Читать книгу The YouTube Formula - Derral Eves - Страница 14

At that time, my relationship with YouTube consisted of creating videos and uploading them to YouTube for the sole purpose of getting a Google ranking for lead generation. Little did I know that this was a fraction of the potential of YouTube. There was a huge opportunity to reach millions around the world, and I was about to witness this with my next client.

One day I got a phone call from one of my clients, Wade Beatty, who had a lead for me. Wade owned a local pest control company, and I had done some successful video marketing for him. He had gone to spray a piano store for cockroaches, and the store owner asked if he knew anybody who did YouTube, websites, and marketing. Wade said, “You have to talk to Derral.” So I talked with the store owner, Paul Anderson, who showed me the amazing videos they were making to try to sell expensive pianos. They put grand pianos in beautiful locations outside—on top of mountains, in the desert, in a forest—and the music videos were amazing.

I asked Paul what his goals were with his store “ThePianoGuys.” He told me he wanted to make enough money from his YouTube videos that he didn't have to work at the store anymore. He didn't actually want to sell pianos, he wanted to make awesome videos that people would love. With the talent of Jon Schmidt at the piano, Steven Sharp Nelson on the cello, Al van der Beek producing the music, and Tel Stewart doing the videography and editing, they had the recipe for success. Their musical passion turned into a channel, and the channel turned into a business that was making so much money that they didn't need the store anymore.

When ThePianoGuys’ YouTube channel exploded, I was able to be a part of the true power of YouTube for the first time. They had had minimal subscribers when we started, and they had grown to more than 1.8 million subscribers in 12 months and had over a hundred million video views. They had developed a passionate, dedicated audience. (They never sold a single piano! But they did sell out stadiums worldwide.) This success shifted my focus 100% to working with creators to help them build YouTube audiences, and I never looked back. Yes, I sank my ships again, and I haven't regretted it for a second.

Uniting people around a similar passion was exhilarating. It was an intense realization that I could help people find their own dedicated global audiences. It didn't have to be confined to a geographical location like my previous work had been, and it didn't have to be all about business. In fact, it had to be about more than the business. You could find passionate followers in every corner of the Internet and bring them together around your content. This was about more than generating leads. It was the perfect crossover between money and passion, something I had been missing all those years leading up to this moment. I had learned a lot about algorithms and rankings and the mechanisms that worked, but now I could see the other side of the coin. Creating content to inspire, educate, or entertain was the missing link. Everything I had learned about algorithms, people, and messaging came together in this new moment of clarity. Audience development was my thing. I realized I was really good at creating a community around content, so I dedicated my career to learning what makes an audience click.

To date, I have created and developed a plan and content strategy for 25 different YouTube channels. I have helped them grow from zero subscribers to more than a million subscribers each. With my formula, we've generated more than 59 billion video views in total. I've seen this change so many people's lives: they not only become full‐time YouTube creators, but they build sustainable businesses and brands.

For businesses, this can be a game changer for your bottom line. Here's where the magical ice‐cream‐pooping unicorn comes in. I was executive producer on one of the most viral video ads of all time, and it was for a step‐stool called Squatty Potty. It showcased this magical unicorn demonstrating the advantages to using the toilet stool while “pooping” ice cream. Yes, the stool is a real product (unfortunately, the unicorn is not), and it did more than $45 million in sales in one year. That's a powerful ad! After I watched its success, I knew it was time to share what I know about YouTube so that others could learn how to tap into this resource as well.

Don't hesitate to jump in with both feet as I teach you all things YouTube: the ins and outs of the platform, the opportunities waiting for you, and the formula for doing it right. You might even have to throw out some things you thought were true about YouTube, but no need to worry; you'll relearn quickly and have the solutions on hand. Reach for this book as a reference as you move forward to create amazing content and get the results you've always wanted.

I've been on YouTube since 2005 and have seen how it has evolved and how it can change a business, and more importantly, how it can change people's lives. YouTube is one of the most powerful platforms we have to connect with the world and grow an audience using video.

I can't wait to show you how to harness the power of YouTube … let's get started!