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8 Steps To Successful Email Marketing
8 Steps To Successful Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool when used right converting subscribers to paying customers over time. It allows you an opportunity to easily share what you have to offer in a manner in which the subscriber is receptive, but only when it is done correctly.
Let’s have a look at the 8 steps you should use to enjoy email marketing success.
Determine What Your Goal Is
For your email campaign to be a success you need to know what your actual goal is. This allows you to accurately target and measure the success of your goals along the way.
Here are some examples of goals to consider:
- Are you successful at alerting customers of new features and products you have to offer?
- DO you announce upcoming events in a timely manner and do people register for it?
- DO you send email to get subscribers to also subscribe to your blog and do you measure your conversion rate?
Who Are Your Emails From?
The name and email address that you send your email from needs to remain consistent on every single email you send.
That creates brand recognition, and you are less likely to land in spam.
Try to use a custom email address rather than Gmail e.g. YourName@YourBusinessName.com. It looks more professional too.
Carefully Craft Your Subject Line
Your email subject line needs to be a call to action for your subscriber.
They need to immediately know what action is required of them and why.
Remember you only have 45 characters that are visible so make sure that you use them wisely and your message does not get cut off.
Write The Email Body
Did you know that most people will read an email in under 10 seconds?
Therefore, it is important that you are presenting the most important part of your message at the top of the email.
This is also helpful because it shows as the snippet in the subscribers email program.
Also, make use of bullet points for skim readers.
Make Use Of The Email Signature
Your email signature should match the ‘from’ in the email. You should sign the email and include any other information you think the recipient should have such as your phone number, or perhaps your degree is important, or your web address.
Also include social media details if they are appropriate; the more people interact with you, the more likely they will change from a cold prospect into a customer.
Testing Your Email
It is important that you always test your email on a number of email platforms and on mobile devices, which make up a larger percentage of where email is read.
That way you can make sure that your email is coming through correctly on all platforms.
Most email autoresponders such as Active Campaign will allow you to check what they look like.
Also, sign up for a new campaign yourself with a test email address, to ensure that you receive any welcome emails and any tags are appropriately applied.
Send the Email
Always include the option to view as HTML or text.
This is it! It’s time to send out your email campaign and start to enjoy the benefits.
Don’t make emails too image heavy as they can take a long time to open.
It may be worth testing with long emails, or shorter emails which direct them to read the full article on your blog/website.
This leads onto the final step…
Measure
In order to know if your email campaign is successful you need to measure the click through rate and the unsubscribe rate.
This will help you determine what you need to change or what’s working.
All marketing is driven by the data, and email marketing is no exception.
4 Types Of Emails You Need To Use
If you are running online email marketing campaigns, chances are you are already using the popular newsletter format, which usually are sent out monthly or every couple of weeks.
The trouble is far too many of us stop right there and don’t use any other type of email campaign, and that’s a big mistake!
Let’s look at 4 types of email, other than newsletters, that you can use to connect with your subscribers.
Informational Emails
Informational emails are not very long and generally, they do not require any action by the subscriber.
They are simply there to convey a message and provide information to the recipient.
Examples of informational emails include ‘happy birthday’ messages, course ending reminders, or webinar reminders.
Educational Emails
Educational emails are very popular with recipients because they help to solve some type of problem or answer a question.
You can send educational emails any time you have new content, a popular blog post, or any other educational information that matches your subscribers.
This becomes even easier if you took the time to group your subscribers, because that way you can send the right content to the right people.
Lead Nurturing Emails
This type of email is one of the least used or when it is used it is often used wrongly. It takes a lot of time and effort to take a lead and move them through the entire sales cycle.
By using lead nurturing emails, you able to help that process occur faster and you don’t need to invest a lot of time. You can set up various nurturing campaigns with 7 or 8 nurturing emails in each and then you can simply schedule them to execute over a period of time.
Both 60 and 90 days are popular depending on what your product or service is. These should be short messages that are packed with content rich information and that try to get the lead to respond to your call to action that will lead them to your website.
Promotional Emails
This type of email, if not done right, can find you with a subscriber that will unsubscribe or simply trashing your message. Too many promotional emails and you will annoy your recipient.
