How to Start a YouTube Channel for Your Brand: A step-by-step Guide

In the ever-evolving social media arena, staying ahead of the crowd of fierce competition is a great deal! If you are looking for potential platforms for your businesses to connect with a wider audience, and drive significant sales, YouTube channel can be a real game changer! YouTube is known to be one of the most popular social media platforms for building brand awareness offering unparalleled opportunities to reach a global audience. With over 2 billion of monthly active users, YouTube stands out of the crowd with its ability to combine entertainment with information which results in helping several businesses to create content that is not only engaging but also educational. With more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube has become the second-largest search engine across the world, making it an essential tool for boosting visibility and overall growth of businesses. Now the question is what sets YouTube apart? Well, studies have revealed that it is nothing but its ability to combine entertainment with information, which is not only engaging but also educational. It is also observed that audiences spend more time watching and interacting with videos. YouTube channels has strategically harnessed the potential of video streaming that has successfully driven higher engagement rates compared to other forms of media, thereby making it the first choice for any business to thrive in digital forum. Additionally, YouTube includes several interactive features, such as comments, shares, likes and subscriptions that encourage valuable interaction between businesses and customers, creating a sense of community and loyalty. If you are ready to take your business soar in the sky of digital success, don't just stick to the typical brick and mortar strategies. Are you wondering upon how to launch a YouTube channel for your brand? Here is the step-by-step guide that can help you explore the vast capabilities of a YouTube by demonstrating how to get started!

Benefits of having a YouTube channel

Are you looking to grow your audience worldwide and earn money through views? You can consider establishing a YouTube channel with an expert guidance. According to digital marketing experts, by leveraging YouTube's vast capabilities you will not only boost your business's brand awareness to the next level but also keep their audiences engaged leading to remarkable conversions and sales, making it a must-have platform for any successful marketing strategy. Here are some of the major benefits of having a YouTube channel for your business.

• YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine, which makes it a great place to reach people who are looking for visual content that's educational and entertaining.
• Video marketing elevate your online footprint with a well-crafted strategy leading to boost your brand awareness by 54% and generates 66% more qualified leads a year.
• With a robust content strategy and content planning, YouTube channel keep driving traffic over time.
• By harnessing the potential of video marketing, your channel can perform very well for months and years with very little input.
• Engaging video content helps in building stronger connections with your audiences as study reveals that 64% of consumers want to connect with the brands they buy from.
• Having a strong presence on YouTube channel help you forge deeper relationships with potential customers.
• By uploading value aiding, you can generate trust and show your audience what your brand is all about rather than just telling them.
• By leveraging potential analytical tools, YouTube can analyse and determine which the best content is for you and suggest accordingly.
• Repurposing of your YouTube videos has the credibility to grow your audience, make connections with customers, and improve leads significantly.
• By collaborating with other influencers and creators, you can gain robust exposure of your content to new audiences and improve your video-making skills.
• One of the most beneficial aspects of having a YouTube channel is monetization. As soon as you gain significant numbers of followers, you can start earning by making your channel eligible for monetization through views.

How to create a YouTube channel for your ecommerce business?

Whether you're a small business owner or a marketing professional, you need to understand the basic protocol to launch your YouTube channel in the right way. Let's go through this highly curated step by step guide to create a YouTube channel for any business owner or a marketing professional.

1. Create a Google Account

If you are looking to create your own YouTube channel, it is mandatory for you to have a Google account. As, YouTube is owned by Google, moreover it gives you access to all the features of your YouTube such as including uploading videos, creating playlists, and managing your brand's channel.

Here are some basic steps that can help you open your Google account.

• Go to Google Accounts.
• Click "Create Account" and follow the protocol to set up a new account.
• Once your account is created, you can now use it to access YouTube.

2. Set up a name for your YouTube channel

• If you want to get started with the process of creating your own YouTube channel, all you need to do is logging into the Google account which is going to manage your brand's channel.
• Now go to the YouTube channel switcher and select the 'Create a channel' button.
• Next step is to go to the next screen and choosing a name for your channel that best represents your brand personality and the purpose.
• Suppose your channel is going to focus on fitness training in your industry niche, thereafter you can name your channel related to similar field. For example you can name your channel ‘'Dance to Fitness''.

3. Optimize your channel's visual branding

Once you have created a suitable name for your YouTube channel, the very next thing that you need to look upon is its branding. Without having a brand identity it will be difficult to improve your visibility. With a proper branding strategy your YouTube channel will get a more professional look, which can help support your credibility as a content creator on the platform. Here is how you can get your branding done properly.

