My problem with targeting an audience

[Glenn Owen]

Hi guys,

Thought I would make my first discussion one that has really got me thinking, and in truth a little disheartened recently as I start my YouTube adventures. I hope this is the right section in the forum to discuss it, if not please let me know and I'll get it moved.

Here's my problem, and I'm wondering if anyone else has this problem?

Everything I have read, everything I have watched and seen about promoting and setting up a good channel states very earlier on that you need to find your niche, be specific and make your content consistent. Find what you love and do that, and then target your audience appropriately. I'm sure you know what I mean.

Here's my problem: I don't have ONE thing I want to do.

In real life, I really am and actor and singer and (at least I like to think) comedian and computer geek. I feel that my greatest strength is not that I can do any one of those things to a world class level, but that I can do all of them well. (im kind of a throw back to the old fashioned variety days if you get my drift lol) Hence my problem.... The content that I upload I would like to be varied. for example one day I might do a cover song, and the next week a short comedy video, and the next week a radio show parody, and the next week review a new piece of software. I'm sure you get the idea.

Problem is that from what I am reading (and I guess it makes sense) I'm not actually appealing to a specific audience. I'm basically just saying "Hey look at me, the jack of all trades. Subscribe and im sure you'll find something you like". That makes it difficult to engage in any one community to gain a following.

So any advice you could give would be very welcome, especially from anyone out there who has a channel that's not just about "one" thing if you get my drift? Should be setting up different channels for each specific "type" of video I like to make? How about if I had say 3-4 various playlists each with a theme and set an upload schedule for each of them (even if once a month). Or is it really a case that I'm just going to have to find the "one thing" I want to make my channel about and stick to it (which would be a great shame, because like I said I truly believe that my biggest strength is the variety of content I can deliver)

Thanks in advance for anyone who is able to help.

 

[Shamik (iWanDatCake)]

Well in my opinion you could make playlists for different things you do.
Or set your schedule, for example on Mondays you can do skits, Tuesdays you do covers etc.
That way people who follow your content know what to expect on what days if that makes any sense?
I think its close to impossible to have a channel that's purely about one thing, even gaming channels switch between games.
Contrary to popular belief people do actually like variety. Give them too much of the same thing and they'll hate it.

 

[Jack Decker]

So any advice you could give would be very welcome

This is a common problem in the business world: specialize or diversify. As a marketing consultant, I have been asked this countless times over the last three decades by all types of businesses and professionals.

The most common answer is that you're not really good at anything and using variety to cover that up. "If you don't like that, what about this? Or this? Or this? Or this?"

Or your ego can be the problem. "I'm a Renaissance man, damn it! Bow before my brilliance!"

Or you simply haven't taken an honest evaluation of your talents. "Jack of All Trades" means "Master of None." But then why should people bother with you when there are people out there who are masters of a trade or at least working to master a trade?

Or you're just a scatterbrain. Like a super-caffeinated ADHD child. You cannot hold still for a second. Cannot maintain focus on anything for any reasonable amount of time.

In the business world, a company that once specialized and then starts to diversify is almost always one that has lost its focus. For example, take Yahoo. It once ruled Internet search but then it lost its focus and began to diversify into everything and anything. Its homepage was horribly cluttered with all of its many projects. Then along came Google with the anti-Yahoo homepage. Simplicity itself. But then even Google started to lose it focus and started cluttering up its homepage (the ever-growing top bar), but, unlike Yahoo, it has recently snapped out of the diversification downward spiral and re-simplified its homepage once again. Now only if you routinely use another Google feature does it start to appear on your Google homepage.

As a general rule, you should specialize. Focus on one thing and master it. Become widely known as the master of it. The more time you focus on it, the more you'll perfect your art. "But I'm more than that!" is a common retort. True, but so is everyone else. We are all more than just one thing, but that doesn't mean we should put on display all those other things or that anyone wants to view all those other things. How confident would you feel about your medical doctor if you learned he's only a part-time medical doctor and also a part-time auto mechanic, part-time florist, and a part-time ditch digger?

Variety shows are no longer on TV for a reason. When there was only three TV channels, variety shows ruled as they gave people variety since there wasn't variety with only three channels. There's now HUNDREDS of cable channels to choose from. The closest thing we have today to a variety show is the late night talk shows, and they are on the wane. The reason is because there are cable channels that specialize in just one topic, such as the Cooking Channel ... which was spun off of the already-specialized Food Network. And that's just TV. YouTube doesn't have hundreds of shows but THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of shows.

The question then becomes: Out of the THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of YouTube shows, why should I subscribe to yours?

