The creators of YouTube know exactly what they’re doing. In fact, creating a successful channel can be quite a formula:
1. Find a niche.
2. Build a community.
3. Generate content regularly.
4. Measure and analyze performance.
In this article, we’ll outline the steps to create a YouTube channel that’s built to last.
Step one: Find a Niche
If you’re looking to make money from YouTube, you don’t want to venture into every possible industry. You want to find a niche, stick with it, and grow along with your audience. To find a profitable niche, you’ll want to consider the following questions:
1. What’s the hardest problem in my industry?
2. What are the most common questions in my industry?
3. What are my competitors doing (what’s their strategy)?
4. How can I solve this problem?
YouTube creators, in particular, often focus on problem solving. In his book The Successful YouTube Channel, John David Mann points out that many successful content creators started off by identifying a problem in their industry and figuring out how to solve it. In addition to this, you can also find a mentor in your chosen niche to help you navigate the ever-changing world of digital marketing.
Step two: Build a Community
The creators of YouTube understand the importance of connecting with their audience. According to Karen Kane, VP of Marketing at HubSpot, “The key to generating an engaged audience is by establishing and maintaining strong community connections.” You can grow your channel by encouraging your target audience to engage with you through your content.
YouTube creators often use various tactics to attract their audience. Some of these tactics include:
- Regularly providing quality content, whether it’s video or articles.
- Showing your audience that you value their opinion by regularly asking for their thoughts and opinions in your videos and blogs.
- Reacting and interacting with comments made about your videos and blogs.
- Posting frequently to keep your audience engaged.
- Incorporating community features, such as inviting your audience to participate in a weekly video series or a Q&A with your top experts.
- Offering in-demand content that your audience finds valuable, such as how-to guides or event coverage.
- Cross-linking your content throughout various platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, to catch the attention of your audience.
- Personalizing your content where possible, such as adding an avatar to your videos or creating a blog post with your photo on it.
- Integrating various marketing methods, such as SEO, pay-per-click ads, and social media, into one cohesive strategy.
- Tying your content into free downloads, such as eBooks, cheat sheets, and playlists, that can be found on your channel or website.
- Setting up email notifications so that you can stay in touch with your audience and let them know when new content is available.
You can use your blog to establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry and encourage others to engage with you. When doing so, focus on the following qualities:
- Building a strong community of experts, hobbyists, and enthusiasts around your blog’s niche.
- Creating in-demand content that draws on your expertise, such as how-to guides and tips, product reviews, and thought leadership pieces.
- Catering to your target audience’s informational needs by providing them with resources that they might not find elsewhere.
- Establishing a clear call to action at the end of each blog post, whether it’s to check out more content or to take action yourself (e.g., subscribe to a newsletter, follow a brand, or make a purchase).
- Using keywords and strategically placed hashtags in your blog posts to attract your niche audience to your content.
- Maintaining a consistent posting schedule.
- Offering content that’s valuable and unique to your target audience.
- Using a mix of marketing methods, such as SEO, social media, and paid advertising, to reach your audience wherever they are.
- Diversifying your media reach, whether it’s YouTube or Twitter, by interacting with different groups of people within your industry. The more you can engage with, the more you can grow your audience.
Step three: Generate Content
YouTube creators understand the value of engaging content. According to HubSpot’s research, consumers expect to see “regular posts from creators” on their favorite websites.
Consumers often prefer to be invited to content that’s valuable and interesting to them. To engage your audience and encourage them to engage with you, create content that’s valuable to your target audience and that they’ll find interesting. The following types of content can help you gain popularity:
- Video content.
- Blog posts.
- Product reviews.
- FAQs (frequently asked questions).
- Op-ed pieces (essays).
- How-to guides.
- Short (snappy) videos.
The video content doesn’t necessarily have to be professionally produced.
The most important thing is that you use your talents to create something that you believe will be valuable to your audience.
Step four: Measure & Analyze Performance
The final step in building your channel is to measure and analyze your performance. In order to do this, you’ll need to set up a metrics system to track the results of your efforts. There are several key metrics to focus on, including:
- Likes
- Comments
- Shares
- Subscribes
- Views
- Impressions
- Unique visitors
Each of these metrics can be found in YouTube’s Analytics platform. For example, you can use the “Likes” metric to track the success of your videos’ content.
You can also use your blog’s Google Analytics account to track the performance of your blog. This will help you identify the most popular and profitable blog posts and areas for future growth.
Final Takeaway
Creating a YouTube channel isn’t as difficult as you might think. By following a step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to launch a profitable channel in no time. Just remember to find a niche, build a community, and generate content to reach your target audience.
Over the last few years, the landscape of content marketing has changed dramatically. In the past, most content was created for the purpose of selling a product or service. However, in today’s world, marketing content is much more varied and numerous.
In order to succeed, you need to develop a content strategy and implement key tactics, including SEO, to draw in a target audience and make money from your channel.