THE POWER OF THE ONLINE BLOGGER
10 years ago, if you muttered the words ‘blogger’, ‘vlogger’ or ‘YouTuber’ in the presence of a business professional, you would probably be greeted with a bemused look upon their face. 20 years ago, those words merely didn’t exist, let alone become a valid stream of income. YouTube, the main platform for the 21st Century ‘blogger’, has enabled people to connect with the rest of the world by simply using home-recorded videos created by someone with a hobby. A savvy blogger filming themselves doing a simple review on a product or a tutorial on how to create ‘the perfect red lip’ has now snowballed into creating some of the highest earning, self-employed, influential people all over the world. We delve into the lives of these savvy business men and women, and how it can help you.
How do they make money?
To begin with, YouTube was just a platform to give people the outlet they wanted to show off their talents or hobbies, expanding from written online blogs. The more views a video would receive and interest it gained would entice advertisers to place their commercial on said video. For example, an advert with the latest type of lipstick may be shown on a bloggers video of a make-up tutorial, providing that blogger attracted a substantial amount of viewers. Advertisers then pay YouTube, who take some of the cut and then pass on the rest to the video blogger who created the tutorial. However, these types of earnings may look like pennies compared to the impact these ‘YouTubers’ are making.
Branding and Merchandise
Many YouTubers have moved on from the traditional income stream of advertising (although, don’t get me wrong, some of the biggest names online get a hell of a lot from one major company advertising on their video). Some of the most popular bloggers are now a household name and create bigger income streams from the likes of branding and merchandise. This can include partnering with big brands to creating their own brand. Some have gone on to release sell-out books, make-up lines, fashion labels/brands and even just branding their own imaging on merchandise can earn them a big buck. Some partner with major brands in order to promote themselves and sell a product and most of them create videos with a certain product to talk about, in which case, they have to label the video as an ‘#AD’ (by law).
Stars of the show
You think we’re joking? Well, just to make you more familiar with the process, we present to you some of the ‘stars’ of the show…
Zoella (Zoe Sugg)
One of the most influential YouTubers on the internet. With a whopping 11.2 million subscribers to her channel and over 840 million views on her videos, anything she promotes, sells. She has more followers than Barack Obama and had an invite to have tea with Prince Harry, but this isn’t merely enough. Some of her accolades include a sell out beauty collection with Superdrug in 2015 and her own book ‘Girl Online’ selling over 80,000 copies in the first week, making her the fastest selling debut novelist since records began. She began her blog in 2009, sat in her bedroom of the family home, because of this she is now known as one of the biggest influencers for young people in Britain with an estimated net worth of £3m.
Alfie Deyes
Or ‘Mr. Zoella’ is the other half to Zoe Sugg. Both popular YouTubers in their own right before becoming a couple, Alfie commands a subscribing audience of 5.4 million and over 435 million views to his channel ‘PointlessBlog’. For young viewers, this channel is about fun challenges, games and… eating candy on camera (Yep, you heard us correctly, this particular ‘candy eating’ video, that was uploaded less than a month ago, boasts almost 2 million views to date).
Pixiwoo
In 2008, Samantha Chapman, previously a make-up artist, sat in front of her webcam, ‘bored one day’ and decided to start filming make-up tutorials online. Her sister, Nicola, then joined her in the venture and together they produced the channel (and now brand name) ‘Pixiwoo’. Aside from their YouTube channel creating a sizable stream of income, they also have their own range of cosmetic brushes and worked with some big names within the fashion and celebrity industry, whilst also running a five-day make-up course from their studio in Norwich.
These are just a mere few of the hugely successful Bloggers/Vloggers/YouTubers/Influencers, whatever you want to call them! Below are some of the rest that are extremely powerful in their own right.
Samantha Maria
Subscribers: 1.8M
Views: 151M
Formerly known as ‘beautycrush’, this influencer began creating fashion, styling and make-up videos and now, with her boyfriend, run a sell-out fashion label ‘Novem & Knight’ and still earn off creating personal and sponsored videos.
Patricia Bright
Subscribers: 955k
Views: 84M
Previously working in finance, Patricia now runs a hair extension brand alongside her blogging as well as being a brand ambassador for Loreal.
Tanya Burr
Subscribers: 3.6M
Views: 311M
Alongside Zoella, she has been a ‘cover girl’ for one of the best selling glossy magazines in the UK and has a sell-out make up range in Superdrug.
In The Frow
Subscribers: 522k
Views: 28M
‘Inthefrow’ is a brand created by Victoria, a writer, photographer and editor. She is now an ambassador for Loreal alongside Patricia Bright whilst running a successful written blog and online YouTube videos. Known as a ‘lifestyle’ blogger, she talks about high-end fashion, make-up, food and travel.
What does this mean for you?
The above are some of the most sought after names within the online industry – and outside. So making this work for you and your business could really prove difficult. However, we are just demonstrating the sheer scope of media and culture that these names possess. It is these people that are the future of advertising and how, you, as a business owner, could be able to connect with your costumer in the most efficient way.
Reaching Out
We are a big supporter of producing great quality content and videos for any business. Connecting with the blogging community now has a huge advantage in many ways. You could start your own blog, depending on what type of business you have. Creating an authentic way to connect to your target market and making that translatable through both yourself and your products could be a double win for you and your company. If you aren’t as fond of the idea of creating your own blog or you dealing with a business that is on a much more grand scale, then doing your research and reaching out to the influencers of today could seriously win you big interest from consumers you didn’t even know existed.
Authenticity
More often than not, some YouTubers won’t agree to advertise something that they haven’t tried or they are not passionate about. Sending out products to relevant and popular Bloggers that talk to your target audience could lead to an unsponsored ‘ad’ with them talking about your product simply because they love it. Free. Advertising. What more could you want? It could consist of paying for one of your ads to appear at the beginning of their videos (depending on the popularity of the blogger, this could be a costly affair), or even paying for a sponsored ad where you partner up and/or pay the blogger to advertise your product or service on their channel. But remember, keep it authentic, only target people you think will understand the product and love it as much as you do!
Happy to help!
Want to create your own professional video or learn more on other great marketing ideas? Please contact us today! We look forward to helping you get the most out of your business.