More than a place to explore videos, YouTube has turned into a platform for marketing and growth. With massive user base and advanced features, it offers huge opportunities to connect with your audience and expand your reach.
If you’re managing a newborn channel or just starting a video marketing strategy, the journey ahead is exciting and challenging. Beyond making content, you must explore and understand the platform’s built-in features and functionalities.
The following list will walk you through 15 essential YouTube marketing features that can elevate your channel. From creating thumbnails to crafting a video trailer, here’s the full list for you!
1. Create Custom Thumbnails to Grab More Eyeballs
Custom thumbnails are the first thing viewers notice about your video. According to YouTube, 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails.
But what is a custom thumbnail? It is an image that you create and upload to represent your video. Your YouTube thumbnails must be eye-catching, with vibrant colors and typography to drive clicks. Here’s an example:
The good news is that creating a custom thumbnail is no longer a hassle. Platforms like Canva provide ready-to-use templates you can customize based on your preference and video content.
2. SEO Optimization and Beyond
If you aim to drive traffic organically to your video, SEO optimization is key. Incorporating keywords and tags is crucial to enhancing video discoverability through search engines. Here are some factors to look at:
- Video title
- Video description
- Tags, hashtags, and categories
- Thumbnails
- Closed captions or subtitles
- Video file name
All these elements must include a main keyword. However, to avoid keyword stuffing, make sure you implement a keyword naturally. In many cases, videos with exact keyword matches in their title have a slight ranking advantage over those that don’t.
To go beyond basic SEO, share your videos across social media platforms to reach different audiences and drive more traffic. Connect with your audience through comments, live chats, and interactive content to generate a loyal following.
3. Foster Engagement with the YouTube Community Tab
The YouTube Community Tab lets you post updates, polls, images, and other content outside videos. Many content creators share behind-the-scenes content and seek feedback through polls or questions.
For instance, if you have a book YouTube channel, you can use this feature to post quick updates about upcoming reviews, share sneak peeks of new books, or run polls to let your audience vote on books to review.
4. Create Playlists to Enhance Viewer Retention
Why is creating a YouTube playlist important? This feature helps organize your content into themed collections. For example, you group videos based on their theme/style, such as vlogs, tutorials, try-ons, product reviews, etc.
This organization keeps viewers engaged by automatically playing videos in sequence. When viewers finish one video in a playlist, the next related video starts automatically, encouraging them to watch more of your content.
According to Tubular Insights, channels that use playlists see an average of 400% more watch time than those that don’t. Playlists encourage binge-watching, which boosts your total watch time—a critical factor in YouTube’s algorithm.
5. Drive More and More Traffic with End Screens and Cards
If you’re new to YouTube, end screens and cards might be a bit confusing. In a nutshell, they are interactive elements you can add to your videos to promote additional content. Here’s a brief explanation.
End screens appear on the last 5-20 seconds of a video. They often include links to other videos, playlists, or external sites.
Cards can be inserted at any point during the video and are used to direct viewers to other content or to prompt actions like subscribing or visiting your website.
How can these features help your channel grow? End screens and cards provide easy access to more content in your channel. Strategically placed end screens can increase viewership on additional videos by 25%.
6. Make Data-Driven Decisions with YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics opens up crucial insights and a comprehensive overview of your channel’s and video’s performance. This is the place where you can study crucial metrics like watch time, viewer demographics, traffic sources, and engagement rates.
To fully understand these metrics requires experience. Exploring YouTube Analytics for the first time can be overwhelming, with many metrics present in numerical representations. But after a while, it will be an easy game.
Analytics data help you make informed decisions about your content strategy. You can find and decide which topics to focus on, how to improve video quality, or when to upload new videos for optimal viewer engagement.
Data from analytics allows you to optimize your content based on real performance metrics rather than assumptions. Moreover, marketers who analyze their data regularly are 60% more likely to generate actionable insights that improve ROI.
7. Leverage Live Streaming for Real-Time Interaction
Almost all social media platforms have live-streaming features, which have become a new trend for virtual interaction. Live streaming allows you to broadcast video content in real-time.
For businesses and content creators, live streaming enables them to interact with audiences as it happens directly. During a live stream, viewers can participate by asking questions, leaving comments, and engaging with you in the moment.
