Perhaps you have seen all these influencers on YouTube and you have wondered how is it that they make so much money?
Every time my friends and I see them, we joke about how we should have been YouTubers instead of having our current careers.
Well, guess what? It is possible!
In fact, you don’t need to have millions of followers to make money on this channel. What you need is to know how the platform works and what things have the most impact on your account.
Even if you have a lot of followers, you should analyze how to monetize your YouTube traffic. Here is what you need to know:
Quality of content drives YouTube traffic
Everyone can grab a camera and start filming.
However, it is the content behind the camera that will give you -or not- a chance.
If your content is not valuable, your odds of monetizing your channel and YouTube traffic are very small.
This is probably the most difficult part, so you want to pay attention to what you want your brand to be about.
1. Clear images and audio
It is one thing to not have the best equipment to film, but you need at least the basics.
Whenever I play a video and I can’t see the image clear or the sound is too far away to be heard, I stop watching.
So you should have a stable image and a volume high enough for people to enjoy the content.
2. Have a schedule
You must acknowledge that the fact that it is an online activity doesn’t mean that it requires less time. Like any other job, you have to be organized and try to get better at it each day.
Uploading content frequently is a way to promote the engagement of your followers and increase YouTube traffic.
3. Target your audience
In the beginning, it is important to focus on reaching a certain group of people. This way, the development of the content will be simpler, or at least, clearer.
Ask yourself who are the people you want to create an impact on?
This is how you will have an audience that understands you and that wants to engage with your videos on YouTube.
4. Marketing
There are so many social channels where you can share your YouTube videos, so make sure you use them!
Get your content out there and work every platform every time you have uploaded something new to increase YouTube traffic.
As you can see, online money also requires time and effort. You cannot expect to have a huge income when you are not willing to invest resources. I will explain a little bit more about this next.
Invest more to earn even more from YouTube traffic
It is quite a challenge to make money on YouTube, especially since there are thousands of influencers nowadays.
Therefore you must invest all the resources you can to have a better shot at it.
This doesn’t mean you need a lot of money to invest.
For YouTube channels, blogs, and even small businesses digital marketing on a budget is a quite good idea.
To start monetizing your YouTube traffic you have to consider the following:
1. Become a YouTube Partner
This is the first step you need to follow to start building the earnings from YouTube traffic.
To join the YouTube Partner Program, you have to read all of its terms and agree with them.
And then comes the hardest part: you need to have 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours within the last 12 months to join the YouTube Partner Program.
This is why building an audience with quality content is so important.
I know it may seem impossible at the beginning, but once you have accomplished it, the rewards will come.
2. Join AdSense
First, you need to sign up on Google AdSense and link the account to your YouTube channel.
However, just like with the YouTube Partner Program, to create an account in Google AdSense you must have reached the 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours in the past year.
AdSense works by letting you run ads on your videos.
Basically what happens is that Google (remember that YouTube is owned by Google) will pay you each time someone watches the advertisement.
The more viewers the more money you will make.
3. Targeted commercials
The main advantage of using targeted advertising and not choosing them randomly is that it increases the odds of the consumers to click on the ads.
It is important to know the behavior of your audience so you know what ads will catch their interest.
4. Funding from fans
If you have built an audience that believes in your content and knows who you are, they will likely donate you the money.
However, you should offer something in return. This way, it would not be a donation itself but more like a purchase.
For example, you can do giveaways, create an exclusive content subscription, or offer to bring a guest to the channel.
You can also start by giving out free content/tips of a certain topic, and once you have gotten people’s interest, you offer them to level up and to pay for deeper information.
Two platforms work great with this: Patreon and Tipee.
5. Team up with a company
Once you have a big number of followers that interact with you, you can reach out to certain companies and see if they would be interested in you sponsoring their products.
Pros can make thousands of dollars by giving exposure to a brand, buts you must achieve a solid base of viewers to make this kind of proposal.
For example, in the Amazon Influencer Program, you can make a recommendation of products, and each time a person clicks on the link and purchase the item, you get paid a percentage.
6. Collaborations with other influencers
This is great for giving you that little push you are missing out.
You should be active in other influencers’ accounts; leaving comments, hitting the like button, because you don’t know when you can be seen by a person that offers you the exposure you may need.
If you made it this far you now know that this money won’t come quickly.
So if you prefer getting a loan for that personal expense, you should know the answer to the following question:
Is “all in” a good idea? Will credits, loans or borrowed money pay off?
Before asking for loans online, ask yourself what do you need the money for.
If it is to start a YouTube channel ask yourself the following questions: Do you have the money for all your basic needs?
Do you have a job that assures you an income that will allow you to pay for the borrowed money?
If you answered yes to both questions, then it is not a bad idea! If you answered no, then things become a bit riskier.
Whichever the case, consider the following factors to make the smartest decision:
- How much you can afford to borrow and payback.
- Your credit history.
- The terms of the loan and the details of it.
Whatever the situation is, always remember to build up savings for any emergency. And if you have decided to borrow money, make sure you go with the right lender.
If you have a good base of resources you will be closer to creating a YouTube channel that people might be interested in.
It won’t be easy, and you have to consider the risks and the time you have to invest in this, but hey, all the influencers you see out there started somewhere.
Lidia Staron is a part of the Content and Marketing team at OpenLoans.com. She contributes articles about the role of finance in the strategic-planning process.
