Advanced YouTube Strategy: The Road to Content Creator Success

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Users spend millions of hours a day browsing various content. It creates the potential for content creators to make a name for themselves and thus acts as a magnet - attracting more and more creators. The opportunity is great, not only for individual creators but also for companies that use the platform to promote their brands or reach more potential customers. However, before launching and successfully growing a YouTube channel, we need an advanced YouTube strategy. What does this mean?

An advanced YouTube strategy involves more than just uploading videos and hoping for views and subscribers. To truly succeed on the platform, you need a well-thought-out plan that takes into account content creation, optimization, promotion, and audience engagement. 

Here's a comprehensive guide to help you develop an advanced YouTube strategy:

✅ NICHE SELECTION 

Identify a niche or topic you are passionate about and have expertise in, and research your niche to understand the competition and audience demand.

✅ QUALITY PRODUCTION

Invest in good quality equipment for video and audio recording. Remember to focus on video editing, graphics, and overall production quality to make your content visually appealing.

✅CONTENT PLANNING AND CONSISTENT UPLOAD SCHEDULE

Create a content calendar to maintain consistency in your uploads. Develop a unique value proposition for your channel that sets you apart from competitors. Diversify your content with different formats (tutorials, vlogs, reviews, etc.) to appeal to a vast audience.

Upload Schedule is best practice to publish at a fixed time on a particular day. It gets your audience used to a routine. They will know that this is the day when they can expect your new videos. We can communicate the information about the day of publication, for example, on the channel banner, in the About section, in the video description, at the end of the video, in your cards and annotations. Advertise it in as many places as possible to communicate with your audience.

✅ SEO OPTIMIZATION

Perform keyword research to find relevant and high-search-volume keywords for your videos. Optimize video titles, descriptions, tags, and thumbnails using your target keywords.

Create compelling thumbnails that grab viewers' attention. Make sure thumbnails are clear, bright, high contrast, well-framed, in focus, and a relatively high resolution (640px x 360px minimum). Keep it to a 16:9 aspect ratio. Benchmark your thumbnails with top-rated videos on YouTube for ideas. 

Create a Channel Trailer. It is a short video that briefly introduces the subject matter of your channel and shows viewers what content is here. The trailer is made to encourage new viewers to subscribe to your channel. For returning viewers, you can set up any video of your choice. You can make changes whenever you want, without restrictions. 

Channel sections - it is managing your videos on the homepage. Start by organizing your videos into thematic playlists, and then create sections. These can be playlist sections. You can also show what recently was uploaded to the channel by selecting "uploaded videos." The section will automatically show the latest uploads. In the sections you can tag your other channels, channels you collaborate with or channels you like. There are plenty of options to suit your preferences and ideas. Don't forget catchy titles and short playlist descriptions to help viewers find the content for them. You can make changes whenever you want. The only limitation is space. There is provision for a maximum of 12 sections.

Use cards and end screens. You can link to other videos, playlists, your website, your blog, and your fan funding page (like Patreon). There are many options to take advantage of.

Use branding watermark. It will appear in the lower right corner of the video screen along with the button to subscribe to the channel. You can choose the appropriate display time option. It can also be at the beginning of the video. And what is most important, from here, new viewers can easily subscribe to your channel.

✅AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

Respond promptly to comments and engage with your audience to build a community. Conduct polls, Q&A sessions, and live streams to interact with your viewers in real time. Encourage likes, shares, and subscriptions through CTAs (Calls to Action).

✅ COLLABORATIONS AND PROMOTION

Collaborate with other YouTubers or influencers in your niche to reach a broader audience. Guest appearances on the other channels can also drive traffic to your content.

Share your videos on social media platforms, forums, and relevant online communities. Consider running YouTube ads to reach a larger audience.

✅ ANALYTICS AND DATA:

Regularly analyze YouTube Analytics to understand viewer behavior and improve Your Channel. Use data to refine your content strategy, focusing on what works best for your audience. 

Pay attention to the Watch Time Report, Audience Retention Report, Traffic Sources Report, and Annotations Report. 

The watch time report tells when people are viewing your content. It can help you to decide when the best time to upload new videos is.

Check the audience retention report to find when and how viewers are lost. It allows you to make changes to the structure of your next videos.

Traffic Sources Report will help you to discover how people are finding your videos.

Experiment with A/B testing to improve video performance. Follow the principle of “check, measure, and next steps” and experiment.

✅ LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Be aware of copyright and fair use laws. Disclose sponsorships and paid promotions transparently.

Maintain a high level of professionalism and ethical conduct. Create content while respecting YouTube community guidelines.

✅ CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Stay updated with YouTube's algorithm changes and best practices.

Learn from successful YouTubers in your niche by analyzing their strategies. If possible, attend YouTube-related conferences and webinars to network and gain insights.

✅ PATIENCE AND PERSISTENCE

Building a successful YouTube channel takes time. Be patient and persistent, even if you don't see immediate results. Keep learning from your mistakes and improving your content. An advanced YouTube strategy requires dedication, creativity, and adaptability. Consistently providing value to your audience and staying true to your niche will help you grow your channel over time.

Good luck!