Sorry, but the answer to that isn't: "I give the best variety of them all!"

From the very few videos you have on your YouTube channel, it SEEMS to me that you are primarily trying to be a comic. I'd suggest just being a comic. In fact, being a comic gives you a LOT of altitude on what you can do. There's nothing stopping you from playing a comical song on the piano, giving us witty banter during a Let's Play, or doing comedy skits. Those are expressions of your sense of humor. The only one that won't fit into that would be your coding of software ... unless it was coding a funny computer program.

However, if you just MUST be a Renaissance man or it would be a crime against humanity to deprive us of your wide-ranging gifts, then put into all caps the different types of videos you do in the video titles. If it is you playing the piano, put in "MUSIC:" or "PIANO:". If it is a joke, put in "JOKE:" or "HUMOR:". You get the idea. Then set up a schedule where you do these different things on different days of the week and then STICK to that schedule. I don't recommend it, but if one focus is too much of a straightjacket for you to endure and too much of a loss for the rest of us, that's what I would recommend.

Either way, you need to make a "welcome" video for your YouTube homepage that tells people what to expect from you. If you're going to do multiple things on a set schedule, say this in your "welcome" video and at the end of every single one of your videos.

 

[Goodness Akindemowo]

My advice would be (though you might not find it important) is to set up a schedule for which you would upload videos targeting a certain audience
next i suggest building up multiple social networking sites i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc. focusing on one of your many niches. I suggest you create a pinterest because you can make multiple "boards" on different topics. A tumblr blog is also a good idea because people on tumblr are VERY dedicated to their niche so multiple blogs could potentially mean hundreds of dedicated subscribers to your channel. You could then use those networking sites as backlinks to your playlists in which all of your targeted videos would be in and bam you have targeted subscribers waiting for the next time you upload that type of content.
who knows some people might like all your stuff.

 

[Glenn Owen]

This is a common problem in the business world: specialize or diversify. As a marketing consultant, I have been asked this countless times over the last three decades by all types of businesses and professionals.

The most common answer is that you're not really good anything and using variety to cover that up. "If you don't like that, what about this? Or this? Or this? Or this?"

Or your ego can be the problem. "I'm a Renaissance man, damn it! Bow before my brilliance!"

Or you simply haven't taken an honest evaluation of your talents. "Jack of All Trades" means "Master of None." But then why should people bother with you when there are people out there who are masters of a trade or at least working to master a trade?

Or you're just a scatterbrain. Like a super-caffeinated ADHD child. You cannot hold still for a second. Cannot maintain focus on anything for any reasonable amount of time.

In the business world, a company that once specialized and then starts to diversify is almost always one that has lost its focus. For example, take Yahoo. It once ruled Internet search but then it lost its focus and began to diversify into everything and anything. Its homepage was horribly cluttered with all of its many projects. Then along came Google with the anti-Yahoo homepage. Simplicity itself. But then even Google started to lose it focus and started cluttering up its homepage (the ever-growing top bar), but, unlike Yahoo, it has recently snapped out of the diversification downward spiral and re-simplified its homepage once again. Now only if you routinely use another Google feature does it start to appear on your Google homepage.

As a general rule, you should specialize. Focus on one thing and master it. Become widely known as the master of it. The more time you focus on it, the more you'll perfect your art. "But I'm more than that!" is a common retort. True, but so is everyone else. We are all more than just one thing, but that doesn't mean we should put on display all those other things or that anyone wants to view all those other things. How confident would you feel about your medical doctor if you learned he's only a part-time medical doctor and also a part-time auto mechanic, part-time florist, and a part-time ditch digger?

Variety shows are no longer on TV for a reason. When there was only three TV channels, variety shows ruled as they gave people variety since there wasn't variety with only three channels. There's now HUNDREDS of cable channels to choose from. The closest thing we have today to a variety show is the late night talk shows, and they are on the wane. The reason is because there are cable channels that specialize in just one topic, such as the Cooking Channel ... which was spun off of the already-specialized Food Network. And that's just TV. YouTube doesn't have hundreds of shows but THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of shows.

The question then becomes: Out of the THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of YouTube shows, why should I subscribe to yours?

Sorry, but the answer to that isn't: "I give the best variety of them all!"

From the very few videos you have on your YouTube channel, it SEEMS to me that you are primarily trying to be a comic. I'd suggest just being a comic. In fact, being a comic gives you a LOT of altitude on what you can do. There's nothing stopping you from playing a comical song on the piano, giving us witty banter during a Let's Play, or doing comedy skits. Those are expressions of your sense of humor. The only one that won't fit into that would be your coding of software ... unless it was coding a funny computer program.