The only time you should use this is if you have a new product or service, a special deal going on, or a special event coming up. You should not use this more than a couple of times a month.
What types of emails do you use in your email marketing campaigns? Now you have some new ideas so why not give them a try.
If you want to know more about nurturing you list, check out the featured resource below for a free Simple List Building report; download, read it and take action 😊
7 Areas Where You Need To Increase Self-Discipline
7 Areas Where You Need To Increase Self-Discipline
Building self-discipline is a process that’s never-ending. It doesn’t matter if you’re a monk who is meditating on a mountaintop or the CEO or a multinational corporation – you’ll always be encountering challenges when it comes to self-discipline.
The question you’ll need to ask yourself is – “Why am I trying to build self-discipline?”
You have to know the end goal. Clarity will allow you to focus on what matters.
Self-discipline doesn’t exist in isolation. It has to be applied. Where you apply it will be determined by your goals.
Below, you’ll find 7 things that most people need to exercise discipline with…
Your Routine
Having a daily routine is a MUST. If you live each day as it comes and in a haphazard manner, over time, your life will be a mess. It’s inevitable.
Once you have a plan for your life, you should have a daily routine that is conducive to your goals. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, your day might start with a 30-minute workout session (daily).
This is part of your routine, and it will help you achieve your goal. Self-discipline here will mean not skipping workouts and striving to improve on your personal bests with each session.
Your Habits
Ultimately, your habits will either make you or break you. Self-discipline is all about breaking the bad habits and replacing them with good ones.
You should do this gradually and it’ll be easier to make progress. Trying to do too much too soon can be extremely difficult.
Your Diet
It goes without saying that you are what you eat. If you’re overweight or have health issues like diabetes or hypertension, it’s crucial to watch your diet and eat what’s right for you.
Self-discipline will mean staying on track and not giving in to temptations. Changing one’s diet is one of the most difficult tasks to complete, but when done, can totally transform your health and body.
Your Exercise Regimen
As mentioned earlier, exercising is one area where self-discipline is required. While you can lose weight with a clean diet, exercise is too important and beneficial for you to neglect.
Choose an activity you enjoy doing and get as much of it as you can. Ideally, you should exercise for 30 to 45 minutes daily. Even on days when you’re not feeling like it, self-discipline will mean going through the motions.
Deadlines
A self-disciplined person meets their deadlines. This means not procrastinating on your work and having a schedule to follow.
One interesting point to note is Parkinson’s Law which states that the “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
So, setting yourself tighter deadlines will mean increasing your speed and focus on the job at hand. Remember not to sacrifice quality for speed. You should be fast and still do a good job.
Commitments
Family commitments or commitments to other people in your life should be met too. Do not sacrifice your family time just to build a business, or by the time your business is successful, you may not have a family.
Self-discipline will mean giving the people in your life the attention and time required even if you feel driven to get back to work or think that your time could be put to better use.
Finding balance in life is almost impossible for long periods of time, but self-discipline will ensure that you not drop the ball in any one part of your life while focusing on your goals.
Time Management
The way you spend your time will define who you are. Self-discipline will ensure that you spend it wisely rather than frittering it away on trivial pursuits.
We live in an age where people spend hours on social media, sacrificing precious time that could have been spent in a much better way.
Like Charles Darwin said, “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
So, exercise self-discipline and manage your time judiciously. Time flies, but you’re the pilot. Make sure your destination is worth the trip.
The 7 pointers are just some of the many that you should focus on when trying to discipline yourself. If you can manage these 7 well, your life will be fantastic and rewarding.
Do start working on them today.
Why Is Self-Discipline So Difficult?
You’re all fired up and want to transform your life for the better. You’re willing to eat clean, exercise hard, wake up early to hustle and grind – just so you can be the winner you want to be.
The motivational video you watched the previous night made you feel like anything is possible, and you just need to make the right changes.
So, you make the changes. You eat right, exercise hard, and do whatever you have to… only to give up one week later because it’s just too hard. The juice doesn’t seem worth the squeeze.
You feel like you’re destined to be average or even below average because you don’t have what it takes. But is this true?
Or are you just not aware of what it really takes to transform your life?
