While it may seem like a challenging or unimportant addition to your marketing Arsenal, creating a YouTube channel for your small business can help you get ahead of the curve. Online videos are projected to make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022 - 15 times more than in 2017. The primary reason is that people find it easier to watch a video than to read a text. 

If you need more convincing, then consider this. A YouTube channel can help your small business in the following ways:

• Attract website traffic and rank higher in Google search results. Using Google Universal Search, videos, images, news, books, and local searches are combined into one search result to provide the most helpful information for the search engine's users. As you may have noticed, Google results for search terms more often contain videos. It indicates that Google considers video content just as necessary as text.

• Build credibility, trust, and authority with your audience. The viewers will follow your brand's personality, values, and philosophy when you create a channel that offers value. You get as much information about your customer as they give you.

• Share videos that highlight your best practices.

We'd like to believe we have won you over, and you are now convinced and prepared to create a YouTube channel for your business. Let's take a look at how you can achieve that.

How to Create a YouTube Channel for Your Small Business

If you are ready to create a YouTube channel for your business, follow these steps>

Sign Up for a YouTube Account

The first thing you will need to do if you create a YouTube channel for your small business is to create a YouTube account. You must have a Google account you will use to manage it. We suggest that you create a new Google account for your business to ensure that it is separate from your personal Google accounts.

If you have a business account for your YouTube channel, scaling can be more manageable later because you can add users to your brand account through their personal Google accounts.

Follow these steps to set up your YouTube Channel account:

1. Use Google to access your Youtube account.
2. To change your profile picture, click on the icon.
3. Then select "Create a channel."
4. You can upload your profile picture after entering your channel name.
5. Then click "Create channel" to confirm.

Awesome! You have successfully created a YouTube Channel for your small business.

Design Your Channel Art

Congratulations on becoming an owner of a YouTube channel. It is now time to ensure the channel makes an excellent first impression. The next stage in creating a successful YouTube channel for your small business is to design the channel art. 

Make sure your clients know how to find you on the web by following these three easy steps.

• Channel icon

In YouTube and Google, you have a Channel Icon that depicts your channel visually. You can see Channel Icons on Video Watch Pages, Channel Pages, and YouTube search results. YouTube displays your channel icon more frequently than any other element of your channel.

• Channel art

The top banner on your YouTube channel homepage is your channel art. Create a visually engaging YouTube profile by adding channel art to show off your brand's personality. 

Complete Your Profile

The next stage is to fill out your profile. This section is where you will tell people about yourself and why they should watch your videos. 

Completing your profile involves selecting a username, adding your channel information (title, tags, author, and description). Next, add links to all of your social media profiles and any sites related to your business.

As you do this, consider the types of topics you want to discuss on your channel. Will you create product reviews or walkthroughs? Do you intend on doing vlogs? Having a clear idea of topics you want to discuss is essential because it will affect the kind of content you make.

Develop Your Content Ideas

While the channel art, profile, and the rest are essential, what will make or mar the success of your YouTube channel is the type of content you create. Don't expect many views if you create content that no one is interested in or doesn't offer value.

You must take your time to plan your content ideas—Research the market; scout your competitors. Browse through YouTube and find YouTube channels of business owners in your industry. Check out the kind of content they put out, analyze the strategy they apply, adapt, and improve it.

Another helpful tip for developing your content strategy is to endeavor to be unique and natural. Don't try to be something you are not. Make an effort to create content that is authentic and tailor-made for your target audience.

Below are some content ideas that can be useful for your business YouTube channel:

• Brand storytelling

Brand storytelling is an excellent strategy to create quality videos that your audience can connect. Tell your audience about your company's history, culture, and values. Let them know what makes you different from other companies in your industry. Telling your brand's story shows the human side of your business while also adding value to your viewers.

• Product reviews and walkthroughs

If you make a living by selling products, a YouTube channel is a great way to highlight your products or services. Consider creating product reviews that are helpful for consumers. 

For example, if you own a travel firm reselling vacation packages, make a video showing how you plan for your customers' needs. Then share the video with the online community to help them get the most bang for their buck.

• Educational content

Share your expertise by helping people learn new skills. For example, if you own a car workshop, you can offer how-to videos on DIY maintenance and repair. Information is power; the more you share with your viewers, the more they will be loyal to your business.

