Marketer’s Guide to Successful YouTube Video Distribution

Tip 1 - Most importantly, select your content carefully.

Your video will only be as successful as your strategy. Give your audience a reason to watch. You must reach them in the first 10 seconds and achieve emotional engagement quickly. Consider searchable keywords that are most appropriate for your audience before production even begins. Some keywords have greater competition. You can organize your entire campaign around keywords that might give you a better chance. 

Tip 2 - Optimize your uploads.

Ensure that your uploaded videos are tagged with keywords and optimized with keywords included in the video title, description, script copy, and webpage copy.

Tip 3 - Write a detailed YouTube description, and make use of it!

Make sure your YouTube description is keyword rich, detailed, and informative. Only the first 25 - 30 characters will be visible in a YouTube search so include your primary keywords at the beginning. Be sure to include a link to you website, links to specific products, links to other applicable content, or social channels. 

Tip 4 - Close caption your content.

Google treats captioning like page copy and this optimizes your content for search. You can even make your video accessible to broader audiences by captioning it in multiple languages. 

Tip 5 - Embed your video on your website.

I’ve found that unless you have a specific reason for growing your Youtube channel, it’s best to get viewers engaged on your website rather than on Youtube's play page. Embed your video on an accessible page with the likelihood of good traffic. Make sure your page is also targeting for the same keywords. Keep the video front and center by embedding it above the fold where it will not be passed over. Size the player box appropriately. Usually 640 pixels by 360p pixels is good enough. 

Tip 6 - Disable suggested videos. 

Don’t give your users a chance to leave your website or see a competitor's content. Keep them on your site where they can purchase or learn more about your brand.

Tip 7 - Take advantage of Youtube’s playlist feature to organize your channel. 

The ability to group videos via your product or service offerings can be a handy tool. It also allows you to organize their viewing experience. You can define the order in which videos play. 

Tip 8 - Follow the metrics.

YouTube provides you free stats which can help you improve your video marketing strategies.

Tip 9 - Outreach like crazy.

Share your content with viewers to generate view velocity!  You need view velocity for your videos to rise in Youtube searches! Be ready to post your video to social media channels or blog posts.