YouTube

The Best Time to Post YouTube Videos

Best Time to Post YouTube Videos

A video content strategy is hopefully one piece of it. A solid content marketing strategy involves posting engaging content to the right audience at optimum times. With so many new ways to deliver video content – Facebook Live, Instagram Live, and of course YouTube – it can be challenging to know what to post and when. Experience and a good traffic analytics platform can help determine how effective your current social media strategy is. This becomes more complex when working out the details a video marketing campaign. Have you ever wondered if you are posting your YouTube videos at the right time of day on the best day of the week? I am often asked, “What more can you do to build my audience?”

It takes more than a cookie cutter approach to achieve real success a social media. At the enterprise level. For the brands I work with, we not only set goals for every campaign, but also for every piece of content too. We do a lot of experimenting. Our teams have to be open-minded and willing to consider new ideas. Lately, it seems like new features on social media channels are coming at us every month! We also routinely examine metrics and allow followers to tell us, via data, how we should proceed.

To get the most out of content, it should be posted when your audience is most active online. WE often see that online shoppers view products during the day, but don’t actually purchase until the viewing or somewhere else down the consideration phase Sometimes teams do not examine their social media data at this granular of a level. Discovering and optimizing the best times to post on social media is discussed, but it is also often ignored too. To be successful we have to adjust our strategy to align with what we measure.

I have worked hard to grow my YouTube channel: from talking to a vacant camera lens in an empty room to answering comments from my followers. Now I am an Entrepreneu.com contributor.

As I grew my channel subscriber count, I always knew I needed to post new videos when my audience was most active online I had read a few articles that told me that Saturday mornings are a popular time and so are Tuesdays. What I did not is if these are good days for my subscribers!

At a, speaking engagement last year, someone asked me how to deal with the lack of YouTube data! Arg! I could not disagree more! YouTube gives creators a lot of data that can help grow a channel. I knew the best time to post on YouTube had to be in YouTube analytics, but I could never find it!

After a few failed attempts at manipulating the YouTube watch time reports, I found the data view I needed. Finding the best time to post new videos for YOUR viewers is actually easy.
To see the best time to post new videos to your YouTube channel, look at the Watch Time data. To see this report, log into your channel as an admin. Go to the Creator Studio area and then head over to your Analytics section. Under the Watch Time Report heading, choose Watch Time Report.

This is a useful report for everything from video view length, watch time in hours, views, YouTube Red watch time, YouTube Red views, and Average view duration.

YouTube’s default time duration for reporting is in weeks and days. If you do not choose a default, you’ll see daily data in your charts and tables. To see your best times to post, you will need to change these settings.

Click on the gear icon to see your default report settings. Change the frequency for charts and tables to daily. Change the unit for measuring watch time to hours. That’s it. GO back to your watch time report and see what days gave you the most views.

in order to gather data on your viewer’s behavior, you have to generate viewership data first. The only way to do this is by experimenting with upload times.

Eventually, you should establish a consistent video posting schedule. This way your followers will know when to expect new content. This is the same methodology also works for bloggers. Note to self, I am two days late getting this post up!

I do not recommend focusing only one marketing channel. Like I stated in one of my early videos, “Don’t ever be dependent on one large customer!” Brands should not solely rely on one marketing channel. If you have only one way to talk to your customers, and that avenue changes (we see it happen all the time) then your business can suddenly be in a lot of trouble fast!

How To Use YouTube End Screens With Your Videos

by Admin

How To Use YouTube End Screens With Your Videos

Videos are an effective way to tell your brand’s story or to demonstrate a product. Add video to an email, and see how click-through rates increase! When they add genuine value, videos increase the amount of time website visitors stay on a page and are associated with higher conversion rates.

If you are you using videos as part of your marketing strategy, you may also be hosting them on a YouTube channel. At least you should be. YouTube has over one billion users! That is more than 30% of the entire internet audience!* If you have not launched your video marketing strategy because you are camera shy, then consult my recent post on Entrepreneur.com, “How to Create Video Content Without Being on Camera”, which demonstrates several ways to help you get your brand on YouTube.

