Building your YouTube tribe: The Basics

Every month up to 1.5 billion people actively use the YouTube platform. The platform ranks second only to Facebook whose monthly active users reach 2 billion. YouTube is the market leader for video content, video sharing and video marketing. The potential audience for every video you upload is immense and for that reason, YouTube must command your attention, overlook it at your peril. Crafting a community of people that will follow your music and support your career on YouTube is not without its efforts. It requires commitment, planning and creativity. In the early days when time and resources are limited consider focusing your energy on platforms like YouTube that have the biggest audience and are likely to yield the biggest results. So what will help your YouTube channel to grow? The cardinal rules to live by are as follows.

Consistency

This concept is probably the most important and unfortunately is the most common error made by artists on YouTube. To keep a subscriber, a channel needs to have regular, new content. Uploading a video every now and again will not acquire new subscribers. A sporadic upload schedule will cause your channel to fall from favor with YouTube and will rank very low on a subscriber’s homepage meaning it is less likely to be viewed. Regular uploads help you to develop a long-lasting relationship with the subscriber. Develop a schedule and stick to it. In an ideal world that schedule would consist of a video upload every week but at a minimum try and upload two videos per month. This keeps you and your channel to the forefront of people’s attention. People subscribe to your channel because they like you and your content and want to see more.

Variety of content

This will require some creativity on your part. Many artists use YouTube only to upload videos of new releases which can make the previous point of ensuring consistency in your upload schedule difficult. Think outside the box; ask existing subscribers what videos they would like to see. Involve your viewers in your channel. The recent addition of YouTube Live has expanded the possibilities for content on a channel. It allows you to make events like studio sessions or live performances available to your subscribers. However, this is dependent on a good quality internet connection. It is also essential to prepare for a live event. Make sure to let people know across all platforms when you will be going live on YouTube.

Engage with subscribers on your YouTube

When you upload content to your channel encourage comments and be available to reply to subscribers comments. This shows your genuine interest in the subscriber and a comment from you could really cement that subscriber’s commitment to your channel.

Ask for subscribers

This may seem like a simple one but you need to ask people to subscribe to your channel. People are often not aware of the importance of a subscription to a channel. Every video should have some form of call to action (something you want them to do) for the viewer. Be genuine with your request.

Cross-platform promotion is essential

Growing a following and a career online requires an artist to be visible across all platforms. Promote your recent video upload widely. Tell everybody about it and encourage your followers on your other social platforms to visit your YouTube channel. In the beginning, YouTube is hard work but remember; hard work makes the rewards great.