5 Reasons to Stop Focusing on Reels and TikTok
Listen, I get it — YouTube isn’t simple. There’s more moving parts to a YouTube video than an antique car. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re here, you’re not too jazzed up at the idea of dancing on TikTok or participating in weird Reel trends — not to mention trying to keep up with said trends.
We have to be on these platforms though, whether we like it or not. If we want to be visible, we have to create content — whether you’re a service provider, course creator, coach, or shop owner. You need to let people know you exist to keep your business lights on and social media is the way to do it!
But that doesn’t mean you have to be everywhere at once.
Some of these platforms can be confusing as heck and like I said, hard to keep up with (looking at your Instagram). They change best practices more than a toddler changes tops.
So is it really a shock if I tell you that YouTube is easier than Instagram and TikTok (and even those ridiculously-expensive Facebook ads you keep thinking you need to be seen)?
If you’re still on the fence about YouTube, wondering if you can fit it into your marketing strategy or packed schedule — don’t go anywhere just yet.
My goal by the end of this post is to show you it’s finally the time you start focusing on YouTube strategy for your business. I’m sharing with you what YouTube has that other social media platforms don’t — the very things that can make you more money from social media, minus the stress.
If you are down for getting your money’s worth out of the time and energy you spend creating content, scroll on, my friend.
It’s easier to reach new people
It’s much easier to reach new people on YouTube than it is on Instagram or TikTok. It all comes down to discoverability, or how people find your content. Unlike the others, YouTube isn’t constantly experimenting with its algorithm. They have one goal and one goal only — to get people to stay on their website longer.
So the more you can get people to watch your videos, the more they’ll recommend them, and the longer people will stick around. It’s a win-win. And you don’t even need to hop on any cringy trends or dance around to make it happen.
YouTube leads the pack in search and recommendations
No one does search and recommendations better than YouTube. NO. ONE.
You don’t need to be reminded that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Or that YouTube videos show up on the world's largest search engine (Google). Simply adding a YouTube video to your blog posts can increase search rankings because Google loves videos.
This is why the content you create on YouTube can live for years. It’s the ultimate evergreen content. This video of mine is from 2019 and still gets views to this day. It keeps bringing me sign-ups for my email list and is one of my highest-grossing videos.
Can an Instagram post from 2019 do that for you?
YouTube content lives longer
Because content on Instagram doesn't usually live past the 48-hour mark (you don’t even want to know about TikTok), you’re slowly burning out from pumping out an insane amount of content to generate enough leads to make you bank.
When you couple that with YouTube being the go-to place for how-to videos, your chances of reaching people when they need it most on other social media platforms are low. People are searching for this type of content on Google and YouTube anyways. Might as well make the most of your opportunities.
You can repurpose your YouTube videos to make content creation a breeze
Stop creating new content for every platform! You’re only wasting your time, and time = money.
YouTube is a powerhouse for repurposing content. And just some of the many ways you can do that are:
Reels
TikToks
Blogs
Newsletters
Carousels
Quote graphics
Pins
Just take segments from your video and repurpose them to fit that platform. That way, you’re getting a well-rounded content plan without having to put in the creative energy to come up with new ideas.
YouTube can blow up your visibility
Forget what you know about keywords. The power of YouTube lies on the home page.
YouTube has been perfecting its algorithm for years so it has learned to find out what each person wants to see and is most likely to watch. Many people watch what’s on their homepage instead of heading over to the search bar because it’s the content they want, from the people they want to watch.
And I don’t have to tell you that the algorithms of Instagram and TikTok aren’t doing that. It feels like the opposite. And while I'm not saying they're bad tools to use, I am saying they should just be a side dish, not your whole meal.
BONUS TIP — Adsense and TubeBuddy!
Wouldn’t it be nice to make money for the content you create? Let me introduce you to Adsense.
With Adsense, you can authorize YouTube to place ads on your videos and you can make money with them directly. All you need to do is have 1,000 subscribers minimum and 4,000 hours of total watch time.
I have clients making anywhere from $1,000 to $7,000 a month from Adsense alone. It’s kind of like passive income. You’re already creating the content, so why not get paid for it?
You can also bring in passive income with affiliates. If you are an affiliate to anything, start talking about it in your videos! YouTube videos have a long lifespan, so people are going to be clicking your affiliate links for months and months to come. I’ve been making affiliate money off of TubeBuddy for years and it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever done for my YouTube channel.
Your first video doesn’t have to be hard. Just get out there and make that business magic happen! Stop making excuses and just do the dang thing already.
You can learn more about Adsense here, or learn more about TubeBuddy here!
