YouTube is the place to be for aspiring content creators for two reasons: A huge potential audience and one of the most rewarding content monetization programs of any social platform.

Worry it’s too late? 98% of Americans visit YouTube monthly, and almost two-thirds visit daily. Users stream 694,000 hours of video content every minute. But it’s far from oversaturated: There’s actually never been a better time to start a YouTube channel.

These 17 beginner YouTube tips will get you views, encourage people to subscribe to your channel, and keep you growing from day one and beyond.

17 YouTube tips for beginners

Tips for starting a YouTube channel

1. Pick the right channel name

The perfect YouTube channel name:

Has your company or personal name in it.
Has a word or phrase that categorizes it.
Is short and easy to say.

Stuck? Just use your first and last name. Many of YouTube’s most successful creators use their name, such as Peter McKinnon, Michelle Phan, and of course, the inventor of the modern vlog: Casey Neistat.

2. Pick the right niche

Relax, this is easier than choosing a channel name. Why? Because unlike death and taxes, you can change your content niche.

You may think you’re passionate enough about something to fill hundreds of hours worth of content… But, you’ll find out for sure when the grind gets tough and you don’t want to get up early and film another video about it.

You can change your niche later, although it may risk alienating any audience you’ve already built — so do spend some time defining what your channel is going to be about.

To pick your niche, ask yourself:

What do I lose track of time doing?
What could I talk to my friends about for hours?
In my free time, what do I search/watch/learn about online?

3. Set a consistent posting schedule

The road to YouTube failure is paved with good intentions.

If you want to be a serious YouTuber, you need to treat it like the job it is. That means setting a consistent and realistic publishing schedule and sticking to it.

Many new creators plan on one video per week. But if you’re just starting, you’re likely juggling a full-time job and other responsibilities. Once weekly may not be realistic for you.

Consistency matters more than frequency. If you can only make a video once every two weeks, that’s fine.

Creator burnout is a huge issue. TikToker and YouTuber Jack Innanen summed it up as: “I get to the point where I’m like, ‘I have to make a video today,’ and I spend the entire day dreading the process.”

Sticking to a sustainable schedule will keep you moving forward without burning out, increasing the chances you’ll stay with your creator journey long enough to see results.

4. Make small improvements in every video

Spicy YouTube marketing tip: You can’t get views and subscribers without first having videos.

As popular YouTuber Ali Abdaal says, “Your first video is going to suck.” He recommends instead of trying to make every video “the best,” try to improve one small element each time. Try a new title sequence, add some background music, or test a new editing software.

Those small changes add up over time to improve your channel without being overwhelming.

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YouTube SEO tips

5. Use relevant keywords in video titles

YouTube is a search engine, like Google — except the search results are all video.

Keywords help the YouTube algorithm understand what your video is about, making it more likely to show up in the “suggested” column alongside related videos. This means you have a better chance of reaching new viewers.

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Keywords can be as simple as one word (“tech” in the example above). Phrases of two or more words will often give both YouTube and people a better idea of your topic, such as “house tech,” “drawing tech,” and “smart home.”

Don’t go overboard here — one keyword in your title is fine. Plus: Keep it short.

Studies show video titles under 10 words perform best in YouTube’s search results, with 81% of top-ranking videos being under this limit.

More importantly, aim for around 60 characters max for your title length, which is about 8-10 words (with spaces). You’re allowed 100 characters, but only the first 60 show in search results.

Source: Statista

Clueless about keywords? We’ve got more YouTube keyword research tips, or try out a free online tool like KeywordsPeopleUse to quickly find… keywords people use.

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6. Use relevant keywords in video descriptions

Keywords are important in descriptions for the same reasons as above. Dedicate the first few lines to describing your video, using 1-2 keywords.

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7. Link to important info in video descriptions

Use the rest of the description field to tell viewers about you, your business, and link out to your other platforms.

This can be a boilerplate template that’s more or less the same for each video, though consider tweaking it if:

You have a sale, special offer, or event to promote.
You mentioned any products in your video. (Include affiliate links!)

