Since last June, I have gotten quite active in YouTube and have started making more videos (faceless videos with my voice overs). It begun as an experimentation and I find myself enjoying the process tremendously.
I decided to give YouTube a try through something of a chance. What happened was advertisements on video and animation software were appearing in my Facebook feed. There is a deep discount in these software…granted the access is standard and quite limited…but it stirred my interest.
At first I just went over to YouTube to check out reviews of these software. And you know how YouTube works…. Once you are on the platform, you would be led down a rabbit hole of other interesting videos.
A couple of videos on how to make faceless videos (ie videos not showing your face) started appearing in my homepage and Suggested Videos. I started viewing them and was hooked.
Actually I have started making my own simple videos years back. In fact, in my YouTube channel I had two very simple videos that I made a few years back which would be considered crappy by most standards.
Both the videos were short and unrelated, ie not in a single niche.
One was about how my paralyzed dog was able to walk again through acupuncture being administered by the vet. I put together a slideshow, uploaded it and linked it to a blog post. In actual fact, the video was to supplement a blog post that I was writing.
The vet started getting a lot of new business…. And now the clinic’s schedule is very FULL. Even though the video only get like a few views in a day.
Another was how chiropractor can potentially help stroke patients to gain mobility. I was discussing with my chiropractor and was interested when he told me that he had some success with helping stroke patients regain mobility but they need to see him as soon as possible after being discharged from the hospital. He sent me some video clips that he took from his phone.
Again all I did was to put these in a slideshow and upload it to YouTube. No voiceovers at all. I did not even edit or enhance the audio that he sent to me in the clip. I did it because I wanted to create awareness that regaining mobility after stroke is possible.
When I went back to see my chiro, he told me his business got a lot of exposure from that simple clip.
Just with these 2 unrelated simple videos, they got a few thousand views each. And I got 41 subscribers without trying and with just these two videos.
The way people consume information is changing. People prefer to search via YouTube to look for information instead of blogs or websites. They want the visual and audio representation of the information that they are looking for.
It is the same for me and people around me. My friends who wanted to improve their cooking devoured YouTube videos instead of visiting websites or blogs. They get a visual representation of how things are being done.
When I am honest with myself at how the way I search for information has changed, I also realize the time has come for me to change.
My intention is NOT to launch my career as a full time YouTuber. That requires a lot of dedication and time, something which I cannot afford right now. It would also kill the joy I have out of putting videos together.
The main objective I have is to get my message out with regards to emotional and spiritual causes with regards to health issues. I have been actively researching on these topics for more than 10 years. And I realized YouTube is a good platform to help me get the message across.
My videos need not reach tonnes of viewers. Most important is for them to reach to right viewers….. Viewers who are facing similar problems and are desperately searching for a possible way out.
However, if you are a small business, my sincere advice is learn to leverage on YouTube. Post at least a couple of videos to get your business out there. Hire someone to do it if you had to….if you search around, you may find a friend or relative who is into YouTube and you can commission them to produce a video for you. Facebook is not bad but you would need to pay if you want your posts or videos being seen.
Update: August 2020:
I have posted some videos in my YouTube channel. More on controversial topics that many may find it hard to believe. These videos are not generating as much traffic as I would like them to be. Still, they are fun to make. But right now, I will be focusing effort on blogs to improve them.