6 easy ways to get more subscribers on YouTube
The prevalence and influence of YouTube and online video content is ever-growing. Earlier this year, watching video content became the number one activity online for US audiences, overtaking social media. During research by Invodo, 52% of consumers said that watching product videos made them more confident in their purchase decisions. By 2017, video is expected to account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic.
Viral videos and online video content is an incredible way of connecting with an audience and sharing information in a more easily digestible way. I’ve previously spoken about how YouTube rankings can be manipulated, and how you can get your YouTube videos seen.
While being able to get your audience to watch your videos is great, getting your audience to return is even more important. The best way to encourage repeat visits is to have viewers subscribe to your channel.
Here are my tips on how to get more subscribers on YouTube.
(1) Create content people want to watch
This sounds obvious, but you would be surprised at how many creators get this wrong. Whatever your industry, you need to choose topics your audience will be interested in, and convey your content in an interesting visual style.
Another important factor is video length. How long should a YouTube video be? There are no hard and fast rules. There are amazing videos that can relay a lot of information in just 60 seconds. The trouble comes when a video goes on for too long. In our “How YouTube rankings can be manipulated” post, we discussed how YouTube tracks how well a video is doing based on retention, or how long a person will watch a video for. The longer you make a video, the more likely it is you’ll lose a viewer part way through the video, be because of their own time constraints, or because they’ve stopped processing what is being shown and gotten bored.
There are, of course, exceptions to these rules, depending on the type of content you’re producing. However, it may be worth looking at your video and seeing how it could be broken up into smaller sections. This gives you the added benefit of appealing to people who need help with one smaller element. You can then create a playlist of videos, which make up the entire tutorial.
(2) Don’t over-do it
A mistake many people make when they first start creating videos is that quantity is what matters. Even if your videos are of superb quality, there can be too much of a good thing. If a person sees you upload five, 10-minute videos a day, that’s almost an hour a day they have to dedicate to your channel. If you’re posting too many videos, even subscribers are likely to skip a few. They will start by filtering your videos and valuing them less, then eventually, you will lose subscribers as people feel bombarded.
Remember, your viewers are giving up time in their day to watch your content. It’s important that you don’t take that for granted and try to take more than what’s fair.
(3) Don’t Under-do It
On the flipside are those who start a YouTube Channel, and then only upload one or two videos every few months. By uploading so infrequently, viewers won’t see worth in subscribing to your channel. You risk people forgetting about you, as subscribers you already have don’t see your videos enough to actually remember your channel exists, and eventually unsubscribe from you.
As a bare minimum, you should be looking at uploading at a minimum of once every two weeks, although once a week is preferable.
(4) Customise your channel home page
Your channel homepage might be one of the first things a potential subscriber will see. Just like the anatomy of a landing page, if you haven’t put the effort in to make it look nice, then this could turn people away or make them doubt your professionalism.
You don’t need superb graphic design skills either, just a simple channel banner and channel icon is the most design work you’ll need. After that, it’s making sure you’re channel looks tidy, by writing your ‘About Me’ section, sorting out playlists, video selections, and making a channel trailer. You can also make channel recommendations, which could be an invaluable bit of networking. Get chatting with other channels and build relationships, and other channels may begin recommending yours too.
(5) Create a channel trailer
A channel trailer is a video that will start automatically playing when a user lands on your channel homepage. Sometimes these are made up of bits from other videos on your channel. Sometimes it’s all new footage made specifically for the trailer. But this is the perfect way to let anybody who stumbles across your channel know who you are and what your channel is all about, channel trailers can also be used on websites and social media to help promote your channel in-between new video uploads.
(6) Ask for it
This one is quite simple. If you want your viewers to subscribe, then simply ask them to. Some people may see it as a cliché, ending videos with “Like, Comment and Subscribe” but it’s been shown that viewers are more likely to subscribe to a channel if they’ve been asked to in the video. By engaging your audience in this way, you’re placing the idea of subscribing in the viewers head, as it’s not something a lot of viewers actively think to do when they watch a video. It’s about phrasing the request in a way that sounds sincere.
Speaking of which: have you subscribed to Jonny’s YouTube channel?
By using these six tips, you can attract more attention from viewers and lead them to subscribing to your channel. Of course, traditional marketing tips are also useful in promoting your channel and growing its subscriber base. As video content continues to grow, it’s more important than ever to make sure you adopt these practises sooner rather than later.
How do you engage your YouTube audience? What tried and tested methods have you found most effective for growing your subscriber base? Share your best practice tips and successes below!
For more online video marketing tips and ideas, subscribe to this blog.
If you’d like to discuss introducing viral videos or vlogging into your digital marketing mix, contact us today!
I have been thinking about a YouTube channel and the pros and cons of it, this is very helpful and insightful
Thank you
Since Youtube today is a great means to market your business online, no doubt why a lot of people are trying to get their profile in there. They just want to take advantage of the popularity of the site because they can gain real good subscribers from it who can be their potential market too. But of course, it can’t happen overtime. There’s a process and you must do effective marketing campaign first. These 6 ways will definitely help a lot to those who want to be successful in their Youtube channel.
I have been thinking about a YouTube channel and the pros and cons of it, this is very helpful and insightful
Thank you
Thanks for stopping by!
Since Youtube today is a great means to market your business online, no doubt why a lot of people are trying to get their profile in there. They just want to take advantage of the popularity of the site because they can gain real good subscribers from it who can be their potential market too. But of course, it can’t happen overtime. There’s a process and you must do effective marketing campaign first. These 6 ways will definitely help a lot to those who want to be successful in their Youtube channel.