Wondering if you should create a YouTube channel for your business? Perhaps you’ve been thinking about it for a while and aren’t sure whether to invest the time. Or you’ve heard YouTube is exploding and don’t want to miss out.
In this article – learn whether a YouTube channel is right for your business and which types of company can benefit most.
- Video is a growth area
- Pros of creating YouTube channel
- Downsides of having one
- Businesses that benefit most
- Should you start a channel?
- Other considerations
- How to create your channel
We’re a specialist fitness marketing agency with 15+ years of industry experience, so we know first-hand what works (and what doesn’t!). We’ve helped gyms, fitness studios, and personal trainers to successfully promote their businesses, so our marketing strategies are tried and tested.
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Video – A Growing Trend
Online videos have been a growth area for several years. With internet speeds getting faster, videos have become quicker to load and more popular among web users. Businesses have taken notice and are increasingly using video in their marketing efforts.
- YouTube is the second most-visited website globally with 14.3 billion visits per month – that’s more than Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon and Instagram [Hootsuite].
- 92% of internet users watch video content online each week [Hootsuite].
- One third of users have watched a tutorial or how-to video and 30% watched a live streamed video this week [Hootsuite].
- 50% of marketers use YouTube in their strategy and 71% plan to increase their use [SproutSocial].
- Unlike other platforms solely used by younger audiences, YouTube boasts a healthy user base spanning all ages [Meltwater].
- Males aged 25-34 are YouTube biggest advertising audience [Hootsuite].
- The number of YouTube channels grew by 36% last year to 51 million [Meltwater].
- 70% of people have bought something after seeing a YouTube ad [SproutSocial].
- The average YouTube earns $18 per 1000 views [Meltwater].
So it’s clear that YouTube is a well-established platform for businesses wanting to attract more customers. But should you start your own channel on it?
Why Create a YouTube Channel?
The benefits of starting a YouTube channel include…
- People prefer images and video to reading text, so are more likely to absorb your content.
- As the second-largest website globally, you can tap into a huge potential audience.
- The varied ages of its users mean you can target older audiences with disposable income in addition to younger generations.
- People search for tutorials which makes it particularly suited to health and fitness video content.
- It will set you ahead of the competition who haven’t jumped onto video – you can own the platform in your niche.
- Ability to generate ad revenue from views and create additional income as a standalone business.
You might also like… 5 Ways To Use YouTube for Fitness Pros or 7 Best Fitness YouTube Channels for Workout Inspo.
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What are the downsides?
The cons of having a business YouTube channel include…
- Having to commit to uploading videos consistently – anecdotal evidence suggests it takes at least a year to start seeing traction on the platform.
- Some basic equipment is required e.g. tripod (but it’s probably not as much or as expensive as you’d think).
- Recording and editing videos takes time an effort, so there’s an opportunity cost because you could be directing that elsewhere.
We think this video does a pretty good job of setting out the downsides along with the positives…
Which types of business benefit most from YouTube?
Pretty much any type of business can benefit from advertising on YouTube. But if you want to become a creator and start your own channel, then certain business types are more suited…
- Blogs – starting a YouTube channel can drive visitors to your blog and grow your audience.
- Product companies – videos allow you to showcase your products, how they operate and inspire clients about what they can achieve by using them.
- Influencers – YouTube is the second most important influencer channel after Instagram, so it’s important to have a presence.
- Startups – specifically businesses selling new products that require education e.g. kit that people might not know how to use because it’s novel or innovative.
Should I Create a YouTube Channel for my Business?
Despite the many benefits, the bottom line is that most other types of business probably shouldn’t jump into YouTube. That might sound controversial but every business owner’s time is limited, so you need to be selective in where you focus your efforts.
Don’t just dive over to YouTube because it’s popular. Develop a strategy for using it to achieve your business goals, for example setting up your videos to generate leads for your sales funnel.
Like anything in business, start with the objectives then develop your strategies and tactics. Don’t start with the tactic (i.e. YouTube in this case), evaluate your goal and possible alternatives to achieving it first. Don’t let the tail wag the dog.
But if you do the research and it indicates that YouTube could be an effective platform for your business, then go for it! Develop a strategy, test your ideas and learn from any mistakes along the way.
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Other Considerations
If you’re trying to decide whether or not to create a YouTube channel for you business, then you might also want to consider…
1 – Do you like creating videos?
You’re more likely to stick with something you enjoy, so if you excel at writing but being on camera fills you with dread, then a blog might be more suitable.
2 – Can you repurpose existing content?
If you have presentations, blog posts, images or live videos, then you might be able to repurpose them into Youtube vids, making the process less time-consuming and more efficient.
3 – Are you prepared to be patient?
Growing a YouTube channel typically takes over a year of posting consistently, so you’ll need patience. It can be tough when you’re putting in lots of effort but not seeing the returns, so you’ll need to be prepared to commit for the long-term.
Learn which fitness marketing strategies produce the best results (so you can focus on what actually works).
How to Create a Channel
We have an entire article dedicated to explaining how to start a YouTube fitness channel or vlog (even if you have zero video knowledge or equipment). For a step-by-step guide, we recommend you check that out but here’s a quick summary…
- Validate your idea
- Set up the channel
- Create video content
- Upload and promote your videos
- Rinse and repeat
This video walks you through the basics of signing in and setting up a channel…
So now you know exactly how to get started, the next step is over to you…
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