Every year, YouTube grows and evolves, providing new opportunities for creators and businesses on the platform to thrive! However, it’s also easy to make mistakes that can hold you back. In this post, we’ll discuss five common YouTube mistakes to avoid that we often see businesses making.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been on the platform for a while, these tips are here to help you set yourself up for success. So if you want to make the most of your YouTube journey in 2023, read on!
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1) Lacking clear objectives
If you’re looking to succeed on YouTube in 2023, it’s crucial to set clear goals for your channel. Without a clear objective, it’s difficult to know what you’re working towards. When setting your goals and objectives, avoid short-term goals that will only last for a limited time, try to focus on long-term objectives that will have a lasting impact on your channel. Some examples could be:
- Building a large and engaged subscriber base: This could involve creating engaging and high-quality content, promoting your channel on social media, and interacting with your viewers through comments and live streams.
- Monetizing your channel: If you're looking to generate ad revenue your YouTube channel, you might set a goal to reach a certain number of views or subscribers to apply for the YouTube Partner Program.
- Collaborating with other businesses: If you're interested in working with other creators and businesses, you could set a goal to reach out to and collaborate with a certain number of other channels.
To get started, choose one specific element of your channel to focus on and work towards achieving it. This way, you’ll be setting yourself up for the best outcomes over the long run, rather than constantly trying to find the next improvement for your channel.
2) Inconsistency
One mistake that is sure to hold you back on YouTube is inconsistency. This can happen within your branding, posting frequency, or video style. Inconsistency can be detrimental to your channel. One of the most significant ways inconsistency can hurt your channel is by disrupting your uploading schedule. Here are some helpful tips to avoid inconsistency:
Posting schedule
Consistency is key when it comes to your posting schedule. If you’re inconsistent with when you upload new content, it’s harder for your viewers to know when to expect new videos from you. This can lead to a loss of engagement and subscribers. To avoid this, establish a regular posting schedule and stick to it as closely as possible.
Establish consistent branding
Your branding is an essential aspect of your YouTube channel. It helps to establish your identity and establish trust with your audience. Inconsistency in your branding can lead to confusion and make it harder for your audience to recognize and remember you. To avoid this, choose themes for your branding that you can use consistently across all of your videos. Think thumbnails, logos, and other visual elements.
stick to the same cta
Your CTA is an important way to communicate the value of your channel to your audience and encourage them to take action. Inconsistency in your CTA can make it harder for your audience to understand what you’re offering and what you want them to do. To avoid this, use the same CTA in every video. This CTA should clearly summarize the value of your channel and what you’re offering to your audience.
By maintaining consistency in your posting schedule, branding, and call to action, you can keep your audience engaged and coming back for more. Consistency will help you establish trust with your audience and make it easier for them to recognize and remember you.
3) Not using #Shorts
YouTube Shorts are an incredibly useful type of content that can help you grow your channel in 2023. These short videos offer many benefits, including:
- They're easier and cheaper to produce: Shorter videos take less time and money to create, yet they can still keep your viewers engaged.
- They can be monetized: If you're part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can earn ad revenue from your Shorts.
- They're useful for promoting your long-form content: You can use YouTube Shorts to support and promote your longer videos, directing viewers to the full video for more information.
- They're great for mobile views: YouTube tends to push this type of content more, so Shorts are a good way to reach mobile viewers.
- They're a good way to boost engagement: You can repurpose your long-form content into YouTube Shorts to increase engagement and drive traffic to your channel.
If you’re interested in #Shorts and want to learn more, check out our guide on how to use YouTube shorts to grow your channel.
4) Ignoring your CTR
Click-through rate (CTR) is an important metric that tells you how well your videos are performing. An average CTR is around 4-5%, which means your videos are attractive, eye-catching, and helpful to viewers. However, if your CTR is lower than average, it’s time to make some changes.
To improve your CTR, you can try the following:
- Use eye-catching and clean thumbnails: The thumbnail is the first thing that viewers see when they come across your video. Make sure it's eye-catching and professional.
- Use relevant and non-clickbait titles: Your title should accurately reflect what your video is about and not use clickbait to try and trick people into clicking.
- Use A/B split testing: This involves creating two different versions of your thumbnail or title and seeing which one performs better. You can then use the winning version to increase your CTR.
To check your CTR, go to your YouTube analytics and sort by “impressions click-through rate.” Keep an eye on which videos are performing poorly and use this information to make improvements. By monitoring your CTR and A/B testing, you’ll figure out what works best for your channel to increase your CTR.
For further reading, check out Google’s impressions and click-through-rate FAQs.
5) Expecting immediate success
It’s natural to want to see immediate success when you start a YouTube channel, but it’s important to remember that it takes time to build an audience and gain traction. While it’s true that some people and brands have gone viral “overnight”, it’s super rare and often the result of a lot of hard work AND luck.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see a lot of engagement or views on your first 20-30 videos. Instead, focus on creating the best content you can and building a strong foundation for your channel. Show your viewers that you’re reliable and demonstrate what you can do for them.
This takes time and dedication, but it’s worth it in the long run. Remember, whether you have just a hundred viewers or a million, your business should always strive to create the best content possible.
Conclusion
By consistently monitoring each of these areas, you’ll be on your way to YouTube success! If you’re interested in learning more about how to improve your YouTube channel, or if you’re looking for some extra hands-on support, book a consultation with our team! We’re always one click away.
