YouTube has over 2.6 billion active users in 2023, and that number is only expected to grow. So, it’s not surprising that more and more marketers are turning to YouTube to advertise their offers – some now even sell directly through the platform.
If you’re looking to start a new channel in 2023 (or generate significant growth for an existing channel), and your ultimate purpose is to sell products and/or services, here are 7 strategies that are working right now that can help you to succeed:
1. Understand the Fundamentals of the YouTube Algorithm So People Will Find Your Videos
The most recent statistics (which date back to mid-2022) suggest that there are at least 800 million videos available to watch on YouTube – and probably many more. If your videos are going to be found by your ideal audience, they need to be optimized to meet the trends favored by YouTube’s algorithms
Here are some of the most important things you must do to optimize your video’s searchability:
- Keywords – Utilize keyword tools and tactics to determine which are the best keywords for your video, and be sure to include them in the title and description.
- Thumbnail – Audiences WILL judge a video by its cover (in fact, it often can determine whether someone clicks to view or not). So, be sure to create a customized cover that is legible and alluring. You can even use a free graphic design thumbnail template.
- Video Description – Let your audience know in detail what is discussed in the video. You have 5000 characters (approximately 800 words) to include all the relevant keywords and more. It’s also an opportunity to link to your offers.
- Timestamps – Timestamps help viewers skip to the specific parts of a video they want to watch, which makes it more likely they’ll stay and not just scroll to another video.
- Responding to Comments – Don’t forget that YouTube is first and foremost a social platform, so be sure to engage with your growing community (who will ideally become and stay loyal buyers and fans).
2. Analyze Your Favorite Competitor Channels for Insights
One of the quickest ways to grow a YouTube channel is to analyze your competitors. What’s working that drives audiences to click? Where are there areas for improvement or gaps that your channel could fill?
Some factors to consider include topics, visuals, video length, editing, and production quality. Be sure to analyze the comments your best competitors receive for specific details on what audience do and don’t like.
3. Take Advantage of Other People’s Audiences with Influencer Marketing 
If you’re trying to grow your number of YouTube subscribers and/or generate awareness for your sales offers, be sure to leverage the power of other creators’ existing audiences. In other words, partner with current YouTube influencers.
You’ll be in good company. After Instagram, YouTube is the 2nd most popular online platform for influencer marketing, and 70% of marketers identify it as a crucial platform for their influencer marketing strategy.
4. Upload Relevant, Relatable Content Regularly
If you want to grow a loyal fanbase (who will ideally become repeat customers and ambassadors for your brand), you want to make sure to keep showing up with valuable content. A viewer might need to see multiple videos to feel they’ve built a relationship with you over time before deciding to buy.
You might also want to determine the best days and times to schedule new videos to be posted in order to reach your target market.
5. Create Some YouTube Shorts
In a bold move to compete with the popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube is creating a variety of incentives for channels to produce YouTube Shorts.
While you may have chosen YouTube in order to create long-form content, there is also value in variety, and you may be able to tap into a new audience (who could turn into new customers) by adding some Shorts to your video portfolio.
6. Take Advantage of YouTube Ads 
Organic growth is certainly possible on YouTube. However, you can accelerate your results by utilizing YouTube Ads to expand your reach.
You certainly want to construct an advertising plan (and may even want to consult with a professional or two!) before investing money into YouTube Ads. However, at bare minimum, make sure you know your target audience and have already created at least 7 optimized videos in your niche.
7. Continue to Experiment and Grow
So much of the creativity in content development lies in all the tiny acts of decision-making. For better or worse, there usually is no “one right decision” when it comes to all the elements that make up an effective video. While YouTube Analytics can provide you with data and insights regarding your current channel audience and their preferences, content creation will always be an art and never an exact science.
Thus, while it often pays to pay attention to metrics, don’t worry if not every video leads to sales success. You can always edit, or just try something different next time. The most important character trait you can cultivate for sales success via YouTube is resilience.
Which of these strategies will you focus on for YouTube growth in 2023? Have any of these already worked for you? Share your stories and your channel with us!
