When you start to think about the amount of online video there is today, it’s quite overwhelming. In fact, if you were to spend the rest of your life watching only YouTube video content, you wouldn’t even be able to finish the videos that were just uploaded today alone. That’s how much video content there currently is in the world today.
The bigger question here, is how are you currently using YouTube to grow your personal brand, business or online following? More importantly… if you aren’t already, why not? There are billions of users just waiting to consume your video content, and for the most part, it’s all free!
To let these numbers sink in, let’s take a look at some of the latest YouTube video stats.
Even with billions of users actively on YouTube and uploading videos daily, many video creators are still having a hard time breaking out and growing a following of their own. With some of the most popular creators on YouTube having millions of subscribers and instantly receiving thousands of video impressions after just seconds of going live with their latest video, it’s no wonder some users have considered the option to buy views and send traffic directly to their YouTube videos. However, the concept of buying traffic and views isn’t the only option in town.
Today we are going to look at a few different working methods for how to increase traffic, viewership, and subscribers on YouTube — both free and paid methods. The more time you put into each of these areas, the more likely you are to see continued improvement across your YouTube viewership and subscribers.
1 – Create Custom and Eye Catching Thumbnails
With hundreds of millions of videos already on YouTube, it’s extremely important to stand out from the crowd whenever possible. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through the use of a custom thumbnail. The last think you want to do is have a default thumbnail that is pulled directly from your video — the quality and call to action simply won’t be there.
Take a look at any of the top accounts or what’s currently trending on YouTube and you will instantly see a wide range of custom video thumbnails. Then head over to a free graphics editor like Canva, where you can start creating thumbnails that will pop right off the page.
2 – Upload New Videos Often and Build a Following
Having a YouTube channel is a lot like blogging, in that the more content you create, the more likely you are to reach new audiences and rank in different locations. The more video content you put out there on YouTube, the more subscribers, views, and clicks you will likely receive. However, never forget the importance of value and engagement. This method WILL NOT work if you are putting out low-quality videos that your audience simply doesn’t have an interest in.
And when we are talking about putting out videos often, we are necessarily saying you need a new video every day. Take a look at BuzzFeed News on YouTube and see how they are releasing new videos every few days. They actually have so much video content out there, that they have multiple channels in place for each niche market.
3 – Understand How YouTube and Google SEO Works
If you’ve ever wondered why and how certain videos rank on YouTube and in Google where they do, it’s actually all part of a powerful algorithm. At the same time, it’s all important to realize that Google search is a huge provider of traffic to YouTube videos as well — this is mainly due to Google owning YouTube and simply ranking their own content over others.
To learn more about this process, I recommend you check out these how to rank YouTube videos guides and SEO trends for 2017 article, which breaks down the many aspects of SEO, how to structure your video titles, descriptions and also the benefits of embedding and sharing videos on social media.
In addition to understanding how YouTube and Google SEO works, you can also increase traffic through the use of paid advertising. Google makes a majority of their money through the Google Adwords advertising program, which is ultimately serving ads on YouTube videos through Google Adsense. Instead of just earning money with your online videos through Adsense, you could start an ad campaign and increase traffic to your videos for just a few pennies per click. To get started, all you need to do is create a Google Adwords account and walk through their simple campaign creation process.
4 – Use Hashtags and Social Media to Reach New Audiences
With more than 2 billion users spread across all of the major social networks, it would be a huge mistake to not take advantage of what Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms can do for online video. Just think about how much of your Facebook feed is now taken up by videos. More people are watching videos on their mobile devices and social media than ever before. At the same time, everyone also seems to have a shorter attention span than ever before, so make sure to start your video with something engaging to grab their attention and keep them watching.
Once you go live with a new video on your YouTube account, be sure to share it on all social networks possible. When relevant, also make use of hashtags or any topics or events that might be trending world wide. It’s not going to get you a ton of traffic, but it can definitely get your videos in front of a new audience that you would likely miss otherwise.
If you still need some convincing that video is still on an upward trend with no end in site, simply take a look at these video stats and where we are headed.
5 – Paid Advertising through Google and YouTube Ads
Last but not least, the option is always there to put some money behind your best content and do some paid advertising. As mentioned earlier, with YouTube being owned by Google, the two work hand in hand. Just like you can pay to rank in the search results for individual keywords and phrases, you can do the same on YouTube as well. The cost per view will vary based on the niche audience you are going after, and the level and size of competition you are going to be bidding against.
For most YouTube video creators, funding each new video with just a few dollar in advertising might be enough to help speed up the subscriber and viewership process. Budgets start as low as just a few dollars per day, and it’s extremely easy to set up a video ad campaign. Be sure to also play around with your custom thumbnails, as this will play a huge part in the click through and cost per click process.
How to Find Success on YouTube in 2017
YouTube is one of the largest and most powerful sites on the internet today. If you aren’t currently using it to grow your audience and create video content for your brand, you are missing out big time. The good news is that there is still plenty of time for you to take action. As I mentioned throughout the article time and time again, video is on the rise and with more people using their mobile devices to access the internet, these numbers are just going to continue to rise.
Be sure to run through each of the actionable tips above and start increasing the ROI of your YouTube video content today.
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