Creating a YouTube channel is easy. Making it successful? Not going to happen overnight. Real talk: it takes lots and lots of time and effort to make a YouTube channel grow. And no one wants to waste energy on stuff that doesn’t get results.
To avoid spending weeks or months on videos that no one is ever going to watch, you need a solid YouTube social media strategy. We’ve prepared a step-by-step blueprint for becoming a successful YouTuber.
Creating a YouTube Social Media Strategy – Initial Steps
The point of having a strategy is to know what to do and why, so that you can achieve the result that you want. So, before you even start creating your channel, ask yourself these questions.
- What goals do you have? What would you like to achieve with this channel? Maybe you want to promote your business or to monetize your popularity. Think about it and write down your responses. We’ll address them later.
- Which topics do you want to cover in your video? What will it be all about? What do you have to say about these topics? If you aren’t already, you’re going to have to become an authority in your field.
- Have you defined your brand? What would you like to represent on YouTube? Spend some time envisioning your personal brand’s visual identity.
We’re all YouTube natives. Or addicts, to be blunt. An average person spends about 20 minutes each day on YouTube, and every third person in the world with online access spends over 10 hours watching video content on a daily basis. It’s clear what YouTube social media exposure can do for your brand.
While we can be passive observers of cat videos, news reports, shows, and movies, content creation is a different ball game. Planning, filming, and recording videos take time. Marketing and analyzing your content is all time-consuming, as well.
Ultimately, the goal of every YouTuber is to create appealing, shareable video material and use it to grow their audience. Sounds overwhelming, we know, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow this guide, and watch your channel stats rise.
Setting Up a YouTube Channel
Feel free to skip this part if you’ve already set up a channel. If you haven’t, here’s a brief guide. Log into YouTube by using your existing Google account – or create a new one. Follow the prompts and enter your data.
Starting a new account is a better option for those who want to create a business channel and share access with other people. For personal vlogs, your good old Gmail address would be just fine.
Once you’ve set up a Google account, go to YouTube, hover over your image or logo in the upper right corner, and choose “Your Channel” in the drop-down menu. Create your channel name and customize the channel. Upload a channel profile picture and header.
The next step is to add Basic Info – contact information, links to social media and your website, and of course a well-written channel description. Once your channel is 30-days old and you have 100 subscribers, you can add a custom YouTube URL.
Uploading a Video
Find a camera icon with a “plus” sign on it in the upper right corner. When you click on it, you’ll have two options: to upload a video or to start a live video. Choose the upload option. Upload the video from your device and follow the prompts to publish it on YouTube.
If you’d like to have a trailer for new visitors whom you’d like to convert to subscribers, make sure you’ve published the video first. Then, go to Your channel–>Customize Channel–> Add Channel trailer for people who haven’t subscribed. Find the video in your library and click Publish.
YouTube Social Media Content Strategy
Quality content is the key to a successful YouTube social media strategy. Video content creation can be fun and inspiring. At the same time, it should be done according to a well-prepared plan.
When it comes to video quality, it can’t be stressed enough how important it is to use a professional camera and a high-quality ring light.
Depending on your goals, you need to choose appropriate video content. Here are the six most effective types of videos that can strengthen the quality of your online presence.
1. Video Tutorials and Explainer Videos
Also known as how-to videos, tutorials can be useful for your audience, and also serve as tangible proof of your competency in a particular field. Video tutorials are also an excellent tool for promoting your products, explaining their key features, and answering customer support questions.
2. Case Studies
Case studies are reviews of successfully completed campaigns and projects. Use them to demonstrate your ability to tackle complex assignments and up your advertising. This format usually includes statistics and other exact data, which are an excellent way to establish credibility.
3. Customer or Client Testimonials
Happy clients and customers are a fantastic asset. Use your YouTube channel to share testimonials with your audience.
4. Event Videos
If you’re hosting or participating in an event that’s meant to help your business thrive, why not film it and post it on YouTube? Capture the excitement and positive atmosphere and show it to anyone who missed it.
5. Vlogs and Live Videos
Vlogging is not just for fun. It’s a great tool that can help you engage your audience, share exciting insider stories, and communicate your vision. People nowadays know how to appreciate little, everyday things and small steps, especially when they’re wrapped in a heartwarming narrative.
6. Interviews
Don’t forget that YouTube is a highly influential media and people love to listen to opinionated influencers, experts, and thought leaders. Regardless of your niche, if you have a chance to interview someone influential or just about anyone who has something valuable to share with your audience, use that chance and start a conversation.
Promoting Your YouTube Channel
As we’ve already pointed out, YouTube is a social network of its own. Those who already have a massive subscriber base have little worries about promoting new videos.
However, if you’re new to YouTube production and have to begin from scratch, your best best is to put your other social media profiles and pages to work, including your website and blog, and make good use of any other available channels.
Social Media Marketing – Pro Tips
It’s easy to share YouTube videos across other platforms. Here’s how to do it in a smart way:
- Make sure your brand’s visual identity is the same on all your social media accounts – including YouTube.
- Create a title and description with SEO in mind. Use a keyword or phrase that your future audience searches for online.
- Make your videos share-worthy and easily shareable. That way, your audience will help you spread the word naturally.
- Pick the most likable and relevant thumbnail for each of your videos. Remember that many people will decide whether to watch the video or not based on its title, description, and thumbnail.
- B-roll and words are not enough. Whenever it’s appropriate, show real people’s faces or at least animated avatars.
- Every video should contain a suitable call to action.
- Feature other creator’s videos along with yours in your playlists.
- Post new videos as often as possible, preferably on a regular basis (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or at least monthly).
YouTube Social Media Marketing
The easiest and most obvious way to bring viewers to your YouTube channel is to click the share button and post the link to all your social media profiles and pages. But that’s definitely not the only thing you should do.
Instead of just sharing the content in a way any random visitor would do, keep your overall marketing strategy in mind. Think of the purpose of each video.
- If you created a tutorial to address questions that prospective customers asked on other channels, make sure to include the link to the video in your response.
- If your video is a part of a global trend or just a large campaign, use relevant hashtags.
- If your video contains key info on your brand and yourself, perhaps you’d like to post the link in your social media profile bios.
Website, Blog, and Newsletters
Use your existing website, blog, and email lists to spread the word on your newest videos. Make sure to have a YouTube icon on your blog and website. When a video is closely related to a blog post, use the embed function to include it in your article.
In addition to promoting your YouTube channel, creating videos that feature information relevant to your website works the other way around as well – people who watch your videos will start visiting your website.
If you’ve built an email list for your blog, use it to promote video content, too. You can also create newsletters that feature both types of content.
Social media platforms are a fantastic tool for growing your YouTube channel audience. Other forms of online promotion include your engagement with relevant Q&A sites, collaboration with other people and companies to strengthen each other’s online presence, and dedicating time for engaging with your community.
Final Word
YouTube is definitely still one of the hottest and most influential social media sites with a massive library of user-generated content. Most importantly, that’s where your audience is. Take advantage of it! Follow our guide to YouTube social media strategy, and don’t forget to download our free YouTube Freedom Toolkit.
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