What Your Law Firm Needs to Know About YouTube

YouTube is a content powerhouse. Though it’s been around for 15 years, it has exploded in recent years along with the popularity of video viewing. In the US, 62% of users access YouTube daily, and it’s often the first resource when people are searching for information.

Good thing they are always innovating! In fact, YouTube recently announced some changes designed to support video creators. Here’s what legal marketers need to know. 

A Summary of YouTube Changes

Content creators can always use additional insights to help them optimize and reach more viewers. YouTube is constantly looking for ways to improve its platform, and its recent additions should prove valuable for content creators. YouTube has launched more detailed analytics data that will provide a breakdown of subscribers gained by content type. This will allow creators to understand the content their audience is watching across formats and was previously unavailable.  YouTube has also enabled Shorts thumbnail customization for the first time. This feature offers the potential to drive more clicks and views. 

Updates to YouTube Analytics

There are a couple of new pieces of information that can help YouTube content creators in Studio Analytics. Subscribers per content type allow marketers to see a breakdown of the number of subscribers gained for different types of content. Before, you could only see data on views per content type, but not actual subscriber numbers. The goal of adding this data is to assist creators in comparing the performance of their different content formats. 

Views per content type is also available on mobile. Creators can now use Studio Mobile app to view analytics data by content type, making it more convenient to see what kinds of content your audience is really engaging with across multiple formats. To get to the data, go to the “Audience” tab and filter the videos that viewers watch by type. This will allow you to form a better understanding of your audience’s viewing habits. That’s key information for developing new content ideas and new content formats. For example, if you primarily publish regular videos but discover that live streams generate more views, you can tweak your strategy. The more you understand what your viewers are interested in, the more it can help your overall marketing efforts – even in non-video formats. 

YouTube Shorts Thumbnails

Content creators have previously expressed concern about thumbnails for Shorts. As an initial step for allowing creators to customize thumbnails, YouTube has introduced the option to select a frame from a Short to be used as a thumbnail when uploading a video on Android. 

This might not be as quick as uploading a custom thumbnail separately, but it’s still a good step. For example, you might create a static thumbnail and then edit it into a Short prior to uploading. Even if the image is shown only briefly in that video, creators have the ability to choose it as the thumbnail. The thumbnails for YouTube Shorts will display in these areas: 

• Channel pages in the Shorts tab
• YouTube homepage recommendations
• Videos that are listed in the subscriptions tab
• YouTube search results

You won’t see thumbnails in the Shorts feed, which will continue to play videos automatically as users swipe through it. You can also customize a Shorts thumbnail on the final upload screen. To do so, tap the new icon and make your selection. 

You can expect better experiences as YouTube continues to improve its functionality and bring it to iOS devices. 

Takeaway: 

YouTube has introduced new features around analytics and Short thumbnails that content creators can take advantage of. Give them a try and make sure to follow our blog to get the latest tips on the newest functionality. 

If you need some guidance on developing an impactful YouTube strategy, reach out to our video experts. Get started with a free consultation today.