All too often, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. One may have the best intentions but lack the fortitude to keep going because he/she has a false perception of how tough the journey is.
You Need To Break Your Mould
Just like how the phoenix rises from the ashes, to become a ‘new you’ the old you has to die – and this is a painful process. It CANNOT be done overnight.
You’ll have to make gradual changes every day. Aiming for 1% improvement daily is more than enough to transform your life, even if it doesn’t seem like much.
You’re Fighting Yourself
When breaking the mould, it will feel like you’re fighting yourself – and you are. All change is met with resistance. If you’re broke, you’ll find that controlling your spending habits is a tough job.
If you’re overweight and trying to eat clean, you’ll have cravings for sugary foods and junk food. If you’re trying to be productive, you’ll constantly feel the urge to check your social media or binge watch Netflix shows.
You’re fighting yourself on every level because your old habits gave you enjoyment and pleasure. The new ones feel like work and your mind is trying to ‘protect you’, by making you do what’s easier for you even if it’s detrimental to your well-being in the long run.
Herein lies the contradiction – and it’s something you must be aware of on the journey towards becoming a more disciplined person. You’ll be battling yourself at every turn, but you will overcome the challenges and rise to greater heights.
Delayed Gratification Requires Patience
Self-discipline is intertwined with delayed gratification. If you’re avoiding the junk food today, it’s because you’re trying to achieve a fit and healthy body tomorrow.
If you’re working on your business while sacrificing time that could be spent on entertainment, you’re hoping to build wealth and financial freedom in future.
The common denominator to all these goals is that they take time to achieve. You’ll need to be disciplined for quite a while. It can take anywhere from 3 months to even a year to get a body that turns heads.
You’ll need patience to stay the course. This is extremely hard because the process is not fun, and you need to see progress to stay motivated.
When you’re impatient, it’ll feel like what you’re doing is not working. In reality, it is working. It just needs more time.
Motivation Fades
The author, Jim Rohn, once said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
This ties in closely with the previous point. Once the initial motivation to get started begins to fade, then the process will become a grind.
You’ll need to just focus on building the habits necessary to achieve your goals and aim for 85 to 95 percent compliance. Trying to achieve 100 percent compliance is difficult because slip-ups are inevitable every now and then.
The key is to correct yourself after an error and to keep going. So, being aware that the process of developing self-discipline is a relatively long and rigorous one will make you understand that you’re in this for the long haul.
It’s a marathon and not a sprint.
Your Environment Isn’t Helping
Sometimes, you’ll need to change your environment to help stay disciplined. If you’re trying to build your business during the weekends when you’re free, you might wish to avoid hanging out with friends who like to hit the clubs and party hard.
If you’re trying to lose weight, your kitchen will need to be free of unhealthy food and snacks, so you’re not tempted to binge eat.
Struggling to beat your social media addiction? You just might need to delete your social media apps on your phone and use a social media blocking app on your computer.
Making your environment more conducive to supporting your efforts will help ease the resistance you face when trying to build self-discipline.
Take note of the pointers here and remember that all the pain and effort will be worth it in the end. Self-discipline is the key ingredient to success.
As you can see, self-discipline is an important skill to master, and if you want to increase your power of self discipline then check out the featured resource below for a free detailed report; download, read it and take action 😊
The Pros And Cons Of ClickBank Affiliate Marketing
The Pros And Cons Of ClickBank Affiliate Marketing
Any affiliate marketer worth their salt will know that ClickBank is one of the best digital marketplaces on the planet. It has literally helped several vendors and affiliates to become millionaires.
This global e-commerce platform which started back in 1998 is still as popular today. In fact, 23 years later, marketers are still trying to sell/promote products on ClickBank… and it shows no signs of slowing down.
But is ClickBank really all it’s cracked up to be in 2022? Or are marketers in a rut and blindly following each other?
In order to make an informed decision, you’ll need to weigh the pros and cons of being a ClickBank affiliate. Luckily for you, we’ve done the heavy lifting and listed them below…
Pros
There are many reasons why you should be a ClickBank affiliate as it can be a lucrative business model. So, let’s look at some of the best reasons to use ClickBank affiliate marketing
Reputable Platform
ClickBank has been around for over two decades and is not a fly-by-night scam. This is indeed reassuring. There are countless horror stories where platforms suddenly up and disappear leaving unpaid affiliates in the lurch.
