How to Build an Unbreakable YouTube Brand

One billion hours of video.

That’s how much content is viewed each and every day on YouTube!

That translates to 46,000 years of content annually.

Another amazing thing about YouTube is the amount of time users spend on it.

Believe it or not, the average YouTube session is 40 minutes.

That dwarfs the amount of time people spend on Instagram and Twitter.

Talk about engagement!

Here are a few other ridiculous stats that demonstrate YouTube’s potency:

But here’s what I find really interesting.

Only 9% of US small businesses have a YouTube channel.

That’s kind of crazy if you think about it.

I mean YouTube is second only to Facebook in terms of users.

You would think more brands would be taking advantage of it.

But this is a good thing and means that YouTube offers plenty of opportunity.

You just have to seize that opportunity.

But how do you go about building a YouTube brand?

Furthermore, what are some of the similarities among top YouTube channels?

I’d like to share with you some key strategies that have worked for some of the biggest YouTube brands.

I’ve developed some sort of a template, and following it will help you build a successful, unbreakable YouTube brand that’s distinctly your own.

Come up with a unique angle

One of the most popular channels of all time is Epic Rap Battles of History (ERB).

They’ve featured rap battles that range all the way from Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates:

to Mr. T vs. Mr. Rogers:

It’s pretty hilarious.

ERB has completely killed it and has a massive following.

They had well over 14 million subscribers as of mid-2017.

I’m not saying you have to be as original as ERB, but you definitely need a unique angle.

To decide on an angle, you have to first identify your core audience.

What kind of content would appeal to them?

Would they go for humor and sarcasm?

A lot of the top channels implement humor to some extent.

YouTube is also a place where people openly embrace their weirdness, so it’s generally okay to be a little out there.

Or should you be professional and go for an educational angle?

It depends on your demographic and its collective taste.

I recommend doing some brainstorming to decide on a basic direction to take.

Of course, this will evolve organically over time, but you’ll need to establish a core identity and preferably one that stands out.

Also keep in mind that most people use YouTube for one of two reasons.

They either want to be entertained or informed, and in some cases both.

Make sure you have a mission and a clear idea of the direction you’re going to take right from the start.

Create a killer “home video”

There’s a path that most YouTube users take when learning about a brand or channel.

They’ll first land on an individual video.

They’ll watch it, and if they like it enough to want to learn more about you, they’ll click on the link to your home profile.

Your home video will automatically play there.

This will basically make you or break you in terms of gaining subscribers.

Either they’ll be compelled to subscribe to your channel, or they’ll head elsewhere.

So, you need to completely crush it with your home video.

More specifically, it needs to encapsulate what your brand and channel are all about.

There are a few ways to approach this.

You could:

• create a video specifically for your homepage, describing your channel and telling viewers what they can expect
• feature one of your top videos that captures the essence of your brand/channel
• create a compilation of the top highlights of previous videos

Whatever approach you take, just be sure you connect the dots for first-time viewers so they know what to expect if they subscribe.

Make full use of the About section

Every YouTube channel has an About section that explains the concept of the channel.

Many first-time viewers will check this out to learn more about you.

The information you include in this section will influence whether or not they choose to subscribe.

Don’t haphazardly or carelessly fill out this section.

You want to explain the details and highlight any points potential subscribers should know.

Here’s a good example of a rock solid About section from Fine Brothers Entertainment:

Notice that it gives a clear, succinct description and also mentions the posting schedule.

Here’s another good example from The Needle Drop, one of the most popular music review channels:

This is yet another opportunity to build a homogeneous brand identity and pique the interest of those unfamiliar with you.

Don’t overlook the About section.

Create consistency

“It takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember a brand.”

In order to make your brand both recognizable and memorable, it’s super important to have consistency on your channel.

There are two main ways to accomplish this.

First, your channel should feature recurring characters and themes.

You want to become familiar to your audience to build connections with them over time.

Second, you should strive to stick with a consistent posting schedule.

In order to keep your audience interested and dialed in, you should give them a rough idea of when they can expect new content.

I know I get a little irked and lose interest in channels that go MIA all of a sudden.

It’s generally considered best practice to upload at least one new video a week.

However, two or three videos is even better.

I find the one to three video mark tends to be ideal.

It’s the sweet spot that keeps subscribers interested without fatiguing them with excessive content.

