Do you want to become an authority and attract high quality leads and sales for your business? With simple little YouTube videos you can create & grow an audience that will enable you to sell you products & services with less effort, build an email list and attract a loyal customer base. Thanks to Youtube you have the potential to grow a profitable online business.
But firstly, what is a Vlogger? Simply put a vlogger is a “video blogger”. A person who records themself talking about their life or business or anything really and uploads it to various video sites (Video Blog) such as YouTube.
Secondly, why would you want to be a successful youtube vlogger? YouTube is one of the best ways to market yourself or your business. People of all ages and industries visit YouTube on a daily basis. It receives over 100 million video views each day, so it has a massive audience – one that you can potentially get in-front of. Not only is YouTube one of the best ways to market you or your business, it also relatively cheap. If you manage to become a successful YouTube vlogger then it will be a great way to drive traffic to your website/generate leads.
Benefits of a successful Youtube channel for your business
YouTube can provide numerous opportunities for businesses. With a YouTube channel of your own you will be able to drive traffic, build your brand, generate leads & boost your revenue. Video viewers are 64% more likely to make a purchase.
Marketing on YouTube will help you get found on Google. YouTube is the 2nd largest Search Engine and if your online business is going to maximise its success then you must not ignore the power of YouTube marketing. Having a highly ranked website on Google will generate more traffic to your site, but did you know that one method for ranking in Google is by having a YouTube videos? Furthermore, you can also rank your YouTube videos in Google for various keywords. The SEO benefits of having your own Youtube videos are numerous.
Another benefit of using YouTube for business is the ability to build your email list. If you provide valuable, engaging content then people will want to be notified whenever you upload a new video. Thankfully there is software that allows you to embed your sign-up form directly into YouTube videos. For example, a video can be stopped temporarily for a viewer to enter their email address and subscribe to your list, before they continue. This is a great way to build your email list, whilst providing video content that your audience will enjoy.
Four YouTube Facts:
• Youtube is the world’s 3rd most-visited website
• Youtube is the second most popular search engine after Google (people are looking for video answers)
• Youtube receives over 4 billion views each day
• Youtube gets over 1 billion views per day on mobile devices such as smartphones
Examples of businesses using YouTube:
DigitalRev – Cameras / Photography retailer
With over 1 million subscribers and over 209 million video views, Digital Rev is the most subscribed and viewed photography show on the internet. Its popular Youtube channel with its quirky videos which include camera reviews and photography tips, have helped generate huge number of sales for its online shop.
Tanya Burr – Fashion & makeup vlogger
Tanya delivers makeup tutorials, beauty and style guidance and candid vlogs to hundreds of thousands of viewers each day and over 6 million people a month. This year Tanya has launched a collection of lip glosses and nail polishes which are now available at Superdrug – pretty impressive considering it all started with her uploading a few makeup videos to her Youtube channel.
GoApe – Outdoor Activities
Go Ape is the UK’s No.1 Forest Adventure company. Its Youtube channel shows a mixture of videos showing customers flying down zip-wires, leaping off Tarzan Swings and tackling treetop crossings whilst enjoying some of Britain’s most breathtaking scenery. With over 310,000 video views so far, these videos help explain its different outdoor venues and attract people to its website to purchase tickets.
Pixiwoo – Makeup Channel
Sam and Nic Chapman, aka Pixiwoo are Britain’s biggest makeup vloggers, with their make-up tutorials commanding more than 214 million views on YouTube. They both started their careers as make-up artists and like many stumbled upon YouTube with no intention of creating a Global brand. The popularity of their channel has seen the sisters work with huge brands and even launch their own makeup brush range.
Tom Bihn – Travel Bags
Tom Bihn has been designing and making bags since 1972. Travel bags, laptop bags, and backpacks. Their Youtube videos have had over 795,000 views, generating awareness of its products, as well as helping build its brand and spread the message about their philosophy when it comes to the care and high standards they follow when manufacturing their bags.
