Google Creator Playbook Version 4 - Manual (Page 64)

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Build Your Community
How to build a community from the ground up
• Think of the communities you’re involved in
- maybe it is a book club, a sports team, or your
college alumni group. What qualities of these
communities make you want to be a member? Can
you recreate some of those same qualities in your
YouTube community?
• Give viewers a reason to support your cause.
Why? Well, there are a lot of other things your
viewers could be doing instead of watching your
videos. What value does your channel and the
content you create provide?
• Once someone has visited your channel once, why
should they come back for more?
• Define a creed for your community. Think of this
as your channel’s mission statement.
• Make sure your community has a leader. It can
be a literal host, a group with a consistent voice, or
just a figurative brand / authority.
Online video is social. People are drawn to online
video and web series because they can interact with
the channel in ways that they can’t with television.
The ability for creators to interact with their viewers is
key to the medium. So, speak to your audience, and
listen to what they say. If you actively engage with
your audience through your channel, it will pay off in
the long run. Your fans will become your social
advocates – empower them to grow awareness about
your brand and spread the word.
Importance and impact of communities
• Communities are critical to building an audience
on YouTube. After all, YouTube is a social
platform. Liking, sharing, and commenting are key
social features.
• Think about your YouTube channel’s community as
a social army of promoters: they’ll share your
content with their social networks and help grow
awareness about your channel.
• And, in addition to spreading the word about your
channel, they’ll function as a content barometer
and focus group. They’re not afraid to tell you
what’s working, what’s not, and offer up some ideas
for future content decisions. Ask what they think,
and more importantly, listen to them.
• Remember, communities will happen with or
without you on YouTube. You want to make sure
you’re the one leading the discussion in a fruitful
direction.