ClickBank, however, has never missed a payout in over 20 years. So, you’re safe with them and you’ll receive your commissions like clockwork. You’ll need to decide if you want to be paid by checks, direct deposit or wire payments.
Wide Variety Of Products
While most of the products on ClickBank are of a digital nature, the products span a wide variety of niches ranging from weight loss to survival to gardening and more.
Recently, they’ve allowed physical products such as health supplements to be sold on their platform. Both vendors and affiliates are raking in serious cash with these supplements.
One downside here is that the search feature in ClickBank could be improved. Navigating through all the products can be time-consuming and a hassle.
High Commissions
Unlike Amazon which offers its associates (affiliates) a paltry 4% to 5% commission on most products, with ClickBank, vendors will pay you anywhere from 50% to even 100% a sale.
This makes promoting ClickBank’s selection a very lucrative opportunity.
That said, one cannot deny that Amazon is a sales machine that’s designed to sell. It’s trusted and it’s easier to convert visitors into customers on this trusted platform.
Promoting digital products is also more difficult and the visitor will require more convincing. The ClickBank vendors just don’t have the reputation that Amazon does.
So, you’ll need to create a landing page with a solid page builder, add visitors to your email list with a reputable autoresponder… and have an email marketing campaign in place to persuade them further.
It’s a bit more work, but the rewards are much sweeter.
Low Barriers To Entry
It’s quite easy to become an affiliate on ClickBank. Once you create an account, you’ll be able to get you hoplinks (affiliate links) and start promoting the products right away.
Do remember that with lower barriers of entry comes increased competition. This is a double-edged sword.
Some of the more popular products may require vendor approval. So you’ll need to contact the vendor and tell them why and how you wish to promote their products.
It’s also important to know that not all products are equal on ClickBank. There are many excellent products… but also just as many stinkers. This downside is to be expected since thousands of products are listed on this platform.
It’s not uncommon to find products with bold claims, empty promises and blatant hyperbole. All designed to hook the customers in and get them to part with their money while delivering a product/s that doesn’t deliver on its promises.
As an affiliate, you’ll need to have a keen eye and separate the wheat from the chaff. Ideally, you’ll want to purchase the product and go through it before promoting it. You’ll be able to promote the product more convincingly if you know what it’s all about, instead of blindly hyping it up.
Convenient
Many affiliates love ClickBank because it’s highly convenient. The platform tracks your sales, monitors refunds and chargebacks, and sends you your commissions on auto-pilot.
It’s a hands-off process for the affiliate who can just focus on the marketing and promotions. While ClickBank’s tracking is reasonably good, you’ll also want to use a tool like ClickMagick for better and more insightful tracking.
You’re also provided stats such as the earnings per sale, conversion rate, gravity, recurring billing and more. With these stats, you’ll be able to ascertain if a product is worth promoting or not.
That said, one minor downside here is that the ‘gravity’ stats can be a little misleading. Very often, affiliates only wish to promote products with a high gravity. They often fail to realize that there’s intense competition when promoting these top sellers.
Furthermore, you’ll often find products on pages 4-7 with a lower gravity and may be tempted to dismiss them. However, these products buried in the deeper pages were usually top sellers some time back.
Just because they have a lower gravity now doesn’t mean that the product isn’t good or sellable. It just means that affiliates have stopped promoting them, and so their rankings dropped.
These former ‘top sellers’ usually still have legs and you’ll be able to get a lot of sales from them while dealing with less competition. Give them a chance and don’t be too hasty to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Cons
While there are many reasons why you should be a ClickBank affiliate, it’s important to be aware of a few downsides.
Serial Refunders
All products on ClickBank need to have a money-back guarantee. While this helps to improve conversions, it also means that people who want something for nothing will purchase the product and request a refund without missing a beat.
Since the products are often digital in nature, it’s easier for them because they don’t (and can’t) need to return the product. As an affiliate, your commissions may decrease due to chargebacks and refunds.
