How To Set Up A YouTube Channel To Promote Your Startup Business

Many home-based businesses today do not require much to start: an exciting idea, a product that delivers, an outstanding service. Building strategies to grow the business and keep it solid and successful, however, is what makes it challenging for startup owners.

Because of the lockdown, a major shift in business has made obsolete most of the traditional ways products and services are marketed, thus the need for fresh, exciting ideas. Through social media and other online platforms, small business owners have found accessible (and, right now, possibly their only) avenues to reach their target market.

And then there is YouTube, which has become one of the most used marketing platforms on the Internet in the last few years. According to YouTube Ads, there are approximately two billion monthly YouTube visitors as of March 2019, not counting those who viewed videos without signing in. Clearly, using YouTube to promote your products or services can take your business to the next level and get viewers engaged. Remember, it’s just a matter of getting started!

How to create a YouTube channel

When creating your own YouTube Channel, you can choose from either a Personal or a Brand account.

A Personal account uses your first and last name as the default name of your channel. As the owner, you are the only one who will have access to it. On the other hand, a Brand account allows you to assign a brand name to your channel and lets you add multiple people to help you in managing your account.

Once you are decided, you can start creating your own YouTube channel! Here’s a step-by-step guide you can easily follow:

1. On your web browser (Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari), type "youtube.com" on the address bar. 

2. Locate and click the Sign In button on the top right corner of the page.

3. You will be directed to enter a Google account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, just click "Create Account". Choose "For myself" for a personal email or "To manage my busines" if you want your business to have a its own email account.

3. Enter your personal or business details. Once done, your account will be associated with your YouTube page.

3. Go back to the YouTube homepage. On the top right of the page, click your newly created profile. On the dropdown list, find and click "Create a Channel" and get started.

4. Afterwards, you will be given options to choose from Personal or Brand channel. Once decided, enter the respective details and you can now start managing your business YouTube channel.

How to live stream on YouTube

YouTube only allows streaming using your mobile phone if you have at least 1,000 subscribers. However, even if you have less than a thousand followers, you can still go live to promote your business by using a computer and a webcam.

Follow these easy steps to start with your business live streaming:

1. Go to YouTube.com.

2. On the top right corner of the homepage, click the video icon and choose Go Live.

Note that enabling your first live stream may require account verification which may take up to 24 hours. Once verified, you can proceed to live streaming right away. Also, your channel must be free from any live stream restrictions such as violent or sensitive content or fake engagements for the past 90 days.

How to gain more YouTube subscribers

You can gain more visitors and subscribers on your newly created business channel by doing the following:

• Customize your channel. Like Facebook and Twitter banners, you can also add a header on your channel called Channel Art, which is a great way to show your business logo and tag line. Remember to choose a high quality photo as it represents your business. You can also add a Channel Trailer, a short video preview about your channel that is shown at the top of your homepage, to encourage visitors to subscribe.
• Put important details. Click "Customize channel" and go to the Basic Info tab. Insert a brief description and put the website link and other social media accounts associated with your business.
• Uploading a video. When uploading a video about your business or products, use searchable keywords for your title and description, and choose a fitting thumbnail to represent your content. Schedule your time wisely to keep on track of the consistency of your uploads.
• Significance of watch time. "Watch time" is the amount of time a viewer spends watching your videos -- the longer, the better. The more they watch, the more likely that your videos will be shown on the recommended section of the page. Along the way, this will help you gain more subscribers.
• Changing URL for eligibility. To be able to customize your URL, your account needs to have a minimum of 100 subscribers and be at least 30 days old. A channel art and a channel icon are also required.

Once you gain at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time over a period of 12 months, you can already apply for a YouTube Partnership Program. If you are accepted, you can set up ad preferences and enable monetization on your video uploads which will help you grow your small business.

This article originally appeared on OneLife.PH