Thursday, 12 January 2017

3 Things to Consider When Uploading Videos to YouTube

It’s no secret that sites like YouTube have changed the way we engage on the internet. I remember when I would conduct research 10 years ago, I would have to read through 2,000 words of content to learn how to solve a common problem. But now, most of the information I need is available on YouTube in a more practical way. Learning through videos is so much easier because you can follow through while watching a tutorial, and you’re not limited to just one. What makes YouTube so incredible is their open-source platform that allows virtually anyone with a safe account to upload videos. This means, you have a lot of content, presented in a different way, and it’s free.

One thing that’s intriguing is the question of what distinguishes a good video from a great video. What are the reasons behind a video getting 1,000 more views than another? I decided to research this so I can start focusing on the factors that matter for the next time I upload a video to YouTube. If I’m able to outshine my competition, then I’ll be able to increase brand awareness, which in the end, will help my bottom-line.

Here are a few things to focus on the next time you’re uploading videos to YouTube:

The Purpose

For you to succeed on YouTube, it’s important that you know the purpose of your video and what you’re trying to provide your audience overall. The more you know about your purpose, the more guided your video will be. A smooth-flowing video is easy to interact with and the learning process becomes easier for your audience.

For example, the best videos on YouTube are those that provide information to their audience in a systematic way. They provide structure, depth, and solve a common problem online. All three of these elements are much easier to implement into your video when you know your purpose. When you know your main objective, everything else is built on top of that foundation.

Solve a Problem

I’ve noticed the best performing videos on YouTube solve a common problem. It’s also been stated that 89% of searches on Google are problem-based and you can actually find out about keyword trends by visiting Google Trends. This tool will provide you with keyword popularity and how much it’s increased over the last few weeks.

The next time you are creating a video, do your research so that you can find a common problem readers are having in your niche. Then, create a quality video outlining how to solve this problem step-by-step. Here’s a cool trick that has helped me outperform my competition: watch other videos focused on solving the same problem and make notes on what they are missing. Then when creating your video, add all the missing elements that will make you stand out compared to your competition.

The Quality

Nothing pushes people away from your video quicker than poor quality. When a video is hard to view and hear because of low-quality formatting and/or production, then people won’t be able to pull out the value they need. These people will then head over to other videos to find what they are looking for. Trust me when I say, there is no shortage of videos online so be prepared to lose your audience to your competitors if you don’t take quality seriously. What can you do to improve the quality of your videos?

First, make sure you use a video creation tool that is popular and has awesome reviews. You can find these tools by doing a quick search on Google for “best video creation tools”. Secondly, save your video in high definition quality compatible with YouTube. They do allow high-definition when uploading, so take advantage of this feature. Third, formatting is very important when saving because you have several options. You can save in mp4, MOV, Avi, Flv, and others. If you are formatting from your windows PC, then you have access to the Wondershare Video Converter, which is an all-in-one tool. This tool can convert to any format quickly. If you’ve created a video on an Apple device, then products like AppleMacSoft video converter will do the trick.

Final Thoughts

It’s amazing how far the ability to share information has come throughout the years. At one point, you had only text-based content, which was hard to find because of low-quality search engines. Then, you had Google, which changed the way people search for text-based information.

The introduction of YouTube allowed people to internalize and absorb information in a completely different way. It was easier to follow, more practical, and required less effort because you no longer had to read 2,000+ words content. Social media now allows you to share this awesome information quickly with others all over the world. Good luck creating!

Featured photo credit: Flickr via flickr.com

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