by Frustrated by poor results from your YouTube channel? Are these mistakes holding you back?
In this article, you'll discover five common YouTube marketing mistakes and find easy-to-apply fixes that will improve and optimize your content to meet your target audience's expectations.
To learn how to avoid five mistakes new YouTubers make, read the article below for an easy-to-follow walkthrough or watch this video:
#1: Focus on Content That Positions You as a Trusted Resource
While YouTube allows you to upload as many videos as you want, you need to be strategic about what you choose to publish on your channel. Focus on content that lets your ideal audience or viewer know that they can come to you as the go-to resource for your product or service.
Some businesses make the mistake of uploading everything they do. While your 1-hour Facebook live stream may be good content, it's not developed for how people consume content on YouTube. A better approach is to find the parts of a longer piece of content that are relevant to what people might be searching for or to your message or brand.
#2: Make Your YouTube Channel a Valuable Destination
One type of content that businesses post too frequently to YouTube is ads or promotional videos. It's fine to share some of what you offer to make people aware. But every YouTube video has a job to do. The best type of content to upload to your channel is educational because it leads people to see you as a go-to resource.
Your educational content's job is to center on service and make your channel a valuable destination. When it's effective in that mission, you're educating people not only on how to do something like create a Facebook ad but also how you've provided value by doing it for them.
#3: Optimize Your YouTube Videos for How Your Audience Searches
Most marketers don't take into account how people search on YouTube. So when they get to the point of titling a video, they write it from the perspective of the expert. That's a mistake. You want to always create YouTube video titles with your audience in mind.
An easy way to research your viewers' language is to ask them. If you have at least 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, you can access the Community tab where you can share a poll. While viewers are there, they can click Yes or No or reply to tell you exactly what they're looking for.
Another way to start optimizing the library of content you're planning to create is to look at viewer comments on relevant YouTube channels. This will help you identify the exact language your ideal audience uses.
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FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOLThere are also some excellent free and paid resources you can use. I love to start with the Google search bar. As you type in a phrase, Google will start predicting the way people search. Another valuable free tool for research is Google Trends.
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In the paid category, you'll find YouTube-specific optimization tools like vidIQ and TubeBuddy. If you're just getting started, consider one of the paid options to get a boost.
#4: Use Consistent Messaging on Your YouTube Channel
A lot of marketers on YouTube make the mistake of using confusing messaging. If you're creating a lot of individual videos on random topics, that may not be super-helpful to your audience.
If viewers find your video on Facebook ads, their expectation when they click over to your channel is they'll find more videos like that. But if they see a channel image that doesn't quite fit or find 3-hour Zoom calls, family vlogs, and other videos that don't serve them, they're going to leave.
Pro Tip: Consider the next logical question viewers may ask so you create videos they want to watch and eventually subscribe to.
#5: Design Thumbnails That Viewers Will Want to Click
Your YouTube video thumbnails should be optimized for how the viewer expects to find that information in search. If a viewer searches for “how to create a Facebook ad” and sees a thumbnail that's a random screenshot from a Zoom call, they won't be interested in clicking on it.
Let's say you've titled your video “How to Create a Facebook Ad.” Think about the expectation that the viewer has when they're searching for that. Maybe you could add some text that complements the thumbnail that says, “Wasting Money on Facebook Ads?” If you're using a photo of yourself in the thumbnail, give some thought to the expression on your face. It could speak to the frustration that the viewer is having.
When your thumbnails speak to the viewer, they'll be more likely to click on them.
Conclusion
If you want to translate your YouTube success into business growth, create content that serves both your audience and your business.
Suppose that for your video about how to create a Facebook ad, you want to lead viewers to a free offer. Plug your freebie throughout the video. If you're giving three tips in the video, by the time you get to tip number one or maybe two, you say, “This is just a small portion of what I cover in depth in this guide, and if you want access to that, the link is in the description.”
That kind of verbiage lets the viewer know that they're going to be served by the video and may also want to get the free guide if they love the video's content.
When you use this strategy with your videos, it's a win-win for the viewer and you as you start to acquire leads for your company.
Get More Advice on YouTube Marketing
- Give your videos more visibility in YouTube search results.
- Use YouTube analytics to identify successful videos you can model for similar results.
- Create YouTube videos that convert.
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