This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure.
I’m officially declaring 2021 the year that you absolutely must start a YouTube channel for business growth. This year has brought many challenges. We’ve had to learn how to adapt to some major changes, not just in the United States, but in the entire world.
Depending on which State you operate, you probably experienced two to six months of major disruption in your sales and revenue.
When government-mandated lockdowns forced business owners to shut their doors, unfortunately, the bills didn’t magically go away. You still had expenses including the monthly office lease or mortgage, utilities, and any business debt payments.
The thing that became so obvious this year is that we, as business owners, cannot rely on business as usual from now on. We must be willing to adapt and diversify income sources so that when tragedy strikes, we can continue to thrive.
More people searched for how to get started on YouTube in March 2020 than any other month ever before. It’s no coincidence that this is due to layoffs and lockdowns.
My intention is to gently push you towards trying something you may have thought about in the past but put off because you either didn’t know how to start a YouTube channel or you were simply too busy to consider anything other than brick and mortar sales and print advertising.
5 Reasons You Must Start a YouTube Channel for Business in 2021
1. Video Content is King
According to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, YouTube currently has more than 2 billion monthly users who consume more than 250 million hours of content daily.
That is a huge number of prospects ready to hear and see what your business has to offer. In this digital age, people are listening to podcasts and YouTube channels while they commute, while they eat breakfast, and even while they poop! (Calm down, Karen. Everybody poops.)
You might live and operate in a town with 50,000 people. Imagine how your business could grow if you weren’t tied down to one geographic area! You have the opportunity to expand your market and your reach without having to physically be in more than one location. That’s the beauty of YouTube!
2. Beginners Can Start a YouTube Channel for FREE
You don’t need fancy equipment or expensive editing software to get started. Of course, you can always invest in those things if you want to amp up your production efforts, or you can use any free online video editor to edit your videos easily and quickly.
Here’s a quick list of what you’ll need:
- an iPhone or camera (newest iPhones really offer amazing quality without having to rush out and buy a camera)
- a tripod
- lighting (natural lighting is great if you have it…otherwise, check out this inexpensive lighting kit)
- a microphone – If using an iPhone, you’ll need a lav mic like this one.
That’s it! You can start your YouTube channel for business for less than $100.
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3. You Can Make Money on YouTube
You might be wondering, “How do YouTube Channels Make Money?”. There are a few ways you can diversify your business revenue by creating a YouTube channel.
First off, there’s ad revenue. When you watch videos on YouTube, you know those skippable ads in the beginning and sometimes throughout videos? Those ads are earning that YouTube channel an income.
Advertisers pay to place ads within channels for products and services related to that specific viewer. So if you’re a chiropractor, and you’ve uploaded a new video about how to use acupressure massage to relieve sciatica pain, an ad for a Theragun massager might be displayed.
Every single day, my YouTube channel receives ad revenue, and I’m paid monthly via direct deposit.
Another way to increase revenue on your channel is through affiliate marketing. Anyone with a platform, such as a blog or YouTube channel, can sign up to become an affiliate with companies.
Using the above example, a chiropractor might become an affiliate for Amazon, offering exercise videos for therapy after an accident. He could then post affiliate links to Amazon products, such as resistance bands and braces within his description, and when viewers click the link and buy something, he would earn a commission.
You see, by creating a YouTube channel for business, you are expanding income and growth opportunities.
4. Optimize Online Presence and Branding
Word of mouth advertising is great, and it will always be a great way to get business. But people are savvy, and they do their research before calling to make appointments.
A strong online brand and presence can help your business stand out in your community. You can leverage YouTube to grow your online presence without spending a dime on advertising.
My background is in real estate, so I’ll use that as an example. Realtors® cannot compete with Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia when it comes to ranking on the first page of Google for their business. It’s just impossible.
But did you know that YouTube is the #2 search engine behind Google? And because YouTube is owned by Google, relevant videos receive priority placement on Google’s homepage “real estate”.
Google sometimes suggests relevant videos related to search topics. Check out this search for Why I Quit Beachbody Coaching. Not only am I ranking in the #1 spot (behind the featured snippet), but my video is the first suggested video.
If this all feels a little overwhelming, check out my post on How to Start a YouTube channel. It includes a video, and I share how to search for keywords relevant to your niche so that you can compete to rank on Google.
5. Get More Leads & Increase Sales
A lot of businesses start a YouTube channel in order to educate their audience and offer solutions to problems. By creating video content that offers products and services that cater to clients’ needs, businesses are able to “connect” with buyers, building rapport, which could result in a sale.
This is the opposite of the old school email lead system, which often got marked as SPAM and turned buyers off.
You can capture these leads in a variety of ways.
- Offer a phone number for prospects to call for more information or a free consultation.
- Set up a free calendly scheduler and offer appointments (in the YouTube video description).
- Sign up for a lead generation software or create your own landing page for prospects to enter their email for more information.
You can offer free downloads and ebooks, capturing email addresses and send a newsletter, further cultivating your relationship with your audience. The sky’s the limit!
Are You Ready to Start a YouTube Channel for Your Business?
If you’re ready to take the next steps to launch your YouTube channel, watch this video. It breaks it down step by step everything you need to do to get your business in video format right away!
Life is a collection of memories and experiences. There are ups and downs. I am so grateful for God’s grace and am on the journey to a renewed spirit, free of perfectionism. Perfection Hangover offers the sober truth – no filter.
Thank Melissa, I’ve been postponing starting my channel so this must be a sign!