Becoming a social media phenomenon isn’t as easy it looks, or indeed as easy as some make it out to be. Going ‘viral’ doesn’t happen by chance. If you have set your sights on becoming an influencer or the frontman for a YouTube channel with a massive following, then the road ahead will be a rocky one.
It Takes Time
Any experienced and successful social media influencer will tell you that success does not come overnight. It requires a great deal of patience and a plan of action. It’s not possible to develop a YouTube channel by ‘winging it.’ You can’t expect to see the fruits of your labor within days; it will take months and perhaps even years.
Luckily, the channel you are putting your effort into will almost certainly relate to a field you enjoy, so the work you put in won’t feel like a chore, though you should treat it as a job.
With that in mind, think about what your YouTube channel is trying to say and who you are trying to say it to. It may sound obvious, but it requires a great deal of consideration before you get started.
Find Your Niche
When you know what you intend to cover on your YouTube channel, you should take a look at the competitors in your field, see how they do things, and try to pick up on some of their good habits.
The niche you cover could range from a YouTube channel with gaming tips and insights, political commentary or airing your general thoughts on a topic close to your heart.
It would be best to look at the YouTube channels that you follow and consider what aspects you can absorb into yours.
If your channel is more visually based, consider the rights implications of what you might want to present. It can be a headache of epic proportions. When it comes to the music in your videos, you can avoid the legal licensing battles if you choose to use royalty-free music approved by YouTube.
Post Well, Post Often
In the social media industry, individuals and even larger organizations tend to try to build a social media presence for themselves, but when the results don’t show themselves immediately, they usually give up.
If you want to run a YouTube channel that’s going to be a hit, then you’ll need to establish a routine when it comes to posting, and you’ll need to keep that up for weeks and months before you’ll start to gain traction.
If you don’t have the network to help boost the view count and expand reach, you will have to have the patience to soldier on. In many ways, this can be a useful way to get to know the niche you are working within.
That initial process of building your social media brand will slowly start to give you an idea of just how far you can go. The limits of your channel may well be far broader than you first anticipated, and you’ll learn this in the interim period.
Get the Best Equipment
The tools you use to put together your finished product can be the difference between a product that looks professional and one that looks amateurish. The current audience that consumes social video content can tell the difference almost immediately.
Make sure you have access to the right equipment, whether that’s a great mic or a quality sound recording area or studio, as well as the camera you are using.
All these can help raise the game when it comes to the final show you post. You can, of course, attempt to do this on a reduced budget. Still, there is a fine line between your video looking like a guerrilla production and being unwatchable.
Make sure to test everything way ahead of any video you put live. Remember, it’s your reputation and name at stake.
Monetize
Suppose your overall aim is to financially benefit from your YouTube channel, which is the principal reason for doing so. In that case, you should start with that in mind. Though you won’t feel the results of this for some time, be aware from the outset of how you intend to monetize your platform.
It could be via the revenue generated through the views on YouTube itself or from related merchandising or sponsorship opportunities.
Factor in just what the YouTube guidelines allow in these areas. Set up a business plan and goals that you’ll aim to meet that relate to your ability to make your YouTube channel an income source.
Finally, don’t forget about the initial reasons for the opening of the YouTube channel in the first place. Please don’t lose sight of the motivational forces that set the ball rolling, and most importantly of all, enjoy it. Social media users will always engage more effectively with an influencer or brand that they believe isn’t just serving a financial imperative.