In terms of the best time to post, there’s an article from Tube Filter that offers some good advice on this.

According to their research, these are the best hours to post a video each day:

There’s also evidence suggesting viewership begins rising on Thursday and spikes on Saturday.

And this makes sense if you think about it.

Unlike most other social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where you can casually scroll through your feed with minimal time investment, YouTube requires a larger commitment, where users often view content in larger blocks.

This makes the weekend the ideal time for viewing.

Plus, people can be stealth about checking most of their social sites at work, but YouTube is trickier.

Usually, they’ll need to wait until they’re off work to indulge.

Keep this in mind when establishing a posting schedule for your videos.

Make live video part of your repertoire

Live streaming is a fairly new concept on YouTube.

But it’s starting to spread like wildfire.

According to Mediakix, “YouTube Live video views have grown by 80% and livestreams increased by 130% between 2015 and 2016.”

And here’s the thing about live video.

It’s absolutely perfect for brand building.

There’s a certain closeness viewers experience with brands through live streaming. There’s an intimate vibe to it.

You can even answer questions and respond to comments in real time and interact with your audience in a way that’s not possible with any other medium.

Research from Livestream also found that

live video is more appealing to brand audiences: 80% would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% prefer live video from a brand to social posts.

This is definitely something to experiment with if you haven’t done so already.

However, there is one caveat.

You must have at least 1,000 subscribers to be eligible for live video.

But this number has actually dropped dramatically, considering the minimum number was 10,000 earlier in 2017.

Collaborate with relevant YouTubers

What’s one of the quickest ways to crank up the exposure of your blog/website and bring in an influx of traffic?

One word: guest-posting.

Collaborating with other awesome YouTubers is basically the equivalent of guest-posting via video, which can boost your brand dramatically.

I’ve had success with this strategy.

Take for instance the time I appeared on Tai Lopez’s channel.

That one video generated over 275,000 views:

If you really want to expedite the growth of your YouTube brand, I highly recommend reaching out to relevant YouTubers in your niche.

It’s really easy.

Find a person’s contact information on their About page, and click on “Send message:”

Introduce yourself, tell them how much you like their channel and explain your idea for a collaboration video.

You don’t even need to do the video face to face—you can record footage, interacting remotely through FaceTime, Skype, etc.

This way, you can leverage someone else’s subscriber base to quickly grow your own following.

Conclusion

It’s really hard to beat YouTube as a brand-building platform.

The massive built-in audience (1.3 billion users as of March 2017) combined with the intimacy that comes with video is the perfect recipe for building your brand from the ground up.

And like I mentioned earlier, fewer than 10% of US businesses have a YouTube channel.

So, competition is still low.

If you can consistently deliver epic content that informs, entertains or both, you’re way ahead of the game.

Not only can you build an audience, you can build a unique, successful brand your competitors won’t be able to replicate.

What methods have you used to establish your YouTube brand?

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The Marketer’s Checklist for Establishing a Personal Brand

I remember when having a personal brand was reserved solely for big-name celebrities.

Back in the 90s, you had to be an Oprah-level figure to have your own discernible brand.

But the Internet has changed that.

It’s made personal branding viable for pretty much everyone, provided you put in the time and energy.

That’s why you see people go from relative obscurity to borderline celebrities quite frequently.

A good example of that is Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income.

I remember the time when he was blogging about basic online money-making techniques and had only a tiny following.

Now, he’s crushing it.

He’s writing books, giving lectures, running a podcast and has a massive following.

Of course, he creates great content, but I’d say his success is largely due to his rock-solid personal branding.

And when you get right down to it, the Internet is your vessel for establishing a personal brand.

You just need to know how to properly utilize it.

In this post, I provide you with an essential checklist for establishing your personal brand.

I’m going to point out specific platforms you can leverage to build your presence and get noticed.

I’m also going to outline the correct sequence you should follow to build your brand step by step.

Let’s get to it.

Establish a brand identity

Before you can do anything else, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve.

How do you want people to perceive you?

What do you want people to associate your personal brand with?

You’ll want to give plenty of consideration to this because it will shape your entire approach.

My entire brand identity is based around online marketing.

My personal brand revolves around helping other businesses grow.

I suggest pinpointing a few specific areas you want your name to be synonymous with and focusing on them.