Leverage YouTube live streaming to connect with your audience. Use this moment to have fun with them by answering their questions and communicating with them casually. You can also share news or other information related to your niche.
8. Collaborate with Experts or Content Creators
Content collaboration isn’t a new game on YouTube. You might have seen a content creator collaborating with a brand on the platform.
A survey by Think with Google found that 60% of YouTube subscribers follow advice on what to watch from their favorite creators, which is why this strategy has become even more popular today.
Collaborations can take various forms. Consider co-hosting videos, participating in joint projects, or featuring each other’s content. Many find collaborative content helpful for reaching and introducing their channels to new audiences.
9. Pay for YouTube Ads: Why Not?
If budget isn’t your main concern, why not try YouTube ads? You can promote your videos or channel to a targeted audience using various ad formats, such as skippable, non-skippable, bumper, or display ads.
YouTube also allows you to align your ads to reach specific demographics, interests, and geographic locations. Targeted ads ensure that relevant viewers see your promotional content.
This option is suitable if you want quick results and instantly growing subscribers. As for businesses, YouTube Ads can drive a 40% increase in awareness and a 20% increase in consideration metrics compared to those who don’t use video advertising.
10. Create Consistent Branding to Build Recognition
Every successful YouTube channel has consistent branding. One way to build consistency is to use a uniform style and visual elements across all your content. You can incorporate a specific color palate, typography, illustrations, etc, in your channel and content.
This consistent presentation helps establish a recognizable identity for your channel so that viewers can remember it easily. According to Forbes, consistent branding can grow revenue by up to 23%.
Here is an example. If you run a travel vlog, using the same logo, color scheme, and font style for your channel banner, video thumbnails, and intros can create a cohesive and professional look.
11. Add Captions and Subtitles
We have to admit that the way people consume content has changed. Beyond watching visuals and hearing audio aids, more and more audiences want to see content with closed captions or subtitles.
Sometimes people understand more by reading. Adding textual aids to your video makes it more accessible, especially to those with hearing impairments or non-native speakers.
Moreover, people who watch videos in public spaces or transportation often mute their phones and understand content via subtitles. In addition, videos with captions or subtitles are watched more than those without.
12. Write Informative Video Descriptions
Video descriptions can help optimize your video. A well-crafted description typically includes a video summary along with relevant keywords within the text. You can also add any additional information or related links in this section.
If you want to enhance your video descriptions, consider including timestamps. Timestamps are highly valuable to audiences, especially for long content. They help viewers navigate your video quickly based on the time sections.
13. Post Regularly to Maintain Viewers
One of the keys to making your YouTube channel highly discoverable is posting on a consistent schedule. You don’t have to post every single day. Instead, develop a regular posting schedule, whether once or twice a week or anytime you prefer.
Why is this important? There are several reasons. First, consistent uploads signal to YouTube’s algorithm that your channel is active. Second, they maintain viewer interest and help you build a loyal audience.
If you look at some successful YouTube channels with millions of viewers, they always post on a regular basis. You can also choose the best time to post content by considering data from analytics.
14. Consider Making Interactive Content
Interactive content helps connect more deeply with viewers. Quizzes, polls, choose-your-own-adventure formats, and live Q&A sessions are some highly engaging examples of interactive content.
For example, if you’re a book review channel, you might create a poll on the community tab where viewers can vote on which title you should review next. Alternatively, you can host a live-streaming Q&A once in a while to communicate with viewers.
15. Add a Channel Trailer to Attract New Subscribers
A channel trailer is a short, engaging video where you introduce your channel to new visitors. This is also an excellent opportunity to present your best content and encourage people to subscribe.
Engaging trailer videos are essential. You can create them using funny and exciting clips from your videos. A compelling trailer can boost your subscriber count and set the tone for your channel’s brand and content.
Remember to optimize your trailer video. Add a compelling title, write a video description, and optimize metadata with relevant keywords.
Over To You
Understanding your audience is crucial, in addition to the above points. Use analytics data to learn about their content preferences and peak activity times. This insight will help you tailor your videos to better meet their interests.
Consider investing in YouTube ads for targeted visibility, while a compelling channel trailer can attract new subscribers. Always leverage YouTube Analytics to make informed decisions and continuously refine your strategy for ongoing growth.
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
