YouTube’s popularity and the earning power of some of their top performers shows how important building a community is.
Community with Video
When you build a community on YouTube you can quickly get results from any new product or service as soon as you launch it, because the community is already primed and ready to respond (if that is that you’re after). Or, you could simply be looking to grow your following in order to connect with more people. Either way, for that to happen, though, you’re going to have to work hard to build that community — one video at a time — as we are doing at Growing Up on a Shoestring.
Speak Directly to Your Audience
When you make a video for your audience, it’s a great idea to look right into the camera and talk directly to them. You probably have a picture in your head of who your ideal audience is. If that is the case, picture that person, look into the camera and just speak from the heart. My kids are FABULOUS at this part!
Show Your Softer Side
Don’t be too stiff and formal in your videos. Even if you’re trying to attract lawyers and accountants, they want to see the humanity in you with your videos. Attempt to be relaxed. Practice makes perfect, so if you need to practice a few times to get it right, do so. My kids are “criers“ and it’s okay with our audience.
Mistakes Are Endearing
Don’t worry so much about tripping over one or two words; it’s okay. Normal mistakes made in the course of a conversation are nothing to correct or be ashamed of. Being too perfect will make you seem cold and unapproachable. Our family videos are a mess and far from perfect — but we love doing them!
Get to the Point
Don’t take too long to make a video. More than three to five minutes is simply too long. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but break up longer videos if you can. Make a loose script if it helps you stay on track. Although, it may depend on your video and viewers. We had some pretty long ones we we first started but have learned to shorten them. See what your audience likes!
Set It All to Music
Put some light music in the background that signifies the mood you want your audience to feel as they listen to your video. Be sure to make it quiet and not too loud; you don’t want to hide what you’re saying and distract from your message. I do this in pretty much every video because I like how it sets the mood and creates a nice flow through the video.
Let Your Humorous Side Out
Even if you talk about serious topics in your video, being a little funny can lighten things up and take the sting out. Being funny can also make videos go viral, so be ready. Not to mention, funny videos are the best to film!
Tell Them Secrets
It’s just you and your niche audience, right? It’s okay to share something deep with them during the video. You want them to feel as if they are part of your life, and one way to do it is to be honest and transparent. It’s often hard to open up so move slowly as you feel comfortable!
Make Some Content Exclusive
You can make some content exclusive to your audience by hiding it from others and only letting people who get the link see the video. You can also hide that content behind a membership wall. This type of content can bring your audience closer to you and also help you collect email addresses. I just recently added this feature to our YouTube Channel but have yet to try it. Working on some videos soon to experiment with!
Respond to Others
This works very well on YouTube. When someone makes a video that affects you in some way, make a response video and include it in a comment to their video. This can help you connect more with the entire community plus bring more people over to your community.
Building a community around video is entirely possible on any platform — not just YouTube. But, YouTube is an excellent place to start creating and hosting videos that you make. Start with an introductory video and then keep going, share on social media, ask others to share and get the ball rolling. Once you get into your own “groove” you will not want to stop!