By Heather Green
When I look back over the past 10 years and I think about the major contributing factors to the growth of my business, my Youtube channel has been TREMENDOUS. I started my Youtube channel back in 2008, when Youtube was beginning to emerge on the social media scene. It began as a way to help a friend and share some tips, fast forward 8 years and 250 videos later my channel has helped me reach millions of people worldwide and to sell a lot of paint.
I was interviewed by a women’s network and they brought up my “internet fame”. I couldn’t help but blush because I I don’t see myself as famous, and I still don’t feel as if being on Youtube makes me any different from other great artists. But she brought up a great point and it lead me to write this blog… and hopefully shine a light on what Youtube channel can do for you.
Unless you live under a rock, social media is all that everyone talks about. You can’t watch the news, use your phone or talk to a friend without someone mentioning “did you see that post on Facebook, did you see Donald Trump’s tweets, and that Youtube video is viral!” So it makes sense that as you build your business, and decide the most effective tools to market your business you consider which areas of social media would work best for your business.
Why, How and Should someone start a Youtube channel?
Why: The following information is strictly my opinion and you know what they say.. opinions are like buttonholes everyone has one. Youtube is the worlds second largest search engine besides Google. So if you want to be socially active, and be a top result when someone googles your area of business then yes you should have a Youtube channel. The beauty of Youtube is that its FREE to create a channel, its free to upload videos and its free to create videos on your phone and add them directly to Youtube. Now HOW you operate your youtube channel is where it gets a little more involved.
How: To start a Youtube channel all you need to is an email address and internet connection. Simply log onto Youtube and hit upload. It will prompt you to sign in our create an account and VOILA! Now you have a Youtube channel. So here is where you need to decide if Youtube is worth the time for your business model.
Is your focus to sell a product or a service? I never imagined that teaching face painting would take me around the world. And truth be told it was never my mission nor my drive behind my channel. But as I started getting more feedback I realized my love for teaching and my Youtube videos became a means to advertising my services. So start off by asking yourself what are you trying to sell? The main reason this question is important is because video files are large, they eat up the memory on your cell phone, your computer hard drive, and take time to create so you don’t want to invest energy into creating video content that YOU don’t even want to watch.
Here’s an example: I have a friend that creates barcodes, he asked me about creating videos for his company. I asked him what kind of videos would you see yourself making about barcodes. And who would actually want to google and watch a barcode video? So we brainstormed and came up with an idea to do a funny video about 10 reasons why you need barcodes in your life. Then he wrote a short blog to go along with it, and submitted it to a couple of online papers and business editions. His video has over 50,000 views… YES a video about barcodes. He doesn’t advertise his Youtube channel, he isn’t trying to create a famous Youtube channel he simply wanted to share video content about his product and it worked effectively. So, his strategy is use Youtubes free platform to share video content without necessarily aiming to build a “Youtube” fan base.
Have you ever tried to text a video to someone? Doesn’t it feel like it takes forever to text and receive a video file? So when you want to share video content Youtube is the way to go. I also recommend this method for anyone that wants to improve their SEO rankings. Take short videos at your events, if you are a balloon decorator get clips showing before and afters, if you are a face painter record how happy and engaged your customers are as they wait to get painted, and the reaction of the child when they happily look in the mirror. Then upload that video on your channel with tags and search terms. There is little to no extra time or equipment needed for this type of video marketing. Once you load it and include key words then your videos can begin to tell stories for you. Having a popular video is different that having a popular channel. So, don’t overwhelm yourself thinking the only way to utilize Youtube is by having a lot of followers and hits. You can take advantage of the free video sharing and the fact that Youtube videos rank high on the result list and start adding videos little by little to increase traffic to your website and grab more leads.
