How to Start a YouTube Channel for Your Small Business

When you think about the social media platforms your small business should be on, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn probably come to mind first. But what about YouTube?

 In 2024, 83% of U.S. adults reported using YouTube – spending an average of 48.7 minutes on the platform each day. With numbers like that, you can’t deny that having a business presence on YouTube is worth your while.

If you’ve been holding back because you just weren’t sure where to start, this is where we come in! Just keep reading and we’ll go over the steps for how to start a YouTube channel so you’ll feel well equipped to start creating and posting videos that will drive more customers to your business.

Why Create a YouTube Channel?

Simply put, creating a YouTube channel – and the videos for your channel – will help you get seen by more potential customers.

According to Google, YouTube is the number one platform people use to research products and brands or make purchasing decisions. To stay competitive in the market, you want your business and products to be where customers are looking for them most. And one of those major places is YouTube.

Not only are people going to YouTube specifically to research products, they’re also just using it for entertainment. Among social video viewers in the U.S., 52% use YouTube to watch live content, making it the most popular platform for watching live content, putting it ahead of Facebook. You can use this to your advantage in a couple ways. First, create your own content for people to enjoy. Consider posts like live streams unboxing new products or even a tour of your space. Second, because people use YouTube so frequently for a variety of reasons, with a potential reach totaling 2.49 billion users, it’s a great platform for running ads. 

Overall, statistics show that YouTube is the second most effective platform for B2C content marketing.

How to Start a YouTube Channel

So, now that we’ve convinced you that starting a YouTube channel is a smart move for your small business, let’s go through the process step by step!

Step 1: Sign into your Google Account.

You probably already have a Google account associated with your business that you’ll want to use when creating your channel. But if not, we recommend creating one or starting a brand new one just for the purpose of creating a YouTube account. This allows you to share it with multiple people and limits any security issues tied to your personal account.

Step 2: Once you’ve signed into Google, head to YouTube and sign in there too.

Step 3: Now that you’re signed in and on the YouTube homepage, click on the avatar icon in the top right corner of the screen and select “Create a channel” from the drop-down.

Step 4: You’ll then be prompted to create your channel name. How you name it is entirely up to you, but just sticking with your business name is a safe bet.

NOTE: depending on how you set up your Google accounts, you can stick with just this one channel or create another channel for your brand. To do this, simply go to your “Settings” > “Create a new channel” > you’ll be prompted by another window asking to create your channel name.

Step 5: Customize your channel layout.

To start the customization process, click the “Customize my channel” button at the top of the screen. From there, you’ll be taken to the YouTube studio. You’ll see several options for customizing your channel, including “Layout,” “Branding,” and “Basic Info.”

Let’s go through each one separately.

Layout – Within the layout section you’ll see two different elements to customize – “Video Spotlight” and “Featured Sections.”

• Video Spotlight: The first piece of content that appears on your channel when someone clicks in. You can add two different types. The first is a channel trailer, which will play for people who haven’t subscribed to your channel yet. The second is afeatured video, which will play for your subscribers, but only for those who haven’t seen the video already.
• Featured Sections: You can choose up to 12 different featured sections that will appear on your channel. Featured sections help to organize the content that your visitors will see first. The initial setup will automatically default to a “Short videos” section and a “Videos section,” but to add more, simply click the “+ ADD SECTION” button and then choose what other sections you’d like to include. Which playlists and sections you choose all depend on how you’ll be using your channel.

Branding – You can Adjust your channel’s branding using three different sections: “Picture,” “Banner Image,” and “Video Watermark.”

• Picture: This is just your profile picture. It will appear on your channel, next to your videos, and in any comments you create.
• Banner Image: The large graphic at the top of your channel.
• Video Watermark: This will appear in the bottom right corner of your videos. You can choose when and for how long it appears.

All these visual elements should be consistent with your business’s branding. Don’t be nervous about getting this perfect on the first try. YouTube will show you a preview of each element so you can easily see if anything is getting cropped or looks weird.

PRO TIP: Use a resource like Canva to help create your visual elements.

Basic Info – There are numerous pieces of basic channel information for you to adjust.

• Name: Should be consistent with your channel, brand or you if you decide to be the face of your branding.
• Handle: Try to keep this short and simple, but remember it should be a searchable version of your name. It will also appear in your public URL.
• Description: Here you have up to 1,000 characters to describe your channel and the content you’ll be making. Make sure to also include popular search keywords relevant to your business and products.
• Channel URL: Your channel’s web address.
• Links: Add links that will drive visitors to your website and social media channels.
• Links on Banner: You can choose up to five links that will appear in the lower right corner of your banner. If these are something you’d like to include, keep them in mind while designing your banner – make sure they won’t cover any important text or graphic elements.
• Contact Info: Include a business email where people can get in touch with you.

Step 6: Hit publish.

Congrats! Now that you’ve hit “publish,” your channel is fully set up, customized, and ready for all your great videos!

Final Thoughts

Now that you’re armed with this step-by-step guide for how to start a YouTube channel – along with some solid evidence for why starting a channel is important for your small business – there should be nothing holding you back! By creating informative videos, YouTube shorts, and fun content for your audience to enjoy, your engagement and brand awareness should improve dramatically.

If you found this guide helpful and you’d like to find out how RevLocal can simplify even more parts of your digital marketing strategy, give us a call today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a marketing expert.