Startups can learn a lot from successful Youtubers: Many of them are not “just” content creators, but successful entrepreneurs.Being a successful Youtuber requires a whole lot more skills than just setting up a camera and unpacking the powder compacts or filming yourself playing video games. There is much more to the production of successful video content. If you are a full-time Youtuber, you usually work on the basis of well-founded Communication Strategies – and many startups can learn a lot from them.
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Be conspicuous!
In our society, it is not always welcome to tell what you are particularly good at. We are all brought up to always be nice and humble, not to push ourselves into the foreground and rather to pile up. But you founded a startup because you had a special idea or because you are really good at a certain thing! And that’s exactly how you should attract attention. This is how successful Youtubers do it: They use so-called hero content, i.e. particularly high-quality videos that give a real boost once or twice a year. As a startup, you should do that too. Think about actions that you can use to make a lot of noise. Draw attention to yourself, show what you can do!
Let us hear from you!
Do you know a successful Youtuber who doesn’t publish videos on a regular basis? No! Without regular communication you will be forgotten very quickly. So, make sure to let me hear from you from time to time. Whether on Instagram, Facebook, through press work – or even on your own YouTube channel: The worst thing you can hear about your startup is: nothing. So, determine the conversation by entering into a dialogue with your customers. The most important size a brand has is the time it spends with its customers. With YouTube, this means keeping viewers on the platform for as long as possible. For startups, you have to find the right way to make this time span as long as possible.
Keep your promises!
No-brainer, right? Whether customers, employees, or “fans” of your brand: Don’t promise anything that you can’t keep. For example, if you announce a competition or a new product on social media – do it. If you don’t stick to this simple principle, you and your brand can quickly become forgotten. Trust is the be-all and end-all in brand communication. So, build a brand that you can trust. A Youtuber who makes a promise on the thumbnail that he does not keep in the video and especially notices through click-baiting, the fans will run away quite quickly. If you want to build a long-term relationship with your customers, it also means that you want more than the click of the order button. Be a reliable partner to whom you would like to commit yourself permanently.
Stay authentic!
Anyone who has played on a YouTube channel for years cannot pretend week after week. It is the same with the founder of a startup: you can not (or should) embody something that you are not to your customers or your employees. It is important that you pay close attention to which values you want to convey – and which values you founded your startup on. YouTubers who stand for nothing, who accept any cooperation and do not pay attention to the value fit, do not form a long-term fanbase. That is essential in both business areas.
Change yourselves!
You may ask what do we mean under ‘change yourself’ when we already wrote about being authentic. It is important to have the courage to change. A Youtuber who clings to the same format for years without developing will inevitably disappear at some point. For instance, David Dobrik used to create content only about his friend-group. Over the years, he grew and changed – it’s a good sign. He started creating content with celebrities too and he gained thousands more subscribers on YouTube – he never stayed the same, that we noted that changing yourself could be a perfect way to gain more attention.
Youtubers test new ideas directly on the viewer, analyze how new ideas are accepted, and continuously develop in small steps. It’s the same with startups and their services and products: New features and ideas should be implemented quickly and tested on the market because speed is the great advantage that startups have over the market they are attacking. If demands change, the company grows or the product is improved, it is perfectly fine for the brand to change too.
