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15 tips to set up a successful YouTube channel

Have you ever thought about starting a YouTube channel for your company? Or maybe, it’s up and running but you’re not sure if it’s set up correctly? Well, there are countless types of YouTube channels, whether you’re teaching people Spanish or selling camping gear. By getting to grips with the fundamentals of YouTube you’ll watch your business grow and provide bags of value. ¡Comprende!

Our Digital Strategist, Clark, with the help of Sookio’s own Head of Production, Matt Harris, thought he’d put together some things to consider to make sure your YouTube channel is set up for success. In fact, we’ve got 15 of them for you!

  1. Playlists

YouTube has changed the way we view video content. It’s the new TV. With this in mind, you’ll want to set up your content into episode format.

Now, before you run off with your camera and lights, it’s important to think about the different playlists that you could set up. Each one should represent a different topic. 

One of the best companies on YouTube right now is LEGO and their use of playlists is the building blocks of their success - as well as being a global brand, but you get my point. As you can see, they create topic-based playlists, with the one below focusing on home-schooling.

Instead of your subscribers having to crawl through countless videos they can simply select the playlist with the relevant topic and watch your great stuff to their hearts’ content.

2. Get clear on who you are

It’s important to understand why your audience visits your channel. If you’re just starting out it’s a good idea to list the three reasons why people would visit your channel.

Once you have established these reasons you can then start building your playlist ideas. Every time you come up with new content ideas ask yourself, does this content match the reasons on my lists? If not, then don’t waste your time. As YouTube becomes more popular it’s better to produce content with a clear focus than to sends a load of randomness into the ether. It’s not TikTok folks.

3. Brand tone

One of the major issues for any company on YouTube is finding a genuine voice that resonates with the audience.

Don’t try and be like an individual YouTuber. Brand management on YouTube is tricky – those companies who try too hard to be ‘down with the kids’ rarely are.

You’re a business and that’s ok. You represent more than one person and as long as you stick to your business principals across your content, you’ll be fine.

Align your channel with your core services and values. Tell the story of your organisation and celebrate your people.

 4. Use a trailer

Does your channel homepage have a trailer video? If not, you’ll want to get one, as it’s a great opportunity to provide the viewer with a quick insight into what you do.

I’ve seen YouTubers simply use their latest upload as their trailer but as an organisation it’s better to use the space for a really well-designed corporate vid. It’s the centrepiece of your channel and can help set the right tone. 

I love the example above from Dollar Shave Club with their short promotion video as a trailer – a mere 30 seconds long.

It’s quick, it’s quality and it most importantly tells me about who they are!

5. Alternate your banner

If the trailer is the centrepiece then the banner is your starter dish. Located at the top of your channel homepage and often, the first thing your audience will see.

To make the most out of this space try alternating the banner image on a quarterly basis.

You have a few options here, you can either create some sweet looking branded images, similar to the IELTS one below.  Or use it to promote special events and major dates.

Whatever you choose to do, make sure the images are strong and aligned with your brand. Not to mention the right dimensions for a YouTube banner (2560 pixels wide x 1440 pixels tall; images smaller than 6MB).

6. Uploading schedule

In order to increase subscribers to your YouTube channel, you’ll want to be uploading at least one or two videos a week.

 Two videos a week? That seems a lot of work and resource. Well, in order to get the ball rolling, it’s a good idea to produce an initial burst of videos that can be uploaded over a 6-week period to get the algorithm kicking.

If you’re working with an agency, I’d suggest getting them to produce a batch of 30 second videos that can make up your first playlist. The great thing about this tactic is that you can use some of these videos as part of a YouTube ad campaign to help build your subscriber numbers.

7. Thumbnails

Thumbnails are an important tool in getting people to click on the video. They are also visual dynamite.  This is why it’s so important to keep your thumbnails consistent and on-brand.

You’ll want to create consistent thumbnails so people know it’s your companies’ video when they see it. As you can see above, Brian Deane from Backlinko uses thumbnails to clearly show the video topic and draw his audience into watching.

The most effective thumbnails NEVER, I repeat, NEVER oversell the content of the video. It’s important that your thumbnail sets the right expectations for the viewer to ensure they don’t feel cheated. Your subscribers’ time is precious – don’t waste it!

8. End screen graphics and cards

One of the more underused tools on YouTube are end screen graphics. You can use these to direct the viewer to related videos to keep them on your channel.  You’ll also want to use end screen graphics to maximise the promotion opportunities of your business website as Learn English with Lucy has done.

