YouTube Marketing: How To Get More Views

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The very first YouTube video was released in April 2005. Since then, the platform has grown in strength and is a critical component in several digital marketing strategies. In fact, YouTube is the second largest search engine just behind Google. If you have videos, creating an effective YouTube marketing strategy is incredibly important.

 Video production and managing a YouTube channel is an investment. Understanding the basics of YouTube marketing and how to get more views is the first step in the process of getting a positive return on your investment.

The Rise Of YouTube

Today, an estimated five billion YouTube videos are watched on a daily basis. YouTube has become a popular platform for marketing, entertainment, and sharing information.

Since the first YouTube video has been released, the platform has grown in popularity. Consider the following YouTube statistics about the platform.

• 1,300,000,000 people use YouTube
• Every minute, 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube
• 30 million people visit the platform every day
• Watch time on YouTube is up 60% year-on-year
• More than half of YouTube views are on mobile devices

The main goal of YouTube is to find the right video for each viewer. The way that YouTube knows that it has achieved this goal is through extended watch time and the number of views.

With this in mind, it’s important to prioritize views for your channel.

Why YouTube Views Matter

There are several metrics that contribute to YouTube’s algorithm. For example, impressions, watch time, likes / dislikes, comments, and, of course, the number of views.

The number of views refers to the number of times that the video has been played.

Views share insight into the reach of the video and how each video performs on the channel. A video with a high number of views suggests an engaged audience and a popular piece of content.

Tips To Get More Quality Views

Strategic YouTube marketing efforts should prioritize getting a high number of quality views. There are a few effective ways to increase the number of views, and here are a few of them.

Share Sustainable, Evergreen Content

Creating content on trending topics may be an effective way to increase views, but the success of the video is limited by the duration of the trend. Sustainable content can carry a different meaning for various brands.

On one hand, striving for sustainable videos means that the brand can consistently produce a high standard of content without burning out. On the other hand, it also means that the content will be relative for an extended period of time.

Apply Lessons Learned

There are several ways to get feedback on existing videos. Analyze YouTube analytics to identify which videos are successful (and try to determine why). YouTube Analytics provides several pieces of information so you can see how your videos are performing.  This includes your reach (impressions, click-through-rate, and views) and engagement (total watch time, average view duration, likes/dislikes, and audience retention).

Audience Retention could be especially as it shows where users are increasing or decreasing their retention within your video. Use this information to look for patterns to see if you are doing something specific to cause the increase or decrease in retention.  You can use this information to include more of what increases retention and less of what decreases it in future videos.

You can also review the comments on videos for feedback from users. Apply the feedback from all resources in an effort to improve your content (and subsequently the number of views).

There are also specific applications that offer insights on video success.

Meet Audience Expectations

Have you ever started watching a YouTube video based on the title, only to realize that the video misses the point? One of the best ways to capture your audience’s attention and convert their interest into a view is to meet their expectations.

Make sure that the title of your video is indicative of the content that follows. When you meet audience expectations, then you’ll receive more views and rank better in YouTube’s algorithm.

Optimize Your Content

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is equally as important for YouTube videos as it is for online information on Google. Make sure that you optimize your video so that it appears in YouTube search results and gets a higher number of views.

In particular, take the time to optimize your title and video description. It’s also a good idea to do keyword research beforehand so that you can meet your audience’s needs. You can also view the keywords of similar videos by right clicking and selecting “View Page Source”.  Then do a search for keywords. If your video is relevant to those same keywords, you can use them and increase your chances of getting into the recommended video section of similar videos using the same keywords.

Prioritize The Thumbnail

Thumbnails serve as the video’s calling card and can be the deciding factor between a view or a pass. Use bright, brand colors, concise wording, and uncluttered images to attract the viewer’s attention.

As the thumbnail represents the video, it’s important to give a glimpse into the content that follows.

Video Production and Effective Marketing Services

At Connectica, we pride ourselves on offering professional video production services as well as SEO expertise. Contact a digital marketing specialist to find out more about how we can boost your digital marketing strategy; on YouTube and other social media platforms.

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