One of the challenges video marketers face is how to deliver the viewer to the conversion with the least number of clicks. Meaning, if someone is watching a video on YouTube, how do you make it easy for the viewer to click over to a website or campaign-landing page to make a sale? YouTube offers several optional features to make videos clickable. These include end screens, annotations, cards, and channel branding watermarks. Each feature is available to all channels.

If you are trying to build your viewership on YouTube, end screens are a feature that is easy to add to any video to help you increase your number of subscribers and watch channel time. YouTube end screens can help increase subscriptions on your YouTube channel, send viewers to your website, sell online, or even crowdfund.

YouTube end screens are both prominent and clickable.[Figure 1] An end screen shows as two overlay images that appear at the end of a video. Content creators may choose to use up to four end screen elements to show to viewers such as subscribe to the channel, suggest the next video or playlist to watch, promote another channel, or link to an approved website (yours or an ecommerce site like iTunes.)

Figure 1 Photo credit: YouTube.com

I recommend choosing the “subscribe” element to encourage users to subscribe to your channel. When a viewer subscribes to your channel, as opposed to just watching videos and leaving, they receive an email notification from YouTube every time the channel has a new video uploaded. The email notification encourages the reader to watch the new video, which in turn, increases your watch time.

Encourage viewers to remain on your channel by suggesting the next video to watch with an end screen. Choose the “video or playlist” end screen to direct viewers to watch another one of your videos or playlists. Don’t let your viewers stray to another channel’s content; suggest what they should watch next on your channel!

Choose to “link to an approved website” to get more potential customers to your website or ecommerce platform. I use this option to send viewers to my own website. If you are selling online with a major ecommerce platform like iTunes, Google Play, or Shopify, then add a link to your store with an end card. This option is also useful for crowdfunding campaigns.

The biggest downside to end screens is that they only appear during the last 20 seconds of any video! That means if your watch time is short and viewers are not staying until the end, then they may never see your end screen. Another negative is that end screens also suppress the channel’s branding while they are showing. That is easily corrected by choosing the “subscribe” option as one of your end screen elements. With three templates available for easy setup, end screens look very professional! Just choose which elements you want to use.

Besides end screens, YouTube offers two other features that are also clickable – annotations and cards. Video creators can opt to use either one to direct viewers to watch another video, to promote a channel, or to link to an approved website.

As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages. I always recommend using YouTube cards with your videos. Cards can be used in conjunction with end screens, annotations, and channel branding. They appear as a small notification in the upper right corner of a video, as the letter “i.” Like end screens, cards show on both desktop and mobile devices. Unlike end screens, cards are not especially prominent.

The advantages of annotations is that they can be designed to be prominent, they can occur at any time in a video, and they can prompt users to take action. However, annotations only work for desktop viewers, and with over half of YouTube views occurring on mobile devices, end screens may be the better choice!

End screens and cards both work on desktop and mobile devices. They can be used separately or together. However, content creators cannot use end screens and annotations together, as YouTube does not allow both to exist on the same video.

Review your channel analytics to see what devices your viewership uses most. Look at your channel analytics, specifically at watch time reports and devices, to determine what is best for them and what is going to work for you. If you see that your users are not sticking around to the ends of your videos, then an end screen may not be the best choice for you.

Source:
https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html

How to Set Default YouTube Upload Settings

by Admin

How to Set Default YouTube Upload Settings

Videos are one of the best ways to tell your brand’s story. It is an engaging form of content marketing that really helps a brand make that important personal connection with viewers. I encourage my clients to incorporate video into their marketing strategy and have been for years. Video marketing content is much cheaper to produce than it was just a few years ago. The only equipment needed is a smartphone and a basic editing app. As you progress through your videography skills, you will add to and upgrade your equipment to include a quality microphone and lighting.

I hope that you are using your video content on your website. Include video in your ecommerce campaign landing pages to help viewers make their buying decision. Videos increase conversions when they are informative and demonstrate your product or brand in a clear manner.

YouTube is probably one of your other video hosting spots. It is after all, the second largest search engine after Google.com. Although the search volume is less, so is the competition. SEO for YouTube is a bit easier too. YouTube creators need to understand how their descriptions and titles help them be discovered. Consulting a channel’s YouTube analytics on a regular basis will also help to grow your YouTube channel’s audience.

