Do you use Youtube to promote your business, and want to get more hits on Youtube? Or, maybe its a hobby for you, and you want to expand your amateur standing. Either way, there are several things you can do to drive viewers to your Youtube videos. Watch out though because there are a lot of programs out there that can get your YouTube account banned if you use them (this Tube ToolBox review shows they are trusted and dont risk getting your YouTube account banned.). After reading this article I promise you will have a better understanding of how to get more views on YouTube.

Hit the Home Page

You probably want to get more hits on Youtube, and make the home page. There are several different categories of home page honors. You can go for membership in the top favorites, top views, top comments, and ratings categories. Usually, if you get one million views, youll make the home page (depending on the niche), but there are some things you can do to help get those views. Use your marketing skills to target one particular category with your video. Then, carefully consider the category to which you are going to submit. If you create a good channel, and focus on one category, youll soon start earning honors. Creating a channel with its own customer base also gives you a chance to pick up subscribers, and once you have those email addresses, you can send out emails.

Build a Strong Profile

So, start at the basics; set up your Youtube account with a full, authoritative profile, and youll get more views on Youtube. You dont want your profile to be an orphan, so go into the process of formatting a healthy account full of friends and subscribers. When you go in with a power profile, youll have more creditability with potential viewers, and Youtube main office wont worry about your origins.

Use Keywords

You probably know what keywords are, but do you know how to get more hits on Youtube with keywords? (See this guide for making your YouTube videos SEO friendly.) Any time you type words into search fields, youre typing keywords. So, the best thing to do is figure out several combinations of words that your target audience would type in. You can even find websites that offer free keyword searches for you, to find out what the most popular keywords are for your subject. If the video is related to your business, and you make your living on the subject, you need updated lists of keywords, anyway( I use the Google Keyword Tool). See my Video Shadow review to see a tool that can do the research for you in an instant. Once you have a list of popular or common keywords, choose one to put in your title. Placing the keyword in the title immediately lets people know that they are in the right place, and youll get more hits on Youtube.

Now, on your Youtube description, you probably know that only about the first sentence and a half will show up. To get more hits on Youtube, write a naturally flowing sentence that contains the keywords in the title. Be sure to get the keyword or key phrase in the first 60 characters. Then list the same keyword first in your tag line. In this way, youll optimize your title and description for Youtube. (Hint keywords closer to the start of the sentence work best)

Utilize Your URL

Once you have chosen the best keyword for your title and description, you can get more views on YouTube by adding your URL at the beginning of the description. When your URL is available, you are much more likely to get visitors to your site.

Post Video Responses

To get more hits on Youtube, post video responses. Surf Youtube to find other videos for the same subject area as yours. For instance, when you type in the keywords you used in the title of your video, what other videos are listed? Watch those videos, because not only will you learn about the competition, you can leave informed comments. And, post a video response. When you do this, youll benefit from the traffic the other video generates. You are basically riding piggy-back by making your video available to people who have shown interest in that subject.
A word of caution, here. Your video response should be related to the subject of the response. Anything else is spam, and will not be well received. If youre serious about your subject matter, youll take care of your video and post it in relevant contexts. If the viewership of the other persons video likes yours, you get more hits on Youtube, and more subscriptions to your video channel.

Create Playlists

You can really get more hits on Youtube if you create playlists. When you search videos on your topic on which to place your video response, choose 3 or 4 to make a playlist. Include your own video, with the URL, and title it with good keywords.

Calls to Action

A good call to action will help you get more hits on Youtube. A call to action is simply a link that allows someone to sign up for your services. It can be a simple phrase, such as:

Visit my site for more terrific videos.
Please rate this video.
Subscribe to my videos.

These calls to action can be highlighted with a text box or some other visual effect to catch the eye. You can overlay your call to action onto your video, so that it wont be missed. A call to action will help monetize your site and your videos.

Just Make the Video

You may have noticed that the filming on the vast majority of Youtube videos is not that great. Thats because it is an amateur forum. So, dont worry about having the best lighting, the best sound quality, the best video. In fact, if its really polished, people may be a little suspicious of it. Just worry about having the best message.

Who is interested in this video? This means finding your target audience, and marketing it to that group. If you own a plumbing warehouse, and have made a video of your political opinions, you dont want to try to market it to your political video to the contractors with whom you do business. This type of thing would be more appropriate presented on a forum somewhere. Dont email and tweet the link to this type of video to your plumbing customers.
Demonstrate your product. Its always a good idea to practice a few times, though! For instance, if you make jewelry, have several items to show in the video. You also need examples of each step of the process. Dont be afraid to give out information, because youre the expert. You already know how to do this, and they are just learning.
Be honest. If you really dont know much about the subject, why are you making the video? Talk about and demonstrate your strengths. You dont have to worry about being a slick salesperson, just know what youre doing, and it will come across.

Not Just a Commercial

Just be sure that you are not making a commercial. Your video must have something to say to Youtube viewers. Its a communityactually, several communities of viewers. A community of over 20 million viewers. And, it doesnt cost you anything to post your video. It helps if you can think of a twist, or something funny you can add to your videos. Here are some different categories to consider:

Informational This is a history type of video, telling about our company and how you got into business. Include some free insight into the business, so that the viewer comes away with something they can use, too.
Educational How to videos may be your niche. Approximately 80% of adults are visual learners, so when they get ready to learn how to do something, they want someone to show them how to do it.
Entertainment The Numa Numa song comes to mind, here. But there are many examples on Youtube of people who have come up with entertaining videos, often to sell their products. The demonstration goes off in a crazy direction, and a funny video suddenly becomes guerrilla marketing.

Promote Your Own Videos

Youtube PromationYou can certainly get more hits on Youtube if youll promote your videos. Promoting your videos isnt that hard. First, make sure all of your friends have your Youtube link, and ask them to share it with their friends and contacts. Be sure, too, that people with whom you have a working relationship have your link, and encourage them to share it.
Do you Tweet? Twitter is super powerful! Tell your followers about your newest video, and ask them to retweet. Post it, also, on other social network sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Dont forget, too, to blog about your videos. If you dont blog, then write an article about the video and post it on forums and in article directories.

Use Email

It may seem like stating the obvious, but email your video, or a link to it, to everyone on your contact list. Invite them to share it with all of their contacts, too.

Give, and You Shall Receive

Mom always said that if you want a friend, be a friend. You can get more hits on Youtube by being a good fan of other people.

Leave comments on other peoples videos. Just dont try to sell your video in the process, because people will see right through it.
If you want people to subscribe to your videos, subscribe to their videos. Its not just a trade-offif they subscribe to your videos, then suddenly, you have access to their entire viewership!
You cant expect other people to rate your videos if you dont rate theirs.
Send friend requests. If you see a video, its ok to creep a little bitsee if the poster of the video has a Facebook account, and send a friend request. This will get you involved more with people who will be interested in your subject matter, and increase your own viewership.
You can bet that if you make your presence known by being generous to other posters, youll start reaping the rewards of more hits on Youtube.

Go Outside of YouTube

As you can see, it doesnt hurt to go outside of the world of videos to get more hits on YouTube. Employ all of the social networking techniques at your disposal to promote your videos. You dont have to limit yourself to YouTube. Social networking is the perfect web of contacts that can expand exponentially when you start participating in forums and commenting on posts, videos, and blogs. You can also benefit from putting your video on your website, with links to your playlist included. Google owns YouTube now, and since they now have a vested interest in videos, websites that include videos shoot right to the top of Google rankings.