By adding a basic channel art

• Go to your new YouTube channel profile where you have two spots to make your mark visually: Your profile picture and your banner image.
• You can upload both of those images to your YouTube account's 'Branding' tab, found under the 'Channel customization' section.
• Now choose your profile picture also referred to as a channel icon that will be linked to your business account's profile photo; however you can change it to anything anytime. When you're ready to upload your icon, make sure to format it as a JPG, BMP, PNG, or non-animated GIF, saved at 800 pixels x 800 pixels.
• Do a quality check after upload thereby checking for a clear and compelling display maintaining small sizes as both a square and a circular icon throughout your YouTube presence. If not, double check your file formatting.
• Adding a banner image is a great way to show off your brand's personality and create a visually engaging YouTube profile that goes beyond simply your icon. It's important to note that your banner image file should be less than six megabytes and at least 2560 pixels x 1440 pixels for best scaling results on all devices.

By adding Compelling Channel Description

As soon as you add a captivating channel description with an attractive layout, it gives you the opportunity to engage your visitors with some interesting facts about your brand precisely. Here are few key points to create a highly engaging description.

• While writing a channel description tries to be concise, clear, and enticing.
• Do include a brief overview of your brand.
• Before crafting you need to focus on the type of content you'll be posting for example it can be tutorials, scientific literature, jargons, storytelling, product reviews, etc.
• It is important to insert Links and URLs to your website and social media profiles along with your product description
• YouTube allows up to 1,000 characters for description, so you cannot exceed your word count. You need to use this space wisely to describe your brand and what viewers can expect from your channel.

4. Customize your channel

Once you are done with the branding part, its time to switch to one of the basic and vital aspect of YouTube that is 'Channel customization' so that you can finish updating your business's YouTube profile.

• Under 'Description,' give a brief outline of your product by choosing a video to showcase at the top of your channel. This could be a brand introduction or a popular video that represents your business, products, and mission.
• Try to incorporate relevant keywords for your business to help your target audience find you when they search YouTube.
• You can also organize your videos into channel sections by categorizing them into different niche.
• It is always recommended to link your channel other platforms such as linking with other social media accounts, your business website, or your blog. All of those links will appear as part of your YouTube profile.
• As the first link from your channel description will always show the link title, so its necessary for you to customize and keep your link Call to action.

5. Strategizing your YouTube content

Once your YouTube channel is set up, it's time to start strategizing and creating engaging video content that attracts and converts your ideal customer. It's a vital step to create high-quality content to promote your channel. But first, you need a content strategy that aligns with your brand goals. Here are some key factors you need to consider before crafting your YouTube content.

• Make your video value aiding that can provide important information, education and inspiration to your viewers.
• Be consistent on uploading videos. Regular updates promote higher engagement rate.
• Do a brief research on the type of content you are going to incorporate such as whether it is behind the scene, tutorials, how to do guides or industry manuals.
• Focus on the tone of your content and try to keep it simple, formal and comprehensive as your unique tone become your brand's voice.
• Know more about your audience before writing content as the more you know about their preferences and interests, the more effective your content will be.

6. Build a list of YouTube ideas

Once you are done with your content part, it's time to start compiling a list of potential video ideas.

• Consider what types of video you'll create.
• Get ideas from competitor channels
• Interview any existing customers for their feedback
• Check out the trending topics in your niche

7. Run Keyword research

YouTube is a potential search engine that identifies and analyzes its videos using keywords. Here is how keyword research plays an important role in simplifying your searches.

• By harnessing keyword research it is easy to determine whether a video will be useful to a searcher.
• Use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to find popular keywords in your niche.
• Try to incorporate the targeted search terms into your videos and content strategy to make sure you're showing up in the right searches.

8. Editing YouTube video

It's a vital step to edit your YouTube video before uploading. Its definitely not a rocket science but anyone who is having a smartphone can shoot high-quality footage and with a few extra tweaks on an editing app, you'll barely notice the difference.

Start by choosing the right equipment. It means, you just need a smartphone and time to start creating. But if you feel limited by the quality of your phone and what you can do with it, consider investing in some videography equipment. Your equipment can be any of these:

• DSLR video camera or a smartphone
• External microphone
• Lighting equipment
• Video editing app or software
• Somewhere to store your video files
• A tripod or a portable phone holder

9. Uploading your first video

If you are a beginner, consider your video as good as it can be and you're ready for your audience to devour your useful tips or entertaining content. Here are the key steps to upload a YouTube video:

• Click the camera icon next to your YouTube account's profile picture.
• Select 'Upload Video.'
• Select the files you want to upload.
• Give your video a title.
• Add a thumbnail.
• Write a description of your video including keywords.
• Choose the relevant categories your video falls under.
• Once the video has rendered, click 'Finish.'
• Now, your video is uploaded and ready to view.

10. How to get your first 1000 subscribers?

Once your video is uploaded, 90% of your task is done. It's time to make yourself visible online so that you get connected with valuable audiences. For your information, the first 1,000 subscribers are the most difficult nuts to crack. You have to prove that your channel is worth watching and that you have content that's relevant to their needs. Here are some tips for getting your first 1,000 YouTube subscribers:

• Proceed with a small goal by aiming for 100 new subscribers a month.
• Make it easy for viewers to subscribe by adding a YouTube Subscribe Button to your videos.
• Add a YouTube 'Subscribe' link in your video descriptions.
• Encourage your newsletter subscribers and other social media followers to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
• Identify the most liked videos by audiences and create videos those are of similar niche and types.

