With quarantine still in full effect across the different parts of the world, many people have found themselves adapting to today’s increasingly digitally-driven society.
I have seen friends finally taking their first plunge as Youtube creators. I couldn’t be more proud. I know a lot of you have also found your coping mechanism through extending your creativity online.
So as an insider in the marketing industry, I figured to offer content tips that would help you create a promising start to your Youtube career.
Identify your offer.
In marketing terms, your offer meant your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). It is the answer to the question, “What makes you valuable than your competitors?
This is actually an ongoing thing. Your offer grows as you grow. But when starting out, your offer must be very specific.
Are you currently living the dream in a foreign land? Maybe you want to encourage fellow “dreamers” to follow in your footsteps. Evoke inspiration by showing them a slice of your life. Educate them by sharing frequent tips about your experiences and journey.
James Charles didn’t start out as the multi-entertainer that he is now. Yes, his videos have expanded more than beauty content. He was one of the very few male makeup artists that did tutorials online. An applaudable act for the year that is 2015.
Young boys who fancy makeup started coming out of the shadows because of one teen who was unafraid to live his dream.
Now, if you’re having trouble coming up with an offer, then as cliche as this may sound: Be yourself.
Drawing back to James Charles as an example, he actually posted earlier Youtube videos of him doing satirical skits. As he explored new ways to express himself, he eventually stuck with the content that ignited his career.
It is indeed a trial-and-error process. You are continually growing and learning more about yourself. Your personality is shaped through a unique combination of inborn traits, experiences, and interests.
Nature and nurture are doing you a favor. Use it to your advantage.
Understand & listen to your audience.
I’d like to emphasize the fact that I said “understand” and not “find.”
Because despite the popular outdated belief that you create your demographic, your demographic finds you.
Establishing your presence online actually needs you to adopt some branding know-how.
So I’m sharing this new brand model developed by Martyn Neumeier. His fundamental principle was that a brand is not owned by the company, but by the customers who draw meaning from it.
Due to information readily available online, your viewers are more educated and are more opinionated. They do not blindly follow your brand.
Today’s consumers see to it that they align with your values and advocacies. They consume your content because you share the same experiences and interests as them.
As you go through the process of establishing your online presence, you’ll find hints of them in your comments section and Youtube Analytics.
Where do they live? What type of content do they love? In what age group do they belong?
The key notion is to listen. Eventually, a clearer picture of who your audience is will come into play.
Create content both you and your audience enjoy.
Just as you’re figuring out who your audience is, your content evolves with it.
If you wish to grow your subscribers, it is imperative to take note of your audience’s feedback. Now, I’m not saying that you people-please or you take everything they say to heart.
What I’m saying is to spin whatever idea (no matter how unrelated it is) to follow along the veins of your audience’s interest.
If your channel gained its following because of your gaming content, it will lose its steam once you start posting random cooking videos—UNLESS they’re gaming-related.
Be aware of the fact that you are creating a community. Once your videos hit the public domain, they are no longer solely yours.
There is a reason why Buzzfeed keeps different channels.
You can’t suddenly change gears and expect people to follow — unless you’re one of the rare few magnetic personalities that people follow wherever they go and whatever they do.
This is where keeping your content authentic holds importance. If you’ve created a genuine foundation from the get-go, then you’ll attract the right tribe.
Measure your growth.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” — Peter Drucker, Founder of Modern Management
If you’re really serious about being a content creator then, by all means, please monitor your growth.
At the very onset, establish SMART goals. In a month’s time, how would you measure your success? Do you want more subscribers? Do you see the value of growing your views? Is your revenue growing? Or are you concerned with the number of meaningful engagements a.k.a comments, shares, and likes?
It’s a good thing that almost every platform offers analytics. Youtube, particularly, has a robust one.
Yes, content creators do not have it easy despite the popular sentiment that Youtubers are “uneducated.”
See the numbers? Growing your brand is practically a business strategy at this point. It will be a learning curve understanding all these metrics, but they’re worth it. If you love what you’re doing, you’ll take any pains to succeed in it.
Blogs like Hubspot, Hootsuite, and Buffer are my go-to sources for marketing tips and updates. Give their content a read. Or you can simply ask me questions and I’ll give you answers 😉
Soon, you’ll find yourself paying attention to the most granular things like your video thumbnails, subtitles, or the time you post. Because these seemingly small changes snowball to bigger factors that affect your channel’s success.
Constantly create.
If there is one thing that I want you to take away from this post, it is this.
You have to ceaselessly create. No matter how little recognition you get at the beginning. No matter how embarrassing it is to stammer during recording. No matter how amateur you look to acquaintances.
Constantly create, constantly fail, and constantly learn.
Do not be afraid to be a beginner. Every expert has been one.
It is an act of bravery to put yourself out there.
History has proven time and time again that the act of doing leads to progress, and eventually success.
There are a lot of potentially successful people living today who are in still their phase of failing and learning.
Maybe you’re one of them, but it wouldn’t happen until you start.