Fees
This is another bugbear that many beginner affiliates have with ClickBank. If you’re a successful affiliate with an active account and making sales daily, it won’t affect you.
However, if you’re still a beginner and making an odd sale here and there, you may end up paying fees if your account is dormant.
So, even if you have a positive balance in your account but you’ve not made sales in 90 days, ClickBank will deem your account dormant and will deduct $1 every pay period. After that, it becomes $5 per pay period and goes up to $50.
You just might have commissions in there that are reduced to $0. That may make you balk… and it’s understandable. But it’s part of the game.
You’ll want to set a lower payment threshold when you’re starting out and try to become a proficient affiliate as soon as you can.
You can read the terms here: https://support.clickbank.com/hc/en-us/articles/220375627-What-happens-if-I-don-t-use-my-ClickBank-account-for-a-long-time-
Should You Become A ClickBank Affiliate?
Of course, you should!
Physical products and digital products are not mutually exclusive. You can promote both of them on your niche sites, YouTube channels and so on.
You’ll be spoiled for choice when choosing a digital product on ClickBank. With the high commission rates, even 3-5 sales a day may mean an extra $1k to $3k in earnings for you.
If that sounds awesome, sign up for a ClickBank account and master affiliate marketing today.
Follow these affiliate marketing tips, and you’ll be on the way to becoming a successful affiliate marketer in no time. And if you want to know more about affiliate marketing check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 😊
The Power Of Tiny Habits
The Power Of Tiny Habits
Our habits start at a young age, and sometimes they are copied from our parents. For example, when you grow up with a parent who eats emotionally, it is possible that you may develop the same habit. As you move through life and have daily issues, you may reach for junk food or what you call comfort food that causes weight gain.
To change a habit that has been hard-wired into your brain, you must take tiny steps. Changing a habit overnight or in a few days is a daunting task. Making a big lifestyle change will put many people into fear.
They fear the work; they fear that they will fail, and with that, they decide not to start on any new habits. Tiny habits removes this fear of big change and the need to become a new person overnight.
Using tiny habits means that you also need to change your priorities. You may think your priority is to lose weight fast or stop procrastinating overnight. Tiny habits puts the spotlight on the priority of making the change fun and simple to do.
You will enjoy changing your habit instead of dreading each day and wondering how you will accomplish a big task.
Tiny habits also help remove other roadblocks to success, such as feeling guilty when trying to make a big lifestyle change, and it falls flat. We also try to change a big bad habit by setting very unrealistic goals. Those types of goals require the sort of willpower that most people do not possess, and they give up easily.
Tiny habits are easier to work with because they are so simple. In his book Atomic Habits, author James Clear states that if you make just a 1% change per day, you are stacking new habits that will stick. Motivation to create big changes is something that is difficult to create. You set the bar so low; it doesn’t require you to work on motivating yourself into action.
You just set the action and do it without much thought. For example, to lose weight, a tiny habit would be to have a fresh green apple added to whatever you eat for breakfast. If you have a piece of toast and coffee, you can add an apple to that. It is a simple and easy process that you build on.
To illustrate just how small a habit you need for weight loss, let’s look at the top ideas. We already talked about a green apple at breakfast, but there is so much more.
– Decrease the portions on your plate or switch to smaller plates.
– Chew your food slower. You can time yourself and chew a bite for 20 to 30 seconds or at least put the fork and knife down each time you have a bite in your mouth.
– Switch your snacks from sugar-based to fruit or vegetables.
– Drink sips of water constantly during your day. Rehydration in a simple form.
– Journal what you eat and why. You will then understand your eating motivation.
Any habit you want to change or start has to have a big why. Why do you want to do this, and what does it mean to you? Once you understand that, you pick a tiny habit and do it repeatedly. Make it fun to do the habit, which means you will keep working it in tiny steps.
We can use healthy eating as an example. You can buy a water bottle with a funny saying and always carry it with you. Try putting fruit out where you will see and arrange it in a fun pattern. If you have kids, involve them as much as you can to make it fun for you.
Using tiny habits will change your life for the better, and the road to change will be enjoyable rather than a big daunting task.
Top 10 Micro And Tracker Habits Apps
Creating habits takes thought and focus. As you work through your day, using an app will be a huge benefit to you.