Otherwise, always include:

Video timestamps (learn how to make these later in this article).
Links to your other social profiles.
Your website and/or a specific landing page.
A short blurb about you/your company.
Contact information.

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Want an instant uplevel? Grab one of our free, editable video description templates.

8. Set your channel tags

Channel keywords act like general labels for your channel, telling YouTube what your main topics are. The titles and descriptions of each of your videos are more important for your overall YouTube SEO, but these take 5 seconds to set up, so why not, right?

From YouTube Studio, click on Settings then Channel.

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You aren’t limited to a specific number of keywords, only 500 characters total. Keep it to 7-10 keywords at most.

9. Use playlists

YouTube playlists help you rank higher in search results because users are more likely to keep watching the next video, which increases your overall views and watch time — and makes YouTube think you’re pretty cool.

You can add other creators’ videos to your playlists — which is a good idea for collaborations later on — but at first, make your own. Group your videos by topic, or keep a specific series together. (Bonus tip: Later on when you get big and famous with a fancy verified account, you can create official series playlists.)

Manage your playlists in YouTube Studio, either under Content -> Playlists or quickly add a new one from the top Create menu.

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10. Try YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts are crucial for promoting your channel which is especially important for new creators. As of Q2 2022, YouTube Shorts bring in over 30 billion daily views.

Shorts are videos under 15 seconds, although you can combine up to four 15 second segments into one 60 second Short. YouTube automatically categorizes any video under 60 seconds as a Short. Shorts have this red symbol in search results and feeds.

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Shorts are also featured in a dedicated Shorts section where users swipe through them, TikTok-style.

Take a 15 second snippet from your latest video and upload that as a Short. Better yet, grab a few snippets from each video as you’re editing it and you’ve now got 2-3 Shorts to publish throughout the week.

Read our YouTube Shorts guide for tips to make the most of this exciting new format.

General YouTube tips and tricks

11. Record your videos well ahead of time

I said it earlier but it’s so true: Consistency wins on YouTube.

Stay ahead of production by having your videos ready 1-2 weeks before they’re scheduled to go live. This helps minimize any unforeseen circumstances that can knock you off track, like getting sick or family emergencies.

12. Become (or hire) a video editor

Your YouTube content — what you’re saying, how you’re saying it, what’s unique about it, etc — is what hooks people, but good video editing is what keeps them watching and coming back.

Editing will take much longer than actually filming the video but it’s time well spent. Borrow inspiration from your favorite YouTubers to start figuring out your own editing style and techniques. Your videos won’t look as slick as theirs right away, but you’ll get better.

Depending on your budget, you could outsource to a professional video editor as soon as you start your channel. Although for most creators, the ability to do this only comes after their channel starts making money.

Either way, set a goal for yourself of hiring an editor once your YouTube account starts making a certain amount per month. It will free up your time to focus on creating content.

13. Use chapters/timestamps

Video timestamps, also known as chapters, are clickable links allowing viewers to skip around a video. Not having them means people may leave if they can’t find what they’re looking for easily.

Not using timestamps is like publishing a blog post without paragraph breaks. Gross.

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You can add timestamps manually or YouTube can auto-create them.

To add them manually, type them into your video description. You need to:

List at least 3 timestamps.
Format them as “01:05 Name of Chapter”
Use 0:00 as the time of the first timestamp.

You can also edit past uploads to include timestamps this way. After you save the description, you’ll see clickable timestamps like the above example.

14. Design eye-catching video thumbnails

Your thumbnail is what really hooks people. They’ll decide in a millisecond if your video is worth watching based on it. Some creators spend up to 2 hours making one thumbnail image.

Your thumbnail should be so good that someone doesn’t even need to read the title to know what the video is about.

Art with Flo’s thumbnails are well-branded with a common color palette and style, so viewers can instantly recognize their tutorials in search results.

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A few thumbnail design tips:

Use icons or logos (if applicable for your topic).
Keep text minimal.
Add creative elements to catch the eye, like hand-drawing, neon lights, etc (depending on your brand).