Adding relevant information to a YouTube’s video description (the text below the video) helps other people find your content. That means it is easier for you to reach a larger audience through the suggested videos. shown as “Up next” in the right-side column on a YouTube channel or watch page. When you have lengthy information to include with each video, such as your contact information or useful links from the video, filling it out each time can be time consuming and lead to mistakes.

I have a long block of text on each of my Youtube videos that includes all of my social media contact information and a generic description and title that are altered with every new upload. I also have the category set, as well as the language, privacy settings, category, ad formats allowed etc… There are 15 default settings for every video. Use all of them!

Instead of starting from scratch each time a new video is uploaded to YouTube, adjust the default settings so you at least have a base of settings and descriptions to work with. It is a time saver and helps reduce errors. Although a lot of the information must be edited each time, like date and location, it is still a great time –saver.

Figure 1

Here’s How to Set Default YouTube Upload Settings

Go to your YouTube account
Sign in as an administrator
In the top right, select the “Creator Studio”
In the menu on the left, drop down the Channel menu then choose “Upload defaults” [Figure 1]
Set your default settings
Choose “Save”

After the defaults are set, every time a new video is uploaded, these default settings, including description text are auto-populated. I do customize my title, description and keywords for every video and you should too! It is a good idea to set these to match the actual content of each video. It will help your video be more discoverable via YouTube searches. Even though my social media connections remain the same and are listed in the description field, the three-sentence description and title of the video are specific and unique to each situation.

How to Drive More Traffic from YouTube Videos With End Screens

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How to Drive More Traffic from YouTube Videos With End Screens

Last weekend I saw a new feature in my metrony YouTube channel admin section. It is called an “end screen.” As the name suggests, an end screen is an overlay that appears at the end of a video – specifically during the last 20 seconds. A YouTube end screens offer suggested content for your viewers to watch next. Rather than letting users click away after watching your video, viewers are prompted to watch another video, visit a playlist, or go to your website. This helps creators grow their viewership by increasing the time spent on the channel. It can also improve clicks to an associated website.

If you are not familiar with YouTube cards and annotations, check out some of my past blog posts. I produced videos on how to improve your YouTube videos, these include:

How to Optimize your YouTube channel
Make Your YouTube Videos Clickable With Annotations
7 Ways to Instantly Make Your YouTube Videos Better!

YouTube has over a billion users who watch over 4,950,000,000 videos every day!

There are a few ways to get more website traffic or YouTube watch time from within YouTube videos. When I write about or give workshops on ecommerce strategies, I sometimes talk about YouTube as a search engine. After all, it is the second largest search engine next to mama Google.com. Other times, I discuss YouTube as a social media channel, because it is that as well.

Regardless of label, YouTube is a fabulous addition to your content marketing strategy. Shoppers are 80% more likely to buy a product after seeing it in a video. Video titles and descriptions can and should be optimized for SEO. YouTube is a far less competitive search engine than Google.com making it much easier to be found in searches.

Up until last weekend, we had two ways to drive actual clicks to a website from YouTube – one was YouTube cards and the other was annotations. YouTube cards display an “information” icon that viewers can tap to visit the website associated with a channel. Cards can also direct users to other YouTube channels, playlists, polls or donation requests YouTube cards work on both mobile and desktop.

The other way to make a video clickable is to use YouTube annotations. Annotations allow creators to ad pop up quote bubbles or notes prompting users with a call-to-action. Viewers can subscribe to a channel, visit the associated website, jump to a playlist, or crowdfunding project. It is important to understand that annotations are only visible on the desktop version of YouTube.

YouTube annotations are supposed to be replaced by cards, but for now they both still exist and we use them both until we hear otherwise.

Enter the end screen. End screens do a lot of what annotations do – direct users to a website, playlist, video, or to subscribe. However, they have two huge differences – they work on mobile and they can only be placed during the last 20 seconds of a video. If your viewers do not stick around until the end, this is an issue!

The end screen takes the place of annotations but with one caveat. They can only be placed during the last 20 seconds of a video. They are similar to annotations but look a lot prettier even if you are just using one of the template end screens.

