As many of you know, YouTube is the largest video channel on the internet. Millions of videos are uploaded daily, and millions of people watch them. These people use YouTube for entertainment, current events, and product information, but also to gain knowledge. YouTube is therefore a great medium to utilize for your business. But how do you successfully use YouTube? Don't worry! We'll give you a helping hand with our tips & tricks. Below, we have listed a number of points you can use if you want to post a video on YouTube.
- Tip 1: Mention current events in the title!
Does the video you made relate to current events? If so, mention this in the title of your video by clearly adding the date. During a buzz or hype, this attracts a large number of extra viewers very quickly. - Tip 2: Embed a watermark with your own logo, (company) name, and the URL in the video..
There are various simple video editing packages on the market that allow this to be done easily. This way, every visitor sees your name and URL, thereby gaining brand awareness and driving visitors to your website. - Tip 3: Give the video a clear (unique) description.
Google does not (yet) index the content of the film itself and has to make do with the manually entered description. The more detailed the description, the better! Before you start writing the description, it is important to begin with the full URL of your website. Visitors always see that URL directly to the right of the video. - Tip 4: Ensure a suitable thumbnail.
If you go to the 'Edit' option after uploading a video, you can select the most suitable thumbnail under the video thumbnail option. This is the image that Google uses in the natural results. If someone searches for a specific topic for which your video might be relevant, Google will display the thumbnail you selected. Therefore, choose a good image here that immediately conveys what the video is about. - Tip 5: Add notes.
Using the 'Annotation Editor' feature, you can add a note to your video. You can position the box so that only one line of text is displayed at the top of the video. You can make smart use of this by, for example, linking to other popular (your own) videos (video link).
- Tip 6: Respond actively to other videos.
To drive a lot of traffic to your own video, it is important to be active on YouTube yourself and comment on other videos. When you look at the right side of your own video, you will see related items and often the most popular videos with the highest number of views. If you post a video comment here, your video will be shown as a reply to the other person's video. The owner of the video must agree to this, however; they will be notified. You can also always contact the owner and ask if you can place a link to your website in their description field for a small fee. - Tip 7: Give visitors the opportunity to comment on your video.
It is important, however, that you keep track of this properly and anticipate questions or reactions if necessary. - Tip 8: Share your YouTube video among relevant topics.
Search on Google for the topic of your video and try commenting on blogs, forums, and other places with the link (or a clear reference) to the video. People often view simply posting links to your own website as spam. However, if you show that it is a YouTube video (independent), people are quickly inclined to click the link to watch the video. Subsequently, you can use the previous tips to ensure that they visit your website for more information. - Tip 9: Don't make your YouTube video too long.
Attention spans are minimal after a maximum of 2 minutes. If you have a longer video, break it down into multiple parts. Optimize each part uniquely; meaning a unique description, unique tags, etc. This way, you will be found faster for these specific topics. - Tip 10: Use correct search terms.
It is essential that you use the right search terms for the video. Put yourself in the shoes of a visitor looking for information about your subject. What is this person searching for? You must then incorporate these search terms into your title and description. An extra tip is to place the word "video" or "film" before or after this search term. People often search on Google for the combination 'video + subject' or 'film about subject'. - Bonus tip!
Make sure you clearly grab attention in the first 10 seconds of your video. If this hasn't been achieved after 10 seconds, there is a good chance your visitors will click away and stop watching.
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This article was written in June 2010