The do’s and don’ts for being successful through YouTube
As one of the world’s most popular online platforms, YouTube forms an integral aspect of campaigns for brands and artists. Often left neglected due to being a more time-consuming media platform, many artists struggle to reach their full potential on YouTube. For many, providing extended video content is a daunting prospect that takes a great deal of planning and hard work. Many artists fail to really make the most of the platform until they have reached the top and have a team behind them to help with the hard work. The potential YouTube offers cements it as one of the most important aspects of your online campaigns. In order to understand how to make the most of YouTube, we’ve put together a few tips on the do’s and don’ts to be aware of.
YouTube has been a controversial platform at times over the years. Its major drawback is the lack of income that it provides its creators. Although there is revenue to be earned, it is very minimal unless your channel is pulling in a high volume of views. That being said, it is the single greatest option out there for distributing extended video footage. For this reason, it is the main source of live set footage out there. Most major festivals upload their performance footage directly to the platform. A prime example of this is Tomorrowland, with almost every set from the festival making its way onto the platform each year, accumulating millions of views for the channel. Through festivals like Tomorrowland uploading live sets, YouTube has become an integral aspect of the electronic music industry, providing revenue and enabling fans to discover festivals and artists.
One of the most important aspects of achieving success on YouTube is delivering content of a consistently high quality. Although it can often be tempting to rush your content, a low-quality video can completely ruin the aesthetic of your channel and give visitors the wrong impression about the standard of your videos. Simply put, one poor video can discourage visitors from subscribing if they believe that they won’t find quality content on your channel. Every outlet that features your name and branding represents you, so it is important to make sure that you are always representing yourself in the best way possible. Damaging your brand by offering low-quality content can have lasting negative effects.
Another important tactic to use on your YouTube channel is filling in a description complete with external links. More often than not, fans will head to the description box if they want to link up with your other social media channels and content or find out more about you. By adding links to all of your other social outlets, you ensure that your content can easily be found by those seeking it. The description box is a prime example of an opportunity to advertise without viewers feeling forced to engage. This is due to the mindset of viewers. As your audience must first choose to read your description, they won’t feel as if they have been forcibly advertised to.
When putting together your videos, take any opportunity possible to drive viewers to other content on your channel. Find a good moment to remind viewers of a previous video that you uploaded and include a link to encourage your audience to check out that video too. If one of your viewers decides to check out just one other video on your channel due to a link through, you’ve already doubled the number of views that that viewer can provide you with. By linking your content together in this way you ensure that you generate even more views in the long run. You should never assume that a viewer will know to check out your other content on their own. Remind them that you have uploaded other videos and include links so that they can click through with ease.
Another important activity that a lot of artists forget about is responding to fans. Many neglect their video comments and don’t interact with the messages they receive. Particularly for upcoming artists, it is vital to at least respond to a proportion of the comments you receive on your videos. You may not have the time to type out a response, but YouTube allows you to leave a heart on any comments you wish simply at the click of a button. This takes very little time and encourages an exponential growth in interaction. If fans see that you are providing responses and engaging, they will be much more likely to also post a comment in the hopes of being responded to. Even the biggest artists must take time out of their schedule to interact with their fans.
Like all online platforms, in order to generate a great deal of success on YouTube, you must make sure that you are providing fans with a tantalising offering. The rewards that can come from channels like YouTube rely on your ability to provide worthwhile content that will encourage a widespread response. But alongside this, it is important to remember that the tiniest details can have a major impact on your success. Simply making sure to include an effective video description with links to your social channels can have huge benefits. While creating great content is important, it is vital to remember the smaller details that can also make a huge impact on the success of your brand.