand Watch, an online intelligence service, the world watches one billion hours of YouTube every single day! If you are interested in establishing an online presence or building a business, YouTube is a great place to start! Knowing how to run a successful YouTube channel, combined with the skills and knowledge gained through a Diploma of Social Media Marketing course, you or your small businesses could drive company growth, promote your brand and connect with larger audiences online quickly and effectively.
Want to go from YouTube viewer to YouTube creator? Follow this easy step-by-step guide and start your own successful YouTube channel today:
1. Start with the basics
The first thing you’ll have to do is actually make a YouTube channel! Luckily, this is super easy and can be done in just a few minutes. Below is a super quick guide to doing so!
– Go to YouTube.com
– In the top right hand corner click ‘Sign In’
– Click ‘Create Account’
– Once you’re done setting up your account and filling in all your personal information, select ‘Create a Channel’ in the top right hand corner.
– Name your YouTube channel. (Consider this carefully! Make sure you choose a name that relates to your business/theme. E.g. If you were a makeup artist looking to increase your client list, you would choose a name related to makeup. For example: Victoria’s MUA Tutorials)
– Design and upload your logo (800 x 800 pixels)
– Design and upload your channel art. This is the banner image that will be displayed behind your channel logo (2560 x 1440 pixels)
– Fill in your channel description by detailing your business mission, aim or purpose. Here you need to describe what viewers can expect to see on your channel.
– Click ‘View Channel’ to see how your Channel layout is looking!
Once you’re happy with the overall layout and design of your channel, and your branding is complete, you can consider yourself ready to go-go!
2. Know Your Audience
This is important when it comes to attracting and engaging viewers. The aim of the game is to get viewers to ‘subscribe’ to your channel and increase your channel following. The more followers you have, the more views you will have and the more popular you will become. At the end of the day, you want people to like and share your videos to increase your market penetration.
In order to do this, you need to understand exactly who your audience is, what they want and why they want it. Ask yourself: ‘What kind of video content are they after?” For example: If the majority of your makeup channel viewers are young girls aged 13 – 17 years old, interested in affordable make up looks, then you should consider filming videos that include budget-friendly make-up products. They are young and will be more interested in products they can afford.
3. Plan a content strategy
Once you have identified your target audience, you need to sit down and plan a content strategy. There are several benefits to keeping a content schedule, including: avoiding repetitive content, ensuring your audience’s needs are met, and exploring popular video ideas and concepts. Before you make videos, having a content plan will also ensure your content meets both your channels’ goals, and engages your target audience!
In addition, you don’t want to sit down each week to film and not know what you’re talking about! Are you doing a tutorial or review today? Maybe a Q&A? Being prepared helps you deliver the best quality content you possibly can. For example: If you’re a makeup artist you can spend days before filming practising the look or researching different techniques that you think may be useful for completing the look.
4. Lights, camera, action!
When it comes to filming it is worth investing in a high-quality webcam or portable camera. Your videos need to be clear and preferably uploaded in high definition (HD) to attract viewers. No one wants to watch poor quality videos that are either blurry or pixelated. A great first camera to invest in is a DSLR camera, as they are known for being versatile with easy to use functions. Spend time experimenting with your camera by filming 30 second test videos. When filming, it is important to remember you won’t always get the perfect take the first time around – so be patient and keep trying!
Pro tip: Spend time setting up your ‘set.’ Make sure it has great natural light and a background without flashback.
5. Edit video
For this part, you need to find editing software you are comfortable with! Many free, easy-to-use editing programs are available online, along with step-by-step editing guides and resources. In addition, you also might want to consider post-editing special effects like sound effects, graphics, titles, emoji’s, screenshots, music and close-ups. Many YouTubers have a distinct and memorable intro that stays the same across all videos. What will your intro be?
Michael Miller, from Entrepreneur Online says once you have finished editing your video you should save it as either .AVI, .MP4 or .WMA, as those formats are supported by YouTube. He also says that when filming you should use the 16:9 ratio widescreen format, and you render the file make sure it’s in either 720 or 1080i high definition because viewers will generally expect that! How to edit videos: YouTube basics, Entrepreneur Online
6. Upload
Finally! The last step in the process to starting your own YouTube channel! Uploading your very first video. When uploading your video, you want to consider a few things. Make sure you give your video a catchy title that will grab viewers’ attention. For example: ‘VAMPY GLAM – Makeup Tutorial’ or ‘MAKEUP OVERHAUL – Inside my makeup drawers’. In the description make sure you give the video a title, along with a heap of relevant tags. Make sure you also select that the video is ‘Public’ and then click ‘Publish.’
Tips + Tricks
Stay consistent
Many YouTubers remain popular for one reason: they are consistent. Uploading 2-3 times a week is expected and will keep subscribers engaged and coming back for more. Don’t expect to become a YouTube sensation after uploading one video! You need to give viewers a steady flow of content that they can fall in love with. If you don’t have time to shoot, edit and upload everyday that’s fine. Plan 1 day a week where you can do all that and then upload on a schedule during the week!
Keep on top of popular trends
This is a must! To increase your subscriber count you need to keep on top with what’s hot, what’s new, what’s trending! For example: If you’re a makeup artist on YouTube you need to know what the most popular looks are right now. Cut creases? Lash extensions? Highlighter? Feathered brows? Publishing a tutorial video that covers these techniques will get more views than a video that doesn’t.
Integrate social media platforms
If you have a variety of social media platforms make sure you post or link your YouTube video to all of them! Posting your video to all your Facebook friends, Instagram followers or Snapchat fans means you’ll reach more people than just those who click on to your YouTube channel. This way you can reach a wider audience and potentially attract more viewers.
Interact with viewers
You need to build a community around your channel, and engaging with your viewers is a very easy way to do that. To do this, make sure you are liking and replying to comments, asking and answering viewer questions, and most importantly, showing the viewer’s how much you appreciate them! After all, they are the ones watching you and help grow your successful YouTube channel.
Interested in kick-starting your own YouTube channel to boost your business? Take a look at our Diploma of Social Media Marketing. Or if you prefer to speak to a Course Advisor, call us on 1300 236 364.