How to Optimise YouTube Videos to Get More Views

When it comes to online marketing, video is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal - if not THE most powerful tool

However, it could be that you've been making videos for a while and they're not getting many views.

Is it pointless? Should you give up? Do you just not have that “x factor” you need to succeed in front of a camera?

Absolutely not.?

You just need to learn a few tricks of the trade to optimise your videos so that they reach more people.

Your audience is out there searching for answers. You just need to tweak your settings slightly to make sure that your videos are the ones they come across.

Let's go step-by-step into how you can optimise your YouTube videos for maximum visibility in order to start more conversations and generate more leads for your accounting or financial advisory practice.

Tool #1 - Title

Don't underestimate the power of a title.

The title of your video is the first thing that potential viewers will see, so it's important to make sure that it's attention-grabbing and relevant.

Use layman's terms, not accounting speak. Let your audience know that you're going to speak to them in a language they can understand. If your titles are too technical, you're alienating potential viewers from the outset.

Your title should be succinct and ideally create some intrigue, too. You don't necessarily have to give everything away. For example, "your small business cannot grow if you do this" will generate curiosity and make your target audience click on the video to find out more about what's getting in their way.

Shorter is also better when it comes to video titles because YouTube truncates titles at around 50 characters. You can go up to 100, but most people won't see anything beyond the first 50. So make those 50 characters count!

The Chocolate-Covered Carrot Method

It may sound disgusting, but the chocolate-covered carrot principle works really well when applied to YouTube video titles.

The idea is that you lead with something sweet and delicious to entice people in, and then follow it up with the main 'course' of your content.

"Get 50% more income when you implement these 3 steps" is a great example of a chocolate-covered carrot. You're enticing them with what they want - i.e., to make more money - and then following up with the information that they need, which is your three-step process.

If you're stuck for inspiration, you can always search for similar videos and see what the competition is creating. Just make sure that you put your own spin on it so that your title stands out.

Tool #2 - Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the small images that appear next to your video title in the search results.

They're important because they give potential viewers a quick snapshot of what your video is about, and can help persuade them to click on your content over someone else's.

Often, YouTubers add text and logos to their thumbnails to make them more eye-catching. This can be effective, but it's not strictly necessary.

You don't have to be a professional graphic designer to create an effective thumbnail. It just needs to convey what your video is about and look visually appealing.

If you're not sure where to start, there are plenty of free online tools like Canva that you can use to create simple thumbnails quickly and easily.

Tool #3 - Description

Your video's description is another key element of video optimisation.

The description appears next to your title and thumbnail in the search results and below your video on your channel page, so it's important to make sure that it's well-written and includes relevant keywords.

The most important words are the ones above "the fold", which is the point at which someone would have to scroll down to see the rest of your description.?

YouTube truncates video descriptions at around 150-160 characters, depending on pixels, so it's important to make sure that your most important information is included at the beginning.

You should also try to begin your description with an attention-grabbing sentence to entice people to click on your video.

Use simple language and give a brief overview of what the video is about. Something like "in this video, I will teach you three key steps that will help you increase your profits by 50%" would work well.

You may also want to include time stamps for a long video, an overview of the key points you make and any other relevant information that you think would be useful for viewers.

Don't forget to include links to your website, relevant landing pages and social media profiles in the description. This helps viewers find out more about you and your business, and encourages them to become a part of your community across multiple channels.

Tool #4 - Hashtags

I know hashtags are more commonly associated with Twitter and Instagram, but they can be just as effective on YouTube.

Hashtags help people find content that's relevant to their interests, and they can be a great way to connect with a wider audience.

When used strategically, hashtags can help you reach people who are interested in your content and build a bigger audience for your accounting practice. However, it's important not to overuse them. YouTube has a limit of 15 hashtags and once you exceed that, it will ignore any others you try to add.

Your first three hashtags should be the most relevant because YouTube places the most weight on those. You should also use the same hashtags regularly so that YouTube can start to associate your content with those keywords.

Here are a few examples of relevant hashtags for an accounting practice:

• #accountantforbusinesses
• #financialadvisor
• #businessaccounting

Of course, the best hashtags for you to use will largely depend on your niche. Tools like TubeRanker and KeywordTool can help you to find the most effective hashtags for your YouTube videos.

Tool #5 - Timestamps

I briefly mentioned timestamps in the description section, but I wanted to go into a bit more detail about them here.

Timestamps are essentially links that allow viewers to jump to a specific point in your video. They're useful for long videos because they give viewers the option to skip to the part that's most relevant to them. It also allows them to easily go back and watch a certain section again.