Choose your niche

Seldom do you see individuals with huge personal brands having their hands in everything.

If I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that spreading yourself too thin is often a recipe for disaster.

Instead, you’re better off focusing on a specific niche.

“Niching down” enables you to develop a close association between your name and a certain topic.

Take Marie Kondo for instance.

She’s known for her unique method of organizing and tidying—the KonMari Method.

She’s written books about these topics, created an app and is a consultant.

Marie has a very precise niche, and she doesn’t deviate from it.

I recommend taking the same approach.

If you want to branch out later on, that’s fine.

But initially, you want to zero in on a specific niche.

And ideally, it will be something you’re passionate about because this will help sustain you in the long run.

Find your unique voice

Let me preface this by saying it takes time to establish your voice.

I find it’s an organic process that unfolds over time.

But you’ll want to have a basic idea of what you’re going for right out of the gate.

Do you want to sound kind, compassionate and enlightened?

That’s pretty much the voice of Leo Babauta of Zen Habits:

Or are you naturally a little snarky and cynical and prefer to keep things a bit edgy?

That’s how I would define Ashley Ambirge of The Middle Finger Project:

I find you’re usually better off sticking with your true personality and letting that define your voice.

This makes it much easier to be authentic, which is one of the top things people look for in a brand.

It doesn’t really matter what type of voice you go for, just stick with it, cultivating it over time.

Design a logo

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

Your logo is huge and one of the most vital branding elements.

I prefer to keep mine simple, like this:

But go with whatever makes sense for your brand.

If design isn’t your thing, you may want to find a professional designer.

Or use a free platform, like Canva, to create your own design from scratch.

You can choose from pre-made templates or set your own custom dimensions.

I also recommend reading this post from Creative Bloq for logo design tips.

Create a website

A professional, functional website is integral to your personal brand.

Don’t skimp on this.

Some people are reluctant to pay for hosting because they can create a basic website with WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr or a similar platform.

But I highly suggest you get your own domain.

After all, would you take me seriously if my website URL was neilpatel.wordpress.com rather than neilpatel.com?

Probably not.

Besides, you’ll have limited functionality.

For more on building your first website, check out this post I wrote.

Also, be sure your site incorporates the same color scheme as your logo.

Like this:

It typically takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember a brand, so it’s crucial that you keep it consistent and make yourself recognizable.

Choose your content mediums

I don’t need to tell you how much I love content marketing.

It’s easily the greatest marketing strategy of the 21st century!

It also “costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads.”

One of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert in your niche (or at least as someone worth paying attention to) is to create quality content.

That’s how I got to where I’m today.

I got into the habit of creating quality content—and a high volume of it.

But with so many mediums available, you need to pick and choose which ones you want to focus on.

For me, long-form blog content has become my bread and butter.

Seth Godin opts for short blurbs:

A big part of Tim Ferriss’ success (besides his books) has been his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show.

His podcast is one of the top-rated in the world and has helped him solidify his personal brand.

What I’m trying to say here is you should choose a few different content mediums to focus your attention on.

If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at some of the top content marketing trends of 2017.

Consistently creating great content kills two birds with one stone:

1. it brings exposure to your personal brand and
2. it helps create a strong association between your name and a particular area.

Choose your social platforms

Then, there’s the issue of social.

Of course, you’ll want to be active on at least a couple of networks to bring attention to your brand and to network with others in your niche.

However, you don’t want to be active on so many networks that you end up spreading yourself too thin.

Just be sure you choose networks that your target audience is most active on.

For instance, Pinterest would probably be a good choice if you’re in the fashion or culinary niche.

If you’re not sure which social sites are worth your time, here are a couple of graphs that show which networks have been most popular in 2017:

I’d also like to point out how powerful Quora can be in helping you build credibility and authority.

At the moment, it’s not as big as the juggernauts listed above, but I’ve found it to be extremely helpful.

And it’s absolutely perfect for attracting referral traffic.

I suggest checking out Quora and getting in the habit of providing high level answers to people’s questions.

Choose your social handles

There’s another small but crucial aspect of social you shouldn’t overlook.

Choosing uniform handles.

Ideally, they’ll be exactly the same across every single network so that there’s zero deviation.

Unfortunately, I had to use slightly different handles for my Twitter and Facebook.

