By Jo Gifford Students How to make money online whilst studying or working 7 Aug 2015 Vlogging is big business. YouTube has spawned a new wave of media personalities whose influence is global and incredibly impactful. This is big news for brands, vloggers and consumers alike. Research by Variety Magazine in 2014 showed that YouTube vloggers exert more of an influence on US teenagers than mainstream celebrities. Jason Mander, Head of Trends at GlobalWebIndex, says that vloggers are “valued more for their stories, tips and experiences than as a source of brand promotion”, shifting the onus from the traditional celebrity-as-influencer model. The appeal of a vlogger is simple – authenticity, personal expression and creativity are uncensored and unfettered. In the world of YouTube, a vlogger can shoot and upload a video with none of the red tape or time scale restrictions which apply to traditional broadcast media. Similarly, the trust factor required for loyalty and engagement is increased when following advice from vloggers. As explained by Variety Magazine, “teens enjoy an intimate and authentic experience with YouTube celebrities, who aren’t subject to image strategies carefully orchestrated by PR pros.” Alfie Deyes promises that he “only works with brands who make his content better”. Partnerships with Cadbury and the social app Frankly blend naturally into his sincere, authentic video style. With hundreds of millions of views, his vlogging has powerful influence over his loyal fans. From beauty and fashion tips to satire, gaming advice and music parodies, YouTube provides a breeding ground for the best of Generation D and their loyal followers. Video blogs reach consumers during the “product discovery phase” of the purchase cycle, meaning they are likely to look for a YouTube vlog review before making a purchase. According to CMO.com, “16-24 year olds are four times as likely as 55-64s to say they discover new products via vlogs.” Indeed, according to Future Laboratory research, this is a channel hugely influential to Generation D (people aged 12-18), for whom video is the “language of the internet”. When Marcus Butler posts an Instagram shot of a pair of shoes from the fashion company Office, it creates a high-value impression on their target audience of 16-24 year olds. Butler, renowned for his conversational vlogs (www.youtube.com/marcusbutlertv), also works with Cadbury and Topman. Companies are keen to exploit his unrestricted access to the lucrative teen market. Generation D consumers are accustomed to instant gratification and quick wins from the web, and expect information to be “served up in short, punchy blasts, preferably with a clickable video to save the bother of reading.” (via CMO). The loyalty of fans also has monetary rewards, too. The statistics according to Easy Space are staggering, showing that top vloggers can earn up to £20,000 per month for banner advertising, up to £4,000 per product placement mention, up to £4,000 for a social media product placement post, and up to £10,000 per personal appearance. Tanya Burr, a popular beauty vlogger (www.youtube.com/tanyaburr), collaborates with Unilever beauty brands such as Dove, Tresemmé and VO5. She can make up to £30,000 from a single five-minute video featuring their products. Chanel, Dior and YSL frequently send premium samples in the hope that their products will win a coveted position in her ‘Get Ready With Me’ tutorials. Other ways to monetise a vlog channel include selling products, teaching programs or workshops, consulting, writing e-books, producing merchandise, and brand sponsorship. Non-paid perks are highly desirable too, ranging from celebrity meet-ups, travel opportunities and events, and gifting of products. Joe Sugg, has established his own highly successful channel with over 5 million subscribers (www.youtube.com/thatcherjoe) and helps out with NCS, a government funded programme for teenagers, and Simon Cowell’s digital project YouGeneration. Perks of the job included a visit to the music mogul’s Los Angeles mansion, invitations to film premieres and a cameo voiceover role in a Hollywood film. For many of the top vloggers, the income earned from their channel is either their main source of income, or supplements greatly their studies or other employment. Zoe Sugg, older sister of Joe and owner of the Zoella fashion and beauty channel (www.youtube.com/zoella) with over 8 million subscribers, has an estimated annual income of over £300,000. With a successful makeup range, book and advertising deals, she is so inundated with offers that she claims to “turn down 90 per cent of deals”. Her debut novel, Girl Online was a smash hit, becoming the fastest selling book of 2014. At first glance, setting up a channel as an income strategy is an attractive idea; many vloggers have been successful in doing that that, so how easy is it to do? In reality, vlogging requires a lot of hard work and effort before the monetary rewards arrive. Creating content consistently, and building an audience are essential parts of building a channel with influence. However, thanks to smartphones and social media, the gateway to entry is minimal, and vloggers can get started with even the most basic equipment. Tips for setting up a successful vlog Decide on a niche/angle Will your channel be based on satire, beauty reviews, gadgets, or something else entirely? Create consistent content and make it your own A