Yash Chawlani August 14, 2021 YouTube is the second most popular social media platform at present. A variety of easily accessible and shareable videos attract a vast number of creators every day and inspire them to start their YouTube journey.
Whether you are an established brand or a small business, or an individual creator trying to gain a foothold in the digital landscape—there are 2.3 billion active users on YouTube you can engage with your content.
But here’s a mighty challenge — between 2014 and 2019, the video content uploaded to YouTube every minute has increased by 40 percent. Users watch over one billion hours of video every day. Unless your videos have a wow factor, the chances are that your target audience will scroll past them.
So here are six ways to take your YouTube videos to the next level and amp up your video marketing game:
1. Dive into the trend
Source: Brid
Check the most popular YouTube categories to find out what gets the audience going. Although people watch a wide range of videos on Youtube, there are those they can’t get enough of.
YouTuber favorites include unboxing videos, tutorials, top ten videos, ‘best of’ compilations, pranks, comedic skits, gaming videos, vlogging, shopping hauls, pet or animal videos, product reviews, and autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos.
Create videos along with those themes but add your unique style to make it more interesting. Watch popular videos under the category you chose and check out their comment sections. You would often find suggestions and strategic video ideas there, some that you might be able to make a video about.
Just make sure that the category you choose is something you are passionate about and are comfortable doing. Remember, your audience will know.
2. Pay attention to the video description
Source: YouTube
The description you add to a YouTube video has a direct impact on the views. A proper description helps the algorithm understand what your video offers and push it through. Unfortunately, many creators are guilty of adding the description as an afterthought that results in a few words strung together. Such a description usually fails to create an impact.
Remember that the first few lines of the video description show up in search results on YouTube. Make sure you optimize the description by using the right keywords. Provide a brief outline of what the audience can expect to learn from your video. Write a compelling intro so that a viewer is tempted to click “Show more” — that is what will sell your video.
3. Master the art of video editing
Source: Clipchamp
For your viewers, watching unpolished, raw footage uploaded straightaway on YouTube is like eating a plate of bland food — it is the perfect recipe to disengage them right off the bat.
Video editing is non-negotiable if you’re serious about improving your YouTube game. Once you’ve finished recording, make sure that you carefully weave the shots together. Your video should have an introduction, a middle part, and a conclusion. The absence of a natural flow will leave your audience completely confused.
Play around with elements such as transitions, images, text, animations, etc., to deliver your message with a bang.
Apart from relying on the native editing tools that YouTube offers, use a video editor to take the stress out of your video editing sessions. Clipchamp’s user-friendly video editing tool can address your editing woes and help you add a unique flair to your videos without breaking a sweat.
4. Let the music play
Source: Clipchamp stock library
Adding appropriate background music to YouTube videos can be a complete game-changer.
Music can help you highlight the message you are conveying through the video and add a premium feel. Be careful to choose music that truly complements the content — for instance, if your video is heavy on narration, opt for ambient or instrumental music. Go for a track that has steady beats. Otherwise, the audience may have a tough time concentrating on the video content.
Lastly, always use royalty-free tracks available online to avoid getting caught in copyright battles.
5. Maintain a conversational tone
Your audience doesn’t expect a bot to read out from a script. Instead, they are looking forward to hearing a human being through the video, especially if it’s a vlog (new to YouTube? Check these vlogging tips out.)
You can use a script but try not to sound too mechanical. Maintain a natural and conversational tone to establish trust and credibility with the audience. Emphasize storytelling above everything else. If you appear on the video, feel free to use hand gestures to send the message across. For videos with voiceovers, consider adding animated text or graphics during video editing.
6. Invest in a good mic
Source: MicReviews
Visuals aren’t enough to captivate and engage your audience. Your sound has to be loud and clear as well. Although mobile phones and cameras are able to capture outstanding videos, you must admit, the sound quality is not all that impressive. If you’re planning to put out content where voice and music are essential elements, you must invest in the best microphone that will best serve your purpose.
There are many different microphones in the market today. It’s important that you know what kind of videos you want to make first before deciding on which mic to get. If you’ll be recording in an outdoor setting, you’ll want your audience to hear you, not the cars zooming by behind you or the chit-chat of passersby. So, you may want to invest in a shotgun microphone that is designed to cancel out surrounding noise and easily attaches to your camera.
Creating a skit or a prank-style video? Then a wireless microphone will do you good. It can clip onto clothing or accessories and are small enough not to get noticed. Despite its small size, it picks up the wearer’s voice well enough to be heard in the video.
If you are a gamer and would like to put out game streaming videos, you’ll need a condenser microphone to pick up voice details with accuracy. A mere smirk or sigh is important in conveying your emotions and reactions. A regular mic won’t be able to record that but a condenser mic will.
Test your mic before recording your video. Record a small sample of your voice and play it back so you’ll know what it’ll sound like to your audience.
7. Let there be light
Even if you aren’t a pro at video recording, shooting videos with the best lighting arrangements can make them look sleek and polished. You can fix brightness and white balance post-production. However, recording with good lighting will make it better on the get-go and may not require further editing when it’s done.
For a compact lighting arrangement, start by investing in a good-quality LED light and stand. Then, position the lights properly — you should aim for a three-light set-up which consists of a primary source of light called the key light, a light source to fill up the shadows created by the key light, and a backlight source to create separation between the subject and the background.
8. Create smooth and steady videos
Recording with your camera in your hand can cause the video to shake and move unsteadily. Not only will that make your video look unprofessional, but it would also make it difficult to watch.
To make shooting movements steady, you’ll want to invest in a gimbal. This camera accessory holds your camera and uses sensors and motors to prevent shaky and jittery footage. Tripods are helpful for videos where the subject is in one fixed location or just moving within the frame. Gimbals are for subjects that move from one place to another. Its stabilizer will make sure that the movement of the camera as it shifts position will flow smoothly and seamlessly.
This hand-held camera accessory is also a must-have if you want to shoot creative shots. There are many different shooting techniques you could try to create dramatic and cinematic videos. It may take some time to master artistic techniques but there are simple yet effective methods you could try. You can even play around with hand movements and footwork to achieve unique shots.
9. Create compelling intros and outros
Intro helps you to start your videos with a bang. Add the brand logo, tagline, and right keywords to the intro screen to optimize it for the search engines. Use an intro-maker like Clipchamp and play around with graphics, text, music, and images to create a visual impact.
The outro is the end screen for your YouTube video, where you can place clickable links. It is an effective tool to keep the audience engaged even after the video is over and prompt them to take the desired call to action. Ensure that the outro is on the screen for at least eight seconds to let the viewers fully process it.
All set to create jaw-dropping YouTube videos?
Creating binge-worthy videos doesn’t have to be hard! Implementing these strategies can help you boost your video marketing efforts on YouTube and bag more views.
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