• Customer testimonials

Sharing customer testimonials on your channel is a great way to build trust with your audience. If you have loyal customers who would be open to sharing their experience with others, ask them to pen an honest review about your business.

• Live streams

If you have any new product or service launches, consider live streaming your event. One of the benefits of a live stream is that it allows people to see and hear you in action. It is also an opportunity to interact with your viewers and give them value.

Create Your Channel Trailer

Every good YouTube channel starts with a great channel trailer. A well-crafted trailer is vital to attracting new viewers and growing your subscribers. Don't worry; you don't need any fancy video editing software to make a good trailer. You can create an awesome trailer with the tools YouTube offers you.

Ideally, it should serve a dual purpose of calling the viewers to subscribe to your channel and presenting what kind of videos you produce. A good channel trailer should also be able to give a brief look at who you are and what you're about as a business owner, not just a content creator.

Make Your First Video and Upload It

Now that you have taken care of the basics, it is time to create your first YouTube channel video and upload it. You don't need to be a professional videographer to create a video. With a smartphone, you can easily create quality videos that people will enjoy. 

You must remember your research, so you can create only videos people will find interesting or entertaining. Keep in mind that your video's quality will determine the number of views it receives. 

Optimize Your Video for SEO

Over 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute on YouTube. If you don't want your YouTube channel to be another video in a sea of content, you need to optimize your video correctly. 

Two factors affect a video's placement in YouTube's search results. First, the title of your video should very clearly describe what it is intended to convey. 

Search engines want you to include relevant keywords and tags to serve better searchers looking for a specific video. Your title should consist of things like your business name, location, or whatever else may be most relevant to what you are trying to advertise. Using detailed descriptions goes a long way to making sure that people find your video.

The other factor that affects your video's visibility in the search results is video length. Google favors longer videos because they are more likely to have long-form content and information. 

However, having a long video length doesn't automatically guarantee a good ranking because Google considers watching time. So, ensure the video is relevant so that people can watch it for extended periods.

Ensure Consistency

Get this; every small business owner can have a YouTube channel. But not every small business owner can have a successful YouTube channel. One of the most significant differences between the success and failure of a YouTube channel is the consistency of producing quality content. 

With consistent YouTube content, your channel will become a reliable source of information for your viewers. It will help you gain more subscribers and make your channel popular. Remember that it is essential to regularly post new videos to keep people interested in subscribing to your channel.

Boost Your YouTube Channel Popularity

Take advantage of other mediums to boost your YouTube channel popularity. YouTube videos are powerful, but they are not the only means that can help to increase your channel's popularity.

Apart from creating and uploading quality videos, you should promote your content on other social media channels and your website. 

Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are always great places to share your business' latest news and content. You can also use email marketing, SMS marketing, banner ads, and PPC marketing to drive new traffic to your channel. Another technique is using influencers, for example, YouTube celebrities.

Interact With Your Audience

Always make time for the people.

Ensure you reply as soon as you can to any comments left by your viewers. You can use Google Alerts to track mentions of your business in the media so you can reply to them quickly. 

Interacting with your community can also serve as an efficient market or content research tool. You can find out what type of content they will like to see on your channel. Leverage the feedback you receive from your viewers to improve your videos.

Advertise on YouTube

Invest in an effective advertising campaign to grow your new channel. YouTube ads can assist you in reaching and engaging more viewers and promoting your YouTube channel organically.

Be sure to understand who you want to reach before launching a YouTube advertising campaign. Do you want to reach the same demographics as your commercial competitors? Or do you want to attract a different audience of people from another industry?

Research what interests them, and then create a YouTube ad that will capture their attention.

Track Your Results and Make the Necessary Adjustments

It is always essential to take stock of your progress and make necessary adjustments. To check the status of your YouTube channel, you can use a variety of metrics, including impressions, engagement rate, number of new subscribers, and number of comments. 

This way, you get to figure out what works and what doesn't and continue to tweak your strategy to improve your results.

The Bottom Line

YouTube can be an excellent way to spread your message to a worldwide audience. But, without proper knowledge and training, launching a YouTube channel can turn out to be a disaster. We hope you now have the know-how necessary to establish your channel successfully. 

The success of your YouTube channel depends on you. So, make sure you are prepared to provide your viewers with high-quality content relevant to their interests and maintain consistency.