successful vlogging channel relies on a stream of fresh, original and engaging content for your audience Grow an audience Building a loyal following makes you more attractive to potential sponsors and increases monetisation opportunities How to begin All you need to make your first vlog is a camera. Basic video editing software can be downloaded for free or YouTube provides its own inbuilt video editor. Finding and building an audience If you already have a blog or loyal following on social media, you can start promotion of your vlog through these networks. Make sure your social media accounts are regularly updated and make good use of the unrivalled power to interact with other users. Connecting with other vloggers is a great way to generate views as YouTube has strong community spirit. When you begin to build an audience, maintaining interaction is vital to building loyalty. Alfie Deyes says “‘I love meeting viewers in person, so I can thank them for their support.” How to monetise your videos As your vlogging begins to gain traction, monetisation becomes an enticing prospect. On YouTube, the most effective way to make money from your channel is to have Google Ads running on or alongside your videos. Once you have successfully built an army of loyal viewers, you can take advantage of non-skippable adverts which have high potential for increasing ad revenue. Product placement can also come into force when you have built a large viewership. Brands will pay you to make videos about their products, but you must be careful to balance this with original content, in case you inadvertently alienate your viewers. Joe Sugg claims “I definitely don’t want to cash in – my relationship with my audience is more important.” Related income streams Many vloggers have set up related income streams to make the most of their fame. From clothes ranges to make-up, vlogging opens up a wide range of opportunities to sell to devoted fans, which can help to build some serious secondary income. Another option is to provide services or write a book linked to your vlogging niche. With the rise of eBooks, it has never been easier to write and publish your own book, which can provide some rewarding passive income once written. Zoe Sugg’s novel sold 78,000 copies in its first week, highlighting that the thriving book market still has enormous potential. Brand support and engagement As the influence of your vlog channel grows, companies will begin offering you serious perks and opportunities. Beauty and fashion vloggers can expect to be sent vast numbers of freebies in the hope that you will feature them in your videos. Some brands may even pay for you to go on trips to extravagant product launches or other events; the opportunity to travel is one of the most enjoyable parts of the life of a successful vlogger. Deyes and others have enjoyed trips to USA and Canada for major video conventions. Further information and resources: These Vloggers are currently students or recent graduates earning an income from their channel: Estée Lalonde AKA Essie Button A Canadian blogger and YouTuber living in London, she studies psychology and social work and vlogs in her spare time. (As seen in our feature image). Cherry Wallis is 24, and a graduate from Birmingham City University. Her most popular video is Coke and Milk, with over one million views. Shirley B. Eniang is a London-based maths student, and also one of the most popular beauty and style vloggers. Her channel has over 190,000 subscribers and 11.1m views of her tutorial videos. Sprinkle of Glitter 25-year-old vlogger Louise Pentland is a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University and is now married with a baby. Her vlogs are about cosmetics, gems and interior design. Dianna Cowan (AKA Physics Girl) Dianna is a Hawaiian MIT grad, and vlogs about science. She asks questions like “Why is the Earth flat?”, and conducts interviews with famous scientists. Source: Huffington Post Getting started on You Tube http://www.theprimacy.com/blog/do-it-live-getting-started-with-youtube-live/ https://www.google.com/search?q=Getting+Started+on+You+Tube+blog&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 http://authorunlimited.com/how-to-market-on-youtube/ http://www.healthbloggerscommunity.com/how-to-get-started-on-youtube-feat-lottie-murphy/ http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/10-steps-to-successful-video-blogging/ Tools and resources for vlogging http://www.studyweb.com/the-video-blogging-toolbox-100-tools-resources-and-free-software-packages/ http://theblogstylist.com/main/vlogging-tools/ http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/2015/02/22/best-vlogging-camera-in-2015-for-entrepeneurs/ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/top-5-tools-for-impressive-and-easy-vlogging.html https://www.behindthefalselashes.com/the-beginners-guide-to-starting-a-blog/ How to monetise a vlog http://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/resources/how-to-monetize-your-blog http://www.blogmarketingacademy.com/top-10-blog-monetization-strategies-ranked/ http://boostblogtraffic.com/blog-ads/ http://onlineincometeacher.com/money/30-ways-your-website-can-earn-you-money/ http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/sep/02/how-to-build-and-monetise-a-blog Jo Gifford mentors solopreneurs to tell their business story online and to work in smarter, creative ways on www.dexterousdiva.co.uk.