15. Review your analytics

To go forward, you need to go back… in time. Not with a Delorean, but by reviewing your YouTube analytics at least monthly.

Find your analytics in the left side menu in YouTube Studio.

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Key metrics to help you understand how your channel is performing:

Subscribers: Including unsubscribes.
Top videos: Give your audience more of what they want.
Channel watch time: This should trend upward every month. Not? Rejig your content strategy.
Traffic sources: See how viewers find you, including search keywords.

Plus, you can explore demographics and more, including ad revenue statistics once you meet the YouTube Partner Program eligibility requirements to monetize your content.

16. Caption your videos

Closed captioning your videos makes your content accessible and inclusive to everyone. Approximately 1 in 5 people experiences a degree of hearing impairment, and about 5% of the global population is deaf or hard of hearing. Captions ensure you don’t exclude any of your potential audience.

You can either supply your own written transcripts, or have YouTube automatically caption it with automated speech recognition.

For creators just starting out, YouTube’s automatic captions are a great option. You can edit the captions if YouTube gets any words wrong, and editing is a lot faster than typing captions from scratch.

However, once your channel starts taking off or earning income, consider hiring someone to professionally transcribe your videos. Go even further and caption your videos in multiple languages — YouTube will show viewers captions in their preferred language — to build a global audience.

17. Be direct with your audience

Last but not least: Be honest.

In your videos, say, “As a new channel, your likes, comments, and subscribes mean a lot, so hit the like button and subscribe, and comment below with your answer to (insert question related to your video’s topic).”

Your fans want to support your work so let them know in plain language how they can.

Ready to start and grow your YouTube channel in 2023? Schedule, publish, and analyze your YouTube videos — and all your other social media content — in one place with Hootsuite. Try it free today.

Get Started

The post 17 YouTube Tips to Grow a New Channel in 2023 appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

Originally posted on January 12, 2023 @ 2:41 pm

If you’re an avid Snapchat user, you may have come across an X icon next to a friend’s name or in a conversation and wondered what it means.  When you see an X next to a Snapchat name, it usually means that the person has sent you a friend request that you haven’t accepted yet, […]

Originally posted on July 10, 2023 @ 3:41 am

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all of the digital marketing tools out there? Paralyzed by choice? Don’t worry; you’re not alone! In today’s digital age, knowing where to start and which tools are right for your team, budget, and business can be hard.

We’re here to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of digital marketing tools. This guide has the top tools for everyone, from novice marketers to managers of enterprise corporations. Keep reading for a spectrum of digital marketing tools that’ll put you in the upper echelon of your industry.

Social media marketing tools

Want to automate tedious tasks, stay organized and on top of to-do’s, and better connect with your audience on social? If you answered no to any of those prompts, you’re in the wrong place. How did you even get here?

Jokes aside, the right digital marketing software will super-boost your social media strategy. These tools can make your work life so much easier, to the point where it might not even feel like work anymore.

1. Hootsuite

Number one in our hearts is Hootsuite. Obviously, we’re a little biased but hear us out. Hootsuite can do so many social media marketing-specific things. As far as digital marketing platforms go, this one’s a banger.

Hootsuite is beloved by over 16 million users, too, many of them solopreneurs, busy marketing managers, and content creators. That many social media marketing professionals can’t be wrong.

Now, Hootsuite is famous for its ability to help you publish content, plan your social media calendars, create account-specific streams that keep you organized, and organize your many different social communications in one place. But there are other, more niche features that you’ll discover as you use the tool.

For example, here are two Hootsuite social features you don’t want to sleep on:

The catalog of ideas in Inspiration

Do you ever hit a wall with marketing content generation for your social media calendar? Well, Hootsuite’s got your back.

You can browse through this nearly endless source of inspiration for new social media content ideas. Each content idea is a three-parter, including:

A sample post that you can open in Composer to customize and schedule
A description of how and when to use it
A list of best practices for creating variations on the idea

The Best Time to Publish feature

This Hootsuite Analytics feature gives you automatic suggestions for the best time to post based on your unique audience. You don’t have to do any data-crunching yourself. Simply schedule your content for the future, and when you go to choose your time, Hootsuite will make suggestions for you.

