If you are serious about creating independent video content, you probably have a YouTube account set up. And why not? YouTube is one of the most popular and budget-friendly video content-sharing social platforms in the digital space today. When created with public settings, YouTube content is SEO-friendly and shows up on the results of most search engines. It is a great platform to market one’s videos and reach a global audience, as a viewer doesn’t necessarily need to have a YouTube account to view videos posted on the platform. However, YouTubers often find themselves lost in a sea of video-creators due to its immense popularity.
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Building brand presence and monetizing one’s content on YouTube is not a piece of cake. Although viewers do not necessarily need to have a YouTube account, a YouTuber cannot earn from their content unless they have a minimum number of natural and active subscribers on their channel. To qualify for monetizing one’s account on YouTube, one must have a net total of at least 4000 watch time hours and a minimum of 1000 YouTube subscribers on their channel. The numbers are not easy to achieve, especially when one is new on the platform. This makes many YouTubers buy cheap YouTube subscribers to give their accounts a head-start in having a subscriber count. This method of generating social proof and encouraging others to subscribe to one’s channel out of curiosity works only on a short-term basis. To organically grow one’s subscribers, count substantially, and simultaneously build a brand presence, one has to have a well-thought-out marketing strategy in place. This may need some time and effort, but hard work and patience are crucial to growing one’s organic subscribers on this platform.
If you are someone with budget constraints and are looking for ways to increase your YouTube subscribers count without burning a hole in your pocket, the following tried and tested tricks of the trade might be for you. These tips may not show results overnight but rest assured they are reliable and fool-proof.
Tip 1.Focus on Creating High-Quality Videos
While having sharp focus, good lighting, and clarity of image and audio is a given, high-quality video content does not necessarily mean possessing expensive video creating and editing technology. If your budget allows for it, go ahead and invest. However, you can make great videos with the technology available at a low budget if you know how to use your equipment right. Study what can help you make the best videos within your means. At the same time, do not forget to pay equal attention to the content of your video. Great lighting and clarity of the image will not help if your content does not make sense. If you wish to attract subscribers to your channel naturally:
- Identify your niche and audience. When you know your genre of content and who you are creating your content for, it is easier to plan your marketing strategy.
- Study your audience behavior and make a note of audience expectations. Observe how long your audience spends watching video content and how long your videos are watched on average — also, factor in what videos get rewatched or saved for later viewing by your audience.
- Draft your storyboard and research further to create content that will bring the audience back to you. Keep in mind viewers look for both information and education. Double-check to ensure your creations are nuanced and appealing enough to make your audience turn into returning viewers and subscribers of your channel. You can even organize your teasers and announcements into a playlist to create a short overview of what videos your channel contains.
- Organize your content into appropriate playlists for easy identification by subscribers. Catalog your channel and showcase your best. Label the playlists using SEO-optimized keywords to make them easily discoverable on searches.
- Be consistent in creating quality content. It is not enough to make a great first impression, and you must maintain that impression in all your content. Quality is key to great content. Do not compromise on this aspect.
Tip 2.Have a Posting Schedule
An erratic posting schedule does not bring too many subscribers unless you have created a viral video. Viral videos are an extreme phenomenon and difficult to replicate. On the other hand, having a regular posting schedule can be beneficial in several ways. It helps create a loyal and returning audience as subscribers begin anticipating fresh content in an organized pattern. Moreover, a regular posting schedule works the YouTube algorithms in your favor, and this pushes up your visibility quotient on YouTube’s home feed and as well as on search results. Many budget-friendly auto-scheduling and publishing tools are available to help YouTubers create a consistent posting schedule for their channels.
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Tip 3.Focus on Smart ways of Promoting Your Content
If you are trying to build up viewership on your content, you need to spread the word about your projects as well. Creating ads can be expensive, and you may not make the required investment frequently. However, you can engage in other promotional tactics that cost little or nothing and can still help you build a decent subscription count. Here are some intelligent and effective ways of channel branding:
- Organize your content in an attractive and easy-to-spot manner.
- Choose intriguing thumbnails for your videos.
- Repost old content using keyword enriched captions.
- Share links to your YouTube content on other social media sites.
- Add the URL of your channel to profile information details on any social media account you use.
- Create a link to your YouTube channel on your website or blog or as part of your email signature.
- Creatively embed links to your videos in relevant articles or e-stories.
- Customize your channel trailer to attract as many viewers as you can to your channel. You can use one display video for subscribers and another for non-subscribers if it helps you market yourself better.
Tip 4.Add a direct Call-to-Action for Subscriptions
Ask your viewers to become your subscribers. Direct call-to-action often works wonders on social channels and interactive platforms. You can incorporate a call-to-action in your videos and a written one in your description. Make subscribing easy for your viewers by adding clickable subscription buttons. Remind your audience periodically to like, subscribe and share your content but take care not to overdo it as that can be off-putting for some viewers.
