Why I Started a YouTube Channel

John Walker

August 27, 2024

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5 min read

Seeing myself on video is not something I’m completely comfortable with. But nonetheless, I just launched a YouTube channel for my business and it’s filling up with videos of me talking about marketing.

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Let me explain why I’m doing it.

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The first thing to know about me is that I’m not a fan of social media and I actively resist using it. In spite of years spent on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (now X), now I use none of those. I also don’t use TikTok or Snapchat. I do have a LinkedIn account that I only use on my computer (no mobile app). The reason I don’t use these platforms is because I don’t feel good when I use them- they seize my attention, they draw me in addictively, and they sour my mood. And when I’m on the go, they prevent me from seeing everything around me.

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So why YouTube? First, I like watching YouTube videos, both shorts and full length. And I’ve tuned the algorithm to stuff that I really enjoy like videos about fly fishing, stuff on history and “Maps that will change the way you see the world.” To me YouTube is a vast library of interesting information delivered in video form. And not only that, it’s a place where I’ve “met” people who have interesting things to say.

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For example, there’s Scott Galloway- marketing professor and podcaster. Or, Benjamin, the presenter at Loves Data, an authority on how to use data to understand digital marketing campaigns. And there’s Ray Delahanty, the guy behind City Nerd, an absolute authority on cities and transportation. These are people who think about things, know things and share what they know. That’s what authors did and still do, but YouTube is a dynamic new way to do it. And humbly, I think about marketing a lot, I know a few things about and I want to share what I know.

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And let me put on my marketing hat for a minute. Building business relationships is all about trust. Or, to paraphrase Seth Godin, “marketing is about turning strangers into friends and friends into customers.” And the thing that does that is familiarity which turns into trust. You meet someone, you hear what they have to say, and you start to trust them. And then a business relationship might start. YouTube videos are a really good way to make this happen.

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So, in spite of my concern about how I might look or sound (Is that what my voice really sounds like?!), here goes.

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Dare I say, “click subscribe”?

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