Price: Included with every Hootsuite plan, starting as low as $49/month.

Who it’s for: Content creators, brand managers, marketers, and small business owners. Businesses of all sizes.

2. Brandwatch

Brandwatch is a social listening integration for Hootsuite. It lets you track and analyze keywords, brand mentions, and the general activity of your audiences on a large scale. You can easily track, study, and shape the conversation around your brand, also known as brand monitoring.

With Brandwatch, you know what your audience is saying about you and topics related to your brand and industry. Then, you can deliver content that speaks to what’s relevant to them or chime in on conversations about your brand.

Source: Hootsuite

Price: Included with a Hootsuite Business or Enterprise account.

Who it’s for: Marketers, content creators, brand managers. Businesses of all sizes.

We’ve got you covered if you’re thirsty for more of the best marketing tools for social media.

Keyword research and SEO marketing tools

Keyword research tools are crucial for setting up a successful SEO marketing strategy. Whether you’re the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a small business owner, everyone has to play by the same SEO rules. And when you play the game right, with the right tools in your belt, you can bump your brand to the top.

Keyword research and SEO marketing tools can help you to track search trends, create powerful content, and optimize your visibility on search engine results pages.

3. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the most popular keyword research tools out there, and for a good reason. It has a range of features, like an all-in-one SEO toolset that allows you to audit and optimize your website. You can also audit your competitor’s sites and uncover the keywords they’re ranking for, discover your industry’s top-performing content, and track your ranking progress.

Ahrefs makes it simple to discover profitable keywords that’ll help skyrocket your site’s ranking in no time.

Source: Ahrefs

Price: Ahrefs has a host of free SEO tools anyone can use. Paid plans range from $99/month to $999/month.

Who it’s for: Marketers, SEO strategists, small business owners, and marketing teams for enterprise-level corporations.

4. SEMrush

SEMrush is another great keyword research tool for any marketer or SEO strategist. It helps to identify long-tail and highly targeted keywords that can show significant improvements in online traffic and conversions. Plus, the keyword ideas are especially helpful when brainstorming new keywords to rank for.

SEMrush provides a powerful and easy interface to quickly find targeted keywords ideal for SEO campaigns or content creation. It also offers a Social Media Toolkit that includes advanced social media analytics.

Source: SEMrush

Price: Paid SEMrush plans range from $119.95/month to $449.95/month

Who it’s for: Marketers, SEO strategists, small business owners, and marketing teams for enterprise-level corporations.

5. Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is a research tool for anyone looking to better their advertising, optimize their keyword performance, and streamline their SEO efforts.

The best thing about it? It’s free. Google Keyword Planner is a cost-effective alternative to expensive SEO marketing tools. Plus, it offers up-to-date analytics about the most effective search phrases your business should target.

Of course, it has some limitations compared to the bossy Internet marketing tools mentioned above. But again, you can’t beat free.

Source: Google Keyword Planner

Price: Free!

Who it’s for: Solopreneurs, content creators, marketers with small budgets, small business owners.

Graphic design and video marketing tools

Graphic design and video marketing tools are invaluable when creating stunning online content. Today’s world is dominated by visuals, which makes having professional-looking online assets so important. Listen, even if you’re not an artist, you can fake it till you make it with tools.

Graphics and videos that are aesthetically pleasing can help draw in viewers and add a level of credibility to your brand. Tools make it easier than ever to create quality content while minimizing cost and effort. This ease of use and stunning visuals make these tools a no-brainer for any business.

6. Canva

You know we love a free, template-rich, and intuitive tool! Canva is one of the only online graphic design tools that checks all of those boxes and more.

Canva contains a huge library of pre-made templates and images, so it’s easy to create a video with stunning graphics in minutes. Their intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes the process even simpler, taking much of the necessary technical know-how out of graphic design.

