Marketing and Monetizing on YouTube

YouTube marketing is often overlooked by social media marketers. Some think YouTube counts as a social media network. Others see it as more of an online video platform.

Either way, there are countless marketing opportunities on YouTube especially if your audience is on the platform and your competitors aren’t. YouTube counts two billion logged in monthly users worldwide, and ranks as the most widely used online platform among U.S. adults.

So, in that sense, whether or not YouTube meets social network criteria is irrelevant. It’s more popular than all of them. But with more than 500 hours of video uploaded every minute, effective YouTube marketing is easier said than done.

Fortunately, we’ve put together this 10-step YouTube marketing strategy to get you started. Learn how to optimize your channel, grow subscriptions, and expand your reach with YouTube ads and influencer partnerships.

5 YouTube marketing tools for business

YouTube Audio Library

Just about every successful YouTube video is backtracked with music and sound effects. But that doesn’t mean all songs and sounds are free to use. Avoid infringing on copyright by sourcing directly from YouTube’s free audio library.

Hootsuite

YouTube’s platform includes built-in scheduling and analytics tools. But if you manage multiple social media channels or work with a team, Hootsuite takes a lot of work out of the workflow.

With a central dashboard, it’s easy to keep track of content calendars and assign tasks to different team members. Schedule videos for YouTube and your other social networks simultaneously, and see how your YouTube marketing fits into your broader social media strategy.

Want to save even more time? You can also moderate comments on your YouTube videos from the Hootsuite dashboard.

Canva

Create channel and video art with pre-sized templates from Canva. This tool offers access to an expansive stock photo library, and features that allow for full customization and branding. The best part is you don’t have to sweat the specs. Canva takes care of that for you. Bonus: the app can be integrated into the Hootsuite dashboard.

Channelview

Channelview and its companion tool Channelview Insights monitor up to 10 different YouTube channels. This is ideal for YouTube marketers who manage multiple clients, or for brands that have multiple channels for different verticals. Channelview lets you streamline your workflow and measure your YouTube marketing efforts across the board. Get the full picture on how your YouTube channels work in tandem so you can refine playlists and boost subscribers.

Mentionlytics

Hook Mentionlytics up to your Hootsuite dashboard and start tracking every mention of your brand on YouTube. With this tool, you can keep tabs of videos created about your brand, comments that mention you, and more. Show your appreciation for positive comments, and show up for negative feedback, too. Customers appreciate it when companies take their feedback seriously.

10 Step YouTube marketing strategy

Step 1. Create a YouTube channel for business

Start by opening a Brand Account on Google.

You can create a YouTube channel with your regular Google account, but if you do, only you can access it. Plus, the account will be under your name and depending on your settings, may connect viewers to your personal email address.

With a Brand Account, multiple authorized users can log in simultaneously. Even if you don’t need this right now, it’s a good option to keep available as your business grows. With a Brand Account, you can also open and manage multiple YouTube channels.

Step 2. Learn about your audience

If you’re just starting out on YouTube, set aside some time to learn about YouTube demographics.

This includes quantitative data, like where the majority of users live (nearly 15% of site traffic comes from the U.S.), predominant age range (81% of 15–25 year-olds ), and viewing preferences (70% of watchtime is on mobile). If your audience skews younger, it might be worth noting that Gen Z viewers are most likely to search for short-form content.

Step 3. Research your competition

Next up: Competitive analysis. Like any platform, YouTube is a competitive space. By conducting an audit of competitors, you can see how your channel measures up and identify opportunities.

Identify competitors

Start by identifying three to five competitors. If you’re not sure, try Google Ads’ free Keyword Planner to see which companies rank for keywords associated with your brand. Or see what channels appear in searches on YouTube for the same keywords. (After hitting Search, filter results by Channel.)

Record key metrics such as subscriber counts and viewership stats so you can use them as benchmarks for your channel. Look at titles and descriptions to see what keywords they use. Read the comments on these videos to see what people are saying. Chances are their audience will overlap with yours.

Conduct a SWOT

Conduct a SWOT analysis to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats presented by each competitor. This is a good framework for spotting what’s working and not working, and where you can carve out a niche with your YouTube channel.

Pro tip: Make sure your competitors aren’t serving ads on your videos! If they are, it’s possible to block them in Google’s ad manager. More on that here.

Step 4. Learn from your favourite channels

Scroll through your subscriptions and your YouTube history. As you do, take note of the techniques and formats that hold your attention. What keeps you coming back to these channels? How do the most popular channels drive views, subscriptions, and engagement?

Step 5. Optimize your videos to get views

YouTube is a video search engine. Like Google which happens to own YouTube videos results are ranked by titles, keywords, descriptions, and other factors. Then there’s the YouTube recommendation algorithm, which determines 70% of what people watch.

Optimize your videos so that they stand the best chance to show up in search results and get more views. We’ve created a detailed guide on how to get views on YouTube. But here are a few SEO pointers to start with:

Write a strong title

The title is one of the primary signals YouTube’s algorithm and viewers look at to evaluate your video.

Include relevant keywords. Check what words people use to find your channel in Traffic Sources in YouTube Analytics. Take a look at Google Trends and Google Ads’ Keyword Planner, too. See if any of these popular search terms can be added to your title.

But avoid clickbait. False advertising typically leads to lower retention, which in turn leads to lower ranking. If the keywords you find don’t match your topic, dig a little deeper in your keyword research. Focus on the topic and content.

Write a keyword-rich description

Prioritize the first few lines of your description to provide a brief summary of your video topic. As early as possible, plug in the keywords you’ve zeroed in on. Try not to sound too spammy. Write in coherent, natural-sounding sentences.

