Ernman
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I recently found @Andy Black 's collection of YouTube progress threads and decided I would share this twist to using a YouTube channel.
Background: I own a small but growing scrap and recycling business in NE Florida. This is definitely a dirty job and not what many would consider Fastlane. I'm sharing my progress with the "INSIDERS." Part of my strategy and growth is my YouTube channel. So unlike many YouTube creators, my channel is not the biz. My channel is one aspect of my biz.
Like manufacturing, the scrap industry has raw materials and end products. The difference is my raw materials are usually in the form of a "finished" good such as a computer tower, server or major appliance and my product is the deconstructed remains of those goods. Literally a reverse manufacturing process. Success requires a steady source of materials and multiple buyers of the end "products." Both require a certain level of trust and understanding of what/how I run my business. Many of my sources of materials give me their PC's and appliances for free because they want them responsibly scrapped/recycled and not just added to the waste stream. Those who I pay expect a fair price. I also need to have trust with my buyers. I need to trust them and they need to know that I'm not selling them stolen goods or misrepresented products.
My YouTube channel is both a marketing tool and income generator. As a marketing tool nothing compares to my YouTube channel as a valuable resource to gain and maintain the trust and confidence of my clients. Twice a week they get to see what I'm doing with the scrap material I get and frequently where it is coming from. I talk about how I break it down, what is of value, where I can sell it and what is likely to happen to it after I sell it. In my YouTube vids I also mention my website, merch store, Amazon affiliate links, eBay store and other sources of income generating sites - in addition to what is coming into the recycling side of the biz. This generates a small, but growing, somewhat passive income stream. I'm also in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) which allows me to receive revenue from ads placed on my videos and payments from Super Thanks and similar YT monetization paths.
Since this is a progress thread I need to set the baseline. Here's my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SharkScrapper
I started it Oct 2019. So rough 2.5 years old. In that time I've grown to 6,100 subscribers, 737,619 views and 118,551 watch hours. Like most channels my growth was slow at first but YouTube is a marathon. Many of you will rightly notice, I'm not "growing" nearly as fast as many other channels - still faster than others. And I'm OK with that. Why? Because my YouTube channel is one part of my biz - NOT the basis of my biz.
I started my business, Shark Scrapper LLC, with two primary criteria and a given. First the given - if you're not making money, you're a hobby, not a business. The criteria: an ethical company that gives back to our planet. I prefer that every customer, client, buyer be a long term relationship based on trust and an ability to bring value to each other. And I want to do something good for our planet. Lots of businesses make plenty of money while destroying the world around us. That is not sustainable in the long term. No I'm not a "tree hugger" but I do believe that if we want our planet to continue to sustain us, we need to do our part for the planet. Giving back is at the core of what Shark Scrapper does: redirect material out of waste streams and into resale, reuse and recycle streams. We also donate a portion of our proceeds to shark research. I like sharks, they are essentially scrappers/recyclers of the oceans. My YouTube channel helps me promote my brand and is one of the ways I can get my message out. Anyone can watch my videos and understand what I do and see that I am working to live up to my brand.
Alright, so what about this progress thread. This thread will be a good place to share if you are looking for a way to market your biz, build your brand or share your story BUT you don't intend for a YouTube channel to be the business. I'll share what I'm learning about YouTube and give real examples of how I'm working to improve my channel and it's impact on my business. I'm looking forward to all your questions and comments.
Success on YouTube is more about consistently uploading quality content with good thumbnails and titles than overnight viral hits. My personal goal is to make each video better in some way than my last. I don't always achieve this, but I try.
Background: I own a small but growing scrap and recycling business in NE Florida. This is definitely a dirty job and not what many would consider Fastlane. I'm sharing my progress with the "INSIDERS." Part of my strategy and growth is my YouTube channel. So unlike many YouTube creators, my channel is not the biz. My channel is one aspect of my biz.
Like manufacturing, the scrap industry has raw materials and end products. The difference is my raw materials are usually in the form of a "finished" good such as a computer tower, server or major appliance and my product is the deconstructed remains of those goods. Literally a reverse manufacturing process. Success requires a steady source of materials and multiple buyers of the end "products." Both require a certain level of trust and understanding of what/how I run my business. Many of my sources of materials give me their PC's and appliances for free because they want them responsibly scrapped/recycled and not just added to the waste stream. Those who I pay expect a fair price. I also need to have trust with my buyers. I need to trust them and they need to know that I'm not selling them stolen goods or misrepresented products.
My YouTube channel is both a marketing tool and income generator. As a marketing tool nothing compares to my YouTube channel as a valuable resource to gain and maintain the trust and confidence of my clients. Twice a week they get to see what I'm doing with the scrap material I get and frequently where it is coming from. I talk about how I break it down, what is of value, where I can sell it and what is likely to happen to it after I sell it. In my YouTube vids I also mention my website, merch store, Amazon affiliate links, eBay store and other sources of income generating sites - in addition to what is coming into the recycling side of the biz. This generates a small, but growing, somewhat passive income stream. I'm also in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) which allows me to receive revenue from ads placed on my videos and payments from Super Thanks and similar YT monetization paths.
Since this is a progress thread I need to set the baseline. Here's my channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/SharkScrapper
I started it Oct 2019. So rough 2.5 years old. In that time I've grown to 6,100 subscribers, 737,619 views and 118,551 watch hours. Like most channels my growth was slow at first but YouTube is a marathon. Many of you will rightly notice, I'm not "growing" nearly as fast as many other channels - still faster than others. And I'm OK with that. Why? Because my YouTube channel is one part of my biz - NOT the basis of my biz.
I started my business, Shark Scrapper LLC, with two primary criteria and a given. First the given - if you're not making money, you're a hobby, not a business. The criteria: an ethical company that gives back to our planet. I prefer that every customer, client, buyer be a long term relationship based on trust and an ability to bring value to each other. And I want to do something good for our planet. Lots of businesses make plenty of money while destroying the world around us. That is not sustainable in the long term. No I'm not a "tree hugger" but I do believe that if we want our planet to continue to sustain us, we need to do our part for the planet. Giving back is at the core of what Shark Scrapper does: redirect material out of waste streams and into resale, reuse and recycle streams. We also donate a portion of our proceeds to shark research. I like sharks, they are essentially scrappers/recyclers of the oceans. My YouTube channel helps me promote my brand and is one of the ways I can get my message out. Anyone can watch my videos and understand what I do and see that I am working to live up to my brand.
Alright, so what about this progress thread. This thread will be a good place to share if you are looking for a way to market your biz, build your brand or share your story BUT you don't intend for a YouTube channel to be the business. I'll share what I'm learning about YouTube and give real examples of how I'm working to improve my channel and it's impact on my business. I'm looking forward to all your questions and comments.
Success on YouTube is more about consistently uploading quality content with good thumbnails and titles than overnight viral hits. My personal goal is to make each video better in some way than my last. I don't always achieve this, but I try.
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