However, if you just MUST be a Renaissance man or it would be a crime against humanity to deprive us of your wide-ranging gifts, then put into all caps the different types of videos you do in the video titles. If it is you playing the piano, put in "MUSIC:" or "PIANO:". If it is a joke, put in "JOKE:" or "HUMOR:". You get the idea. Then set up a schedule where you do these different things on different days of the week and then STICK to that schedule. I don't recommend it, but if one focus is too much of a straightjacket for you to endure and too much of a loss for the rest of us, that's what I would recommend.

Either way, you need to make a "welcome" video for your YouTube homepage that tells people what to expect from you. If you're going to do multiple things on a set schedule, say this in your "welcome" video and at the end of every single one of your videos.

Thank you Sir, that is extremely well thought out and indeed valuable advise. Seems I have some thinking to do....

But once again, I really appreciate your expertise in this matter, and I have no doubt you are correctly with everything you say.[DOUBLEPOST=1395571451,1395571374][/DOUBLEPOST]

My advice would be (though you might not find it important) is to set up a schedule for which you would upload videos targeting a certain audience
next i suggest building up multiple social networking sites i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr etc. focusing on one of your many niches. I suggest you create a pinterest because you can make multiple "boards" on different topics. A tumblr blog is also a good idea because people on tumblr are VERY dedicated to their niche so multiple blogs could potentially mean hundreds of dedicated subscribers to your channel. You could then use those networking sites as backlinks to your playlists in which all of your targeted videos would be in and bam you have targeted subscribers waiting for the next time you upload that type of content.
who knows some people might like all your stuff.

And likewise, thank you for your advise. Yes a blog was the next thing on my to-do list.

 

[Glenn Owen]

This is a common problem in the business world: specialize or diversify. As a marketing consultant, I have been asked this countless times over the last three decades by all types of businesses and professionals.

The most common answer is that you're not really good anything and using variety to cover that up. "If you don't like that, what about this? Or this? Or this? Or this?"

Or your ego can be the problem. "I'm a Renaissance man, damn it! Bow before my brilliance!"

Or you simply haven't taken an honest evaluation of your talents. "Jack of All Trades" means "Master of None." But then why should people bother with you when there are people out there who are masters of a trade or at least working to master a trade?

Or you're just a scatterbrain. Like a super-caffeinated ADHD child. You cannot hold still for a second. Cannot maintain focus on anything for any reasonable amount of time.

In the business world, a company that once specialized and then starts to diversify is almost always one that has lost its focus. For example, take Yahoo. It once ruled Internet search but then it lost its focus and began to diversify into everything and anything. Its homepage was horribly cluttered with all of its many projects. Then along came Google with the anti-Yahoo homepage. Simplicity itself. But then even Google started to lose it focus and started cluttering up its homepage (the ever-growing top bar), but, unlike Yahoo, it has recently snapped out of the diversification downward spiral and re-simplified its homepage once again. Now only if you routinely use another Google feature does it start to appear on your Google homepage.

As a general rule, you should specialize. Focus on one thing and master it. Become widely known as the master of it. The more time you focus on it, the more you'll perfect your art. "But I'm more than that!" is a common retort. True, but so is everyone else. We are all more than just one thing, but that doesn't mean we should put on display all those other things or that anyone wants to view all those other things. How confident would you feel about your medical doctor if you learned he's only a part-time medical doctor and also a part-time auto mechanic, part-time florist, and a part-time ditch digger?

Variety shows are no longer on TV for a reason. When there was only three TV channels, variety shows ruled as they gave people variety since there wasn't variety with only three channels. There's now HUNDREDS of cable channels to choose from. The closest thing we have today to a variety show is the late night talk shows, and they are on the wane. The reason is because there are cable channels that specialize in just one topic, such as the Cooking Channel ... which was spun off of the already-specialized Food Network. And that's just TV. YouTube doesn't have hundreds of shows but THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of shows.

The question then becomes: Out of the THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of YouTube shows, why should I subscribe to yours?

Sorry, but the answer to that isn't: "I give the best variety of them all!"

From the very few videos you have on your YouTube channel, it SEEMS to me that you are primarily trying to be a comic. I'd suggest just being a comic. In fact, being a comic gives you a LOT of altitude on what you can do. There's nothing stopping you from playing a comical song on the piano, giving us witty banter during a Let's Play, or doing comedy skits. Those are expressions of your sense of humor. The only one that won't fit into that would be your coding of software ... unless it was coding a funny computer program.

