Anyone can add a video to YouTube (clearly, since 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!). But just because you add it, doesn't mean it will get seen. Especially with marketing videos, where views are one measurement of the return on your investment, you need to know how to properly add marketing videos to YouTube so that they are viewed as many times as possible - and by the right people. Here is a step by step guide to adding marketing videos to YouTube so they will be discovered by your target audience.

Basic Info About the Marketing Video

Title

When deciding on a title for your marketing video, first determine what keyword phrase you want to be found in search for. Your keyword phrase should be a search term that your target audience might put into Google or YouTube to find a video like the one you have produced. Your chosen keyword phrase should be the first part of your title, then you can add your brand name or a short phrase to entice people to watch the video at the end of the title.

Description

Take advantage of the description section and spend some time here. The YouTube video description is very valuable property, and writing a proper description can lead to your video showing up more in search results, which will result in more views and possibly more referrals to your website.

Start first by including the full URL of your website (example: http://www.talkingheadstudio.com). This way, it's right below your video and the first thing people see in the description. Then, if the video intrigues them enough to want to learn more about your product or company, they can easily click through to the website.

Next, include a detailed description of the video. What will people see, learn, or experience by watching the video? Also provide any necessary context, back story, or fun facts that they won't find in the video. Be sure to include your target keyword phrase a couple times throughout your description.

At the end, add a call to action. Do you want them to visit your website for more information? Include the link to your website again. Do you want them to follow you on social media? Include your major social media account links.

Keep in mind that only the first two sentences or so will show on the description below your video. The user will have to click on SHOW MORE to see the rest. So be smart and strategic with limited space you have at the top.

Tags

Include your keyword phrase in the tags section, as well as 5-10 more keywords. YouTube will give you some suggestions based on your description which you can use. These are tags that have been used previously by other videos or are commonly searched. Use your best keywords first, then the longer, more descriptive keyword phrases after that.

Video Thumbnails

You will have a few options to choose from for thumbnails. The thumbnail is a still image from the video that will be used as the image that shows up in YouTube and Google search results, as well as at the end of videos in the suggested video section. Choose a thumbnail that best represents the content of the video, such as a title screen or major subject.

Privacy Settings

Obviously you will want the video to be public if you're trying to generate views. If you unlist it, it will not show up in search engines but you will be able to send someone the link directly to the video. By choosing private, only specific people that you choose are authorized to watch the video.

Post to Your Subscribers

Add some teaser or intro text here to let your subscribers know that you have uploaded a new video for them to watch. You can also share that notice to Facebook and Twitter, unless you already have a strategy for sharing on those networks.

Category

Choosing the proper category is another way you can improve the visibility of your video to the right audience. There are not very many categories to choose from, so choose wisely. Comedy and Animals are the most popular categories, but they are also the most saturated.

Advanced Settings

Comments and Responses

Comments are a great way for people to engage with your video content, so we recommend allowing them. You can choose to moderate them so that they do not show up until you approve them, however it will mean more work for you.

Licenses and Rights Ownership

The Standard YouTube License is the default option and covers the video as your property, but if you would like people to be able to use your video for free while crediting you, you can switch it to the Creative Commons License.

Caption Certification

If your content has never been aired on US television then you don't need to worry about this option. If it has, choose the option that pertains to your video. Note: Captioning of your video is done in the editing options of your video, not in these advanced settings. For more about captioning your YouTube video, read our blog post How To Get More YouTube Views With Captioning.

Distribution Options

Allowing embedding means that people can embed the video on their websites or social media sites to share with their followers. This is a good thing for you if you are trying to get people to view your video, so leave this option checked. Also you'll want to notify your YouTube subscribers when you add a video, so they can check it out. Your subscribers are your most loyal fans and the most likely people to watch your video.

Video Location

If it's appropriate to do so, include the location where your video was shot. OR, include the location of your business. This information helps your video to be discovered locally.

Recording Date

You can add the recording date if you feel it adds context to the video. YouTube and Google allow users to search by date, so adding a date would be especially important if the video is about a current event. Otherwise, you can add the date the video was uploaded or leave it blank.

3D Video

Unless you shot your video in 3D (and we're not sure why you would do that), you don't need to worry about this option.

Video Statistics

If you don't want people to see statistics such as the number of views, subscriptions, or shares the video has generated, you can opt to not share these statistics with users. Generally this information is harmless, but you may not want to let your competition in on it.

YouTube provides even more editing and optimization options to further move viewers through your sales or engagement funnels. We'll give you a step by step guide to those options in a later blog post, so stay tuned!