You can add timestamps to your video in the YouTube studio editor. Just click on the "add time stamp" button and enter in the time you want to link to.

Tool #6 - Comments and Likes

Liking and commenting on other people's videos is a great way to get more exposure for your own content.

However, it's important to be insightful and authentic. This should be about gaining a reputation and building relationships, not shamelessly plugging your own videos.

Don't comment saying something like "great video, check out mine!" or "I loved this, subscribe to my channel!" That just makes you seem spammy and won’t make anyone want to view your content.

Instead, take the time to write something thoughtful and engaging about the video that you've just watched. Popular and pinned comments on larger creators' videos often get seen by hundreds or even thousands of people, which in turn gets you noticed and drives traffic to your channel.

In addition to the tools listed above, there are a number of applications and software programs that can help you to optimise your YouTube videos. This can save you a lot of time and just make your life easier overall.

App #1 - Keywords Everywhere

Keywords Everywhere is an extension for Chrome and Firefox web browsers. It shows you how many searches a particular keyword or phrase gets each month, so that you can optimise your content accordingly.

App #2 - Tubebuddy

Tubebuddy allows you to see which tags are being used by the most popular videos in your niche. This can save you hours of research time!

App #3 - Twitter

Promoting your YouTube videos on Twitter is a great way to get more views. You can share your video with your followers and use hashtags to reach a wider audience.

You can also pin your best performing video to the top of your feed and put a link to your channel in your profile description. Engaging with other accounts within your niche can draw them to your account and in turn direct them to your channel.

When the YouTube algorithm sees that you're drawing in traffic from external applications, it will begin to promote your content more.

App #4 - Pinterest

Like YouTube, Pinterest is a search engine, and it can be a pretty powerful way of driving traffic to your channel.

With Pinterest, the key is to create visually appealing pins that link back to your videos. You can create pins directly from YouTube, or you can use tools like Canva to design them yourself.

You can use tools like Tailwind to automate your Pinterest strategy and ensure that your pins are being seen by as many people as possible.

What's great about Pinterest is that pins show up in Google search results, so it's a great way to get your content seen by people who might not otherwise come across it, and who may not actually even be using Pinterest to begin with!

App #5 - Agorapulse

Agorapulse is a social media management software that can help you to share your YouTube videos across all social media platforms. You can also simply share the thumbnails as links, so that when people click on them they're taken directly to your YouTube video.

This is a great way to get more eyes on your content and draw traffic to your channel from multiple sources.

App #6 - Sumo Kickass Headline Generator

This tool does exactly what it says on the tin: it generates kickass headlines for your blog posts, social media posts and YouTube videos!

It's important to have catchy and attention-grabbing headlines, as this is often what people will see first when your content pops up in their feed.

This is a real godsend if you're struggling to come up with great titles for your videos.

App #7- Google Trends

Unlike Google, YouTube doesn't make it super easy to see what people are searching for. Luckily, Google Trends can help you out here.

Google Trends allows you to see how popular a particular keyword or phrase is. This can be really useful for finding out what people are searching for and optimising your content accordingly.

However, it's important to keep in mind that Google Trends doesn't actually tell you anything about the number of searches but rather the direction the search volume is moving in. So, if you see that a keyword is on the rise within your niche, it's a good idea to start optimising your content for that keyword. This allows you to stay ahead of the game and get your content seen by more people.

Final Thoughts

YouTube video optimisation is a great way to ensure that your content is seen by more people. By utilising the tools and apps mentioned above, you can save yourself hours of research and admin time, while the strategies outlined will drive more traffic to your videos and get more eyes on your content.

Optimisation often sounds super technical and scary, but by getting to grips with a few key tools and techniques, you can easily take your YouTube channel to the next level and start filling your firm’s sales funnel with high quality leads.

At Oompf.Global we show you the exact branding and marketing strategies needed for you to turn your accounting/business advisory services into a unique VITAL product that you effortlessly market and sell for 5 figures

We help accounting firms go from overlooked commodities to “VITAL” assets – differentiated positioning, productised offer, unique brand, happy clients and founders with freedom.

If you would like to delve deeper into our content here are a few ways you can do that.

1. Watch our 28-minute free training on 3 ways to differentiate your accounting firm. Check it out here: https://oompf.global/decommoditized

2. Watch an overview of the power of UPLEVEL software by clicking through here: https://uplevelbyoompf.com/

3. Read about our flagship programme Momentum by clicking through here: https://oompf.global/momentum/