7 YouTube marketing tips

Did you know that over 1 billion hours of video are watched every day on YouTube? That’s a lot of screen time! While many of those hours are spent watching cats playing piano or daring risk-takers performing dangerous stunts, YouTube is where people go to see how to do specific tasks and learn about interesting products.

Wherever your own videos fall in this mix, the YouTube video marketing tips below will help you make the most of your time and effort as a creator.

Write a script before filming

“Before you film anything, make sure you have a script,” advises Stacy Caprio, founder of Accelerated Growth Marketing. Writing a script requires thinking through what you need to communicate, which will keep you from rambling or taking long pauses to gather your thoughts. A script ensures you’ll be properly prepared and confident in your delivery, which keeps users engaged and watching longer.

Greater engagement and retention benefits search engine optimization (SEO), ranking, likes, comments, and subscriber count.

Incorporate your keywords

Much like SEO for blog posts, it’s important to optimize your title and description by including the specific keywords you want to rank for. “Keyword inclusion is an important aspect of YouTube video marketing and SEO. If you miss placing your keywords in these prime areas, you’ll never show for queries your video is meant to address,” explains Caprio.

Focus on a niche

“Good video content narrowly focuses on a specific topic or collection of topics,” says Ali Schwanke, CEO of Simple Strat. If you’re creating videos about your products and services, stay focused on that exclusively. Consistently posting videos on the topic you’ve chosen is the key to growing an audience, Schwanke says.

Add some variety

Barbara Hernandez-Taylor, head of product marketing at Azuga, says you need to upload a variety of videos to your YouTube channel so your audience doesn’t get bored. You can’t let your uploads become predictable and expect to keep your audience. Nobody will keep watching videos that simply rehash the ones they’ve watched already.

“Keep things fresh by researching competitors’ channels to see what types of videos gain the most views,” she says. “Throw in a mix of how-to and about content so viewers can see different perspectives and take away something unique from each video.”

Strategize a promotion plan

Schwanke acknowledges the importance of SEO but adds that a promotion plan is essential to keep your audience growing. “Think unique video partnerships, such as coproducing a video with a complementary brand or influencer,” Schwanke says. “You can also reach out to blogs and promote heavily on social media, whether on a partner’s page or your own.”

Always include a call to action

It’s a standard best practice with any marketing asset to include a call to action (CTA). Schwanke notes that CTAs ask viewers to take the next step in their sales journey. 

A CTA might invite them to join your email list, download a free resource, attend an exclusive webinar, join a Facebook group, or simply subscribe to your channel. The goal is to move them toward purchasing without scaring them away.

“Next steps help build your audience so you can go back to them at a later date with a more sales-focused offer, such as a free consultation or free trial,” Schwanke says.

Optimize your channel profile

“If you haven’t already claimed a branded profile page on YouTube, do so immediately,” recommends Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media. Choose a name that’s as close to your common brand name as possible, which might be a challenge if you’re in a competitive field.

Once you claim your branded profile, optimize it with an avatar logo, masthead, and most important, a keyword-relevant “About” section, complete with links to your other digital properties. The goal is simple. Be unmistakably clear about who you are, what you do, and what the videos you upload are about.