There are many apps to consider, from micro habits, daily habits to the habit tracker.
Here is a list of the best apps for you to consider.
Habit Stacker
It doesn’t matter what habit you want to create. Habit stacker can help with self-confidence, fitness, or losing weight. This app allows you to build a morning or evening routine that will boost your success.
You start with a tiny habit and then stack new habits on top of each other. Think of it as building a scaleable wall brick by brick.
The habit stacker idea for success is to get up earlier than you did before and begin a habit. Once you complete the first one, see how many more you can stack one by one during your morning routine. This has a free version that allows you to work on two habits, and you can upgrade to building unlimited habits.
Productive Habit Tracker
This is an in-depth app that will ask you the right questions to help determine where you need to focus. It requires you to think about and answer how you sleep, which affects your ability to be motivated and productive.
You have goals, and the productive tracker will make sure your motivation matches your goals.
Being prompted will keep you on track, so be prepared for those types of notifications as you go through your day. Productive habit tracker has calendars, advice on health and productivity, with some challenges to keep you motivated for success.
Momentum Tracker
This habit tracker is for you if the idea of putting your results into an excel spreadsheet gets you excited.
You can easily view how well you are doing in creating and maintaining habits. Also exciting is the idea of having weekly targets you can set and achieve.
Momentum tracker is only for iPhone at this point in time.
Habit-21 Day Routine
Studies have shown it takes at least 21 days to permanently install a new habit that your brain recognizes and will work to make it happen.
This app is set up on that idea and is perfect for those who feel they can only create one new habit at a time. You will need to think long and hard about what habit is most suitable for you to start with.
Once you get that habit installed, you move to another 21 days to a new habit.
Habitify
This app is perfect for people with hectic careers. It notifies you of the habits and related items you need to do first, which is similar to do your most challenging task first thing in the morning.
It works with graphs and statistics to analyze your progress and keep you moving in the right direction.
Chains.CC
This app will appeal to people who like awards or progress reports. As you work on a habit and do not backtrack, a chain grows to keep you visually motivated.
If you are on the go a lot, you may also like this app because it works offline and online to perform consistently during your day.
Habit Hunter
Gamers will love habit hunter. It is a goal and habit app that turns your information into an RPG game.
As you do your goals and habits, you earn coins, weapons, and armor for your hero game.
Quirky, but still an effective app to use if gaming’s your thing.
Micro Habits
This app makes connections called chains that are linked to routines you are already doing.
You pick a micro habit and incorporate it into an already established routine.
Super Habit
This app will show you a full year of daily habits. It calculates your progress along the way as you use tiny habits to change your life.
Super Habit shows you your progress on a yearly calendar, your current and longest streak for each habit, as well as your yearly and all-time completion rates.
This is another IOS only app.
Habit Share
This app is for those who love accountability. It has a social network where you can share your habit tracking and progress.
You can motivate others while you get some love back and move into creating habits for a successful life.
Creating habits requires self-discipline and many people do lack in this area. If you want to gain more self-discipline, check out the featured resource below where you can get a free detailed report about the Power Of Self-Discipline; download, read it and take action 😊
Even More Ways To Start Your YouTube Channel The Right Way
Even More Ways To Start Your YouTube Channel The Right Way
This is the third post about starting a YouTube channel. If you haven’t seen the previous posts, you can read part one here, and part two here.
You really need to be leveraging YouTube if at all possible, because it’s the most popular video-streaming service boasting massive online traffic, and constant streaming services – and ultimately, it will maximize exposure and help your brand become recognized within your market.
By the way, if you do decide to take YouTube seriously, then check out the Video Marketing Insider for a suite of top-notch trainings and software from a video marketing expert.
So, let’s look at three more ways to get your YouTube channel more views and subscribers.
Create An Interesting Thumbnail
A thumbnail is the picture that you click on when you want to watch a video. It should clearly indicate what the video is about, even though your title and description should also reflect the topic of your video content.
One option you have is to choose a freeze-frame from the video that you’ve uploaded.
For example, if you’re a baking company who also sells products to bake with, you might upload a video on how to bake brownies.