You can also easily create an animated video in Canva using one of the pre-made templates. Then, use their video editing software to make it your own. You’ll be able to create the type of video you want in minutes with their drag-and-drop capabilities.

The online tool also offers powerful features such as photo filters, email editors, and team collaboration capabilities. Oh, and Canva integrates seamlessly with Hootsuite.

Source: Canva

Price: Free! If you want to upgrade, Canva Pro starts at $119.99/year per person.

Who it’s for: Non-designers who need to create assets, content creators, and solopreneurs.

7. Visme

Visme is another free and intuitive design tool. Where Canva is focused on simplicity, Visme is great for more complex designs, like infographics or presentations. It has tons of professionally-styled templates for you to choose from.

Visme’s focus on business-forward templates makes it easy to film a corporate-style explainer video. These are particularly useful when producing assets for your internal team. With Visme, you can easily create both internal and external video content that can help you further your business goals.

Source: Visme

Price: Free! A premium Visme account is available from $24.75/month.

Who it’s for: Non-designers who need to create assets, marketers with client presentations, and solopreneurs.

Analytics tools

Data analytics tools are a must-have for any digital marketing venture. If you’re not measuring your tactics and strategy, you can’t know what’s working and what’s not.

When it comes to analytics tools, choose ones that serve your specific business goals, whether that’s insights into optimizing your operations, increasing your sales, improving your customer experience, or all of the above.

The right tools will help you reduce your churn rate and predict future trends based on your collected consumer data.

8. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is proof that you don’t need a big budget to stay on top of your data. It’s free to use and will help you better understand your website traffic. For the social-obsessed folks out there, Google Analytics can give you detailed insights on your social traffic and conversions.

You’ll gain insights into how visitors interact with your website; you can monitor marketing campaigns and gain valuable data about the demographics of your customers. Then, you can optimize your site and campaigns for better user engagement and higher conversions.

Source: Google Analytics

Price: Free!

Who it’s for: Everyone who has a website, from solopreneurs and small businesses all the way up to larger enterprise companies.

9. Hotjar

Hotjar, a popular analytics tool, gives you insight into how your consumers interact with your website and apps. It can create Heatmaps or Recordings where you can watch the path your users take, where they pause, and where they quickly click away from.

Hotjar’s features are undeniably useful when it comes to creating user journey maps or understanding the areas of your UX that need improvement.

Source: Hotjar

Price: Free! Paid subscriptions range from $39/month to $99/month.

Who it’s for: Product teams and designers, UX designers, and people looking to better understand their user’s journey.

Email marketing tools

It’s not hard to see why email marketing tools are a must-have for businesses of all shapes and sizes. Email marketing boasts an average ROI of $45 for every $1 spent. And with the right tools, you can maximize that profit and make it as painless as possible.

Email marketing tools make managing customer contact lists, automating and designing campaigns, and tracking results simple and straightforward. With the ability to monitor open rates, clicks, conversions, and more, tools for marketing with email provide valuable insight into customer behaviour.

10. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the leading email marketing SaaS companies out there. They offer automation capabilities, templates for content creation, and omnichannel, integrated campaign tools. Plus, Mailchimp makes it easy to create professional-looking emails with a drag-and-drop interface.

Mailchimp is an all-in-one email marketing platform. They offer tools for automation, insight, content creation, and audience data. Mailchimp also integrates with Hootsuite.

Source: Mailchimp

Price: Free! Paid Mailchimp accounts range from $17.80/month to $479.24/month.

Who it’s for: Marketers, agencies, small owner-operated businesses to enterprise-level corporations.

11. Marketo

Marketo takes a slightly more personalized approach to email marketing than Mailchimp. This tool makes it possible to manage multiple lists for different customers all in one place.

Marketo offers a highly-customizable system with equipped with useful email templates. So you can build personalized email and nurture campaigns. This way, you can send individualized emails based on your customer’s past purchases and interests.

Source: Capterra

Price: The pricing is based on your database size, but there are no free options.