When it comes to these little gems, end screen graphics are not the only game in town. Say hello to in-play cards which come up in the top of the video whilst the video is playing. These cards are best used in line with your analytics. For example, if you see a high percentage of viewers stop watching at two minutes then it’s a good idea to drop an in-card at that point to promote a related video.

9. Using influencers

One way to boost your channel is to use numerous micro-influencers to get in front of your potential audience. It can offer a more genuine experience for the audience and expose your brand to people who are actively interested in your services.

There are plenty of influencers out there with crazy viewing figures and subscriptions so it can be costly to produce content with them. If you’re just starting out, I suggest starting with a smaller influencer, around 20k followers and learn the ins and outs to prepare yourself for larger productions in the future.

10. Check out your competition

I know us marketers are always going on about it but it’s really useful to investigate your competitors to see what’s working and not working in your industry. Take some time to look at the type of videos they are producing and more importantly which topics are driving the most views.  

Ask yourself what’s their production value? Are the videos hosted on a separate channel?

Understanding your competition could save you time and money. If it didn’t work for them why bother, right?

11. Community spirit

It’s probably the most underutilised part of YouTube but you should take advantage of the community tab. By using it consistently you’ll be able to talk about new episodes and thank your subscribers. 

You can also use the community tab much further with polls and questions to engage your audience. It can be a great tool to find out more about the types of videos your subscribers want to see. 

Your business has an opportunity to get ahead of the competition by building a community through your channel – use it to help you grow your YouTube channel!

12. Make it relevant

It’s easy to forget that YouTube is fundamentally a search engine with millions of inquiries every day. Like Google search, you need to be hitting the right keywords to ensure a higher ranking.

 Alongside video engagement and views, one of the key ranking factors is relevancy. As you can see below, I did a little research by popping ‘camping gear’ into the search bar and you can to see a heap of relevant content ideas. And the best thing about the autocomplete tool is that the results are based on the most popular searches related to that keyword. Go on, give it a go!

13. Use Google to boost rankings

At the beginning, it’s highly likely that your channel will not rank high enough to be included in the Google Video Search for some of the more competitive terms. However, by increasing your views and relevancy you will be able to tap into people searching for your services on Google which should lead them to your YouTube channel.

It’s worth noting that Google is mobile indexed first, which means it’s designed for mobile usage, and mobile loves video. Videos are going to show up on Google search results more and more so it makes sense to get ahead of the curve.

14. Don’t forget your tags

Firstly, it’s important to consistently tag your YouTube videos with relevant descriptions. As well as a consistent approach to tagging, you’ll want to use terms that are not overly competitive. To find out the likelihood of your video ranking for particular terms you’ll want to use TubeBuddy.  

By using the TubeBuddy keyword explorer you’ll get a better idea of the popularity and likelihood of your video ranking for that keyword when adding your tags. Try to avoid quite generalised terms which are difficult to rank for and instead focus on questions that match the searchers intent.

15. Titles

Talking of keywords, it’s essential to get your titles right as they are a great way to improve the ranking of your videos. Throughout my countless hours on YouTube I’ve seen a mixed bag with regards to relevant titles. It’s important to create ones that match the way your audience will be searching.

Keep your titles short and sweet. YouTube tends to truncate the text once you go beyond 60-odd characters. And if you’re worried about people missing info in your title, don’t worry, you can always use the YouTube description section to add any other details. 

So remember…

If you want to know how to drive traffic to YouTube, just remember these easy steps to optimise your YouTube channel:

  • Create separate playlists by dividing your content into mini-series

  • Ensure you stick to your core services and set out the key reasons for your channel before producing any video content

  • Put up a sweet and considered business video as your channel trailer

  • Design three or four channel banners to alternate on a quarterly basis

  • Upload one to two videos per week

  • Create a batch of short videos to create an initial playlist to get the party started

  • Produce engaging and consistent looking thumbnails on your videos which authentically reflect the video content

  • Make the most out of the community tab by using polls and questions to further understand your audience

  • Ensure the titles and tags of your videos are relevant to the searcher’s intent

  • Identify the keywords with medium search volume but lower competition to have a realistic chance of ranking

Let’s optimise your site! Video production, auditing your YouTube channel, boosting videos to get maximum views? Drop us a line, we can help.