The popularity of YouTube is on the rise with no sign of slowing down any time soon. Why would it? Video marketing has tons of seriously impressive stats:
- 97% of marketers polled said video helped increase user understanding of their product.
- 76% said video marketing helped them increase traffic and overall sales.
- 87% of online marketers have already incorporated video content into their marketing strategy.
Does your business have a YouTube page? Are you looking for ways to make your channel stand out amongst the competition? Or perhaps you’re a rising star diligently working to become the next big YouTube sensation.
Regardless of how you use YouTube, the video-hosting site has many wonderful features. There are so many, in fact, that you may not know about all of them. Keep reading for 3 lesser-known YouTube content tips that will improve your channel.
Secret YouTube Content Tips: Editing Your Video’s Transcript
Did you know you can access a full transcript for any YouTube video? Here’s how:
- Go to the video and click the ellipses to the right of the “Share” button.
- Click “Open transcripts” on the drop-down menu.
The transcript will appear to the right of the video. If you do not see a transcript option that means the creator has hidden it. Many creators don’t make the extra effort to edit the auto-generated transcript, so it may not be perfect.
Accessing the transcript is an easy way to pull quotes from interviews or sift through long videos quickly, but when it comes to YouTube content tips, that’s not the only thing you can do with transcripts! As a creator, you can edit the transcripts of your video to improve search engine optimization. Making the extra effort to edit your transcripts can pay off in the long run.
Secret YouTube Content Tips: Making Links that Start at a Certain Time
We’ve all been there: you find a YouTube clip that you want to share, but it’s in the middle of a longer video. Maybe you send it to a friend with a note to “fast-forward to 1:25”- but how many of those links go unclicked? As every marketer knows, the easier the task, the more likely your target audience will actually follow through. Thankfully, YouTube allows you to create links that start at a certain point in the video. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to the video and click the “Share” button to the far right
- In the pop-up window, select the “Start at” box under the video URL.
- Write the time you want the video to start at in hours:minutes:seconds.
That’s it! Now you can send your audience to the exact right spot. Be aware that you can’t embed videos to start at a particular time – you can only link it.
Secret YouTube Content Tips: Create a Custom URL
Your business should use the same username to across all platforms (consistent branding is one of our go-to content tips!). When you create a YouTube channel, your URL will be a string of random numbers and figures. This randomly generated URL seems unpolished and your audience will have a hard time remembering it. As soon as you have the opportunity, take the time to change it to an easily recognizable name. Make sure you’re committed to the custom URL before you request to change it, because once it’s approved it can’t be changed again. Custom URLs are also non-transferrable.
In order to be eligible for a custom URL you’ll need:
- At least 100 subscribers
- A channel that is at least 30 days old
- A custom uploaded channel icon and uploaded channel art
To create a custom URL:
- Go to your YouTube account settings and click “Advanced” in the name section.
- If your account is eligible for a custom URL, you’ll be prompted with a link to create one.
- Once you’re 100% certain about your new URL, click “Change URL” to finalize it.
Now all of your subscribers will know where to find you without having to remember a string of complicated letters.
Do you know of other niche YouTube tips we missed in this post? Let us know in the comments below. Subscribe to the Three Girls Media YouTube channel for marketing advice, content tips and tricks, fun social media facts and more!