What comes first – Your website or YouTube channel?
Some people such as Tanya Burr started a youtube channel that grew in popularity, which resulted in her adding on a website and developing her own products. On the other hand you have businesses that were trading successfully such as DigitalRev but decided to start a Youtube channel as an additional way of marketing their business. Ideally you should have both.
If you have to choose then we’d recommend you set up you website first. This is because once you get around to creating your first Youtube video you will also have a website that you can embed your videos into, which will hopefully not only get more views, but benefits your website SEO wise too.
10 Steps to get started on Youtube:
1. Choose your niche
What type of videos will you make? Decide what you are passionate & knowledgeable about. Make sure you choose something that you will be motivated to make videos for months & years to come. If you’re bored making your video, then the viewers certainly will be.
2. Create a YouTube username & domain name
The right name will help you build a brand. Have a name that is catchy, memorable and relevant to your topic – and make sure you have a web address (domain name) that matches it. You will want to drive traffic to your website, so make sure the Youtube username matches or at the very least is similar, otherwise you will look unprofessional.
3. Consistently upload videos
Plan your videos. Decide on their topics and when you will film them. Come up with a film schedule and stick to it e.g. upload a video once a week or twice a week, etc. You need to regularly feed your audience with new videos otherwise they will lose interest in you. If you want to grow a loyal following then deliver the content. Create a storyboard or script if you feels this helps.
4. Good lighting, audio & picture quality
The better your video looks, the professional you will come across. It is worth investing in a good camera, but the good news is it’s becoming cheaper every year to get a quality HD camera. If you have an iPhone 5 then odds then you’re off to a good start. Natural lighting is best, but if you live in a cloudy country or can only film at night, then but some lights – they will make a big difference.
5. Get a good microphone
Having high-quality, crystal clear audio is absolutely essential of you want better videos. Don’t underestimate the importance of audio. Its recommend you invest in a quality microphone as the inbuilt microphones with most cameras have often have pretty low-quality audio.
6. Add music to your videos
Think about, films uses music to Influence the emotions of the audience – it tells them when to feel sad or happy, etc. For example, you could use a subtle background track to carry the subject along and give it more energy, and importantly keep the viewer more engaged. Keep in mind that people will have come to the video to hear you, so lower the volume of the music so people can hear you lound & clear. Just make sure the music you add is either copyright free or royalty free.
7. Get good at editing your videos
Take your time and learn how to edit your video. Study how other videos are shot – when do they make jump cuts. How do they transition from one scene to the next? A well edit video can help keep people attention focused.
8. Titles & Thumbnails
This something many vloggers forget to spend time on. But all successful youtubers create thumbnails & video titles that are of a high quality. They are an advert for your video – they will be the first thing people see and its all they have when deciding whether or not to click and watch your video. There’s a lot of competition out there, so make the most of every opportunity. Have an interesting title, but make sure it relates to your video content. Likewise, make sure your thumbnail is eye-catching – you can customise it in YouTube or your editing software e.g. pic a freeze-frame from your video or add some cool text & effects over your thumbnail – again make sure it relates to your video.Picmonkey.com is a handy tool to create thumbnails.
9. Advertise/Promote your channel
When you upload a video make sure you tell as many people as possible – spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, your blog, embed the video on your website, etc. The more people know about your video, the more views it will get.
10. Become involved in your niche Youtube community
Comment on other youtuber videos, collaborate with other vloggers, keep an eye on what’s popular. Leave your feedback and eventually people will start to recognise your name and come on over and visit your channel. Always be nice….
Action!
One of the main benefits of creating videos for your Youtube channel and website, is the SEO benefits that will result for them. The advantage with videos over conventional SEO is that it is often easier to get a YouTube video to rank on page 1 than it is to get a website to rank.
Google’s algorithm to find and index videos will only get better over time. So, if you haven’t already got a Youtube channel then now is the time to start. Search for the domain name you want to have and set up a matching Youtube username for it – and start filming!