Some YouTubers also incentivize the CTA for subscribers by featuring subscribers (or their comments and questions) in their following videos. Some choose to create videos based on subscribers’ requests or feedback. No matter what you decide to do, keep in mind that your subscribers will only actively interact with your content as long as you make quality content.
Tip 5.Create Anticipation by Releasing Teasers
If you want your audience to keep coming back for more, consider using innovative marketing techniques to keep them engaged. Creating teasers of upcoming videos is an excellent way to inform your audience of fresh content and build curiosity and anticipation. Whether you create tutorials or a suspense web series, build anticipation by providing a sneak peek of what is coming up. A great teaser acts as a hook for your audience’s curiosity. Use snippets and previews to bait your audience’s attention. Choose your clips wisely and do not give away the main content as that would dampen instead of increasing audience anticipation. To maximize on the teasers, also cross-post the same on other social media sites. Curate all your teasers into a playlist to catch the attention of first-time visitors and curious surfers. You may be able to convert them into subscribers if your bullies are gripping enough.
Tip 6.Create a Rapport with Your Viewers
Your viewers can like, share, downvote, or comment on your YouTube creations. Be responsive to any comment left on your videos, even if bots leave them. Interact with your audience warmly and courteously. Try to build a community around your channel. Be humble when criticized and receptive to feedback. Regardless of the nature and tone used by your audience, keep your interactions civil. Be genuine in your interactions and humanize your channel. You are sure to gain organic subscriptions when you make real efforts to grow as a creator by learning from past experiences. Be responsive to your viewers and build an environment for dialogue on your channel.
Tip 7.Create Titles that are SEO-optimized
As mentioned earlier, it is easy to look for YouTube content on search engines. To ensure your video ranks high on search results, give them SEO-friendly titles. This will help you find a larger pool of target audience outside the channel who may willingly turn into subscribers or returning viewers if they find your content to their liking. To make your titles SEO-optimized:
- Select a few keywords relevant to your niche and the videos you make.
- Review and rewrite your video titles using these keywords.
- Optimize your content description by using the keywords in it.
- Create and add keyword tags to the posts.
- Categorize your content into relevant playlists arranged by keywords.
- Further, enhance your content by creating subtitles and enabling alt-text for your videos.
Tip 8.Create Content in Collaboration with Fellow YouTubers
YouTube sees millions of fresh videos daily, and it is easy for your content to be lost in that sea. A lack of subscribers means your content will likely be low on search rankings even when freshly generated. Give your videos the proper exposure by publishing them in collaboration with fellow YouTubers. When you create a collaborative post, your reach automatically expands to include the existing audience of those you collaborate with. For maximum reach and engagement, consider joint marketing with:
- YouTube creators whose content speaks to you the most.
- YouTubers who have a great active fanbase.
- YouTube creators who have excellent content-creating and promoting track records.
When you find the right collaborators, get in touch with them to understand their working method, budget requirements, and other finer details. If you find these aspects conducive to you, proceed to create a joint production. It is professional and practical to enter into collaborative work via official communication in writing. Even if you are known to your collaborators, proceed with this as you would with anyone you are conducting professional business with. Create, edit, publish and promote your content as a team with your collaborators for best results unless you have a written agreement to follow a different route for this.
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As with any other content you create and post, follow up on the audience response and increase in subscribers count due to the post. If your results are favorable, you could consider entering into long-term collaborative projects with the same partners. Or you can choose to collaborate with other Youtubers for future projects. It is an excellent idea to retain friendly relationships with collaborators and interact with their work frequently to maintain the subscriber pool’s interest and keep fresh trending ideas for your content in the loop.
To Sum It Up
Having a well-planned content creation and marketing strategy in place can surely help you streamlining a steadily increasing loyal subscriber count on your YouTube channel. Experiment, observe, learn and reorganize your plan of action to enhance your brand presence and improve your engagement metrics on the platform. Do not lose sight of your micro-goals as you develop an inclusive and all-encompassing YouTube strategy for yourself. Network with fellow YouTubers and cross-post content frequently on other social media platforms to gain real-time views on your content. Focus on growing your subscribers organically, and you will see a corresponding increase in watch time accumulating on your videos as well. A tight budget means you may have to be more patient with your progress on the platform than some others. However, one does not need to necessarily burn a big hole in one’s pocket to monetize a YouTube channel successfully or accumulate an impressive number of subscribers on one’s account. Keep yourself updated on any changes incorporated by YouTube and work them to your advantage in your marketing strategies. Above all, believe in yourself and remain consistent in your efforts. Success is sure to find you soon!