creating a youtube channel

YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, is the world’s second largest search engine and has become a major social media channel. In January 2012, YouTube took its claim to 4 billion video views per day according to the Huffington Post. Yes, 4 billion per day! That is neither a typo nor a surprise. People search YouTube for a variety of videos and many of these videos are then shared with others via e-mail or Facebook. Some people search YouTube for information videos or how-to’s, some search for highlights of sporting events, some for comedy, and some search for nostalgic videos like old funny commercials that aren’t seen on TV anymore.  And a large percentage of people, like me, use YouTube for searching for, and then sharing, music videos.

YouTube provides a free space in which the user can set up a channel, optimize it with keywords, descriptions, and of course videos. This is not just great for the general public, but is a phenomenal way to advertise. It is very easy to generate viral marketing via YouTube if the channel is setup and optimized correctly.

So, if you do not already have a YouTube channel setup optimized for search, here are the step-by-step instructions.

1)    You will need to set up the account if you do not already have one. The best way is by setting up a Gmail account. If you have a Gmail account already, you can login to it and then click YouTube from the tool bar. If you are a business you will want to use a Gmail account with your business name in it.

2)    Once logged into YouTube set up your profile. This is pretty easy. There is a menu list on the top left corner of the landing page right next to where the photo goes. Click on ‘My Channel’.

3)    Once on your channel page, you will see the ‘About’ with your name. There is an edit button next to it. Click on that.

4)    Once in that screen you will see where you can add content about your business. This is where you can add a description and add keywords. You can also link your YouTube channel to Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, which we recommend. Once finished click ‘Apply’.

5)    You will see that there is an option to add other channels. This is a great way to organize and promote a variety of topics/products. For instance, if you sell clothes for both people and pets you could set up a channel for the pet shop with doggie and kitty fashion shows and another channel for runway videos promoting your latest women’s apparel.

Now that you have your channels set up it is time to upload your really awesome viral videos!

a)    You will see on your ‘My Channel’ page a ‘Video Manager’ tab in the upper right corner. Click it.

b)    Once in that screen you can upload a video by simply clicking on the ‘Upload’ button in the top left corner. It is pretty self-explanatory from there.

c)     Once you have your video uploaded you can optimize it for search capabilities. This is great fun and you should take full advantage of video optimization.

d)    You can add a title, description, and keyword tags.  Make sure the video is set to public and that the category is correct. Then click to advanced settings and make sure the video is viewable via mobile phones and TV.

e)    Once finished, click ‘Save’ and your videos are searchable and ready for viewing.

The next blog in this series will give you tips on how to take advantage of Channel Monetization and Google Creative Commons for YouTube.

The team at Behla Design, Graphic Design & Web Development, is dedicated to creating visual experiences that effectively tell our clients’ stories while engaging, exciting, and enticing their customers. Our firm consists of top web design, web development, WordPress, search engine optimization (SEO), and copywriting professionals and our founder, Andrew Behla, who has worked in the graphic, print and web design industry for over twenty years.

Contact us today for more information.