Whether you hire a social media agency or develop your own social media marketing strategy for promoting your YouTube channel, there is no single “best time” to do it as it’s an evergreen form of promoting your brand using YouTube.
YouTube is the second most visited website on the web, and people spend an average of 6 hours per day on it. If you want to stand out from the competition, you should use YouTube as a social media marketing strategy. Here we will see a step-by-step approach to promote your YouTube channel to maximize viewership.
1. Write Engaging Titles
Social media marketing, along with YouTube marketing, is all about presentation. Titles are a tool to grab the attention of audiences. Today people crave entertaining videos on YouTube, so to promote your channel you should use compelling titles to rack up views. For optimal engagement, use 41 to 70 characters in your titles.
2. Perform YouTube SEO
YouTube videos show up 70% of the time in the top 100 Google search results, and “how to” channels have even better visibility. To rank your videos higher, follow these YouTube SEO practices:
- ● Using titles and descriptions: Search for relevant keywords and use them naturally in your descriptions and titles.
- ● Mentioning keywords in the video: Say your targeted keywords in the video so YouTube understands your content.
- ● Encouraging engagement: Create enjoyable videos to get more likes, views, and comments, which improves search rankings.
- ● Using categories: Select appropriate categories so YouTube knows whom to show your videos to.
- ● Adding tags: Use relevant tags to help YouTube understand your video content. Do not stuff keywords – use them only when they make sense.
3. Be Audience-Centric
Whether you or your social media agency produce content, ensure it aligns with what your audience wants. Research your audience and understand what type of videos they prefer. Analyze competitor videos and other video creators in your industry to identify which videos receive maximum views and engagement. This reveals hot topics and audience behavior. Also, use YouTube Analytics to gather information about audience location, demographics, and engagement metrics.
4. Customize Your Thumbnails
Creating custom thumbnails is highly effective for promoting your YouTube channel. Always ensure your title and thumbnail work together to grab viewers’ attention. While YouTube provides auto-generated screenshot options, they’re often inadequate. Creating professional thumbnails using various tools makes your content more appealing and demonstrates professionalism.
5. Run Contests or Giveaways
Hosting YouTube contests or giveaways encourages people to subscribe to your channel and engage with your content. Ask viewers to like your video, subscribe to your channel, or leave a comment to enter. Best practices for social media marketing and YouTube content include:
- ● Following YouTube policies strictly
- ● Offering gifts or takeaways related to your brand
- ● Using user-generated content or non-standard entry requirements
6. Develop Video Series
A smart way to spread awareness of your YouTube channel is by developing a video series around a particular theme or topic. Series benefit both creators and viewers. Creators don’t need to constantly brainstorm fresh ideas to create videos, while viewers get consistent content that keeps them returning to your channel.
7. Cross-Platform Promotion
If you’re a social media agency or company, promoting your YouTube videos on your website and other social platforms is highly effective. This practice improves conversion rates and lowers bounce rates when videos are embedded on your site or social media pages. Embedding videos on blog posts or product pages helps users stay engaged with your content.
8. Collaborate with Other Creators and Brands
Collaborating with other creators—a technique used by successful YouTubers—exposes your channel to new audiences. This helps gain more subscribers while creating content that your existing audience already enjoys. Successful collaborations require finding partners who share similar interests and values that align with your brand.
