How To Start A YouTube Channel For Your Business
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Last week’s blog post I asked if your business had a YouTube channel and told you about all the amazing benefits of having a YouTube channel for your business.
Because lets not forget, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world with more than 4 billion videos viewed daily and only 9% of U.S. small business are using YouTube!
Now you know you should start a YouTube Channel for your business. Maybe you already have a YouTube channel you’ve been posting videos to or using for Google Hang Outs but haven’t really been using it for your business.
You have two options:
You could stay with this YouTube channel and just make the videos that aren’t in line with you business “private”.
Or you could just start a brand new channel.
That option is completely a person preference and a decision for you to make.
Now what?
I actually have a great FREE 7 day course that will walk you through everything you need to do to get your channel set up. This course covers how to create a strategy for your channel, how to add channel art, what to write in the about section and all the defaults and advance options details. Click here to grab the free course.
For this blog’s purpose I want to cover the 3 most important steps of setting up a business YouTube Channel.
Click below to watch the video version of this post!
Channel Strategy
Before you start creating your channel, you really need to think about your strategy.
What types of videos are you planning to create?
What types of videos will your audience respond to?
What is your audience searching for on YouTube?
What types of content will make your audience eager to become your clients?
After all, you are going to be using YouTube as a promotion machine. If done correctly, the videos you create for you channel can be your 24/7 sales team, converting leads into sales while you sleep! But you need to have an effective strategy before you start posting those videos.
You also want to have a plan for when you will upload videos. YouTube ranks channels and their videos higher in their search results based on the authority they have. One of the ways to build your authority on YouTube is create quality content people want to watch. But another important way to build your authority is to post consistently. The more consistent you are with your posting schedule, the more authority your channel builds.
Now you don’t have to post every day! Once a week is a great place to start. That way YouTube recognizes you are consistently creating content every week. This will definitely get you ranked higher in their search results.
Channel Art
YouTube offers multiple ways for you to customize your channel. The first and most important art you will need to upload is a channel icon. This is basically your headshot or your brand logo. You need to remember this is the image people will see when they search for your channel on YouTube. Also, if you respond to comments on your videos or on other videos, your channel icon is what will show up beside your comment.
Make sure your icon is visible from a small size. Shrink it down before you upload it to see if it still looks good. Logos are tough to use as your icon because they are less personal. People are more likely to click on a channel icon that’s of a person then a logo. So you need to decide if you want to use your face or a logo.
The next important art you will need to create is the channel banner. This is basically your channel’s billboard. When someone clicks on your channel, your channel banner is the biggest image they will see and it will be across the entire top of your channel.
It’s important to make sure you channel banner is on brand with everything else in your business. You don’t want any disconnect between your YouTube channel and your business.
You can include your name or business name on your banner, when you upload new videos, or what your channel is all about. You don’t want to put too many words or clutter your banner. Make sure whatever words you use, it's short and to the point so people can quickly get what you are all about and decide right then and there if they are going to subscribe to your channel.
Organizing Video Content
When you first create your YouTube channel you probably won’t have any videos. So a great place for you to start is curating video content! Just like sharing other’s blog posts on Twitter, you can share other’s video content on your YouTube channel.
When I first started my business YouTube channel I added a Playlist titled “Amazing Content To Check Out!” On this playlist I added video content I love from other entrepreneurs' YouTube channels that aligned with the content my audience would be searching. Not only does this get video content on your YouTube channel that could help your audience, but it also creates a connection with the entrepreneurs who’s work you are sharing. It’s always great to support other’s.
Once you do have video content uploaded, I would start organizing your videos into Playlists. Playlists are great because if someone clicks on that playlist, each video on the playlist is going to play one after another. And that’s what you want! You want people watching as much of your video content as possible. By having a video play one after another, your audience is less likely to click on someone else’s video. The more they watch of you, they more they are going to build trust with you and want to work with you.
Creating a Playlist of all your Periscope broadcasts is also a great way to start! You get your Periscope content on YouTube, make it searching able, and introduce your content to a new audience who might not have ever found you. Before you know it they will be bingeing on your Scopes!
These are my top three tips on where to start when creating a YouTube Channel for your business. If you are ready to start using video content as your 24/7 sales team but you have no idea where to start, I’ve got you covered!
If you are ready to get serious about your Youtube Channel take my FREE 4 day challenge where I walk you through everything you need to do to make your channel stand out and attract the perfect viewers for you! This challenge only takes about 15 minutes a day and by the end of those 4 days you have a Youtube channel the reflects your already professional brand. Enter your email address to get started today!
Does your business have a YouTube channel? Share it below. I would love to check it out! And if you don't have a Youtube channel share with me what's the biggest hurdle holding you back from creating one?
