Here are 5 YouTube tips for construction companies to start and grow their YouTube channel into a successful one. How do you produce and upload a video? And how does your target audience find you on such a large platform? If these are questions that come up in your marketing meetings, you’re in the right place. We researched these topics ourselves and we are sharing our findings with you.
To summarize, YouTube is the world’s biggest video-sharing platform. This social media channel even boasts more engagement than Facebook. According to a 2019 article by MavSocial, visitors spend approx. 40 minutes / day on the platform. As a supercharged social media tool, it can increase awareness of your brand, and build you an audience of followers who have the potential of becoming customers over time. Videos that are useful to viewers will get you traffic especially if you use search engine optimization (SEO) to make your video content searchable and findable on Google.
But let’s face it, YouTube is pretty intimidating for the majority of us. So, here are some YouTube tips for beginners and aspiring YouTubers. These YouTube channel tips will help you grow your channel and drive traffic without breaking the bank.
1. Research Your Topic (YouTube Tips)
After you sign up for YouTube account (it’s free), follow these steps:
- Find a target keyword or keyword phrase
- Scope out your competition
- Search Google
Find the target keyword
Find the target keyword (or key phrase) for the topic of your video – for example, if you want to make a video that gives homeowners advice on how to paint their deck, you may want to try key phrases such as ‘DIY how to paint my deck’ or ‘tips for painting your deck’ or ‘deck painting for homeowners’
- Use Google Search to help you arrive at one that people search for.
- Use Google’s Keyword Planner if you have an Ads account
- Or install Keywords Everywhere a free Chrome browser plugin. It provides:
- Search Volume (How many searches for the key phrase?)
- CPC (What is the Cost per Click? The lower the better.)
- Competition Level (How many other businesses are you competing with on searches for this key phrase?)
- You can also use a free tool like Ubersuggest. Pick the keyword phrase with the highest search Volume and lowest search difficulty (SD).
Scope out your competition
Scope out your competition on YouTube via the Search bar – after you decide on a key phrase, research the videos already available on that topic
- If the competition is too strong (too many videos out there already on the topic), choose a key phrase that is less competitive and more specific by adding another word or two, what one calls a “long tail keyword”.
Example: “Foundation settlement cracks” and “how much foundation settlement is enough” are long tail keywords for “foundation settlement”, the more general term. - In their article on how to make a YouTube video, TechSmith also recommends looking at comments for video ideas.
- Here’s another SEO tip from them: Click on a competitor’s video:
- Type Ctrl + U on your keyboard to pull up the source code in a new tab in your browser
- Then Type Ctrl + F on your keyboard and search “keyword” to see a list of all of the tags being used
Search Google
Search Google to see whether any video results appear on the search results page. (Use the Video tab in Google search results to do this.) Scope out the competition and, if stiff, refine your keyword phrase accordingly.
2. Set the Scene
At number 2 on our list of YouTube tips is set the scene. To get started, your mobile phone will do, but consider a tripod and accessories that will increase the quality of the video.
When you choose screen recording software, pick a tool with built-in recording, editing, and sharing features. There are many available for free, for example, Movavi, but look at their list of freeware options and decide for yourself after seeing all the pros and cons.
An external microphone and webcam are preferable to your laptop/phone microphone or webcam. For demos, it is better to capture screens first, then record over it, as it shortens the video, something you always want to keep in mind.
If you’re filming a video of yourself, remember that lighting and high-quality audio matter the most. Invest in a lighting kit to use with your webcam.
And remember to:
- Place yourself at eye level and center yourself in the camera view) or apply the Rule of Thirds).
- Avoid recording in front of windows, but if you must, position yourself to face them, or you will show up as a silhouette if the light is behind you. Lighting is key to quality.
- Record the video in segments to make it easier, faster, and more engaging. Then put it all together in the editor you use.
- And finally, relax and remember to smile and blink if you are recording yourself!
3. Time for Action – Another YouTube Tip that Made Our List
What are viewers looking for?
