It pays to obsess over function rather than form. Literally. And that applies to content as much as it does to design.
Many entrepreneurs will find themselves creating content to grow their business.
But it’s altogether too easy to get caught up in trying to become a YouTuber than in showing up and serving your audience. And the two approaches lead to vastly different results.
Just because content engages doesn’t mean it generates sales. The two are often mutually exclusive.
Just because content engages doesn’t mean it generates sales. The two are often mutually exclusive. Click To TweetIt’s easy to look at an Instagram influencer with thousands of likes on every post and think to yourself, “wow, they are killing it – I must be doing something wrong.”
But the reality is that many of these so-called influencers make aggressively mediocre money.
Your feelings might get hurt when your content doesn’t get engaged, but if it leads to results that show up on your P&L statement, you might begin to feel a little differently about the situation.
SuperFastBusiness founder James Schramko has been making short social media videos that earn him hundreds of thousands of dollars (and his course on the same topic is a steal at $9). These videos answer his target audience’s questions and adds value to them. Then, they go to his website to check out what solutions he’s got to offer.
If he were obsessed with becoming a YouTuber, he probably wouldn’t even come close to generating those types of figures.
YouTube audiences come ready to watch. They want to sit on their couch, find something they can get stuck into, and even have high standards for production.
Which isn’t to say don’t use YouTube. But if you’re going to be doing what James did, you should consider distributing your videos across the main social networks too – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
The point is that YouTubers spend all their time coming up with content ideas, filming, and editing, just to generate a few thousand dollars per month.
Yes, they can tap into revenue streams other than advertising to give their revenue a boost – Patreon, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, PayPal donations, and so on.
But then you’re in the game of content that engages. Not content that sells. And you’ve got to be clear on that distinction to do well in either.
I know from having talked to other entrepreneurs that they’d prefer to create content that sells. They’re busy and stressed out as is, and don’t need to spend any more time on activity that engages but doesn’t sell.
If you want to be an artist or a hobbyist, or if you just want to make things for fun, then there’s nothing wrong with focusing on content that engages.
But entrepreneurs should be focused on activity with measurable results. And they can expect a better return from focusing on content that sells, especially since it doesn’t require a huge audience or high level of engagement.
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