So you’ve got a marketing video on YouTube? You and one billion other people! Welcome to the club – or maybe it’s more like a mosh pit. If you’re going to join the 100 hours of new video content that is uploaded to YouTube every hour of every day, your video better be worth watching.
Just to put it in perspective, if you decided to watch every video on YouTube, it would take you over 8,000 years! More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major U.S. networks created in the last 60 years.
The viewing statistics for YouTube are staggering, and that makes it exceedingly difficult to make your video stand out. So how do you increase your chances of getting your one in a billion video seen?
There are 10 crucial keys to YouTube success and, coincidentally, all ten begin with the letter C. The first three are mandatory, but the more you have, the better your chances of success…
- Content – Yes, content is still king. It’s the core of your video. You have to say, do, show or teach something worthwhile. Make your message matter.
- Compelling – Your video has to be captivating and engaging. Otherwise, why the hell would anyone bother watching it? Make sure your video passes the “who cares?” test. The first 7 to 15 seconds are key, so make sure your video has a powerful hook!
- Call to Action – A video without a call to action is pointless. What do you want your viewer to do when they watch your video? Tell them that! You must include a direct and specific call to action.
- Creative – With 4 billion video views per day on YouTube, your video needs something special to stand out. Get creative. Make your video unique, unusual or just plain awesome.
- Charisma – If you’re going to be on camera in your video, you’ve got to turn on the charisma! The more magnetic your personality, the better. If you don’t possess a lot of “natural” charisma, use costumes, kids, props, pets, guests… anything to give your video that spark of personality.
- Character – If you can’t summon up your charisma, then you can have (or be) a character. Let your personality shine. Be fully self-expressed. You can even take on an alter-ego like I do with my “Cecil B. DeMoron” video tips. Don’t be afraid to find your “inner actor” and perform.
- Comedy – Show them the funny! It’s not easy to pull off, but it’s definitely nice to have. Inject humor into your video whenever possible and appropriate. It’s no coincidence that most viral videos are funny.
- Crazy – Be surprising, unexpected, shocking, unique, fun – anything in the “crazy” category will get you views.
- Community – YouTube is social, so you must embrace and nurture the community in order to be noticed. Collaborate, cooperate and cross-promote with other YouTubers.
- Curation – There’s obviously a ton of content on YouTube, and you can often succeed simply by helping folks make sense of it all. Curate the content. Offer reviews and help organize the video chaos for YouTube viewers.
Now use this 10 C checklist to see how your video measures up. Make sure you’ve got the first three on list, then pile on the other C’s to see real success on YouTube.
Do you have other tips and tricks you’re using to get your YouTube videos viewed? Please share them in the comments below.
