YouTube channel for business

What to pay attention to when running a company's YouTube channel?

1. Understand your audience

It will be difficult for you to create compelling content if you don't know who you are addressing. So before you start posting videos on your channel, make sure you know who your target audience is. Who is your brand's persona? Create your ideal consumer's description - the more detailed it is, the better. Think about what they do, their typical day, their after-work activities, their hobbies, and their interests.

Once your channel is stocked with videos, check the hard data to see if you're meeting your audience's tastes. YouTube Analytics is a goldmine of knowledge about how viewers respond to your channel. With analytics, you can adjust your strategy on the fly and improve it with every video you publish.

2. Good thumbnails and titles of YouTube videos are the keys to success

Even if you publish extremely valuable and highly interesting content but don't care about the correct title and thumbnail - you may find that no one watches them. Thumbnails and titles are the first things Internet users browsing YouTube see - they are sort of advertising posters for your videos. Based on them, users decide whether they want to click the "play" button. That's why it's so important that they are well-designed. 90% of the most-viewed YouTube videos have custom thumbnails. Opt for clear, crisp graphics and short text. Remember to make them look good on both computer and smartphone screens.

Pro Tip: When creating thumbnails, you can use the "rule of threes," known, for instance, from photography. This is a tip that YouTube itself suggests to creators. This will make the whole composition - photo, graphic, text, or logo - clear and attractive.

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3. Take care of the video descriptions

Descriptions are as crucial as video thumbnails. They help users get to your channel from search results. A good description should be short and catchy - it should encourage people to watch the video. It should also contain relevant keywords. Check Google Trends and Google Ads Keyword Planner to see what keywords are popular and use them in your descriptions. However, remember not to overdo it - a string of keywords instead of a description will not encourage but rather scare away potential viewers. Instead, weave in keywords in a natural way.

Pro Tip: Include the most important video keyword in both the title and description.

4. Choose the right icon and banner for your YouTube channel

The icon (profile picture) and banner are the business cards of your channel. These two elements should harmonize with your brand's visual identity. The profile photo of branded channels usually shows the logo, which is an excellent choice. Viewers immediately know which company they are dealing with. In addition to the appearance, take care of technical issues - against the odds, this is very important. Remember that the profile photo should meet the following basic criteria:

• Accepted formats are JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG.
• The recommended image size should be 800×800 px.
• Keep in mind that the displayed channel icon will be approximately 98 x 98 px.

When preparing the banner, ensure that the graphic's most important element is placed in the so-called safe area, which will always be displayed, regardless of the type of device. Technical guidelines for the background image are:

• The minimum size should be 2048×1152 px.
• The size of the safe area of the image is 1235×338 px.

Pro Tip: Preview your channel on multiple devices to see if the icon looks good on each one.

5. Grab attention with your YouTube channel trailer

Make an excellent first impression! If you manage to create an attractive channel trailer, you have a very good chance of increasing the number of subscribers. A YouTube trailer can be compared to a movie trailer - surely there were many times you wanted to see the whole production after seeing the trailer. It's a kind of business card in the form of a video - it should include what makes your channel stand out and what's best about it. Make sure that the trailer is attractive and captivating from the first second.

Pro Tip: At the end of the trailer, put an end board asking viewers to subscribe to your channel. If the audience likes the "trailer" of your channel, they are more likely to give you a sub.

6. Create playlists

Organizing and creating video playlists on YouTube is the best way to keep viewers on your company's channel.

Playlists will make it convenient for users to watch videos on a similar topic. They will help you easily present current and potential customers with more content that interests them. This will make visitors stay on your channel longer. Playlists not only organize related content - the featured videos are automatically played. When one ends, the next one starts... and so on. If a piece of content sparks a viewer's interest, there's a greater chance they'll want to watch the next related piece. Take advantage of this!

7. Plan, plan, and plan again - content plan and a company's YouTube channel

Don't publish videos in a chaotic, ill-considered manner. Like on Facebook or Instagram - adding content to YouTube should be carefully planned based on available statistics. Adding content at the right time - when most users are on the platform and are most likely to watch videos - increases your chances of success. That's why you should befriend the already mentioned YouTube Analytics as soon as possible. It's a great tool that will show you if, for example, viewers are most active at a particular time and on a specific day of the week.

Try to add videos on a schedule, for example, every Tuesday or every other Thursday - that way, viewers will know when to expect new content. Remember not to try to bite off more than you can chew. It's better to publish good content once every two weeks than to get your audience used to frequent publications at first and then suddenly go silent indefinitely because you can't keep up with producing material for a brand channel.

8. Ask viewers for subscriptions and "bells"

Remind users watching your videos that they can subscribe to the channel - some viewers just have no habit of clicking the red "subscribe" button. Put the request at the end of your videos and add it to the descriptions. Keep this in mind as subscribers receive notifications of new videos. A base of such viewers is a great way to increase organic reach.

9. Sound, and then some more sound

A video of inferior quality can still be watched, but if the sound makes it impossible to understand what someone is saying or there is an annoying noise or hum in the background - viewers will quickly leave. Therefore, always ensure high-quality sound. This doesn't mean you can completely forget about the video itself - don't upload pixelated videos that look like they're from the 1990s. Remember that the quality of the videos demonstrates your company's professionalism.

10. See what YouTube advertising can do for you

How about trying a paid advertising campaign for your videos using Google Ads? This guarantees reaching new viewers and gaining more subscribers. Paid campaigns on YouTube have one significant advantage: they allow for a great deal of flexibility. You can change your ad, targeting settings, or budget anytime.

YouTube ads come in several formats:

- TrueView in-stream skippable ads: After 5 seconds, viewers can continue watching or skip the ad. You only pay if the user sees 30 seconds of the ad (or the whole thing, in case it's shorter) or clicks it.

- Interluding, impossible-to-skip ads: This type of ad lasts up to 6 seconds and appears before, during, or after another video. You pay at a CPM rate.

- TrueView Discovery video ad: It appears next to YouTube search results, on the homepage, or next to related videos. You only pay for the ad if the user clicks on it and starts watching your video.

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A corporate YouTube channel: How do the best do it?

Lego

LEGO has millions of subscribers and billions of video views. The channel caters to both children and adults who are enthusiasts of the famous bricks. The brand provides plenty of original content, such as tutorials and tips on building even the most complicated constructions. That's not all. LEGO is very keen on user-generated content and regularly encourages its fans to share their own videos. This has created a highly engaged and ever-growing community around the LEGO YouTube channel on the platform.

Nike

Podcasts, inspiring talks, and interviews, influencers, challenges, mini-series, unique product creations. All this and more can be found on the YouTube channel of the global brand Nike. It's worth "leaving a sub".

GoPro

A company's YouTube channel should showcase what your product or company can do creatively and engagingly. No one does it better than GoPro. We can see a lot of footage on their channel related to extreme sports, animals, and diving. All were, of course, shot with the latest GoPro models.

YouTube channels for companies with HI experts

Today, a YouTube presence is no longer an option for brands but a necessity. If you want to launch a company YouTube channel and are looking for a Partner to help you run it regularly and consistently, we are here to help. We will create and run a YouTube channel for your company to fulfill your image and business goals. Send us a message, and let's talk about it!