Starting a Business as a YouTube Creator: Beginner’s Guide with Salma Jafri: The YouTube Power Hour Podcast 293

“Whatever it is that draws people to you is what can turn into a business idea in the future.”

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Salma Jafri is a YouTube Marketing Coach, Consultant and Speaker. She helps entrepreneurs and brands build their online visibility through the power of video. She is both YouTube Certified, and Inbound Marketing Certified, placing her in the unique position to build a brand’s organic video marketing strategy. Her flagship products are YOUTUBE LAUNCH PAD – a step- by-step online course to launch a YouTube channel, and YOUTUBE INTENSIVE – a 10-week immersive group coaching program designed to build your online business with YouTube. Salma speaks on international stages around the world, such as VidCon AbuDhabi, Webbdagarna Sweden, VidSummit LA, Video Marketing World, INBOUND, Global Entrepreneurship Week, 021Disrupt, Tech Forum Asia, Content Marketing Academy Live & more. Salma has worked with brands such as Deloitte, Elance/Upwork, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions and Dell’s Tech Page One. She was also the Team Lead for Google Business Groups for Women. She has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Social Media Examiner, TubeBuddy and Content Pros, amongst others.

Salma has been on Youtube since 2009 or 2010, but she didn’t start taking her channel seriously until 2017. YouTube was actually banned for a time in her native country of Pakistan, driving home the point that when it comes to social media platforms, you don’t own the platforms themselves, so you really have no control over what happens. Algorithms change, things are always in flux, so what CAN you do to be successful on social media? Can you use your Youtube channel to start a business? The answer is YES. Most people think they need a website or a full-fledged business model to start an online business but that’s not true. What you need is to figure out what kind of content you want to create and the kind of audience you want to attract. You may not have a business or  website yet, but what you should do is start building an email list. An email list is the #1 business tool that anyone looking to build a business or personal brand should have in conjunction with their channel. 

“Once you have that direct connection with your audience, you can give value to them, you can share resources with them, you can make offers with them, you can have conversations with them. It’s unlimited and it’s in your control.”

So…. how the heck do you build an email list? The answer is lead magnets. What’s a lead magnet? A lead magnet is a freebie that gives value and keeps people connected to you. It could be a PDF, a checklist, a private video, anything! Your viewers will have to give their email in exchange for this value piece. How do you promote these lead magnets? First and foremost: context is important. You need to make sure whatever you are offering ties into the video that you’re making. In your video, Salma recommends 3 steps: say it, see it, share it. She mentions it in the first minute of the video and tells the viewer to keep watching until the end, she puts a visual of it on screen to reinforce the concept, and then she shares it in the description and/or in the end card. Salma believes you have two kinds of viewers: new viewers and returning viewers. New people may want to download your freebie, while returning viewers may have already downloaded it, so the end card will also have a video for them to watch next. A percentage of people will download your video, while another percentage of people will watch the next video. Remember: YouTube is different from a TV show because it’s SO much more. It’s YOU the creator who is the brains, the face, and the voice behind it. It’s YOUR ideas and YOUR creativity. Whatever it is that draws people to YOU is what you can turn into a business idea.

“Youtube is a marathon, not a sprint.”

3 Key Interview Takeaways

1. Start with a service-based business. If you don’t have a business idea, start with coaching, consulting, or done-for-you services to get an idea of what people are looking for and what a future product could be.
2. Don’t give up when it gets hard. Most people give up right before they see big success. Turn your low point around and keep going. Don’t give up if you think it’s not working. It takes awhile for the algorithm, for people, for you to find your voice and hone your skills as a creator. All of these things take time, as long as you don’t give up. YouTube is a marathon not a sprint. 
3. You need to start building an email list. There are a lot of free services out there to start building your email list! The great thing about an email list is that it really opens the door to communicate with your audience in a better way. You can give value to them, you can share resources with them, you can make offers with them, you can have conversations with them. It’s unlimited and it’s in your control. The algorithm and the platforms themselves are not something you can control, but you CAN control the emails you send.

Connect with Salma:

Salma Jafri on YouTube

Salma Jafri on Instagram

Salma Jafri on LinkedIn

Podcast Music Credit: Boop by x50 @x50music
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/o52xQkQWzyU

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