Creating video content for your audience that keeps them coming back is becoming more essential in video marketing today. It's not just about marketing, video production should be taken seriously at all levels. In the previous article, I discussed what it takes to be successful with YouTube marketing In Uganda. In this article, I have written a quick rundown on 9 creative tips to create highly viewable YouTube videos.
1. Invest in the right equipment
Invest in the good quality equipment to shoot videos in HD quality. Some recommended video equipment to buy includes digital cameras, a MacBook or a high powered laptop for video editing. Microphone and a speaker. This will give your content a more professional feel
2. Grab attention early
Grabbing attention in video marketing or in any presentation is one of the most important things to do in marketing. For YouTube, you must grab your audience attention in the first 15 seconds. YouTube has an entire tutorial on this!
There are a number of ways of picking an audience's curiosity. Open your video introduction with a teaser. Or create an interesting theme with music at the beginning. Ask a curious question. Find out what makes your audience stick.
3. Follow YouTube’s video specifications
YouTube has a variety of video specifications that can suit your brand's needs. Start by uploading video footage that’s optimized for YouTube.
Recommended pixel sizes:
Minimum pixel size:
426 by 240 pixels (240p),
640 by 360 pixels (360p),
854 by 480 pixels (480p),
High quality, HD definition:
1280 by 720 pixels (720p),
1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p),
2560 by 1440 pixels (1440p),
3840 by 2160 pixels (2160p)
Maximum pixel size:
3840 by 2160 pixels
Recommended video file types:
.MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, or WebM
Maximum file size:
128 GB
Max video length:
12 hours long
Supported aspect ratios:
16:9 and 4:3
4. Optimize your videos for mobile
Since more than half of Ugandan YouTube videos are watched on smartphones. Optimizing your videos for the mobile view is a must. Jumia market trends reported a high increase in smartphone penetration and usage on the web in 2019. This trend is expected to go up in 2020.
Record short one to three-minute video teasers. These don’t use as much data and can be enjoyed more easily on-the-go.
5. Film long videos
Filming long videos is good for SEO. In fact, the average mobile viewing session on YouTube is over an hour. So don't be afraid that your video will be too long and boring. Be sure to write a script for your video, with key points before you shoot. This will create more value for content on your YouTube channel.
6. Do live-streams
Live streaming is another great way of creating highly viewable content for SEO. The trick is to advertise prior to the YouTube live event. Use YouTube Live to broadcast directly to your audience. Live streams are essential to help you obtain direct feedback about your videos.
Here are different ideas that you can use for live video content.
7. Adding end screens or call to action
At the end of your youtube video, place an end screen or a call to action for your viewers to visit and subscribe to your channel. This is essential and important for your brand to expand its viewership on youtube.
For more information about the end screen, check out the link adding end screens as well as other Youtube tips you can use it to grow your account.
8. Create & Add A Featured Video
You have added some videos to your YouTube channel. Now its time to create and add a featured video that will be at the top of your YouTube channel every time a viewer visits. Featured videos are highly viewable and describe what your brand is all about. The featured videos auto-play as soon as a visitor visits your YouTube channel.
Create featured videos from the edit profile section by clicking on the “Returning Subscribers” tab. After clicking this option the add featured content option will appear.
9. Add A Channel Description
The last tip from this article is adding a YouTube channel Description. This goes a long way in demonstrating to viewers the reasons they should subscribe and continue watching videos from your channel. The description offers a background to your brand or business.
Add your channel description from the same section where you fill in the affiliated email account. You can as well add other social media links to your brand's social media channel and website.
10. Share & promote your video on other social media.
It's now time to promote your videos. Youtube has a big audience in itself, but there are 4 other social media platforms bigger than it. Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram all have higher viewership according to gs.statscounter.com. The good news is, they all allow embedding Youtube videos in posts. This will have an exponential effect on how many people get to know about your video and view it.
If your video is highly niched, you can use special targeting techniques to get it to people who are most likely to view it. If a video is about an interesting new toddler chair, then you probably need to target women between the ages of 24 and 35 who are most likely to have a toddler. This also increases the chances of your video being re-shared as its viewed by people with an interest in your content.
