BeFunky was kind enough to sponsor this post, but all opinions are 100% my own.
Here’s a stat for you because we’re nerdy around here: “Almost 5 billion videos are watched on Youtube every single day.” YouTube is the second largest search engine, behind Google of course. And owned by Google. To say that it could be a power player for your business is an understatement.
Not convinced? Check out my post collab with SafeHouseWeb: Why Use Video to Share Your Brand Message + Innovative Examples
Video is becoming more and more important but with 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, how do you stand out in the space and create a great channel?
Be You
It’s called YouTube! There are so many different personalities making videos. People watch people they find interesting. You don’t have to be especially beautiful or talented to make it on YouTube.
Be uniquely YOU. No one can be you. They cannot share tips and experiences the way you can because no one else has your background and story. Being authentic and offering value is the way.
With that key point covered here are some practical and actionable tips for a better YouTube channel…
Channel Branding
Your channel branding is an opportunity to make a great first impression. What tone do you want to set? Spend some time thinking about this because it is important. Don’t hold yourself back trying to get it perfect though. Your channel can evolve with you and your audience over time.
Here are the aspects of your channel branding that we’ll cover:
- Name/Custom URL
- Channel Art
- Avatar
- Watermark
- Thumbnails
- End Screen
Channel Name and URL
Do you want a personal channel after your own name, one corresponding to your business, or something totally new?
If you are struggling to choose a name, Nick Nimmin has 5 fabulous tips for you:
Once you have your channel name in place, don’t forget to grab your custom url.
As mentioned in that video, you will want to have your channel branded with your own channel art. Let’s get into that now…
Channel art is the large cover you see when you click “My Channel” from your dashboard. It will likely be the first thing viewers notice when they visit your channel too so you want to make a good impression. A great online tool to help you create your YouTube channel art is BeFunky. I personally use BeFunky to create my own graphics.
BeFunky For Your YouTube Channel
BeFunky has YouTube channel art templates in their Banner Maker under the category Social Media Headers. Their templates make it easy to get started designing.
The tricky thing with YouTube channel art is that it needs to fit multiple devices including computers, mobile, and smart tvs.
Here is a helpful template that shows what areas will be visible on different devices. Keep these dimensions in mind as you create.
Once you have your channel art you will also want to select an avatar. This could be your headshot or business logo.
YouTube also allows you to upload a watermark that appears in the lower corner of your videos. This protects your videos and helps viewers begin to recognize your brand. You can find the watermark option under Branding in your creator studio.
Now for you YouTube Channel thumbnails!
Thumbnails are super important. While YouTube will give you three auto-generated thumbnail options these are not ideal. Create your own custom thumbnails. You can use BeFunky as your YouTube Thumbnail Maker in both the photo editor and designer. The thumbnails can be created in landscape form and must be resized to 1280 x 720 px to look their best.
Create DIY YouTube Channel Art With BeFunky
If you need some free stock photos for your thumbnails and channel art, be sure to pay Pixabay a visit. The BeFunky Designer is fully integrated with Pixabay allowing you to search over 1 million free stock photos right within the platform. I used Pixabay and BeFunky to create the blog graphic at the beginning of this post.
And last, but not least, another way to brand your videos and channel is with YouTube end screen.
Derral Eves shows you how:
More Tips for Your Channel
The About
About section of your channel allows you to add a description that will give visitors an overview of what your channel is all about. The key here is to keep your description viewer focused. What makes your channel different? What are you offering? What advantage will viewers get from watching your videos?
Check out Sean’s example via Think Media TV
Also be sure to link up your website and relevant social media profiles.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
To rank your videos, and get more viewers, you need to do some SEO work when you upload.
Research your topic for the best title and keywords.
*Pro Tip: Use YouTube’s search bar to research great keywords and titles. Begin to type in your topic and see what suggestions start to pop up. These are the phrases that viewers are already searching. You could also use a tool like BuzzSumo.
Tags
Create Playlists
Once you have some videos up, create playlists to organize your videos into categories. This encourages viewers, interested in your playlist topic, to keep watching your videos increasing your watch time an important part of the YouTube algorithm.
Spread the Word
That old adage “build it and they will come” may have worked for Kevin Costner’s character in Field Of Dreams, but it rarely works in the online space. You have to get over the fear of sharing your work. If you are doing your best to create valuable, quality content, why not share it?!!!
Here are just a few of the places you can share:
- Blog
- Email List
- Other Social Media Platforms
You could even include a link to your channel in your email signature using a service like WiseStamp.
Create a Content Calendar
Whatever project management system you use, I prefer Trello, create a content calendar for your YouTube channel and plan your content in advance. This may seem like a lot of work up front but it will keep you consistent. YouTube rewards consistency.
Keep Learning
Learn From Those That Have gone before!
A few folks to check out if you want to up your YouTube Game:
*Click the pics to visit the channels.
Owen Video
Brian G. Johnson
Nick Nimmin
Derral Eves
Video Influencers
Video Creators TV
And don’t forget the YouTube Creator Academy!
There are many more tips for YouTube, but this should give you a great start. Head on over to BeFunky and start creating your fabulous channel branding. You know we love DIY here at Immensely Social!
Have a great YouTube Channel Tip that I didn’t mention? Share it in the comments and let us know how you plan to grow your channel. Happy creating!
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