Having your own YouTube channel means you understand how big online videos have become. Even social media has been high on it with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pushing for more video content. But there’s no denying that when it comes to videos, YouTube remains the king of the hill. In fact, it is now the second biggest search engine behind Google.
The latest studies on YouTube have been very encouraging, to say the least. It is estimated that there are nearly 2 billion active users on the platform which means that more than 1 out of 3 people on the Internet is on it. People are also watching more than 150 million hours of YouTube videos daily.
To put it simply, YouTube is growing at a breakneck pace. It’s only reasonable that you build your YouTube channel as well. Whatever your reason is for having one in the first place, whether it is to promote a business or establish yourself as an authority in a chosen field, growing your YouTube channel will help more people to find your content on this platform.
Here are some ways to grow your YouTube channel in 2018:
1. Use the Right Keywords
It is not enough to create interesting, informative, and engaging videos. You must also use the right keywords so that your target audience will be able to find your content on YouTube. Think of and use the right keywords for the headline, tags, and description of your videos.
If you haven’t been doing this, then it is time to start researching and using the right keywords for your videos. First, list down all the words associated with your YouTube channel. You can also look for the most popular videos in your niche and pay attention to the words used for the descriptions and titles. This way, you can have an idea on which keywords are appropriate for your own videos.
It’s likely you will find yourself inundated with keywords. You can trim down the list of keywords by choosing one set for your title. Limit the keywords to 2-3 words such as ‘climbing videos’ or ‘mountaineering videos,’ for example.
In cases when the keywords you have chosen are highly used in your niche, adding a long tail keyword can be a difference-maker. For example, adding ‘best’ to the ‘climbing videos’ can make your content more viewable to your target audience.
Now if you have a low number of subscribers, you might have to go with low competition keywords and use them in longer and more targeted sentences. Going back to our example, you might want to use ‘best climbing videos for beginners” as your main keywords.
2. Engage with your viewers
Don’t forget that YouTube is also a social media channel just like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Therefore, you need to interact with your viewers, too, just like you would on your other social media channels (assuming you have others).
YouTube is not only a platform for creating and uploading videos. It also has numerous tools that encourage interaction with the audience such as likes and dislikes and comments. If you can, respond to every comment that you receive. Not getting any feedback? Then be proactive by asking your users with audio or visual prompts.
3. Promote your channel on other platforms
One of the best things about social media is that you don’t have limited options as far as promoting content is concerned. In fact, you can cross-promote your videos on other social media channels whether it is on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can always post videos directly on your Facebook channel. Or give your Twitter followers a teaser of your latest YouTube video.
While you are at it, you may also promote or post your videos on your blog or company website. As you can see, there are lots of ways for you to make your YouTube channel more visible to your target market.
4. Show your face
Here’s another way to boost your YouTube channel’s follower count-- show up on your channel. This is very much recommended if you run the channel by yourself. Whether you have a YouTube account to promote your blog, business, or establish yourself as an authority in a chosen field, your channel will get a big boost if you put your own face on the screen.
Don’t worry; you need not to look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. In fact, more viewers will be able to relate to you if you show up on screen. You can also use your photo on your channel to reach out to your audience.
And you don’t have to show your face in every video you make. As long as you establish yourself as someone who’s relatable, then you can count on your YouTube following to grow in the future.
5. Encourage your viewers to subscribe to your channel
One of the best ways to determine if you have been engaging your audience is when they subscribe to your channel. They would definitely do so if they find your content valuable and engaging. So, at the end of your videos, always ask your viewers to subscribe.
Alternatively, you can always buy YouTube subscribers to get your foot in the social media metaphorical door.
Moreover, do not even think of paying for subscribers. This will backfire on you because it will bring down your engagement. Plus, it can affect your account’s credibility which is the last thing you want to happen.
Bonus tip: Upload more frequently
While it may sound difficult at first, you have to increase posting frequency in order to grow your audience. Aim for at least one video upload a week. And if you can, try to upload videos on the same day of the week so that your viewers will have something to look forward to from your channel.
You don’t really need to hire an advertising firm for this purpose. You can always rely on your creativity and smartphone.
Be consistent and keep your subscribers updated about your new videos and you can be on your way to growing your YouTube channel.
This content is written by: Sf