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Did you just start a brand new YouTube channel for your business? If so, you’re not alone. many people with small to medium-sized businesses have turned to YouTube to market their brand.
There are plenty of advantages to promoting your brand on this extremely popular social platform. For starters, there are nearly two billion active users on YouTube, making it the second most popular social platform for consumers. All of the people who can benefit from your product or service likely search and watch videos on YouTube every single day.
We wanted to explore the different ways you can maximize the organic traffic on your channel, which can potentially lead to more sales and engagement. Our tips are going to start with some of the first things you’ll need to think about when you create your channel. As we talk more, we will look at some advanced tips you can put into action today.
Let’s dive in!
Decide on One Broad Theme, Then Branch Out
When you start uploading videos to your channel, you want to attract a specific audience, right? Chances are, the people that can benefit most from your video will appreciate one consistent video style when you first start out.
You may overwhelm first-time visitors if they land on your channel and see cooking videos, travel vlogs, video game reviews, and makeup tutorials. Their first question will be, “Who is this for?” That’s a fair question.
Establishing your style early in your channel’s history is vital for growing your organic traffic. People are more likely to go back to a channel if they know that they can expect to see the same style of content most of the time.
Keep in mind; there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with different kinds of content. If, after six months to a year, you want to start branching out and looking at other styles of content, feel free. But make sure you keep your current fanbase in mind.
Post the videos they expect, and use videos featuring new styles as “bonus” content. If the new video you post is a success, you can start thinking about how else you can implement this type of video in your content marketing strategy. The more types of content you’re creating, the wider the net you’ll cast when converting new customers. However, you should build a core fan base before making significant changes to your usual video style.
Similarly, make sure subscribers know your content schedule. We suggest starting with one video a week. Let visitors know the typical day and time to expect your video in their notifications. Delivering on this promise will help you build brand loyalty and encourage people to check-in at the same time each week.
Optimize for Keywords in Your Profile and Videos
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is one of the most critical factors that will determine how much organic traffic your channel cultivates. The rules for YouTube SEO vary slightly from traditional SEO, but the goal is the same. You want to show the algorithms ranking videos that your content is relevant to a specific audience, so you have to use keywords that send all the right signals.
We suggest doing extensive keyword research on YouTube, Google, other social media platforms, and by using keyword research tools like AnswerThePublic. Simply decide on a resource, go to the search bar, and type in your keyword.
You’ll see a string of results that show the most popular searches featuring those keywords. There’s a good chance that some of the suggested responses are relevant to your industry and would make a great keyword.
Experiment with different keyword combinations and find a list of words that are frequently searched, but have very little competition. Using this tactic, you’ll be able to climb through the ranks and hit the top spot for some of the most competitive keywords in your industry.
Don’t forget to take factors like voice search into account when planning your SEO strategy. Research suggests that by the end of 2024, half of all searches on Windows 10 will be initiated by voice.
The way people speak when searching varies from the way that they type. You should keep these considerations in mind when you’re working on your video titles, subtitles, and about page. Include keywords that might sound right if somewhere were speaking into their search engine instead of typing.
For instance, instead of using a keyword like “create long socks guide,” you might be better off using something like, “how to knit long socks” since the latter is something someone would ask when searching with their voice. Using this trick, you’ll bring in most organic traffic from both people using web browsers, and those using their smart speakers or assistants.
Engage Across All Platforms
It’s hard to deny the success of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter when it comes to growing YouTube channels. Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, and videos go viral from YouTube on their site every day.
People love sharing, discussing, and debating topics centered around their favorite hobbies or career. If you post thoughtful videos that inspire a discussion, you can get people talking in the comments section of your video, and on your social media profile when you share your video.
Use the comments section on all of your various platforms to engage with your audience. If you don’t have conversations with the people taking the time to comment on your content, there’s a good chance they could leave and never come back. Consumers want to interact with brands that talk back, build rapport, and show commitment and expertise.
You can also start an online contest on both your YouTube channel and social media platforms if you want to see more organic growth. The prizes will vary based on your industry and intentions, but this is a great way to get more eyes on your channel and small business.
If you want to see fast growth, consider hosting a giveaway with a 50 dollar Amazon gift card. Many people around the world use Amazon, and there are plenty of folks that would happily enter a contest for a chance to win.
Make sure you set stipulation on the contest that helps grow your channel. For instance, ask consumers to follow you on Twitter and subscribe to your YouTube channel for a chance to win. Encourage them to tag three of their friends for an additional entry.
Now you’ve added one subscriber to your channel, and they tagged three people. If one of those people commit to the contest, they will tag several of their friends. This type of engagement can help you quickly reach your target audience and build your channel.
Partner with Other Creators
The great thing about YouTube is you can find plenty of people that are already successful in your industry. At first, this might seem not very encouraging, but the reality is if they can make it big on YouTube, so can you.
In fact, you can build rapport with these creators and collaborate on content together. Try reaching out to some of the more reputable people in your industry that still have a reasonable amount of followers. Ask them if they would like to do a video together on a topic of their choice. If you have a good idea for a video, you can make a suggestion but let them know that the topic is flexible.
When you work with other creators, your followers tend to cross-pollinate, so to speak. Subscribers from their channel will find your videos and vice versa. As a result, both channels tend to see a sharp rise in organic traffic after working together on a video.
Analyze Your Analytics Reports and Make Adjustments
Finally, you should always analyze your reports and make changes as needed. Everything from tracking engagement on your website, to customer feedback across all platforms, plays a role in the success of your business.
Your on-site analytics will help you learn more about your target audience, which can help you fine-tune your content marketing strategy and brand voice. Customer feedback helps you learn about customer pain points and goals, both of which make for great topic ideas in virtually every industry.
YouTube analytics will let you know how individual videos are doing compared to the overall success of your channel. Examine each of your videos and separate the ones that are currently getting the most traffic. Look for patterns and threads that connect everything on this list for ideas on future videos.
Growing organic traffic on your YouTube channel has plenty of challenges, but the success many people find when they master this platform is unmatched. If you’re a small to a medium-sized business owner, take the time to build and fine-tune your channel. Don’t quit when you don’t see one million subscribers overnight. These things take time. But once your channel starts getting traction, prepare to see massive business growth and consumer engagement.
