YouTube is constantly changing and evolving. Long gone are the days dominated by funny cat videos and dogs on skateboards. Today YouTube is alsoa place for marketers.
Over 1 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube daily — that’s more than Netflix and Facebook video combined.
But, here’s the kicker… 62 percent of businesses use Youtube as a channel to post video content — which is crazy!
Crazy-awesome for you that is — because when used effectively, YouTube is an extremely powerful business tool. But in order to boost your sales, you’ve got to get more free YouTube views.
In this article, you’ll learn 18 ways to get more views on YouTube, build your brand, and boost your sales.
But first, let’s talk quickly about how to make a video on YouTube.
Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Hire yourself and start calling the shots.
How to Make a Video on YouTube
- Plan Your Video
Before you start making a video for YouTube you need to plan what you want to produce. Generate a storyboard outlining each scene or section of the video. Think about the messaging you want to portray to your audience and plan where in the video you will include calls-to-action. This is important as you need people to want to do something after watching the video.
- Write Your Script
Based on your video plan, begin writing your video script. Try to keep the language relatable and appealing to your audience. If your video is a beginners guide, don’t use too many technical terms. If you are making an in-depth YouTube video, make sure to include terms that are specific to the industry to build trust with your viewers. Don’t create a long script if your storyboard is short as it will mean a lot of lingering on screens that will not make for a good viewing experience.
- Create a Shot List
Having a shot list will encourage you to think about the smaller details, like lightning direction and camera placement. Make sure to create one once you’re done writing your script. It should include all of the things that help give a sense of direction to your production, such as the camera setup or action/dialogue each scene requires.
- Organize Your Scene
Will your video be animated, live-action, or real-time? What kind of props will you need when making your video so that your YouTube followers will stay engaged during your whole video? These questions are important to answer as they will help make your video look more professional. Invest in branding to add to the background of your videos and thumbnails so that your video looks top quality.
- Prepare Yourself
If you are starring in the video, or just directing it, it is important to prepare and practice so that the real thing will go off without a hitch. The devil is in the detail when it comes to making a YouTube video, so practicing will account for all the things that could go wrong when shooting.
- Edit Your Video
After doing a few takes of each scene the magic starts – you can start editing your video to omit small mistakes or elements of scenes that don’t fit. Take the time here to ask whether each line sounds natural, and delete lines that don’t fit into the overall video.
- Upload YouTube Video
Within the YouTube platform, you can upload your video, including a title, tags, and a description for your audience. These things will help your audience to find your video through. If you are planning to create more than one video on a particular topic, you can create a playlist and add it to this. Think about adding cards and captions to your video to help users navigate more effectively around your channel.
- [Additional Tip] Go Live
Once you have enough experience creating videos, why not try going live and talking to your audience in real-time. Answer questions from your audience in the moment and give your viewers the ultimate viewing experience.
How to Get More Views on YouTube
Now let’s jump straight into the specifics of getting more views on YouTube.
1. Create Compelling Content
It won’t matter how many hacks or ads you use if your videos aren’t good. So how can you create compelling content that will get more views on YouTube? Well, one of the best ways is to create ‘how to’ videos:
Simply identify what your ideal customers most want to know, and then create videos that meet their needs. Does this work? You bet. YouTube creator Graham Cochrane racked up 51 million YouTube views by focusing on how-to content.