Small business owners have many challenges to face, with one of the main issues being how to promote their business best. As proven time and time again, social media can be a great asset for any business because of its ubiquity in everyday life. As can be seen with the rise of influencers, carefully utilizing social media for all its uses can allow for a business to exponentially increase in popularity.
So why does this apply to you? If you’re reading this, you are likely considering creating a YouTube channel for your business. Maybe you want to capitalize on every social media platform possible to boost your online presence, or perhaps you want a YouTube channel to engage with your audience in a way that you cannot on other platforms.
Whatever the case may be, you’re right to consider YouTube as an option. Now, let’s learn a few of the benefits of YouTube, how to make your channel on a budget, and how to ensure your channel is engaging with your audience.
Why Youtube?
YouTube is also one of the most effective platforms for marketing your business. By creating interesting and engaging videos, you can not only increase brand awareness but also encourage customers to come back and explore your other content.
With over 2+ billion monthly active users (MAU) as of April 2021, according to Google Trends, YouTube is one of the most popular online platforms. This means that if you have a good video content strategy and maintain an engaged audience on your channel, you ‘ll be able to connect with a wide range of people who are looking for what you have to offer.
01.YouTube Is Used Like A Search Engine
Aside from being a platform that is home to millions of creators across the globe, the beauty of YouTube is that it allows users to search for and find exactly what it is they’re looking for.
While this feature exists on every other social media platform, what makes YouTube unique is how users use the search feature. Rather than peruse the videos on a user’s home page, most users will go directly to the search feature and look for specific videos. What sets YouTube apart is that it is used as a search engine similar to Google. This means that when a user searches for something related to your company, they are more likely to find your content, especially if you maintain your channel and accumulate a following.
02. There’s A Much Larger Audience
Another benefit to creating a YouTube channel for your business is that the audience that YouTube brings in regularly is exponentially larger than other platforms. According to Global Media Insight, YouTube has about 2.3 billion people using it every month. With an audience like that, it is no surprise how a business or individual creator can amass a larger following quickly.
Many people tend to think of Instagram as the more popular social media platform, but Instagram amasses about 1.4 billion users a month. Using the platform with the largest audience means a higher possibility of attracting customers, which increases sales and brand awareness.
03. Increased Opportunity
Many businesses take to YouTube because of the variety of creative opportunities the platform can provide. While this depends on the nature of your business, a YouTube channel can be a great way to delve deeper into the many aspects of your business. Because YouTube allows for longer videos than on other platforms, the ideal length of videos ranges from 7 to 15 minutes.
This can be a great opportunity for you to show behind-the-scenes footage from your business, introduce the staff, or perhaps answer questions related to your business. Overall this is an opportunity to speak to possible customers by providing valuable insight into your business.
How To Make A YouTube Channel On A Budget
So with a few of the many benefits of YouTube having been explained, it is important to address a popular concern many have when beginning their channel.
Oftentimes when creators decide to begin a YouTube channel, they worry about the production costs that may be involved in the channel. Fortunately, establishing a great channel can be as inexpensive or expensive as you want. There are no rules, but here are a few tips that may help you create your channel on a budget.
01.Content Over Equipment
It is a misconception to think that beginning a YouTube channel requires fancy equipment and a large enough budget to accommodate it. However, the fact of the matter is that a successful YouTube channel can be created by simply standing in front of a blank wall and speaking directly to your phone’s camera.
The degree to which your channel will require equipment depends on the scope of your channel. Determine your goals for your channel before committing to any expensive equipment, and remember: the quality of your content will keep a viewer’s attention more than the production value.
Here are some 50 inspiring ideas to get you started.
02. Use What You Have
Creators must consider what they want to create and, especially if their channel pertains to their business, what they want to communicate to their audience. After having determined this, going about creating your channel can be as simple or complicated as your vision requires. Suppose that you believe the diverse personalities within your business are a strength of your company and that highlighting these personalities would be beneficial.
In this case, uploading vlogs might be a good idea because all it requires is a simple professional camera or cell phone camera and a person to point it at. Inversely, if you have a space that can function as a set, basic lighting equipment, a camera, and video editing knowledge, you have more options at your disposal. Be tactful and deliberate in your approach so that your channel will always be the best reflection of your business.
If you are still unsure you can buy this Youtube Beginner Equipment package to start recording. Editing could be done with apps like Splice.
03. Record Expenditure
Whether your channel necessitates a high production cost or can be made cheaply, always keep track of your expenses. Maintaining a YouTube channel is just another extension of your current business, so maintaining a budget will be essential, just as it would for other aspects of your business.
Doing so will ensure your channel is more beneficial than detrimental and allow you to make smart adjustments to your channel as you progress.
Tips Before You Start
Before you start keep in mind to create relevant content, to keep your subscribers happy and coming back – it’s important for each video that users view; about 1 in 10 can be a hit, which means users want to see your brand constantly. For example, if you’re a fitness center, start off by talking about how to work out in the morning.
01.Know Your Audience
Knowing your audience will be valuable when creating your YouTube channel because it’ll help you avoid many beginner mistakes. Fortunately, by virtue of having a business that predates your channel, understanding your audience should be relatively simple.
Researching to make sure you can target the right people will allow you to hit the ground running and consistently satisfy your viewers. Finding our audience is simple. Who are your current customers or clients? Who do you want to partner with? What services do you provide? Answering these questions can help you gear down your audience to start creating content ideas for your youtube videos.
02. Give It Energy
Give energy and time to layout quality video content. The average duration of time that an individual can sustain their focus has steadily decreased over the years, due largely to the ubiquity of screens in everyday life. This is why making sure your channel is high-energy can be very beneficial.
This doesn’t have to mean speaking fast, and in a disingenuous fashion. It can simply be being conscious of pacing so that you can ensure your videos don’t meander. Accommodating your audience’s attention span will allow your videos to resonate with your audience and decrease the odds of fast forwarding through your content.
03. Just Start
Just as you would with a new business venture or a new opportunity in life, beginning a YouTube channel is really about starting. Frequently individuals will have a great idea that is instantly diminished by overthinking, causing analysis paralysis. Defeat this by taking your vision, your rough outline for how you would like it to go, and just begin.
The first version of a project will never be as good as the hundredth version, so trust that you’ll be able to make adjustments along the way.
