As you likely have noticed, YouTubers are the latest celebrities. And while you may not understand their popularity, or even agree with what they are saying, it is hard to dispute the numbers.
Daniel Middleton, otherwise known as TheDiamondMinecart, is a popular YouTuber focused on the game Minecraft made an estimated 16.5 million last year. Evan Fong, known as Vanoss brings made a reported $15.5 million in 2017. There are countless others earning millions of dollars by simply posting video content.
Since it launched in 2005, YouTube has become the de facto launchpad for the next generation of celebrities. For every top earning YouTube star are thousands, if not more, vying to be the next big star.
So what have these popular YouTubers figured out? What can the rest of us learn about video content creation? And how can we leverage our own enterprise YouTube to become an internal content star?
They know their audience
If your find yourself loathing YouTuber Jake Paul just 3 seconds into his latest video, there is a likely reason. You aren’t his audience. Jake Paul isn’t trying to appeal to Gen X and Millennial professionals. His focus is primarily preteen girls (approximately 9-14). Understanding his audience has helped him create content specifically for them. The same things goes for your workplace. If you are creating a product awareness video, who is your audience? If they potentially may be unfamiliar with the product, does it make sense to speak to them assuming the already carry a certain level of knowledge? Probably not.
They put in the effort
Yes, it may seem like these high earning YouTube stars became successful overnight. However their path to success has likely involved a whole lot of effort behind the scenes. Creating successful video content isn’t just about talking in front of a camera. It’s also about cutting, editing, uploading, marketing etc. Depending on the size of your organization, it might be worth dedicating a person or team to video content creation. At the very least make sure whoever is in charge takes the time to make it as professional looking as possible.
They show passion
Another obvious trait of popular YouTubers is their obvious display of passion. Famous YouTubers are notorious for showing intense passion for what they are thinking, saying, and doing. While this may feel over the top for some viewers it does help convey an interest to their audience about what they are doing, and why it is important for you to watch.
They incorporate humor
High earning YouTuber PewDiePie has tapped into our universal love of laughter. And he isn’t the only one. Most famous YouTubers have amassed an enormous following simply because of their humor and spontaneous antics. Depending on your industry, you might feel as though humor isn’t appropriate. However if you spend some time brainstorming with colleagues you might discover there are many ways to incorporate humor into your content.
They depend on analytics and commenting
To increase the feedback and interaction from their audience, popular YouTubers rely on commenting. Why? Because for them it’s market research. They can understand immediately what content is resonating, and which videos were poorly received. The same holds true in your workplace. Take a closer look to learn which videos are captivating the highest audience. What comments are the most popular? Do some videos receive more comments than other videos?
Let your audience know when new content is posted
Famous YouTubers depend on view counts, because followers equate to income. Therefore they will do whatever it takes to promote their content. This often entails posting about it on other social media channels like SnapChat, Instagram, or Twitter. It may also involve repeatedly reminding their audience when a new post is up. At your workplace, take advantage of things like social intranets, internal messaging tools, or even weekly meetings to remind your audience of new content.
They don’t stray from their formula
Lastly, YouTubers don’t stray too far from what made them popular in the first place. They understand their secret formula and don’t try to be all things to all people. Sure they will experiment with different types of content, but again, they already have the knowledge (thanks to analytics) of what works and what doesn’t. Likewise at your workplace, you need to understand exactly who your audience is, and what resonates with them. Once you have identified a formula, keep it going.