YouTube Monetization: 6 ways to make money on YouTube

• Date: 02 July 2020
• reading time: 5 Minutes
• Blogger: Francisca Zimmermann
• E-mail: [email protected]

We’ve talked about most social media channels before, but haven’t paid much attention to YouTube yet. This seems unfair because YouTube is a channel with incredible potential for both individuals and businesses.

YouTube doesn’t only allow for direct promotion through video; it also offers SEO advantages and possibilities to make extra money through collaborations, subscription fees, and ad revenue.

Are you curious?

In this blog, we will explain six ways to make money on YouTube.

1. Get traffic to website or blog

YouTube is, like all social media platforms, a place to reach new people and share your story and product or service with the world.

At the moment, YouTube has around 2 billion users worldwide. That is enormous!

By using the platform wisely, applying some SEO-rules (we will discuss these later), and connecting with your followers through video, you can reach a large public and direct them towards your website or blog.

A great way to reach your audience and capture people's interest at the start- and middle of the funnel.

2. Promote your business on YouTube

Apart from directing people to your website or blog, you can also directly promote your business on your channel.

Of course, the best way to do this is through fun and engaging videos, or even webinars or online presentations.

Since simple ‘product promotion - video’s’ might get boring, think of offering:

• ‘How to’ - videos that explain your product or service in more detail
• Reviews of your product or service
• Interviews or discussions with other people or businesses within your industry
• ‘Behind the scenes’ - videos that feature your business and team

A nice variety of content will keep your followers interested.

Do you need more inspiration? Take a look at this list of YouTube content ideas by Wyzowl.

An example of an effective ‘how to’ - video, that explains how to use a tool successfully

3. Optimize your channel for SEO to attract new visitors

As we mentioned earlier, YouTube is a search engine. People enter keywords into the search field, and YouTube suggests the videos that most likely offer what the keyword aims for.

For businesses or channel owners, this means that clever use of keywords can mean a big difference in the findability of a video or channel.

We could write a full blog about YouTube SEO, but that would turn this blog into a book.

For now, we advise you to take a look at this blog by BackLinko. He clearly describes how to fully optimize your channel for SEO and reach more people every day.

4. Create successful videos and earn money through the YouTube Partner Program

Not directly linked to your business and product, but a great way to earn some extra money with a successful YouTube channel, is the YouTube Partner program.

As a YouTube partner, you can allow ads to be displayed on your channel and make some money when people watch the ads.

To be able to start monetizing your channel this way, you need at least 1000 subscribers and at least 4000 watch hours over the past 12 months. Also, you need an active AdSense account.

Does your content meet the Advertiser-friendly Content Guidelines?

Then you can set up your ad account by following the steps below:

1. Sign in to YouTube.

2. Go to studio.youtube.com.
3. In the left menu, select Videos.
4. Select a video.
5. In the left menu, select Monetization.
6. Choose the type of ads that you want to run.
7. Click Save.

5. Work with YouTube’s membership program

Do you have at least 30.000 subscribers and is making content something you want to invest some time in? Then you can ask your subscribers for a monthly subscription fee through the YouTube Membership Program.

This way, channel members can support you as a content creator, and you can give your fans exclusive benefits like member-only posts.

For businesses, a channel membership section can be a good place to offer courses or exclusive webinars to those who provide consistent support.

To set up your membership page, follow the below three steps:

1. On a computer, sign in to your Google Account.
2. Go to the Memberships page.
3. Click Get started and follow the on-screen instructions.

6. Collaborate with YouTube influencers

Last but not least, collaborate!

As we described in our earlier blog about the future of influencer marketing, influencers are ‘big business’ at the moment.

Just like on every social media channel, some accounts grew an enormous following over the past years, and businesses pay massive amounts of money to have their brand promoted in a YouTube video.

According to MexiaKix, YouTube is the second most popular channel in the influencer business. During their study, 70% of marketers announced to use YouTube as an influencer channel in 2019.

Source: https://mediakix.com/blog/how-to-find-youtube-influencers/

Of course, there are different ways to work with YouTube influencers.

You can choose to work with a big name and ask them to mention your brand, but you can also go for a more affordable option.

Send, for instance, your product to a micro-influencer in exchange for a review. Or simply send out a little present to small influencers and hope they will thank you on their channel.

If the influencer of your choice is passionate about their work and if your product is in line with what they stand for, chances are good that you will get a mention in return.

Need help?

Are you thinking of using YouTube to grow your business or make some extra money? We would love to help getting started. Contact us for a FREE strategy call so we can get to know your business and discuss what we can do for you.

Are you interested in learning more about social media marketing, sales funnels, and marketing in general? Then our Social Media Gids Community might be worth checking out. On this platform, you can find all our training material and discuss your progress with like-minded entrepreneurs. Feel free to contact us for more info, so we can tell you exactly what you can expect from your subscription.

Want to post a comment? Join the conversation in our community.

• Blogger: Francisca Zimmermann
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Social media manager & content creator at Social Media Gids
• Francisca Zimmermann is a social media expert with a background in research and a love for learning new things. She travels the world looking for beautiful places and interesting cultures, while she dives into the world of her clients to be able to write about them and their interests as a real 'insider'.
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