Ready to Grow on YouTube in 2022... Here's What You Need To Do
It's never too late to start a YouTube channel, or bring an old one back to life. But I know that you’re probably worried about all the details — recording, editing, posting, promoting, etc. I get it.
I was a one-woman show for years, running my channel, creating the graphics to include in the videos, and scheduling them out. If you're reading this, I bet you can relate to the pressure business owners feel to do it all. But the thing that I had to learn the hard way is when you’ve got a solid strategy in place, it does the work for you.
I'm about to lay down some strategy tips that have been a lifesaver for my YouTube channel (and honestly my business). I know these strategies will work great for you because they're the same ones that my team of strategists and I use to make 60+ videos a month and analyze what's working well and what's falling short.
If you want to use the power of YouTube strategy to grow your visibility online, this one's for you!
Do your research
I don't mean keyword research (seriously, I need a shirt that says "no keyword research!"). While keywords can be extremely helpful for figuring out what you want to post, they aren't the be-all-end-all of your content. They're just a tool to help you generate your ideas, not the final stamp of approval.
The research I'm talking about here requires you to dig a little bit deeper. This means narrowing in on your market research.
When I started on YouTube, I spent all of my time learning about what it was, how to use it, and stocked up on all the YouTube education I could find. But what ended up happening was that I was so focused on talking about starting a YouTube channel that I wasn't paying attention to the fact that my audience was getting bored. I was repeating myself over and over and losing people fast.
It took me five years to realize that it isn't about the topics you post but about the audience you're posting for. Which leads me to my next point…
Neighbor Niching
You NEED this BEFORE you start. Neighbor niching is the single most important part of your research strategy.
Finding your niche is all about narrowing in on who your audience is. What life stage are they at? What kind of struggles do they face in their day-to-day lives? What are their hopes and dreams? Get acquainted with their pain points so you can find out what they want to see and what they might be watching now.
So when I say neighbor niching, I mean paying attention to people in similar industries with similar audiences to your niche.
You can find this out by searching keywords in the YouTube search bar. Take note of which videos are performing well (I.E., those with more views than the channel has subscribers). This will give you an idea of videos that your audience is watching.
(P.S. - VIDIQ is a super helpful plugin that helps me see all of this information without having to click through to each channel.)
Explore their channel and see what other videos are doing well and what topics they're posting about.
This first step in starting your YouTube channel may take some time, but it's the step that separates you from everyone else and what gets videos seen versus ones that don't.
Dive into the comments
These can be suuuuper telling. Notice what people are saying and what questions they have and ask yourself, "Is this something I could answer?"
This step has been monumental in my YouTube strategy because these comments come directly from the same types of people that would be watching your videos. It's a no-hassle way to gain some insight into the minds of your target audience.
Create quality content
Yes, the pandemic made us all MUCH more laid back than before, and I, for one, am here for it. I love hanging out in my sweats, but mostly because my kids love to grasp my pant legs for dear life as I enter my office (#Don'tWrinkleMyGoodPants).
While videos may not be as "professional," they still need to be quality. Some ways you can ensure you maintain high-quality videos on your channel:
Don't repurpose Facebook Lives.
Don't record your content through Zoom.
Don't repurpose podcast episodes
In short, keep things simple and consistent, and don't record your content through the internet. The quality never transfers well, and that is an easy way to deflect viewers from your channel. And if no one is watching your videos, YouTube isn't going to suggest it.
Quality content also means editing your footage. Cut out all the pauses and mistakes (don't worry, we all make 'em). Never upload just the raw footage.
Vary the types of videos you post
Make sure you have a variety of content. Don't just post how-to's and tutorials (guilty). I did this in the first few years of my business and, as I said earlier, people were getting bored. Not only that, but because I wasn't creating a way for them to engage with me, they were just peacing out after watching my videos.
Give your videos variety. Talk about your goals, recap the last few months, tell some stories. To have a successful channel, you have to make connections.
No, this content won't be evergreen or go viral, but it doesn't need to. It's just there so that when someone comes to your page, they can say, "Wow, she gets me!" and they'll be more likely to convert to a subscriber.
Get to the point
No one wants to watch a 2-minute, drawn-out intro where you talk about everything you had to eat yesterday. Unless you're a food blogger, of course. But seriously, skip the chit-chat and get straight to the point. Otherwise, you risk losing viewers before the video has really even started!
And skip the branded intro, please. It's really impacting your videos.
If you have several minutes full of your pictures and your logo with some nice elevator music in the background, viewers are going to feel like they're watching a commercial for you, and that's not what they clicked on your video for.
The beginning is the biggest place where retention gets lost. Get right to the nitty-gritty right away. Tell them what they're going to hear and how you will deliver on the promise you made in the title (so if you're telling them how to make a latte, reinforce that). This NEEDS to be done in the first 5 - 10 seconds.
Don't forget to promote your video
"But Trena, this is YouTube. People on my Instagram don't want to see this."
Not true! Promoting your video on all of the other places you post is a great way to drive traffic to your video. YouTube needs data about who is watching your content, and what better way to give them that than by directing the audience you have now to your videos?
It'll help YouTube gauge what types of people to suggest the video to in the future. But make sure this is done in the first 24 hours when key analysis takes place.
Get more YouTube tips inside of Going Video
Want more tips and tricks on nailing your YouTube strategy? Join me inside of Going Video here! If you’re ready to jump into the world of video and snag all those leads who are just browsing around YouTube, this is the course for you.
Inside, you’ll get:
The only video equipment guide you’ll ever need (yes, filming can be simple!)
My go-to YouTube script template
My professional YouTube workflow
A bank of YouTube titles, hooks, and calls to action for when you’re feeling uninspired
So much more!
Ready to turn YouTube into a lead-generating machine? Grab a seat inside of Going Video here!