11. Collaborate with other creators

For better visibility, it's always recommended to take advantage of YouTube's extensive influencer and creator communities. Identify channels that have a similar audience to yours and reach out to collaborate. There are several ways you can work with other YouTubers, such as:

• By crafting a joint video using clips from both creators
• By creating a takeover on another creator's channel where you can introduce your brand to their audience
• Sending a product to your chosen creator for them to film an unboxing video or a review

Some useful tools for YouTubers

If you are aiming to get collaborated with an affordable yet effective way to reach a wide audience, don't waste your time and start establishing your own YouTube channel. Whether it is about reaching your target audiences or analyze your competitors, YouTube marketing tools can help you identify potential opportunities by providing the ideal solution. With over 2 billion monthly active users and 5 billion videos watched daily, YouTube offers one of the largest user bases. YouTube tools optimize your videos, helping you more quickly create better content and get your videos in front of the right people.

Here are some must-have YouTube tools we recommend for you.

Video editing software: Use editing software to cut clips together and enhance the quality of your footage. Additionally, this software optimizes your titles, descriptions, and tags by using keywords in order to make it easy for viewers to find your videos. Moreover, iMovie and Windows Video Editor are free.

Keyword research tool: By leveraging the power of effective keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner (free), SEMrush, and Ahrefs you can significantly raise your views. These tools work by strategic implementation of using keywords efficiently in the title, description, and tags to make it easier for people to find your video.

Performance tools: You can enhance and track the performance of your YouTube channel with this tool. By harnessing performance tools such as Tube Buddy or Social Blade you are likely to test out different title and description variations within your YouTube content making thereby enhancing its readability.

YouTube Studio: You can manage your channel on the go with YouTube Studio, which lets you monitor your performance and organize videos from your mobile device. Basically this tool leverage the potential of social listening that includes processing, monitoring and analyzing conversations and mentions of your brand, product, or industry on social media platforms.

Importance of SEO for YouTube

There would be no credibility of an online marketing channel if it fails to improve your ranking in SERPs effectively. Here comes the role of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), an indispensable aspect of YouTube channel marketing as it is the only feature that set your videos rank higher, get more views, and improve your channel's overall performance. YouTube is inherently a search engine that deploys the power of sophisticated algorithms to connect users with the type of content they'd be most likely to enjoy. Currently, numerous marketers leverage SEO strategies to enhance their business prospects.

Here is why SEO plays a pivotal role in ranking and increasing engagement rate of your business.

Rank you higher: SEO filters and optimizes your content and makes it maintained to be featured on the top of the results that is SERPs when someone searches for it.

Keyword research for YouTube: SEO helps YouTube understand what someone will be searching for to find your video with keyword research.

Optimizing Video Titles and Descriptions: Once you've found these keywords, include them in your video title and description. Make the video title, in particular, engaging enough for someone to click through and watch. Click-through rate (CTR) is a known ranking factor in YouTube's algorithm.

Using Tags and Categories Effectively: Choose the one category that best fits your YouTube video. If it's a gaming tutorial, for example, it would be 'Gaming.' You can add as many tags as you like (provided they fit within the 400-character limit) to give YouTube's algorithm more context on what your video is about.

Adding YouTube shorts for gaining maximum benefits

If you are looking for a smarter and beneficial way to connect with a new audience using just a smartphone, get started creating YouTube shorts! YouTube shorts are one of the most effective ways to reach to your potential audiences by harnessing the power of Shorts camera within your YouTube app. YouTube's Shorts creation tools makes it easier for you to create short-form videos that can be up to 3 minutes long with a robust short camera. Here are some of the potential benefits one can gain from using shorts.

• Once you start using YouTube Shorts you can allow YouTube users to create short videos using their mobile devices. Also it can be shared on other social media platforms, helping expand your reach even further.
• By creating and sharing Shorts, you can reach a wider audience on YouTube, as Shorts are prominently featured on the YouTube homepage and are easily discoverable through the Shorts shelf.
• Viewers of your Shorts can share, comment, like, dislike, or subscribe to your channel thereby making it easier for your audience to stay engaged with your videos and give them more opportunity to hop from Shorts to YouTube videos and ultimately subscribe to your channel
• Shorts are the best way to describe your product or service within 1 minute or less which is the best way to get more views and robust respond from the audiences. Latest YouTube Data has shown that certain shorts have received 10Million views over 60days which has helped the creator to earn 45% revenue from the ad.
• These videos can be edited with various tools, such as music and speed controls, and can be shared on the YouTube platform.

Dev Bhushan

Digital Marketing Specialist at SEMReseller

• Social Media

03 Feb 2025