‘YouTuber’ is now a career choice! At least that’s what people with video-mad teens tell me. Let’s be honest most of us have disappeared down the YouTube rabbit hole now and then – so maybe there’s something in it.
Actually, many people use YouTube as a search engine – second only to its big Daddy, Google. YouTube outstrips all the other search engines and the big difference is that when you search on YouTube – the answer is ON YOUTUBE. That means that when you’ve watched the video on your chosen subject, you’ll be offered a whole selection of similar subject videos.
What does that mean for a business?
If you create useful and entertaining videos on your subject and put the right tags in the right places before and during the upload process, you can get on the first page of searches.
What is an influencer?
An influencer is someone who has a clear niche and whose videos have a massive following. That’s where you start making money.
Your income will come from a variety of sources:
- Ads preceding your video – and you have to have a certain level of subscribers before this is on offer
- Companies offering you a fee to promote their products
- Individuals who want consultancy services from you as the expert
There’s never a guarantee you’ll become a real influencer, but if you do the right kind of planning there’s a better chance. To paraphrase Lao Tzu ‘Even the longest journey starts with a single step’!
How to get started
First you need to be really clear on what your niche is – and, ideally, research the words that people search on around your niche. This will be your foundation to build on.
You need to set up your channel. Pick a name that reflects your niche and is short and to-the-point.
Upload your headshot – people like to see who you are.
Create a smart banner – not too busy, simple looks slicker. Remember where your headshot will sit so it doesn’t mask anything important.
Now you’re ready for business.
Creating videos
Instead of just randomly starting to make a video, it’s best to have a plan, so what will you be making your videos about? If your niche is property what specific aspects of property will you cover? Each video needs a clear subject – and one that features in searches.
That means you need to do some research and see what people are searching for (check out answerthepublic.com) as well as running searches in YouTube yourself to see what comes up for the subjects you want to cover. Look for what ISN’T covered – is it because nobody is interested or because there’s a gap you could fill?
Decide how long your videos will be – are you looking at short 2-5 minute videos or longer videos?
What kind of content will you feature? Are you going for explainer videos, entertainment only or expert opinion? There’s no reason why you shouldn’t combine more than one of these, but be aware that if you’re going to offer step-by-step explainer videos, don’t let other things get in the way. People will be following every step and, often, actually trying to do what you’re explaining as you say it.
How often will you post? You need to be careful you don’t post lots of videos in the first rush of enthusiasm and then lose momentum. A posting schedule will help to keep you on track.
How will you make your videos? Are you going to film yourself or something else on your smartphone or record your laptop/desktop screen or use software like Wave Video or InVideo? Whatever method or methods you choose, you’ll need to practise – although videos don’t have to be perfect to be good and practice makes perfect!
Now you have a plan!
Next steps
To get your channel started, create maybe 10 videos to establish a solid base. Then log out of YouTube and see how they show up when you search for your keywords. If you’ve got all your tags in the right places and been consistent with keywords in titles and descriptions they should show up on the first page of searches.
Don’t forget to promote your new videos on your other social channels too.
If you belong to a networking group or two ask the members to subscribe to your channel and like your videos to start the ball rolling.
Becoming an influencer isn’t going to happen overnight, it takes time and consistent effort. If you’ve got your mix right people will start telling others and you’re on the way.