YouTube end screens versus annotations versus cards:

Cards and end screens work on mobile and desktop versions of YouTube
Annotations only work on desktop
The average mobile user stays for 40 minutes per session
Annotations can appear anywhere in a video
End screens can only occur in the final 20 seconds of a video
End screen elements and annotations cannot be used on the same video

Your viewership may have different viewing habits. Check your YouTube analytics to see who your channel serves best and optimize accordingly. My channel still has a lot of desktop viewers, so I use all three options. Remember: End screens and annotations can’t be used on the same video! Check out my first video using end cards, viewers can see the end screen at time = 3:52. I allow YouTube to suggest the next video (of mine) for you to watch.

End screens are far more professional looking than annotations. They are more definitely obvious than cards. The best features is that end screens work on BOTH mobile and desktop! The biggest detractor is that YouTube end screen only appear in the last 20 seconds. So get your watch times up there and be sure to use all options available to your channel: YouTube end screens, cards and annotations.

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html
http://www.statisticbrain.com/youtube-statistics/

Brands Should Rethink Their Video Ad Strategy

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Brands Should Rethink Their Video Ad Strategy

Recently Digiday reported that an incredible 85% of Facebook videos are watched with the sound muted. That seems astonishingly high, right? Keep in mind that Facebook reports a video ad view after only three seconds of play. That means, if you are sitting on the train ride home and accidentally tap the play arrow to start a video, then three seconds later, bam!; You are counted as having watched a video.

Does 85% seems crazy high to you? Yeah, me too. As an advertiser, I am more interested in viewers who stayed to watch a little longer. Someone who watched for at least 30 seconds has shown more interest and intent then those accidental three-second views.

Either way, content creators must keep in mind that a video viewer may be watching a video with the sound muted or in a setting where it is hard to hear. Videos must convey their message with the sound off as well as on. Few can get everything across to a muted watcher, but at least the main points should get through.

How does a video ad creator accomplish this? One very important feature for both the sound-on and sound-off experience is to capture the audience’s attention immediately. Tell them what they are going to see next. Tell them, and tell them quickly!

Tips for the sound-off video experience:

Capture viewers’ attention within the first 8 – 10 seconds. Tell the viewers exactly what they are going to see in just a few words
Add captions – Word-for-word caption can be added to the upload. Another option is to add text right on the screen. You do not have to add everything, just the main points
Show them – Try to show viewers with graphics or post-production editing, the main points of the content. Don’t overdo it by making it complicated
Be mindful of your average watch times – Both Facebook and YouTube analytics give channel admins average watch times. What is the average amount of time a user stays on a video? It is probably under three minutes

Anything above that is a great number! Unless you are creating step-by-step tutorials or teaching complex topics, it is best to keep videos short and sweet. If your watch time is short or your videos are not attracting your ideal audience, then it is time to rethink your scripts and audience targeting.

Sources:
http://digiday.com/platforms/silent-world-facebook-video/

Spend $150 on Ads – Get a FREE Video Spot – Courtesy of YouTube

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Spend $150 on Ads and Get a FREE Video Spot – Courtesy of YouTube

YouTube has offered to pay the cost of having a professional YouTube filmmaker create a video to promote your business! It gets better. The filmmaker comes to YOU! Sound too good to be true? Well it is true! Businesses in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco that commit to spending only $150 on YouTube videos advertising – a small price to pay – can get a YouTube-vetted filmmaker visit their business to film a video spot free of charge!

Videos are the most compelling way for a business to tell their story to current and potential customers. Videos should get their message out within the first ten seconds! The goal is to capture the viewer’s attention and get them to watch the remainder of the video. Good quality sound is an absolute necessary. Viewers will tolerate videos shot on smartphones as long as the images are clear.

The free filming is available through YouTube’s Director onsite service. Although the service is only available in six U.S. cities, more locations may be added in the future. Watch time on YouTube is up more than 50% for the third year in a row. YouTube reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds on mobile devices than any TV network. Digital advertising is predicted to exceed TV spend next year for the first time with a total of $77.4 billion. [1]

Brands can now buys spots for “Breakout” viral videos which allows advertisers to insert spots into the “hottest and fastest-rising” videos on YouTube.

[1] Source: “Here’s What YouTube Promised Advertisers at Its Star-Studded BrandCast 2016.” AdWeek. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2016.