Optimize YouTube for Lead Generation

Optimize YouTube for Leads Generation

YouTube is a massive platform for video content. It's important to stay ahead of the game, as YouTube is the third most visited website in the world. People watch over 4 billion videos on the platform daily, so finding your way to stand out is a challenging but crucial task for success.

Are you ready to grow your business this year? Here's how you can fine-tune your channel to generate more traffic to your website and gain leads from potential customers.

 S1: Take a SEO-First Approach

You've probably experienced this when setting up your blog and social media platforms. However, when it comes to generating leads from YouTube, having a solid SEO strategy is equally, or maybe even more, important.

YouTube is not only a video platform or a social media channel—it is also the second most popular search engine after Google. Users make over 3 billion monthly searches, so the competition is fierce.

Remember that SEO is a process, not just a step. You'll need to tweak and refine your optimization to stay at the top of relevant searches on YouTube.

a) Make Keyword Lists

If you've never taken keyword lists seriously, this is an excellent time to start. The typical YouTube search looks different from Google searches: People tend to use only one or two keywords rather than ask complex questions. Start by making a list of the critical keywords in your industry or niche, and ensure you use them liberally without going to the extreme end of keyword stuffing.

b) Optimize Your Channel

Use your main keywords in your YouTube channel description. Reinforce important keywords with links to your website. Add specific landing pages where viewers can find more information on your specialist topics to send targeted traffic to certain sections of your website.

c) Optimize Your Videos

i) Use keywords, including long-tail keywords, in video titles. If possible, also include your brand name

ii) Build punchy titles

iii) Use hashtags

iv) Promote your channel and other videos

v) Spend some extra time on each video description. Many great videos go unwatched because the creator appears to have run out of steam right after uploading the video! Include primary and secondary or supporting keywords in the video descriptions. If appropriate, add shortened links to sources.

vi) Add a call to action (CTA), such as clicking on a link to your website where people can sign up for future special offers.

vii) If the video duration exceeds ten minutes, provide time stamps. People appreciate being able to find important information within seconds rather than having to wade through your introduction every time. Time stamps make it easy for YouTube to measure engagement, but they also signal interest in specific content and provide good ideas for new videos.

S2: Make Great Content

YouTube spends millions on analyzing users' keyword searches. They use complex algorithms to narrow down the user's intent and then provide results that aim to satisfy the searcher's particular need. You need to match your content to what the viewer wants to achieve.

a) Define User Intent

Before you make a video, ask yourself: What questions will this video answer? What problems can it resolve? If you can identify customers' pain points, you can create a topic list around solving their problems. Then, structure each video to provide a solution as elegantly and succinctly as possible.

b) Vary the Format

Every successful channel has one or two specialty formats that always hit the target. But don't get complacent. Mix things up a little to keep your audience engaged. Apart from product demonstrations, reviews, or instruction videos, you can also experiment with hosting live Q&A sessions or webinars that give your audience the opportunity to engage with you in real time.

c) Mind YouTube's Critical Ranking Signals

YouTube rewards success with more success. They measure a host of engagement metrics to see how viewers engage with you. The metrics form part of an algorithm that determines future visibility on YouTube.

Encourage subscribers. Ask viewers for comments, likes, and sharing, as they strongly signal customer engagement. Another vital metric is how long people spend watching your videos. YouTube also uses Session Watch Time to measure user engagement.

For example, it's great if someone watches a 30-minute-long video from start to finish. But if they immediately dive into more of your videos or look for a playlist, that's an even stronger sign that your content resonates with viewers.

S3: Keep Viewers Watching For Longer

The longer viewers spend on your videos, the more ranking juice you'll earn. Fortunately, YouTube offers several tools that can help to get people to stick around.

i) Tagging: Tagging adds similar videos to groups. This marks your video as a "related video" when viewers look for similar content.

ii) Transcripts and captions: Accurate captions will boost your videos far beyond those that use auto-generated YouTube closed captions. Transcripts make your videos accessible to people who prefer reading, not watching. It can score several points with the YouTube algorithm.

iii) Interactive linking: Links to high-value, relevant content like your website. You can also use links to specific landing pages for special offers to promote products and services, user surveys, or collaborating businesses and partnerships.

iv) YouTube Cards: A special CTA that appears on the video as a clickable card. You can use up to five cards per video.

v) Content Cards: An on-screen icon button with a drop-down list of content from your channel.

vi) Playlists: As soon as you have a small collection of related videos, start organizing them in playlists. They help to avoid clutter on the channel and ease viewers into sticking around rather than searching for related content.

However, the most significant benefit of the playlists is the SEO payoff. When you upload, the search engine will index your videos as standalones. However, when you add a video to a playlist, it gets indexed again. Double indexing is great!

Step 4: Grow Your Channel

Marketing your YouTube channel relies on the same general marketing principles as your website, online shop, or brand recognition. 

a) Know your audience; Know your competition

You have to know what people want before you can fulfill their needs. Take a leaf from a professional marketer's book to enrich your customer and competitor research. Use a VPN to stay anonymous while checking out competitions.

Visit their channels, watch their videos, and read their fans' feedback. Then, change the location of your server. This third-person perspective will show you how they've adapted their strategies to serve different markets in other countries and locations.

YouTube's Mr. Ballen is a great example of satisfying viewers in different countries and languages.

With a VPN, you'll gain valuable insight and get some tips on how to market your product or service better in specific locations. Make this part of your research painless by choosing the fastest VPN on the market. Look for a VPN that uses the latest protocols, like WireGuard or OpenVPN. It should have servers all over the globe so that the rerouting won't affect your connection speed.

b) Collaboration and Partnerships

It takes time to earn your chops on YouTube, even if you're a subject expert. One way to get there faster is by collaborating with other YouTube creators and influencers in your field.

Also, look for suitable matches in complementary or adjacent fields. You could make a few videos together, promote each other's channels, or co-host live-streaming events you may not be ready for alone.

Both parties benefit, as each creator will get exposure to the other's followers, unlocking new audiences.

c) YouTube Ads

YouTube ads can generate a higher ROI than other platforms, and you don't need a big cash flow to make it happen. YouTube has an excellent built-in analytics tool to help you steer and develop your advertising strategy.

For example, you can select audiences based on behavior, context, geolocation, search, and other criteria to ensure you get the best bang for your buck. You only pay when people engage with your advertisements for 30 seconds or longer. You don't pay when people skip your ads. 

i) Keep it short—15 seconds, but no longer than 60 seconds. People will use the "skip ad" button if it's longer. 30-second ads have the highest view-through rate (VTR).

ii) Optimize for mobile: Keep it bright, clear, and straightforward. Use graphics and descriptive text.

iii) Include CTAs: Tell people what to do next. For example: "Visit our website @… to get this special offer."

iv) CTA's: Include call-to-action buttons in the ad.

v) Forms: Use lead forms as a part of your ad campaign.

Mastering the YouTube Algorithm

Mastering the YouTube Algorithm is easier than getting to the top of Google search results. On Google, you're competing with all the content everywhere on the internet.

However, on YouTube, it's a closed environment; other videos are your only competitors for the top keyword results.

If your videos are great and have a successful SEO strategy, winning the algorithm battle becomes far easier.