YouTube has over a billion users. So if you don’t think about YouTube marketing while creating a video for your product or service, then you must be a martian.

People have developed gluttony for YouTube videos. With the viewership at an all-time high, brands are cranking up their efforts as far as video advertising is concerned.

That being said, if you want to market yourself or your product using YouTube, there is good news. You don’t need to burn a hole in your pocket.

You just need to have a YouTube channel. After that, it’s all about using tactics that have changed the game for so many brands. We have discussed some of those YouTube marketing tactics.

1. Just keep creating videos. No off days.

Nobody likes to visit a YouTube channel having 6 months old videos, and that too very few of them. You should be consistent with your content creation, as far as YouTube marketing is concerned. Ideally, you should target a video per week.

This is where you need to be clever in using the available material. You can always break your 10 mins video on a particular subject into smaller versions, and share them on a weekly basis. You can also make teaser videos and build anticipation among your audience.

Anticipation and suspense are key elements in digital space. Think about OTT platforms and the kind of content they serve. It’s broken down into seasons and episodes. You can do the same with your YouTube channel.

2. Clever video titles are a must for Youtube marketing

The next thing in line is your video’s title. You simply cannot take it for granted. All your efforts will bite the dust if your title fails to give the right cue.

Marketers are using a very interesting tactic. If you notice some of the YouTube titles, there is a half-sentence followed by a “…”. It’s not a mistake but a strategy to build anticipation. It’s not exactly Clickbaiting, but it works.

The character limit for YouTube’s titles is 100, and the text beyond 50 characters is cut off. So you have 50 characters to write a cuspy phrase for your title.

Apart from the title, your video’s thumbnail needs to be catchy. Using arrows and circles on thumbnails is quite trendy. People are putting their’s company’s logo on thumbnails, and it’s working. You can use both these tactics and grab some more eyeballs.

3. Cross-promotion never fails

Social media is an ecosystem in itself. You can’t keep posting your content in an isolated fashion. It’s better you link all your social media accounts and cross-promote your content.

If you have a YouTube channel, you can get followers from your profiles on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. But you need to do smart work while cross-promoting your content.

If you have made a video, then it’s better not to share the complete version on other social media channels. You can always create a “Snippet Video” for other channels. Post a sneak-peak of your latest video to build excitement.

You can also shoot some “Behind-the-scenes” videos or take pictures, and cross-promote them. This way you can give people an idea of your production process.

4. Learn to write winning descriptions

Writing descriptions is about distributing your keywords smartly. It’s always better to use keywords early in the description.

You can also mention those keywords in the video and put those in your closed captions. Just don’t stuff keywords. You don’t want your content to appear spammy, do you?

Your descriptions should be at least one paragraph. YouTube gives you 5000 characters to write. Don’t be bashful. Use as much of it as you need to.

Many people use the description as a transcript, which is a good strategy. But whatever you write in your description, make sure you put all your social media links above “Show More”. So people who aren’t interested in reading your entire description might end up on one of your profiles.

5. Use “Closed Captions” in your videos

You must have searched for your favorite TV show by googling a famous line from it or by simply typing that line on Youtube. More often than not, you find the exact clip.

That line may not be in the title or video’s description, but still, you are able to find the exact clip. This happens because Search Engines use captions to find a video.

This should be the reason enough for you to have closed captions in your videos.

6. The opening of your video matters

For a successful YouTube marketing campaign, you must focus on the opening of your videos. The first few seconds make or break your videos. You need to create a hook using fantastic or unique opening lines, to make viewers watch the entire video.

Videos using a dynamic background grab more attention than the ones using a static background. You can either talk about your idea by sitting on a chair in front of a wall, or you can walk around your house and do the same.

The latter will appear more engaging to viewers. It will make you more real. Also, you can act spontaneously while walking around. Spontaneity always results in gripping videos. We bet, no one would want to click on “Skip Ad”.

Just avoid sitting in front of a white wall and giving sermons. Those days are gone for good.

7. Use apt “Call To Actions”

Once you have shot a kickass video, it’s time to add some CTAs that have some gravity. Even when you are creating videos for your YouTube marketing campaigns, you can’t be careless with your CTAs. They should be clear and concise. Here’s a guide to create irresistible CTA.

Depending on your video’s nature, you can use it at the beginning, in the midway, or at the end. It’s more about the presentation. Make sure that you don’t use too many prompts. Life is tough. The last thing people want is to get confused while watching a Youtube video.

The best way to highlight your CTAs is by using annotations (text overlays). You must have seen arrows in videos, pointing to additional information. Those are nothing but annotations.

Don’t get carried away using though. Too many of them might turn off viewers. You might come across as someone who is either desperate or an amateur.

Also, the placement of annotations is crucial. Don’t place them in the lower-left corner or the “YouTube Ads” overlays may overshadow them.

So what should be an ideal CTA?

Subscribe: Don’t simply mention “Subscribe” on your video. State the reason to subscribe. You can write something like “New videos every week”.

Like/Share: You can always ask viewers to “Like” and “Share” your video at the end of it. Even if someone really loved your content, he or she might still need that push.

Comments: You can make viewers comment in various ways. You can put up a specific question or ask them to mention a topic which they would like to get covered in your next video.

We hope this write-up will help you ace YouTube marketing. We have also written extensive pieces on Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook marketing. Do check them out.