For the umpteenth time, her children aged 8 and 6 asked her “Mummy, but you said you will start your YouTube channel last month, this is a another month already and you have not started. Mummy, when will you start?”
They seemed unrelenting in this mission and were not going to take no for an answer as proven by their persistent checks and questions. She promised them for one last time, “Don’t worry, I will start next month.”
Now, they could leave her in peace and allow her have some rest from the topic.
True to her promise this time, she started her YouTube channel the following month.
Before she did, she went shopping for some of the basic equipments she would need for a start. A camera (although she later settled for a phone,) a tripod, a ring light and a microphone. Excitement coursed through her body at the realization of the thought that this was finally going to be a reality.
She would now be referred to as a Youtuber and with this would come the achievement of her goals which included having an extra source of income doing what she loved.
The Business of YouTube is serious business. “How?” you might be wondering.
Stay with me, let’s walk through this together.
First of all, creating a YouTube channel is absolutely free and there’s no cost attached to this at all. Being the home to over 2 billion users with more than 30 million daily visits, you would agree with me that it is a effective profitable platform for small businesses to grow.
At this point, I would reiterate that the business of YouTube is serious business and here’s why
i. Being on YouTube exposes you to a global audience on a larger scale.
ii. It serves as a platform for you to position yourself as a thought leader, influencer and a person of repute.
iii. YouTube helps with personal branding.
iv. Even before becoming part of the YouTube partner programme, you can monetize your knowledge and earn through other avenues available on the platform.
v. YouTube serves as an extra source of income
*Essential equipments/gadgets you need to start a YouTube channel on a budget.*
– A smartphone of good quality and storage space.
– Ring light.
– Lavelier microphone.
– Phone stand or Tripod.
Other requirements include
– A quiet space to record for sit-down videos.
– An editing app.
– A book for writing down content ideas and developing them into scripts.
*Mindset Hacks for the Business of YouTube.*
* Decide what you want and go for it.
It is possible and can be done. If others can achieve it, then you can.
* Use affirmations.
Example, I have an ever-flowing inspiration of content ideas.
* Have a positive attitude.
Don’t be among the camp of those who complain that it’s hard and difficult to grow on YouTube. This is a typical example of failing even before you start an examination.
* Celebrate your wins.
Celebrating your milestones like your subscriber count and the views have a way of bringing more and also, motivating you to do better.
*Success Tips for growing a Successful YouTube channel.*
a. Don’t let your ideas escape.
Write them down as they come to your mind and if possible, write the bullet points which you would develop later.
b. Research
It is important to do due diligence in searching for topics that people need. Easy ways to go about this are to search using key words on YouTube, same for Google, using Google trends and asking questions from your subscribers about what they want to see.
c. Carve a niche.
At the beginning, it may not be very clear what you want to do but try not to be all over the place. This would get your audience confused and the algorithm would find it hard knowing which set of people to direct your videos to.
d. Work with your analytics.
YouTube as a platform has provided a very easy way to access your channel’s data and it is quite comprehensive. This can be gotten through the YouTube creators studio (web-version) or the YouTube studio app.
e. Understand that it is about your audience, not you.
Your videos are not about what you want or love to post but what the people need, it is about your audience. Learn to listen to them.
f. Be consistent.
Make sure you have a posting schedule that works and you keep to it. Do not show up one day and the next, you are no where to be found. Keep posting consistently and know what works for you.
In conclusion, there are several ways to make money on YouTube as a business.
They include
– The YouTube Partnership Programme.
– Sale of Digital products.
– Sale of Books.
– Affiliate Marketing.
– One on one coaching.
– Brand deals and ambassadorship.
– Superchat and Super stickers.
– Private classes.
– Channel Membership.
– Having a merch store.
All these we have discussed so far goes to prove that YouTube is Business and not just any kind but serious business.
If you have knowledge, talents, skills or you simply just want to live your life and create content from it, the best way to do this is to start.
The woman in the story at the beginning is me and I have been able to start and grow a successful YouTube channel. If I can, then you can as well.
