YouTube is the world’s most popular video sharing site which can help you reach a wider audience to market your products or services or even your art, skills and talents. In this guide, we will cover some easy ways to get paid for what you love to do by marketing yourself on YouTube.
1. Place your audience before the income
One of the best ways to make money on any forum-whether it is a blog or YouTube channel-starts by first building a solid community of loyal audience- in this case viewers. Do not think about monetizing until you have developed a steady stream of videos which your viewers love to watch.
2. Decide on the niche
The niche is the category of videos that are based around a common thread. For example, if you love makeup and are great at demonstrating how to do self or DIY makeup (or conversely apply makeup on others), then you can develop a set of videos demonstrating the same. Likewise, you can create videos about home remedies, essential oils or other beauty and self-care tips. Once you have decided on the niche, you must create several videos around it. Make sure you give each video a great description that contains the right keywords. This will help people find your channel when they search for those topics.
3. Monetize the channel
In order to make money with YouTube, you must first connect your channel to an AdSense account. Select the ‘monetize with ads’ account and choose the ad format you want in video manager. Note that many countries do not allow monetization which could affect your ability to earn money. Ads is just one way of earning money on YouTube- you can also sign up for Fan funding where a built-in tip jar can enable your audience to tip you so that you can continue making those great videos. Other methods include working with top brands, merchandizing, crowdfunding, events etc.
4. Share your videos
Share your channel on social media so your videos can go viral. You will also need to embed your channel on your website and Blog. You can also send the video link to people through email.
5. Dispel common YouTube myths
An important way to monetize YouTube is to overcome myths about it. Common myths include:
- All good ideas have been taken– this is not true..brilliant videos are being made every minute!
- Only teens use YouTube– this is one of the biggest myths which keeps people from using YouTube to make money. People of all ages use this site and you must learn to target the lesser targeted demographics if you wish to stand out in the crowd.
- YouTube is just for fun– Easily dispel this myth by watching millions of educational videos that are present on YouTube.
6. Make great videos
The number one rule is to get over the fear of making videos.Video editing software has come a long way: it is fun and simple and anyone can use it. You can start by using reusable videos from Creative Commons or opt for the the Creative Studio facility on YouTube to make videos with music, screen shots and labels. You may also use free utility software like CamStudio which enables you to capture desktop presentations and videos to your channel.
7. Use correct titles
It is crucial to add titles with correct punctuation in order to ensure that your videos are found by the right audience. Make sure you select the right search criteria for the video on the RHS of the title. As stated above, it is also critical to add the top keywords in the titles that people generally use to search for videos in the chosen niche. For example, you can use titles like “How to apply easy makeup in 3 steps” rather than saying “ Simple Makeup tutorial”. You must also use tags like makeup, easy makeup tutorial, simple DIY makeup etc to enable your videos to be found easily. Each tag is separated with commas.
8. Tie your channel to playlists
Using the playlist feature, you can link all your videos belonging to the same niche together. This way, users can see all of your videos which can increase visibility and give greater coverage to each video you have so painstakingly created. Also linking your video to playlists helps you piggyback on other successful videos made by other people in same or similar niche. As stated before, submit your playlist links to your sites and social media. This will help you increase views and your AdSense.
9. Use thumbnails properly
Thumbnails are the first thing people will see before they ‘feel’ like clicking on your video. Make sure you use attractive thumbnail pictures. You can also easily change the thumbnail for each video so that it is not just beautiful but also relevant.
10. Set up a subscription link
Subscription link is like a call to action at the end of the videos. Ask your viewers to like and share your videos and also comment on them. You must also ask them to subscribe to your channel so they can stay up-to-date with your latest videos. This will help increase the number of views you get.
11. Tips to get more views
You can do many things to get more views:
- Write proper titles, tags and description as stated above.
- Make amazing videos in the first place-this one is a no-brainer. Without awesome videos, no one is going to find you.
- Share the videos with amazing people. Email the video url to people and ask them what they think of it. Ask them to share it if they like it.
- Post the video at the right time: people are most likely to share videos on weekends and evenings.
- Blog about the video and also embed it on your website and social media channels like FaceBook, Twitter etc.
Remember: It is important to continue learning and experimenting on this platform, even if you make a few mistakes. Things are changing on a daily basis and in order to be successful and make money on YouTube you must be consistent in posting videos as well as experimenting with new things. Tweak things a bit and play around to see how it changes your analytics or number of views. Very soon you too will discover the right combinations that will make you successful on this platform.