Video informs and entertains people, and, good or bad, today most people prefer to watch a video rather than read a page of text. ~ Lisa Lubin

We know what Youtube is and we know how popular it is. But how can we IDOLs leverage the power of this awesome video-sharing platform? To some degree, it is necessary to use Youtube to advance ourselves professionally. 

Personally, I love YouTube in and outside of my work as an IDOL. In fact, I wouldn’t be an IDOL without it. It’s free, easy to use, and accessible; plus, you can reach a lot of people if used properly. I am confident that other professionals relied too on YouTube to view, create, learn, sell, and sometimes entertain themselves with the video content provided on there. 

Let me share some mind-blowing statistics on how powerful YouTube is.

• Videos are a consumers’ favorite type of content from a brand on social media.
• 85% of US internet users watched online video content monthly on any of their devices.
• 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.
• 6 out of 10 people rather watch online videos than television.
• YouTube is the second most popular website after Google.
• Youtube is the most popular video-sharing platform for marketers, with 88% of them planning to use YouTube to do video marketing.
• 65% of people use YouTube to solve a problem.
• Youtube users are highly engaged, watching an average of one billion hours of online videos every day.

Sources:

• https://www.oberlo.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics
• https://biteable.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics/
• https://sproutsocial.com/insights/youtube-stats/

So, how can we IDOLs use YouTube to advance ourselves professionally? I will focus on three key ways we can use Youtube to elevate our IDOL skills and careers:

1. Free Training - There are a plethora of video tutorials. I have learned how to use many of the ID tools from YouTube videos before joining the IDOL Academy and I still do. Many corporate and reputable brands have Youtube videos/channels on how to use their products and services. Many consumers create testimonial videos about particular products or services they have used and in their videos, many of them also show you how to use these products or services.
2. Free Video Hosting - It is free to set up an account and a video channel with a Gmail account. It is also easy to upload and share video content. Many users add backlinks in the description section to connect viewers to other resources, your website, and your other social media pages. In fact, I host all my video assets in my portfolio here on my own YouTube channel.
3. Free Platform for Content Creators - You can share your ID expertise and skills via video content here. You can market your video content here. You can establish an online brand with consistent, quality, and niche video content postings. You can become an online influencer with consistent video content postings. All of these actions can lead to additional income for you. There are some awesome instructional designers and/or eLearning developers who have shared some great video content on their Youtube channels, like our own IDOL founder, Dr. Robin Sargent; Devlin Peck; Ant Pugh; Kim Tuohy (Belvista Studios); Tim Slade; and Nyla Spooner. 

Youtube is a powerful tool that we IDOLs often take for granted. It can provide free training, online video-hosting, and a platform to share your own video content. You can establish an online presence and possibly make money there. With strategic planning and consistent video postings that are of quality and for a specific audience, YouTube can help us IDOLs to excel in our professional endeavors and in our pockets.

By: Fe’Dricka Moore

Fe’Dricka is a former secondary science teacher who has successfully transitioned into an instructional designer. She enrolled in the IDOL Academy in June 2020 and landed her first IDOL job five months later. She is passionate about sharing her transitional story with other teachers seeking a career change. To connect with her, visit her LinkedIn page or her online portfolio.