For Twitter, it’s @neilpatel.

And for Facebook, it’s @neilkpatel.

I understand it might not be easy to have exactly the same handle across several different networks.

But strive to make them as uniform as possible so you can create uniformity and avoid confusing your audience.

Use a killer head shot

As I mentioned before, consistency is key.

This is why I can’t stress enough just how important it is to have a high-quality, professional head shot.

You’ll want to feature it on your website, your social profiles, email, etc. so that people can recognize you instantly.

Here’s the head shot I’ve been using recently:

That’s from my Twitter profile.

And here it is on my Facebook page:

Notice it’s nothing fancy.

It’s just my picture against a plain, white background.

Once again, I recommend keeping it simple.

For tips on getting a great head shot, check out this post.

Select a branded email address

There’s one last thing I would like to point out.

Your email address should include your name.

One option is to simply include it like this:

neilpatel@gmail.com

The other (and better option) is to use your name in the email domain.

It would look like this:

neil@neilpatel.com

This looks extremely professional and will help reinforce your brand identity.

Check out this article from ProBlogger to learn how to set up an email account that uses your domain name.

Conclusion

Let me just say that effective brand building is a process.

There is no magic bullet, and it’s going to take time.

Sometimes, it even takes years, depending on the level you’re trying to reach.

But you can streamline things considerably by understanding the formula behind personal brand building and following it.

The checklist I covered here includes the essentials and should serve as a blueprint.

It’s not the be-all and end-all guide, but it will definitely get things going.

What do you think the most important aspect of building a personal brand is?

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The Comprehensive List of What Needs to Be Above the Fold on Your Homepage

The majority of people have the attention span shorter than a goldfish.

When it comes to your website, it’s probably hurting you.

According to HubSpot, “55% of visitors spend fewer than 15 seconds on your website.”

You’d better grab their attention in a hurry.

But how do you do that?

By placing the most important information above the fold.

It’s one of the most tried-and-true web design best practices.

And it’s one that has received a lot of debate.

I’ve heard some people say you need to follow the original formula religiously and keep key information above the fold.

I’ve also heard other people say that it doesn’t really matter because most people are willing to scroll.

And this makes more sense as of late, considering the number of people using mobile devices.

Everyone has their own opinion, and that’s okay.

But in this post, I’ll share my take on what needs to be above the fold on your homepage.

I’m going to cover the key elements and absolute essentials and condense them into a comprehensive list so you’ll know precisely what to include.

What exactly does “above the fold” mean?

Before I dive in, allow me to give you a formal definition of “above the fold” so that we’re on the same page.

According to Tech Target,

above the fold is the portion of a web page that is visible in a browser window when the page first loads.

In others words, it’s what visitors first see without scrolling.

Although we usually think of websites when referencing “above the fold,” this term actually originated with traditional print publications.

It was simply the upper half of the front page of a newspaper where the top story was printed.

Like this:

Why is above the fold so important?

It’s simple.

• It’s what people see first.
• It’s what attracts the most attention.
• It’s where visitors spend the bulk of their time.

A 2011 eyetracking study from Jakob Nielsen found that visitors spend 80% of their time above the fold.

It’s easy to see why people make such a big fuss about deciding what to include above the fold.

While there will always be some debate as to how important placing content above the fold is, there’s no denying that it is important.

And the way I see it, there are a handful of vital elements that need to be included.

Unique selling proposition (USP)

Here’s a screenshot of the definition of a USP from Tech Target:

It’s absolutely essential that you include this above the fold.

Your USP is the way visitors get their bearings after landing on your site.

It’s your way of instantly showing them what you’re offering and how they’ll benefit by exploring your website further.

Here’s the USP for Quick Sprout:

Bam! Visitors instantly know what’s up.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re part of or what niche you specialize in, a clear, well-crafted USP is a vital element of your above-the-fold content.

Some “explainer” copy

So, your USP provides visitors with an initial orientation.

But it doesn’t usually explain all the details.

This is why you need to include a bit of “explainer” copy that tells first-timers what your product does.

Here’s a great example from the Ahrefs homepage:

It’s brief and concise, but visitors can quickly tell what they can accomplish by using Ahrefs.

In this case, they can learn what’s helping competitors rank high and what steps they can take to outrank them.

