Getting Started
Know why you are starting a YouTube channel
Determine your target audience
- Age
- Gender
- Social status
- Geographical location
- Preferences
Know your direct competition
- Search by relevant keyword
- Determine what sets your channel apart
- Give your audience a reason to subscribe
Schedule your video uploads
- Determine a set day and time to upload new videos
- Gives audience something to look forward to
Equipment and software you’ll need
- A good quality video recorder that shoots in HD
- Most smartphones are capable
- Find a good editing software
Finding the time to create your videos
- Dedicate time each week to shoot and edit videos
- Outsource the video creation
Choosing Your Niche
Determine what you’re good at
- Utilize your strengths
- Determine if you want to inform or entertain
Select a YouTube Category
There are 7 categories to choose from
- Comedy
- Autos and vehicles
- Entertainment
- Education
- Film and animation
- Pets and animals
- People and blogs
Research topics
- Use Google Ads Keyword Planner
- Determine problems or questions people face in niche
- Consider a desperate niche
Optimizing Your Channel for Success
Choose a memorable channel name
- Make it short and catchy
Use an attractive channel icon
- Make sure it is a clear image
Create a channel trailer
- Should showcase what your channel is about
- Try to hook your visitors when they land on your page
Integrate links to other social media platforms
- Will help you build your network
Include channel art
- Appears at the top of your channel
- Should incorporate your logo
- Avoid using YouTube’s default background
The About Section
- Include a detail description of your channel
- Include social media links
Developing Your Content Strategy
Consistency is important
- You must satisfy your target audience
- Switching topics and focus will confuse your target audience
Create different types of videos
Vlogs
- Won’t cost a ton of money
- Personality driven
Company culture videos
- Behind the scenes look at your company
Interviews
- Interview thought leaders in your industry
Webinars
- Are high-value and low-cost endeavors
Events
- Cover the proceedings of a corporate event
Presentations
- Creates a compelling and shareable narrative
Tutorials
- Help you expand your reach
Product reviews
Strategies for Building an Audience
Comment on similar videos
- Avoid spamming others with self-promoting comments
- Provide valuable or insightful feedback on relevant channels
Use social media
- Reach a broader audience to market your videos
- Add social media links to your channel
Participate in Forums
- Leave valuable comments in discussions
- Don’t spam with self-promotion tactics
Collaborate with Others
- Gain additional exposure
- Reach a broader audience
- Work with someone in your niche
Strategies for Increasing Customer Engagement
Create simple and beautiful thumbnails
- Will increase engagement by 154 percent
Add annotations to drive user actions
- Include call-to-actions
- Gain subscribers
- Grow your viewership
- Interact with audience
- Drive traffic to website
Keep your videos short
- No longer than three minutes
Use basic SEO principles and marketing strategies
- Utilize keywords in titles and descriptions
- Promote through email marketing
- Embed videos in your blog posts
- Promote on social media
How to Monetize your YouTube Channel
Join the YouTube Partner Program
- Display ads on your videos
- Must adhere to some strict guidelines
Feature affiliate products
- Include your affiliate link in the video description
- Work with outside YouTube partners
- Sell your own merchandise
- Drive traffic to your website
Mistakes to Avoid
- Purchasing fake reviews
- Dumping all your videos to your channel
- Not being consistent with your video uploads
- Not engaging with your audience
- Failing to have a plan
- Trolling other channels and begging for views
- Not linking your channel to your other social media accounts