You can choose a freeze-frame from the video that shows you mixing the batter. YouTube automatically generates a few that they think are good ones, so this is fairly easy to do.
But the more popular option is to create a custom thumbnail and then upload it, as you can incorporate something that may not be in the video but will entice people to click on it.
This is as simple as taking a picture and using a picture editing tool, such as Photoshop, or tools with a shorter learning curve such as Stencil or Snappa, to make it more appealing and relatable to your video.
For example, a beauty brand may want to use a custom thumbnail that features the products being used in the video hovering around a person’s face, using arrows to point where the products will be applied.
Or you can do a split-screen custom thumbnail. In the case of this beauty channel, they can use a before and after picture of what someone looks like with and without makeup, side by side.
Be sure to play around with different looks before deciding on your custom thumbnail, and make sure that it’s interesting enough that even you would click on it.
Brand Logos And Art
In addition to everything else, it’s important to have both a profile picture and channel art on your YouTube channel that accurately represents your company and reflects your brand message.
And if your business has accounts on other social media platforms, then your business profile picture and channel art should be the same. Again, it’s all about consistency!
Your profile picture and channel art are the very first things that people will see when they visit your channel. Whether you’re a one-person business or a company with thousands of employees, it’s important for brand recognition.
Your profile picture, for individual businesses, can be a profession-al picture of yourself, a mascot or other image that works with your brand. Simply click on the picture within your channel to up-load and edit.
Your channel art, however, should be a bit more brand specific.
You may want to consider hiring a graphic designer to create your logo or channel art. Or if your brand already has a logo, simply up-load and crop accordingly.
Keep in mind what colors your brand uses the most, as well. Then try and incorporate these colors into your videos as often as possible. For example, if your company’s logo is cobalt blue, then have videos with a splash of this color in it or use other graphic elements like a video bar or subscribe button that includes that theme.
When visitors go to your channel and see your cobalt blue logo above thumbnails with matching thumbnails, they’ll start to associate that color with your brand.
If you’ve spent some time analysing successful YouTube channels, chances are you’ve noticed how common it is for all thumbnails to look similar in terms of color or font styles used.
This helps to build a strong visual identity that helps your account look polished and professional, but also helps to establish a theme.
Sign Up For G-Suite
YouTube is owned by Google, and so your channel will automatically be linked with a Gmail account. Even if you already have one, it’s a good idea to create a separate account just for your business.
Look into investing in G Suite to have professional email addresses created. So rather than @gmail.com, your email will say @yourcompanyname.com. It’s a small step, but it helps promote a professional atmosphere for your channel and company overall.
Keep in mind that the name you choose for your new Google account should be the name of your brand.
The next few steps are self-explanatory, until you get to where it asks you to setup a YouTube brand account. This will allow you to designate editing positions.
Just head on over to YouTube, click on your profile icon in the up-per right hand corner, and scroll down to “My Channel.” Click on it but avoid clicking on “Create Channel.”
This is where you want to click “Use a business or other name,” down at the bottom. At this point you should be prompted to enter your Brand Account name.
Your Brand Account name can always be changed in the future, should you decide to do so. At this point you have successfully set up the foundation for your company channel.
Final Words
I hope that this collection of articles has given you the direction you need to start building your very own YouTube channel.
Start off by researching your market, spend some time watching videos from successful channels in your niche and then develop a content plan and schedule that you can stick to.
Once you get the hang of it, make it a point to regularly upload quality content based on the schedule you’ve chosen. Try not to change this! Your subscribers will rely on it and begin to log on expecting new content on those days.
Give viewers a reason to subscribe to your channel and keep coming back, and don’t forget to directly ask for it! A call to action within each video as well as channel description is important, but you should always encourage them to also turn on notifications so that they’re alerted whenever you upload fresh content.
Notifications cuts through the noise and helps your channel gain traction with repeat visits from subscribers.
And remember to upload in different video formats to keep it interesting and keep the viewer’s attention.
We wish you the best of luck in creating a quality channel and hope you’ve enjoyed this series!
If you want to know more about setting up your YouTube channel the right way, check out the featured resource below for an expanded version of this article covering all 11 tips in the series; download, read it and take action 🙂