Who it’s for: Marketers, agencies, and small- to mid-sized businesses. Those who want to make personalized sales.

Landing page and lead capture tools

If you want to increase website conversions and generate leads, then you’re going to need landing page and lead capture tools. By creating attractive, engaging pages that are specifically designed to convert, you’ll foster powerful relationships with potential customers.

Lead capture tools help followers take action more easily by providing them with simple and intuitive processes. Essentially, the right combination of content, visuals, and calls-to-action gives your users a natural path to convert.

12. Linktree

If you’re, say, a food blogger, an ecommerce business, or any brand interested in social selling, you might want to link more than one URL in your Instagram bio. But alas, Instagram won’t technically allow it. Enter Linktree: One of the best link-in-bio landing page tools.

Linktree allows you to create and customize a bio link. With it, you can connect anything you have a URL to, like your social links, website, store, videos, music, podcast, and events. Plus, Linktree is easy to set up, so you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time.

Source: Linktree

Price: Free! Paid Linktree plans start at $6/month and go up to 27$/month.

Who it’s for: Marketers, content creators, and brands on social media who want to share more than one link.

13. Unbounce

Unbounce makes creating, optimizing, and launching landing pages a breeze. With its built-in A/B testing and analytics features, you can easily determine which page elements are delivering the most bang for your buck. It’s a landing page and lead capture tool in one.

Unbounce’s intuitive editor lets even the most design-challenged among us customize one of their pre-built templates. You’ll be able to give each page a personal look and feel while still relying on proven strategies for success. And once they’re published, advanced analytics take over, so you’ll know exactly which elements are resonating with visitors down to the finest detail.

Source: Unbounce

Price: Free two-week trial, then $90/month or $575/month.

Who it’s for: Business owners, agencies, B2B marketers, and ecommerce brands.

Productivity and collaboration tools

Collaboration and productivity tools can significantly improve communication within the workplace. With remote working taking over, water cooler chats and boardroom meetings have been replaced with online communication.

Having a range of simple tools like chat, video conferencing, and cloud-based document storage makes work easier, whether you’re working alone or with colleagues. By allowing team members to collaborate easily on projects, these tools help take the strain out of managing complex tasks.

14. Slack

If you’ve used Slack before, you know it trumps most other tools for work-related communication. Within the app, you have public and private channels where you can pin important messages or share files. It integrates easily with other communication and collaboration tools like Zoom and Google Drive.

Slack works on pretty much anything, from your phone to your laptop and your tablet. Just make sure you turn your notifications off at night, as the classic Slack ping can induce a Pavlovian effect for work-related stress.

Price: From $7.25/user per month to $12.50/user per month.

Who it’s for: Agencies, enterprises, and businesses with large, medium, and small internal teams.

15. Airtable

Airtable is a cloud-based collaboration platform. Its capabilities are wide and far-reaching, but at its core Airtable is a database-spreadsheet hybrid where you can link records and store information.

Airtable is great for collaborating on projects, mapping out calendars or timelines, and generating easy-to-digest plans or strategies. It has tons of templates to get you started, from content calendars to marketing campaign trackers and product launches.

Source: Airtable

Price: Free! Paid models are $10/ seat monthly to $20/ seat monthly

Who it’s for: Content creators, agencies, large to small businesses, project managers, and marketers.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is a classic collaboration tool. You can create a spreadsheet in Sheets, share it with your entire team or clients, then communicate back and forth by commenting on the cells in question.

Google Sheets also hosts a number of templates that project managers will love, like project timelines, plans, and trackers. It has Gantt chat functionality so you can see at a glance your project’s start date and task timelines.

Source: Google Drive Sheet’s Template

Price: Free!

Who it’s for: Agencies, large to small businesses, project managers, marketers, and content creators.

If your team struggles with collaboration, try implementing some tips from our Social Media Collaboration guide.

Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage the audience, measure results, and more. Try it free today.

Get Started

The post 15 Digital Marketing Tools for Every Team and Budget appeared first on Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard.

Originally posted on January 10, 2023 @ 9:40 pm