However, if you just MUST be a Renaissance man or it would be a crime against humanity to deprive us of your wide-ranging gifts, then put into all caps the different types of videos you do in the video titles. If it is you playing the piano, put in "MUSIC:" or "PIANO:". If it is a joke, put in "JOKE:" or "HUMOR:". You get the idea. Then set up a schedule where you do these different things on different days of the week and then STICK to that schedule. I don't recommend it, but if one focus is too much of a straightjacket for you to endure and too much of a loss for the rest of us, that's what I would recommend.

Either way, you need to make a "welcome" video for your YouTube homepage that tells people what to expect from you. If you're going to do multiple things on a set schedule, say this in your "welcome" video and at the end of every single one of your videos.

I thought long and hard about your advise, and needless to I think you are right.

When I sit down and have a good long hard look at myself, it's humor and comedy that I always come back to, and certainly spin most things I do back to that area, even when I'm doing other projects. So I'm going to take your advise and focus on comedy. As you say there is a great deal that can be spun off from that,

My plan now is to focus on comedy, mainly dry witted humor and base a video each week around that. I'll be doing different things each week (some comedy songs, a spoof radio show, spoof adds, short sketches) and IF i really want to do anything that's not in theme with my channel, well I was thinking I could just set up an 'alternative' playlist for projects that fall outside of what my core subscriber base is expecting.

And at last, I will have a target audience which up until now has been a nightmare. I sit down and try to promote myself, and I trying to reach too wide. That gets me nowhere.

Any advise on this new plan would be greatly appreciated. Either way thank you for your help so far, it's probably saved me a lot of pain in the long run, so I thank you for your expertise in this area.

 

[Jack Decker]

IF i really want to do anything that's not in theme with my channel, well I was thinking I could just set up an 'alternative' playlist for projects that fall outside of what my core subscriber base is expecting.

Don't use playlists on your comedy channel for your non-comedy videos. Instead, I would recommend you set up a separate YouTube channel for your non-comedy videos and have the channel's name clearly indicate that it is not about comedy. Do a YouTube search on "How To Manage Multiple YouTube Channels and Google+ Pages Video Creators". The last two words are the name of the YouTube channel.

Any advise on this new plan would be greatly appreciated.

For what's its worth, here are additional things you might want to consider.

1) Change the name of your channel. "Glenn Owen" doesn't inform the viewer that it is a comedy channel. And give the renaming a lot of thought. It should be funny, unique, and catchy. It should tell viewers what your channel is about, ESPECIALLY that its humor is dry wit. Dry wit isn't everyone's cup of tea. And you do NOT need your name to be part of it. As for how to change your channel's name, do a YouTube search on "How To Rename YouTube Channel ILTMedia". The last word is the YouTube channel that video is on.

2) Your background is your co-host. Make it pull its own weight. You seem comfortable doing location shots and that's great. Many YouTubers are too shy to perform in public. Now what you need to do is find the most appropriate background for EACH joke you're going to tell. For example, your "Short Joke: Invisible Patient" should have been shot in a doctor's examination room or at least in front of a hospital. In fact, that video has only 41 views so reshoot it, take down the old one, and put up the new one. And if at all possible NEVER use the same background twice. If you have another doctor's joke, film it in another doctor's examination room, in front of another hospital, or at least from a different angle of the same hospital.

3) Produce new content on a regular schedule. The more frequent, the better. Just don't put out more than one video a day ... but seriously consider putting out a daily video. But whatever schedule you do pick, STICK TO IT! No excuses. Be an adult and create a backlog of videos and keep them "unlisted" on your YouTube homepage. Don't live paycheck to paycheck. Then when it is their day to shine, you simply change that video's status from "unlisted" to "public". In fact, by creating up a backlog of finished videos, you might later think one of those stored-up videos isn't good enough. If that happens, don't put it out simply because you got it made. Think quality over quantity. But also don't delete it but simply keep it unlisted. Maybe you just need to put in more work on its editing or even reshoot it.

4) Put up posters advertising your YouTube show. Use at least 16-point font so people can easily read them from a distance. Since yours is a comedy show, I'd title the poster "Need a good laugh?". Make them so there are tear-off tabs along their bottom that has three lines of text each. First line repeats your poster's headline (e.g., "Need a good laugh?"), second line is your YouTube show's title, and third line is the URL to your YouTube show's homepage. When putting them up, tear off a tab but not one on either end or in the dead center. Some people don't like being the first to tear off a tab. Yes, that's stupid but some people feel bad about being the first one to tear someone else's work. Don't tear off a tab on either end or they might not notice. Don't tear off a tab in the dead center or they might think that's how it was made. Then post these posters everywhere that is legal in your city. Bus stops, laundromats, the street pole that has the crosswalk button, on the inside of toilet stalls (gives them something to read), any bulletin board that will let you do so, and anywhere else you can think. Mark their locations on a map, figure out the fastest route to hit all of them, and then make it a point to revisit them once a week to replace missing ones, damaged ones, and ones with all their tabs torn off. Keep a good stack of them in your car and/or backpack at all times so when you see a spot that could use one, you put it up right then and there. Don't think you'll remember its location. And do this everywhere you go. If you visit another country, do so there. Become a maniac poster poster.

5) Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate. Do so with YouTube show hosts, fellow comedians, local politicians, local radio DJ, anyone local who has a public profile. They all have viewers/fans/groupies/etc. so get them to tweet their appearance on your show to their followers as that will bring those followers to your show. And be sure to ASK them to send out that tweet! Also, never turn down a collaboration offer from another YouTube show host if at all possible. Don't ever think you're too big to collaborate with another YouTube show hosts. Even if you have a million subscribers and that YouTuber has ten, do it. Those ten are very likely not already subscribing to you. So if you got the spare time, do it. Besides, that ten-subscriber YouTuber might not always only have ten subscribers and could eventually be a LOT bigger than you are. Get to know them when they can really use the boost as they'll then remember you when they do get big and return the favor ... usually many times over. Post collaboration requests here on YTtalk in the forum for that. In that post, tell how far you are willing to travel to collaborate with them. [Just FYI, a good way to make YTtalkers here like you is to "Like" their posts here. You can even click on their avatar and go through their posting history to find more of their posts to "Like." But only like ones that you like. Don't like meaningless or poor posts or they will think you're weird.]

6) Start up a local YouTube creators' support group. Take a page from successful micro-breweries who started out as home brewers. Network and support each other. Put posters around town and the surrounding area (as far out as you think people would drive to join the group) promoting the support group. Do a Facebook and Google searches on "YouTube show" and your city's name. Email them. Get together. Brainstorm. Teach each other how to do video editing, writing up press releases, which webcam is the best one to buy, etc. Do lots and lots and lots of collaboration projects together. As for where to meet, your local library should have a meeting room that you can reserve for free. If they do, be sure to put up poster in that library promoting your support group. Welcome ALL that come to the meetings. Young, old, mothers with crying babies, religious nuts, and, yes, even creepy hasn't-taken-a-shower-for-days gamers.

7) Do NOT depend on YouTube for all of your revenue. Don't EVER do that. YouTube's CPM is horrible. You should look at the money you make from YouTube as decorations on the icing on the cake. Instead look to sell things to your viewers. Being a comedian, think up funny t-shirts. There are a lot of websites where you can create these and have them made as orders come in. For the t-shirts, have the joke on the front and your YouTube channel's name and homepage URL on the back. Focus just on t-shirts and not also baseball caps, bumper stickers, and such since t-shirts are great walking advertisements for your YouTube show. And then only wear your t-shirts on your YouTube show.

8) Work up a stand-up routine, perfect it at comedy clubs, and when it is perfect, release it as a full-length video on your YouTube channel. First, this will get you another revenue stream (what the comedy clubs pay you) and you get double usage out of it by filming it for your YouTube channel. HOWEVER, once you put up that routine on your YouTube channel, those jokes are dead as far as your live performances are then concerned. You then NEVER perform those jokes again at any comedy club since your audience might have already seen them on your YouTube show. What this means is that you need to be constantly working on the next comedy routine as you perfect your current one before audiences. Then when you put that routine on your YouTube channel, you roll out the next routine in the comedy clubs. This will create a never-ending cycle.

9) Get the comedy club owner to have their bouncers hand out quarter-page fliers to their patrons as they leave the club. Make this part of your contract. Needless to say, the flier promotes your YouTube channel. Use colored paper and not white for the fliers. Light orange or yellow is best. Use at least 16-point font so people can read it at arm's length ... since that's how they'll like keep it while looking for the nearest trash can to toss it into.

 

[Glenn Owen]

Thank you once again Jeff, I have no re-branded my channel somewhat in line with your suggestions, so please do take a look when you get a moment. I'm now going to seek me out so partners in crime to do some joint projects with

 

[chottom]

You definitely must keep your channel focused (we had the same problem in the past and it is a Big problem). All software reviews in a separate channel. For the rest it is up to you in 1 or 2 or 3 separate channels.
Good luck.

 

[BoltDesign]

Yes, keep your videos consistent, meaning that they all share the same theme, give your subscribers what they want to see, don't go off on a tangent e.g. your channel is a comedy channel, you go and make a review about the latest mac book, no one is going to want to see that!