Notice that it doesn’t drone on paragraph after paragraph with long-winded copy.

It matter-of-factly elaborates upon the USP and explains what the product does.

In turn, this should raise the interest level of visitors and encourage them to keep exploring the website further.

Your brand logo

This is a biggie.

In a world with super-saturated industries, where companies often have to scratch and claw their way to the top, brand recognition is of the utmost importance.

That’s why you want to establish consistent branding across the board and take every opportunity to reinforce your brand identity.

Take a look at the homepage of any major company, and I can pretty much guarantee they’ve included their brand logo above the fold.

Below are just a couple of examples.

Here’s HubSpot’s homepage:

And here’s Dropbox’s homepage:

It’s your way of letting visitors know who you are, and it plays a role in your long-term brand building.

Simple navigation

Let’s say a visitor has just landed on your homepage for the first time.

After seeing your USP and explainer copy, they have a pretty good idea of what you’re offering.

And after seeing your brand logo, they associate it with you.

At this point, you’ve piqued their interest, and they want to learn more.

It’s your responsibility to provide them with the framework to explore your site in a streamlined, systematic fashion.

This, of course, is done through simple, intuitive navigation.

Allow me to provide you with a few examples of brands that do this really well.

First, there’s ConversionXL:

Next, there’s Buffer:

Finally, there’s Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income:

Pat’s homepage incorporates a feature that I’m a big fan of.

The “Start Here” page.

It’s not necessary for every website, but it’s a great way for some sites to give first-timers a quick and easy way to get acquainted with the site, providing them with the best content to accomplish that.

Notice that all three of these examples feature simple, easy-to-spot navigation.

This way visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for with minimal effort.

This is crucial for encouraging visitors to browse your site in-depth and for getting conversions.

Contact info

This element is more important than you may think.

According to a web usability report from KoMarketing,

51% of people think ‘thorough contact information’ is the most important element missing from many company websites.

On top of this,

64% of people want to see contact information on a vendor website homepage.

It’s especially important if you’re running an e-commerce store, selling online.

People want to be sure you’re a legitimate business and not a scam artist who’s going to take their money and run.

Having full contact information tends to put your visitors’ minds at ease once they land on your homepage.

Your CTA (sometimes)

The fact that I put the word sometimes in brackets may have made you raise an eyebrow.

I mean, why would you not include a CTA above the fold?

This is the absolute basics of homepage design, right?

But here’s the deal with CTAs.

Several studies have been done to determine the impact of CTAs placed above the fold versus below the fold.

One of the more interesting studies involved The Boston Globe.

The experiment was simple.

They ran an A/B test where the CTA was first placed above the fold on the homepage and then below the fold.

Here’s what the first homepage looked like with the CTA above the fold:

And here’s the second version, where the CTA was below the fold:

Conventional logic would suggest that the first version with the CTA above the fold would outperform the second version, right?

Not exactly.

In fact, the results were virtually the same, and there were no significant differences in conversions.

This tells us that maximizing conversions isn’t about simply placing your CTA above the fold.

Anyone can do that.

It’s more about nailing it with all the other elements and writing great copy.

If you pique the interest of visitors, many will make their way further down your homepage and ultimately stumble upon your CTA.

That being said, I generally recommend placing your CTA above the fold as long as it makes sense and flows with the rest of your content.

This tends to be the approach of most successful brands.

However, you never want to force it.

Your main priority is to motivate visitors and to write compelling copy.

Also, be sure you’re not overwhelming visitors by stuffing the page wtih several CTAs above the fold, e.g., signup forms, a link to your product, etc.

Instead, keep it simple, and focus on a single CTA.

Like this:

Conclusion

The formula for what to include above the fold on your homepage is pretty straightforward.

Here’s a recap:

• A well-written USP
• Some brief explainer copy
• Your branded logo
• Simple, intuitive navigation
• Contact info – especially important if you’re running an e-commerce store

The CTA is optional and doesn’t typically affect conversion rates as much as you may think.

But if you can incorporate it in a seamless, non-disruptive way, by all means, include your CTA above the fold.

While there are other elements you could include, these are the essentials.

By putting them all together, you should be able to entice a sizable portion of your readers to continue browsing and even go through your sales funnel.

What do you think the most important element to include above the fold on your homepage is?

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