When I started out on YouTube, I never thought I would reach 5,000 subscribers.
Let’s face it, I was making videos about topics-law and business-that are not likely to produce videos which can go viral or gain massive popularity.
To compound matters I was not making videos for a huge population base because my videos are mainly targeted at the Irish market, not worldwide.
Thus, I was getting down to a narrower base, a niche audience on YouTube, which might lead to a few hundred subscribers; but not thousands, and certainly not 5,000.
But that is exactly what has happened today, 5th October 2019, as I have reached the magic 5,000 subscriber mark.
What have I learned from the process? Several things:
- Communicating with people and potential new leads and clients through video is incredibly powerful because when someone watches your video you have all their attention, unlike audio where the person may be doing something else like walking the dog or exercising
- Making videos is easy, provided you take one step at a time and commit to making them on a regular basis; no matter how bad the first few are, and they will probably be rough, you will improve
- I ask one principal question before I make a video now: ‘will the viewer see this as useful? Has it utility?’ Nothing else matters, but if you answer this question in the affirmative everything else-recognition, brand building, new leads and clients, new business-will follow naturally
- The type of video you make is limited only by your imagination but it should always be useful, regardless of whether the use is to entertain, provoke a debate, educate, riff on some topic, build your brand, show the real, authentic you, showcase your products or services, etc.
- You don’t make videos for everyone; you don’t seek to make viral hits; you make videos for the few-the few who you seek to serve-and you take pride in your work
- I am surprised more people, especially business owners and entrepreneurs, don’t embrace video, the power of the smart phone in their pocket, and avail of the huge opportunity offered by YouTube
- YouTube is free; this makes my surprise at point 6 even more pronounced
- Making regular videos helps you develop and hone a powerful skill-communication-which can be utilised daily offline
- Committing to a regular schedule of uploading a video is helpful in developing a commitment to show up and produce something useful; the same principle of showing up could be used in creating other types of content such as blog posts or audio recordings
- It is extremely powerful from a thought leadership, brand building perspective to show up with a video and say to your audience, ‘here-I made this-you might find it useful’
What next? I will continue to show up every week with a new video which will, hopefully, pass the ‘useful’ test.
Not useful for everyone? That’s fine.
Roll on 10,000 subscribers!