4 New Ways You Can Get in Front of a New Audience on Youtube
YouTube can seem like a pretty scary obstacle to tackle. Not only is it video (eeek, your face is now out there for the world to see!), but how do you create a video strategy that’s manageable for you?! What is a video strategy? What you do know is, if you are going to take on a new platform you want to have a strategic plan and have a measurable ROI from your new endeavor!
I feel ya! I am a mom to 2 little ones under 3 and I’m not going to take on a new platform that will suck up more of my time (I’m looking at you Facebook), let alone a platform where I need to get showered and dolled up every week just to film videos!
This is exactly why having a plan will not only save you time BUT will allow your videos to convert at a much higher rate. I plan out my videos ahead of time and film as many as possible in one day thanks to my video strategy. This allows me to stay consistent with my video content.
Why is it important to stay consistent with your video content?
Let’s Get An Understanding Of YouTube
YouTube has its own algorithm and SEO. And even though we don’t have the exact formula for algorithm success on YouTube, we know what YouTube likes to see in a video
1. Watch time
YouTube promotes highly valuable content and one way in which they determine whether your content is valuable or not is by how long people watch your videos.
If people are clicking on your video and tuning out after 30 seconds, you are never going to get any traction on that video or your channel! You need to make sure your video is grabbing your viewers’ attention from the first 3 seconds (the estimated time you have before that viewer decides to stay and watch or say no thank you) and keeping their attention until the very end.
2. Engagement
Another way that YouTube determines whether your content is valuable or not is the amount of engagement your video gets in the very first 24-48 hours after it goes live. This includes likes (thumbs up), comments and shares.
The more engagement you get on your video, the higher you can expect to get ranked in YouTube search results.
3. YouTube SEO
There is quite a bit that goes into YouTube SEO and the metadata you should be including in each of your video posts. I do all this research when I’m crafting my video strategy. This way when the time comes to post a video, I know exactly what to include in my metadata. It saves a boatload of time!
But the three most important SEO pieces to your video are the title, what’s written in the description box and the tags you include. All this information allows YouTube to clearly understand what your video is about.
How can you make YouTube manageable for you?
Here are 4 easy ways to get started!
1. Finding The Content Your Audience Is Actually Searching
The worst thing to do when starting a YouTube channel is to create the video content you “think” your audience wants to see. In fact, you might even research their pain points and use them as your video titles thinking, “I know what they want!”
The issue is that sometimes those pain points aren’t actually what your target audience is typing into search engines. Not clearly understanding the keywords and phrases being searched in your niche means you won’t get your video in front of your audience. Even if it’s the most highly valuable piece of content you’ve ever created, it needs to be optimized for the YouTube search gods!
By using tools like YouTube Search, TubeBuddy and Google Keyword Finder, I am able to come up with the exact video title I need to use to make sure that my audience finds me in search results on YouTube. This way I know I’m not wasting my time on content that is only going to get a few views and is never ranked on YouTube!
2. Providing Valuable Tutorials
One of the very best and quickest ways to get started on YouTube and grow your channel is by creating tutorials. Whether these tutorials are screen shares or video of you showing your viewers how to paint or use a camera, tutorials and how-tos are HUGE on YouTube.
People go to YouTube to find answers to their questions. Have you ever gone to YouTube and the first 2 words you typed in where “how to…”? Exactly!
Educational content is the very best way to start a YouTube channel. You are able to show your audience that you know what you are talking about and you are able to build your authority in their eyes. And let’s not forget, you are helping them solve a problem. It’s going to be a while before they forget you!
3. Going Live On YouTube
I know a lot of you LOVE Facebook Live, but YouTube also has its own live component. And the reason why I love YouTube Live is the searchability factor! (Psst! YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world!)
Yes, Facebook puts you at the top of the news feed when you go live and yes, Facebook Live is probably where you get most of your interaction, BUT is any of that interaction with a new audience? Is Facebook Live actually growing your audience?
The sad answer is no. Because no one will actually see your video unless they already follow you. You are not going to get in front of a new audience by sticking strictly to Facebook Live. And after a few hours or days, that video is pretty much lost on your page.
Going live on YouTube, if optimized correctly, could potentially mean that new viewers might find you while you are filming! Just like Facebook, YouTube is loving itself some live video and is currently giving all live videos a huge boost in ranking! So, once you find the keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching on YouTube, get on live and help them out! Added bonus: no video editing for you!
4. Repurposing Facebook Videos
But what about all the amazing Facebook live videos you’ve already done? And what if you’ve already promised your Facebook audience new live videos every week? Don’t stop! Just take it a step further.
Until Facebook has a searchability function, download your Facebook live videos, upload and optimize them on YouTube. This allows you to reach a new audience, plus repurposing this content saves you time! Who doesn’t love repurposing?!
A great way to start using your Facebook Live videos for YouTube videos is to host your Facebook broadcasts like you would in a pre-recorded format. Save your question and answer session for the end of the broadcast, then simply cut that part out in editing. You won’t have to do much editing to this type of video and it gets more content on your channel for new viewers to start consuming.
When you upload these Facebook videos just make sure you create a custom thumbnail and optimize it properly to get your content in front of a brand new audience!
Were you overthinking this whole YouTube thing? Didn’t think YouTube could be that easy, right? I get that a lot!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a video and Youtube strategist, Trena helps online business owners create a video content strategy that works for them and their business. Being a busy business owner herself, she understands the importance of making video simple and painless but effective and lasting. Her Youtube videos are her sales team and they do the heavy lifting for free! When she’s not in front of a camera, she’s in her “mom-iform” of yoga pants and a tee chasing her 2 kids around alongside her husband, her high school sweetheart.
