How to Set Up a YouTube Channel

Sep 30

Written By Rob Wiltsey

Everything You Need to Know to Set Up Your Branded YouTube Channel

Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash — Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash

If done right, there are many benefits of setting up a branded YouTube channel for your business, which include:

Having a branded channel on YouTube allows you to customize the appearance of your page, providing a more consistent look and feel from the website to the channel by incorporating banners and background images.
You can create additional tabs for custom content sections.
A branded channel increases opportunities for optimization efforts which can help your organization become more visible.
YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google. The tagging feature on YouTube allows you to tag keywords for each video, and these tags communicate to the search engines the subjects of your videos.
YouTube also offers its own Analytics so you can monitor visits, best performing videos, etc.
YouTube integrates easily with other social media platforms like Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr.
The links to these channels are included in the brand banner so users can easily access additional content.
YouTube videos can be embedded directly on your site, essentially hosting the video through YouTube and easing the strain on your website’s bandwidth.
Using YouTube to host your videos also allows the content to be searchable on your site as well as YouTube.

Here's a great example from Sephora's YouTube channel (notice the social media icons and clearly branded banner).

1. Open A Youtube Brand Account

To get started creating your own branded channel, first start by opening a Brand Account on Google.

You can create a YouTube channel with your regular Google account, but if you do, only you can access it.
With a Brand Account, multiple authorized users can log in simultaneously.
Also with a Brand Account, you can open and manage multiple YouTube channels.
With a YouTube channel for business, you have access to an Analytics tab, so you can use this to learn about your YouTube audience.
Like any platform, YouTube is a competitive space. By conducting an audit of competitors, you can see how your channel measures up and identify opportunities.
Check out your subscriptions and your YouTube history.
What gets your attention, what keeps you coming back to these channels?
How do the most popular ones drive views, subscriptions, and engagement?

It’s a good idea to regularly check out YouTube’s trending videos. Even if not specifically your industry or category, there’s usually something you can learn from them.
YouTube, like Google is a search engine except for video, videos results are ranked by titles, keywords, descriptions, and other factors.
The YouTube recommendation algorithm, actually determines 70% of what people watch.
It is important to optimize your videos so that they stand the best chance to show up in search results and get more views.
Hootsuite created a detailed guide on how to get views on YouTube that we recommend checking out.

2. Optimize Your YouTube Videos For SEO

Here are a few SEO suggestions as it relates to posting your videos:

First you need to write a strong title , as the title is one of the primary signals for YouTube’s algorithm
Include relevant keywords for your business. This can and should be related to keywords you have identified for your websites SEO. Check which words are being searched use to find your channel in Traffic Sources in YouTube Analytics.
Take a look at Google Trends and Google Ads’ Keyword Planner, too. See if any of these popular search terms can be added to your video titles.
Do avoid clickbait. False advertising typically leads to lower retention, which in turn leads to lower ranking.
Put the most important keywords upfront. If your numbering episodes or part of a series, save that for the end.
YouTube allows for 70 characters, but it is recommended to use 60 or less. This way your title is less likely to be cut off in suggested videos, search, and mobile results.
Stay away from excessive punctuation, all-caps & sensational language usage
Create a standout thumbnail, thumbnails are the first thing people see, usually even before titles.
Ninety percent of the best performing videos on YouTube use a custom creative for the, thumbnail which is much more likely to stand out.
Another advantage with a custom creative is that you can make sure the image and title work in unison.
Your thumbnail should have as high resolution as possible (2MB is the max size). Specs are: 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9 ratio).
Write a keyword-rich description, and prioritize the first few lines to provide a brief summary of your video topic.
Try not to sound too spammy and write in coherent & natural-sounding sentences.
YouTube shows approximately 300 characters (roughly about three lines) above the “Show More” button where users will need to click to see the full description.
This is where you can add more related context for the video. If you are featuring several products, you can provide links to them.
It is important to add links to your website and social channels.
If you’re pushing subscriptions, you can include an auto-subscribe shortlink or like to other videos and playlists that might be relevant.
If your video is long, create a “table of contents” with timestamps, so viewers can jump to sections.
You should definitely take advantage of the 5,000 character and 15 hashtag limit. But make sure you follow YouTube’s hashtag rules.

