YouTube Updates 2020

I’ve been seeing a few YouTube updates in the past few months that I thought was important to share…

But first, why YouTube? We have YouTube training in the portal here but basically, YouTube is owned by Google. People go to Google to search for topics. If you created videos that help answer questions your ideal customer might have, when they go to Google to search, you could show up there if you’re YouTube Account and videos are optimized for SEO.

HASHTAGS

One thing I’ve seen is the use of hashtags. Hashtags are terms or words social media platforms use in order to help categorize your content (videos, posts, pins, etc.) While hashtags for Youtube have been around for a while, I just learned that you can and should use more than 3 hashtags. Even though YT only displays 3, you can use more. Example of hashtags could be: #holidaywreath #wreath #ribbonbow, etc.

CTA

Use a call to action at the beginning of your videos. A call to action is the next step you want your viewer to do after the video is over. Example, join a mailing list, go to a blog post, go to an Etsy shop, etc.  If you put your Call to Action in the beginning of the video, all viewers will see it vs. putting it at the end of the video where only a few who stay until the very end see it.  It can be as simple as:

• if you like this video, make sure to subscribe to my channel 
• if you want to purchase bows for your own wreath, make sure to head to our Etsy shop at SouthernCharmWreaths
• for a 20% off coupon, join our mailing list using the link in the comments
• if you liked this video, you’ll love the XYZ video I posted last week, I’ll link it here in the cards

All of the above are examples of you telling your audience where to go and what to do next in order to take the next step with you.

VIEWS

It’s more important to focus on views and watch time vs subscriptions. This helps your channel overall. Yes we want subscriptions but just like I say with Facebook regarding likes, it’s more important to get engagement and people to tune-in to watch you on a regular basis vs getting people to like or subscribe. Also to note, most video views will come from non-channel subscribers.

THUMBS UP

When you can get viewers to give you a thumbs up on the video, this helps your channel and your video to get ranked higher on YT. You can simply ask viewers to thumbs up the video if they like it and want to see more. 

COMMENT

TAG Other Channels

You can use the @ symbol to tag other channels. This will help YT to cross reference channels and will help with searches. Example, if I’m using Gorilla Glue on my videos, I can tag them. You can only tag channels with a vanity url.

CARD

I’ve seen a few influencers who create a card reminding people to subscribe to the channel.

SHORTS (think tiktok or reels on IG)

Shorts rolled out last month (October) and everyone has access to them vs having so many subscribers or views. If you have a YT channel you can create a short. To create a short:

• make a video that’s 58 seconds long,
• contains a beginning middle and end
• if including don’t add it on the bottom 1/4th of the video
• use #shorts in the title to have YT categorize it as such

Why do shorts? It’s supposed to help with getting more views.

And you can receive comments and monetize your short videos.

RECAP

Youtube has been very useful in helping to get recognition for my brand and products. If you remember to use YT for this purpose and not as a way to necessarily get rich quick, then you won’t get discouraged while building your audience on YT. It takes time and consistent dedication to grow your audience.

The top items to include on a video still remain, 1) great content for the viewer, 2) keyword rich title, 3) clickable thumbnail graphic 4) keyword rich tags.

And I still recommend using TubeBuddy to help with optimizing your videos on Youtube.