Videos have been proven to help businesses generate more leads and build exposure online. This is why we’ve been sharing tips and insights on how you can easily capture and post videos for your business. Continuing the topic, this article will show how easy it is to create a YouTube “Channel” to post, share, and promote your videos. YouTube is the most popular video-streaming site on the Internet, so if your videos don’t appear anywhere else, you at least want to be on YouTube!

Sign In

Google owns YouTube, so you need a Google account to use YouTube. If you don’t have a Google account, go to YouTube.com and click on “Create a New Account” in the upper right-hand corner. Enter the required information and check the Terms of Service box. When you click “Next Step,” you’ll be asked to verify your Google account information.

If you already have a Google Account, go to YouTube.com and click “Sign In” in the upper right-hand corner and follow the instructions. (Sign-in might be automatic depending on your computer settings.)

Upload

Once you’re redirected back to the YouTube homepage, click on “Upload” at the top center-right of the page, and follow the prompts to upload a video from your computer. (Refer to Creating a Video for Your Business in Three Easy Steps and Make Capturing Videos Part of Your Day-to-Day Operations for instructions with examples on how to easily capture videos for your business.)

Let’s walk through it, step-by-step:

1. Click “Upload Your First Video.”

2. Click “Select File From Your Computer.”

3. As the Video is uploading, you’ll be prompted to include a Title, Description, and Tags. You’ll also have an opportunity to choose your Privacy Settings, select your subject matter Category, and adjust the Advanced Settings if you so choose. A description of each is below.

Title: What you want to call your video.

Description: This tells viewers what the video is about. Keep it brief, and include keywords and your company name and information so that people can more easily find your video when they conduct online searches.

Tags: These are keywords that help identify your video or business. For example, if you’re a roofer posting a video on how to clean a gutter, you might use the following tags: roofer, gutter, how to clean a gutter, [name of your business], [your business ZIP code], etc.

Privacy Settings: Your privacy options are Pubic, Unlisted, or Private. For a business, it’s wise to choose the Public view so that anyone can find your video. If you choose Unlisted, only people who have the link to will be able to view your video. If you choose Private, only those who you list can view the video. For more information, click here.

Category: Select a subject matter category that’s most relevant for your business.

Advanced Settings: These settings are optional and allow you to include information about the video location and recording date, choose settings for comments, etc.

My Channel

After the video upload is complete, YouTube automatically creates a channel for you. To access your new channel, click on your username, which is displayed in the top right-hand corner of the page, then click on “My Channel” from the list of links that will appear.

Make note of the URL for this page — this is the URL you will use to share your YouTube channel with others.

Although at this point your channel is ready to be shared, it’s a good idea to update your YouTube profile right away. Click on the “Edit” tab by your name on your My Channel page as indicated in the image below.

Complete all of the sections in the blue highlighted section that appears along the right side of the page. Again, use the keywords for your business, but make sure the text sounds clear and natural. You should also incorporate links to your business website, social media accounts, etc. Don’t forget to “Save” your changes.

Refer to the YouTube Help section for more information and to learn all that you can do with your YouTube channel.

That’s it! You’re now ready to start sharing your YouTube channel with your employees, associates, customers, and leads by posting the URL on your website, in your blog, and on all of your social media accounts. If you need assistance or have additional questions, leave a comment below. Good luck!

—Chris Marentis is founder and CEO of Surefire Social, a local internet marketing company.