What is YouTube, what is it for and how does this video network work?

Do you know what YouTube is and what exactly is this video platform for?

Undoubtedly, this social network has become part of our lives in the last decade. In fact, it is considered the most used search engine by all after the giant Google.

This is responsible for most of the viral videos that circulate on the internet and that we all regularly share as friends and family.

But, believe it or not, there are still people who do not know what it is, what it is for, or how YouTube works, so I will focus on this in the explanation of this article.

What is YouTube and what is it for?

YouTube is a website that allows its users to upload videos so that others can consume them at any time and online. Actually, it is a kind of television on demand over the Internet.

But in this network you can not only view professional content, but also from any type of user. Anyone can create an account on it and offer their own videos to the rest of the world.

In addition, for a few years, it has also allowed live broadcasting, so if it happens to you like me at the beginning with « Monetize » and « Position «, that you plan to do an Online event, this could be your way to take it to cape.

And then, what is it for and how does this platform work?

As I have told you, it is basically used to watch videos . This would be a rough explanation.

But the truth is that, delving a little deeper, I could tell you that it is also a creation platform where you can show audiovisual works.

Most people use this page to find content that interests them, such as music, fun and, to a large extent, tutorials of all kinds.

Some studies place this platform as the third most visited website in the world , ahead of other search engines such as Yahoo or Bing.

In fact, its figures even exceed those of Netflix, which has also been growing unstoppably for several years.

It is estimated that it receives more than 1.9 billion visits per month worldwide , with a figure of +/- 5 billion daily video views.

With these figures, we can deduce that, in developed countries, each citizen plays an average of 4 videos a day.

Do you want to know how YouTube was born?

It was born in February 2005 , from the hand of three former employees of the PayPal company:

• Steve Chen
• Chad Hurley
• Jawed Karim

They conceived it as a platform to host audiovisual content (although it has evolved, as you can see, its usefulness has not changed much).

It is said that after a party, they wanted to share with their community what had happened but, having nowhere to do it, they thought of one of the maxims of all entrepreneurs: ” if it doesn’t exist, I’ll create it “,… and they did just that.

A year later, already in 2006, foreseeing the great potential that this page would have, it was acquired by Google for a price of 1.65 billion dollars .

Today, the real value of YouTube is arguably incalculable.

How does YouTube work and what can I do on it?

Actually, as I told you before when I mentioned what YouTube is and what it is for, in addition to watching videos of almost all kinds and colors, it has many other possibilities and features, such as these:

» Create your own channel

Channels can be created to upload own or third-party content (although in the case of third-party content, you must be cautious, especially since the entry into force of articles 11 and 13 ).

These channels can be customized to give them a look that enhances brand image or personal branding.

This functionality is very useful for professional channels, companies or audiovisual creators.

» Be aware of the activity of other professionals

The platform allows you to subscribe to other channels and be notified when the user in question uploads a new video.

In this way, you will be able to get inspired and/or get to know other points of view on your favorite topics.

» Generate interaction with your followers

You can make comments on the videos you have seen, as well as express your opinion by using likes or dislikes.

This will promote the growth of your community, as well as its loyalty, if you conveniently attend to all those who dare to leave you their feedback.

» Organize events and conferences

It allows you to broadcast live videos and then leave them hosted on the platform or not. This function is very useful as a promotional tool, for training or for online events.

As you well know and I already mentioned before, the different editions of Posiciona y Monetiza , my two annual conferences on Digital Marketing and Online Business, are organized through this one.

» Monetize your emissions

In addition to all of the above, you can also earn money through it.

YouTube allows you to have an account in which to insert advertising to obtain recurring income . In fact, there are people who are professionally dedicated to uploading videos to this website for this purpose, in addition to providing informative content.

These are the so-called “Youtubers”, which has now become a profession.

What benefits and opportunities can YouTube bring to your business?

There are numerous factors why I could recommend that you use it if you have a business and want to humanize and work on your Corporate brand, but today I am going to summarize them in these:

1) Higher engagement than other social networks

It is a channel  that generates much more “hook” than digital channels, only compared to Instagram.

And it is that, if something is clear, it is that the visual, at the time we are in, sells a lot. And the success of all audiovisual content is relegating other more textual channels, such as blogs, Twitter, digital press, etc., to a secondary position.

2) Opportunity to get out of the comfort zone

Users who decide to open a channel and have never been in front of a camera before have a great opportunity.

And it is that, the almost obligatory nature of generating content of this type makes them have to make an extra effort to get in front of the cameras (even if it is the one of the smartphone) to speak to their community.

3) Less competition than blogs

Today, creating a blog on WordPress or another Web platform is almost mandatory if you want to dedicate yourself to Digital Marketing and Online Business.

For this reason, as more and more people intend to dedicate themselves to this sector, competition within the world of blogging is increasing.

However, the prejudices aroused by speaking in public on your YouTube channel, coupled with the ” imposter syndrome ” that almost all of us have when we start, means that there are much fewer professionals who have already dared to create content in this format.

Conclusion

On a professional level, many brands have already been putting the youtube seo and marketing technique into practice for some time, in order to take advantage of all the benefits that I have told you about previously.

And it is that, the facility to record content that we have today, just using the camera of our mobile, is incredible. In addition, uploading them later is a great advantage, given how intuitive YouTube is when it comes to doing it.

Certainly, the possibilities offered by YouTube continue to grow day by day. The same happens with its users, who, as I also mentioned before, are increasingly using this channel to obtain extra income, offering original content and with the ability to reach the general public.