Week 5: How to Deliver the Ultimate YouTube Channel Experience

It’s the fifth week in our blog series ‘Use YouTube to your advantage: A Marketing Manual’ where we will show you how to deliver a better YouTube channel experience.

Your channel is the face of your brand (at least when it comes to your content on YouTube) and so, it should clearly communicate what your brand is all about.  By creating a clear and detailed channel, you are delivering an excellent channel experience for existing subscribers and potential new ones!

Here are some recommendations for providing a promising channel experience…

1) Channel Name

Your channel name is what your channel is known by. It’s what shows up on YouTube when watching one of your videos and people can click on it to go to your channel. Choose a name for your channel that’s short, unique but memorable. Your channel name will appear across YouTube, so make sure that it accurately and effectively represents the personality of your brand!

2) Channel Icon

YouTube allows you to upload a small, square image that acts as your channel’s icon across the site.  This image will not only appear on your channel, but also alongside all of your videos on the watch page, so be sure to upload a high-resolution file.  In most cases, this can be your brand’s logo.

3) Channel Description

Make sure to include a detailed and up-to-date description for your channel.  This is where you can describe your brand in full, provide links to company websites and share a video upload schedule so that your audience is encouraged to subscribe.  The first few words of your channel description appear across YouTube, so be sure to highlight the most important information at the start.

4) Channel Art

Channel art, which appears as the background of your channel page, should include customised and compelling images that attract your audience’s attention. Don’t make it too busy, as complicated backgrounds do not translate well on mobile devices and could distract users from your content. Links to your company website and social media profiles can also be included in your channel art.  Once you have created and uploaded your art, be sure to check how it looks on YouTube search results, “related channels” links, and on the channel browse page. These YouTube pages will display your channel art, along with your name and icon, in a small box that links back to your channel.

5) Channel Trailer

YouTube gives you the option of including a channel trailer. This appears at the centre of your channel and will play automatically when users visit the page. The trailer is your opportunity to tell new visitors what to expect from your channel and to encourage them to subscribe. Remember,  show, don’t tell – this will keep your video to the point!  Include examples of your best content and maintain a voice that is consistent with the rest of your uploads.

6) Sections

Use the sections of your YouTube channel to organize videos, playlists, and even other YouTube accounts within your channel’s Browse page. Within these sections, you can divide your content by genre, theme, show, or any other categories that suit your channel type or industry.  By organizing your content, you ensure that your audience will find what is most relevant to them with minimal effort.

7) Recent Activity

Your most recent posts and YouTube activity will appear on your channel page.  By regularly using YouTube to watch, like, and comment on videos, you can keep this feed updated and give subscribers a reason to check your channel  regularly.

8) Related Channels

YouTube offers the option to enable or disable the Related Channels section of your channel homepage, which promotes and recommends channels similar to yours. Though disabling this option may seem valuable, as it prevents users from leaving your page, it actually pulls your channel from being promoted on other likewise channels! So, enable this feature in order to optimize your channel reach.

9) Featured Channels

 If you have more than one YouTube channel for your brand or are working in partnership with other YouTube users, use the Featured Channels option. This feature allows you to select and promote other YouTube users on your channel page. With the “shuffle” option for this feature, you can effectively promote a number of channels while ensuring visibility for each one.

Now that you know how to set up your YouTube channel, so that it clearly reflects your brand, it’s time to put these tips into practice. Show your existing followers you value their subscriptions and new users that you care about your brand and their custom.

Make sure to check out next week’s post on the importance of YouTube playlists. Organising your videos will boost the viewer’s experience and increase the time they spend on your channel.