Now the other side of Youtube is when you use it to build a following and engage customers to continuously visit your channel and “subscribe”. This is the method I use to help me sell product, advertise my classes, and grow my network. Youtube has over 1 BILLION users, over 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute on Youtube, and Youtube pays people to run ads over their videos. So, if you have a business goal in mind this can be a very worthwhile investment of your time if you are ready to commit. As I mentioned before video files are BIG. They eat up your hard drive space and GOOD quality video takes time to create. If you want to create a popular Youtube channel, the ONLY way to do it is by producing consistent, quality, content. (C,Q,C) I have mentioned this concept before and applied it to the business principles of pleasing clients. Its no different, with Youtube. If you want subscribers, you need to be diligent about creating content that people want to see, content that portrays the quality of the service you would like to be known for and consistent content that is current and useful. Building a Youtube following takes time, and in order to generate noticeable income from Youtube you need to have subscribers. The way to get subscribers is by producing C.Q.O. ( consistent quality output) so in other words you gotta do the work!
Youtube is the new means to create the next celebrity. Justin Beiber, Michelle Phan, and countless others were “discovered” on Youtube and have turned that success into a business. Forbes published an article about the top earning Youtube stars and they make well over 7 figures annually by monetizing your videos and endorsements. But they didnt get there easily or fast. Michelle Phan built an empire from her Youtube following and has released make up lines with Lancome, and even has a billboard in times square. But if you watch her videos she has dedicated herself to creating videos that appeal to her audience and she consistently releases new videos giving her followers something to look forward to. You cant expect top make one great video or a video once a year and be able to make money from Youtube. So here is my best advice for those wondering if a dedicated “subscriber focused” Youtube channel is right for you…
- Do you have a product to sell or do you want to promote yourself as an instructor? I ONLY recommend building a and spending time and money creating a successful Youtube channel for those that have a product to sell or i your goal is to be an instructor. That way you can capitalize off the sales of a product while you open doors for other opportunities. If you are spending time and lots of time creating and sharing free content what are you trying to achieve? If you give away the cow, you wont have anything to make milk with. A popular Youtube chanel works fro my business model because I can attract sales, show off new products and make content people want to see. If you are a nail art specialist and create videos showing your designs with no product to support the sales, then you are essentially wasting your time and could be being paid to make videos for someone else and it would be more lucrative.
- Do you have the means to create good quality video? My first videos were the worst! I made them using my little camera and slowly as I built my channel I invested in better lighting, backdrops, editing software etc… and it has shown through my output. As I explained video editing takes time. I film and edit in final cut and a 12 minute video takes me sometimes 4-5 hours to edit and upload. I had to buy an external hard drive because I kept killing my Macs with the huge files, so my total investment was about $2,000. Not including my time. YES there are less expensive ways to create video content but it all depends on what you are filming and the quality necessary to create great content.
- Are you ready to commit to your channel? The truly successful channels that generate $1K or more in royalties monthly run contests, are shared all over the internet, their owners and operators are always sharing links, interacting with subscribers, answering questions and using their channel like a part-full time job. If you want to see those results that’s the necessary dedication to do so. YES, your videos will be natural results sooner or later, but to begin you need to be pinning videos on pinterest, submitting them on blogs, sharing them on Facebook and creating new content.
- Not for the faint heart– When you create a public video and upload it on a public platform you open yourself up for criticism , and some pretty mean trolls. I turned off my notifications because some of them were super nasty. I chose not to engage those people but its part of the course. So make sure you are ready to build thick skin and not let the mean beans get you down. I had one woman write me an email telling me that the way I interact with my models makes her feel as if I am a child molester. I was so hurt and offended but I knew that it was nothing more than someone looking for attention. With every good there is bound to be a little bad, so mentally prepare yourself for the whole enchilada of social sharing.
As a busy mother, wife, friend, multiple business owner I know how precious our time is. So I try to help you prioritize your time and money to help you maximize the potential profits. I struggle finding time to film, and I am usually only able to edit once my kiddies are in bed and I have quiet time. I have a motto, anything that you out 100% into , you will see a return. Best of luck and if you need help or have question about monetizing your channel or how to join a network I am always happy to help
xoxox Heather
Just in case you need some inspiration
here are a few of my favorite Youtube channels
Mine of course LOL my Youtube