YouTube shows roughly 300 characters (about three lines) above the Show More button users need to click on to see your full description. This is where you should add more context for your video. For example, if you feature several products, provide links to them.

Add cards, end screens, bumper ads, and watermarks

Cards, end screens, bumper ads, and watermarks are clickable CTAs you can add to your YouTube videos. These elements help your videos drive actions and keep people on your channel.

Here’s a rundown of your different options:

Cards: Small, transparent CTAs that expand when clicked. Up to five can be used per video to direct viewers to your website, fundraiser, playlist, and more.

End screens: Up to four clickable frames that appear in the last 5-20 seconds. Use them to promote related content, your website, subscriptions, etc.

Bumper ads: Unskippable six-second video ads appearing at the start or end of a video.

Watermarks: Custom subscribe buttons visible only to non-subscribers. To add them to your videos, follow YouTube’s instructions.

Step 6. Upload and schedule your videos

Now that you’ve created and optimized your videos, it’s time to schedule them for publication.

For most 18-34 year olds, YouTube has replaced traditional network television. But it hasn’t necessarily replaced expectations. People still expect videos especially webisodes and series to be available on a reliable schedule.

Check your channel analytics to see if there’s a day or hour that tends to have a high amount of viewership and engagement. Once you’ve pinpointed the best time to post, aim to publish regularly within this window.

Step 7. Optimize your channel to attract followers

Make it easier for people to find and follow you on YouTube by optimizing your channel. Here are a few ways to prime your account for search, views, and follows.

Complete your YouTube profile

If you haven’t yet, add finishing touches to your YouTube profile. Fill out or add some polish to the following areas:

Channel description: In the “about” tab of your profile, provide a keyword-rich overview of what people can expect when they subscribe to your channel. Include links to your website and social accounts here, too.

Channel icon: Upload a high-res version of your logo.

Channel art: Use this banner space to welcome viewers to your channel. This area is a good place to promote your channel schedule, or an upcoming exhibit, product launch, or service. Master channel art and nab free templates with this guide.

You can also add a list of Featured channels to your profile. Feature your other owned YouTube channels, or give subscribers easy access to other YouTube resources they might be interested in. By doing this, you align your brand with complimentary companies and add value to your page.

Add social media links to your banner

Your YouTube banner is a prime position to add a few key links. Use this area to link to your website, other social channels, or even an auto-subscribe prompt. Put what matters most to your company upfront.

Create a channel trailer

Just like a movie trailer, your YouTube channel trailer is an opportunity to preview your channel. Channel trailers auto-play when an unsubscribed visitor lands on your page. So, it’s best to assume they’re new to your page, and possibly your brand.

Step 8. Try YouTube advertising

YouTube advertising can be an effective way to expand your reach beyond your channel. Looking to grow your channel? Target an audience you think might be interested in your content.

Want to promote your brand, an event, or a new product? YouTube ads are good for that, too. People are three times more likely to pay attention to online video ads versus TV ads.

YouTube ads are available in these four categories:

Skippable in-stream ads

Non-skippable in-stream ads (including bumper ads)

Video discovery ads (formerly known as in-display ads)

Non-video ads (i.e., overlays and banners)

For more info on YouTube’s ad formats and how to use them, check out our detailed guide to YouTube advertising.

Step 9. Try working with an influencer

One of the best ways to showcase your brand and reach a wider audience on YouTube is by working with an influencer.

According to Google, 60% of YouTube subscribers are more likely to follow shopping advice from their favourite creator over their favourite TV movie personality. Why? It’s often a lot easier to relate to creators. With the right partnership, creators can transfer that reliability and trust to your brand.

When it comes to these partnerships, let the influencer do the talking. The more control you try to exert over the partnership, the more you’ll impact the influencer’s brand. This makes the whole effort less genuine and their followers will see it from a mile away.

Step 10. Analyze and adapt

With your YouTube channel up and running, it’s time to start measuring your success. And failures. Getting YouTube marketing right involves testing and experimenting. Not everything will work, and that’s okay as long as you learn from it.

Use YouTube Analytics to monitor the growth of your channel and track the performance of your videos. When you publish a new video, keep an eye on:

  • Significant changes in subscriber count
  • New or changing audience demographics
  • Video playback locations and traffic sources
  • Device reports (mobile, desktop, smart TVs, etc.)

Monetization

  • Advertising revenue: Get ad revenue from display, overlay, and video ads.
  • Channel memberships: Your members make recurring monthly payments in exchange for special perks that you offer.
  • Merch shelf: Your fans can browse and buy official branded merchandise that’s showcased on your watch pages.
  • Super Chat & Super Stickers: Your fans pay to get their messages highlighted in chat streams.
  • YouTube Premium Revenue: Get part of a YouTube Premium subscriber’s subscription fee when they watch your content.

Qualify for YouTube Monetization

First, to qualify for monetization, your channel has to have at least 4,000 hours of public watch time within the last year and at least 1,000 subscribers. This policy went into effect at the beginning of 2018 and is another way for YouTube to prioritize watch time.

3 Easy Steps to Enable Monetization on YouTube

You’ve reached the required number of subscribers and watch hours, and you’ve checked your channel for red flags now what? It’s time to learn how to enable monetization on YouTube.

  • Click on YouTube Studio in the dropdown after you click on your icon in the top right corner of the screen.
  • Once you’re in YouTube Studio, find the Channel menu on the left-hand side of your screen, and click on Monetization.
  • Finally, in the Monetization window, click Start.

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