- Something you are an expert at or passionate about. It puts you at ease and wins your viewers over.
- A tutorial video or training video. Answer specific questions your audience may have. Say you are an electrical contractor. You may kick off with a tutorial on how to ground an electrical outlet.
- Video of your construction team at work, building sites and accomplishments or innovation. This video < https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=construction> racked up 50,000 views on YouTube; you can do better!
Create an outline or a script.
Be sure to answer the following questions:
- Who is your audience?
- What are their problems?
- What will they learn from your video?
- How does your video benefit them?
- What do you want viewers to do in response to your video? Include calls to action in your video (CTAs).
- Try not to sell. Focus on people and helping, not selling a product, whether they are the people on your team or your target audience.
- Keep it short and to the point. Tell your audience during the first 10-20 seconds who you are, what you do, and how you are going to help them.
- In your video, encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel, and like and comment on your video. The more they do, the better your SEO gets.
- Keep your video area clutter free, whether you are capturing screenshots or videotaping yourself.
- Your recording can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. You can record webcam to give it some personality, create an intro, add music, or simply hit record and share it out.
- And remember, you do not have to be perfect! Practice makes perfect.
Once you are comfortable with video, consider live streaming on YouTube. You can archive your streams so your audience can watch them at their convenience. Audiences like live video. It is well-suited for demonstrations, how-to tutorials and, even more importantly, Q&A.
Nail Down YouTube SEO
Once you have recorded your video, upload it to YouTube and edit the video details to make it searchable and… findable. Do NOT leave this step out! Here are some YouTube SEO tips:
Title
Use the main key phrase of the video in the video title (preferably at the beginning of the title).
Description
Spend time on the description. Use at least 200 words and include long-tail key phrases.
Tags
Or related terms!
A Thumbnail
A custom thumbnail can increase the views of your video. Reportedly 90% of the best performing videos have a custom thumbnail. Create one with Canva, Visme, or Adobe Photoshop. Specs are:
- 1280 x 720 pixels
- Less than 2 MB
The Transcript
A transcript makes it easier for viewers to find your videos through YouTube or through Google searches. YouTube generates a transcript by default. Edit your transcript to catch and correct any errors.
Upload, save and publish the video.
Engage – YouTube Tips to Grow Your Channel
Now what? Sit back, bite your nails, and count the views and likes? No. You have to get word out about your video. Spread the love by sharing the video. The more likes and channel subscriptions your video gets you, the more likely it is to show up in search results. It is very important to stay engaged.
- Email it directly to family, friends, and personal business contacts.
- Add it to your next email newsletter or a relevant email campaign.
- Share it on Facebook and Twitter and put it in your Instagram profile link (i.e. share it where you know your target audience spends social media time).
- Share it with the groups you belong to on Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Company website? Embed your video in a blog post on your website that you optimize for the same key phrase; build value-add content and they will come!
- Check and reply to comments viewers leave.
- Consider leveraging YouTube ads. There are many options to suit your goal and pocket:
- TrueView ads are not paid for by you until the viewer watches a minimum of 30 seconds or clicks on a link or CTA.
- PreRoll ads are non-skippable ads of 15-20 seconds. They play before the start of another video or in the middle of a video that’s 10 minutes or longer. You pay per click for these ads.
- Bumper ads are similar to the PreRolls but are limited to 6 seconds. Use them as part of a campaign to increase awareness of your brand.
- If you’ve got a dozen or more videos, it’s time to start making playlists and add each new video to a playlist. This:
- Organizes videos
- Encourages more views and engagement
Conclusion on YouTube Tips for Construction
YouTube is an important marketing channel to promote your company with useful content for viewers’ consumption. It is not difficult or expensive. All it takes is a topic, some research, planning and prepping, and a helpful spirit. Present-day people don’t even read recipes anymore, they watch them! Videos are easily consumed. They are the next best thing to connecting with someone in person, and so practical. And, thanks to Google and with some attention to SEO, easy to find! So, use this article to get started on your first or next video and become a YouTube vlogger!