3. Setup Your Videos to Drive More Responses

If you want to drive responses to your videos, make sure to add cards, end screens, bumper ads, and watermarks which are clickable CTAs. These elements help your videos drive actions and keep people on your channel.

Cards: Small, transparent CTAs that expand when clicked. Up to five can be used per video to direct viewers to your website, fundraiser, playlist, and more
End screens: Up to four clickable frames that appear in the last 5-20 seconds. Use them to promote related content, your website, subscriptions, etc.
Bumper ads: Unskippable six-second video ads appearing at the start or end of a video.
Watermarks: Custom subscribe buttons visible only to non-subscribers. To add them to your videos, follow YouTube’s instructions.
Remind viewers to like, share, and subscribe. There’s a reason a lot of YouTube videos end with the host calling on viewers to “like, share, and subscribe.” It works. And this type of engagement actually earns points with the YouTube algorithm.

Now that you’ve created and optimized your videos, it’s time to schedule them for publication.

You can upload and schedule your YouTube videos in advance from the Creator Studio, or with a tool like Hootsuite, which allows you to cross-promote your video releases with posts on other social channels all from the same dashboard. Learn more from Hootsuite about how to schedule YouTube videos.

4. Optimize Your Channel To Attract Followers

Next, it is time to address how to best optimize your channel to attract followers

So real important, make sure you have completed your YouTube profile, including:
Channel description: In the “about” tab of your profile, provide a keyword-rich overview of what people can expect when they subscribe to your channel. Include links to your website and social accounts
Channel icon: Upload a high-res version of your logo.
Channel art: Use this banner space to welcome viewers to your channel. This area is a good place to promote your brand, product or service.
If applicable to your business, also add a list of Featured channels to your profile.
Add social media links to your banner
Add an auto-subscribe prompt.
Create a channel trailer, or a company explainer video
Just like a movie trailer, your YouTube channel trailer is an opportunity to promote your channel.
Channel trailers auto-play when an unsubscribed visitor lands on your page. So it’s best to assume they’re new to your page, and to your brand.
So this is an excellent opportunity to Introduce your brand to new prospects..
Offer a sneak preview of what viewers can expect from your channel.
Make a bold brand statement to give viewers a good reason to subscribe.

5. Organize Videos Into Playlists

It is very important to organize videos into playlists

If you don't set up your playlists, YouTube’s algorithm will decide what the playlists are, which most often will not meet your marketing objectives.
YouTube auto-plays a series of videos—so viewers can keep watching your channel without being diverted elsewhere.
Design your playlists to be cohesive and have a logical progression.
For example, you could organize a series of tutorials from beginner to advanced skill levels.
If someone likes your first video—what type of video would they naturally want to watch next? This is how you create your playlists.
Playlists can be created with your own videos, or can include partner videos.
Similarly, if you’ve started networking with other YouTubers, there is a possibility that you can persuade them to add your videos to their playlists.
As you build playlists on YouTube, again remember to include relevant keywords in your playlist titles to boost your YouTube SEO.

6. Measure Your Progress

With your YouTube channel up and running, the next step is to start measuring your progress

Getting YouTube marketing right involves testing and experimenting.
Not everything will work, and that’s okay as long as you learn from it.
YouTube Analytics can help you to monitor your and track the performance of your videos.

As you post new videos, metrics to track include:

Changes in subscriber count
Any changes to audience demographics
Video playback locations and traffic sources
Device tracking analytics such as mobile & desktop devices.
Do read and respond to comments while attempting to learn how viewers are responding to your video content.

VideoFresh’s team of video marketing experts is ready to help you to craft the perfect videos to boost your online customer conversions.