If you want to know how important YouTube is, watch the comment area of popular videos. YouTube is simply the next big thing. In fact, it already is.YouTube, like other social networks, grows by two way participation of both users and content creators. Although not to the extent of Facebook, both content creators and viewers are one and the same, at times.
Unlike satellite television and other media, the creators and viewers are not different. This has thrown new challenges the world has hardly seen before. So, it’s a huge challenge how you draw large audiences, engage and cater to their interests. Below are a few steps through which you can attract natural and organic YouTube traffic to grow your audiences:
1) To Plan or Not?
Not everything goes according to plan. However, it’s better to start with one. Set a goal at least. Even if you don’t religiously follow through with it, ensure that you grow your channel day by day or week by week. Do not also go off-plan entirely.
Stick to some routine that works for you. And given the nature of less YouTube effort to earnings ratio, it’s good to not exhaust yourself in the beginning with extreme hard work for low returns. Be prudent. Start small. Make a profit. That is, your effort should be low, while your returns should be higher than your corresponding effort.
Making creative videos of entertainment, infotainment or even a tutorial requires that you do it out of a routine, with some basic plan. Routine sharing and uploading creates a regular following. Not following a routine disappoints your audiences. So, it is important to upload videos that you and your audiences like quite often. Magically, this also compounds to add more new viewers, followers and subscribers than you would normally get with an irregular upload.
2) SEO & Metadata
SEO and Metadata as title, descriptions and tags are of paramount importance to feature in YouTube Recommendations and Related Videos. Yes, the algorithm is still rooted in SEO, although there could be some video customized differences compared to conventional search engines. As of now, there really is no better way to get organic views than real, pure, old-school SEO! And for starters, on-page SEO is just customizing your title, descriptions and tags to match how people search for something.
3) Sharing is Caring
Your subscribers or viewers would share your video for sure, if they care enough. Your video must have something that makes your viewers believe that it is worth sharing. From usefulness to how awesome your videos are, whatever makes your viewers share your videos can enhance your reach exponentially. Imagine if your video is shared in a WhatsApp group, you will get hundreds to thousands of views at the same time. So, ensure that your videos get shared and so they should likely go viral!
4) Link Back to More Videos
YouTube has plenty of options to retain and engage your audiences. The more they engage, the more likely they are to click on ads. So, linking back to more of your other videos, through cards, endscreens and annotations,brings guaranteed results. Viewers are more likely to click on videos featuring on cards, as the content from the same channel may be relevant, while also providing a different spectrum, answering other relevant questions!
5) Respond to Your Audience’s Reactions
Responding to your audiences positively, while answering criticisms is a good way to make them feel at home. There is a high level of emotional satisfaction and connection, when the content creator responds to comments.
When you respond, they will often come back to reply to you and engage more with your channel and videos. Responding also makes them feel that you are a real human being talking to them from behind the screen! If you respond to comments as much as is needed, you are sure to develop positive brand loyalty and attract more audiences organically!
6) Build a Community
Channels that upload soap operas daily tend to get regular viewers who over time begin interacting among them. This can lead to more of views, subscriptions, likes, comments and engagement.
The interactions via the comments encourage user participation and so they will often return to your videos.Slowly, the users will naturally form a community on their own and become more loyal to your brand.
These minor tweaks will get you views in six figures or more. Even a million views or several million views are possible. At the same time, a million views mean nothing in today’s world and so consistency is the key to organic traffic as well as to build your own channel or brand with a lot of subscribers/ followers!