Contrary to popular belief, most of the work behind YouTube marketing happens when the camera’s turned off. With that in mind, it’s important to have a plan of attack before you decide to start recording.
Once you’ve got a plan, you can look at the more technical aspects of what goes into making a YouTube video. Here are some factors that you’ll need to be aware of!
Length
The number one mistake that I see first-time YouTube marketers make is producing painfully long videos. When you first sign up for YouTube, your videos will be limited by a 15-minute cap. That is NOT an invitation to send out a 15-minute long video, though!
Generally, you want to err on the shorter side for your video length. Statistically, you want to produce videos that are two minutes long, at most. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but remember that a lot of YouTube’s (and video marketing in general) appeal is that it’s saving your user time. If it’s going to take your user 8 minutes to read a blog post, what’s the incentive to watch a 9 minute video on the same topic?
If that doesn’t sound like enough time to delve into your chosen topic, then you need to find a way to get to the meat of the issue faster. Viewers aren’t going to wait for you to get to the point, so it’s your duty to keep videos short and sweet.
As an aside: This doesn’t mean that producing a video should only take twenty minutes! Take as much time to film as you need, then edit it down from there. “My video is only two minutes” isn’t a reason to rush production!
Video Styles
Next, you’ll want to consider the type of video you want to make. YouTube has become famous as a comedy hub, but that probably isn’t the best route for your brand. Selling your business in a comedy video is no small ask, and I’ve very rarely seen it done effectively.
Instead, you should consider formats that will let you be informative. That doesn’t mean that they should be tiny rants (you still need to be engaging), but it’s perfectly fine to make a YouTube video that aims to educate more than entertain. With this style, there are a few that I’ve established as easy go-tos:
- Insider Secrets
- Overviews/Breakdowns
- How-Tos
- Q&As
These formats naturally lend themselves to being concise and packed with information, so these are where you’ll want to get started. Feel free to expand the format of your videos as you grow, but I’d strongly recommend keeping it simple as you start. YouTube marketing is hard enough when you’re just doing the basics!
Technical Formats
The work isn’t done once you’ve finished recording and editing, though. It’s important to remember that YouTube won’t accept just any file formats, either. Before you go to upload your first YouTube video, make sure it’s in one of the following file formats:
- .MOV
- .MPEG4
- .MP4
- .AVI
- .WMV
- .MPEGPS
- .FLV
- 3GPP
- WebM
- DNxHR
- ProRes
- CineForm
- HEVC (h265)
Hit Record
Now that you’ve done the above, you’re finally ready for the “easy” part: filming the YouTube video. I know this is a lot of time and effort before you’ve even picked up a camera, but this is just what it takes to have a successful YouTube marketing campaign. So take this information and get started!
Do you need more guidance on starting your YouTube marketing campaign? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!
