YouTube: The perfect platform to build your personal brand
As a makeup fanatic, it is not hard for me to admit that I spend a little too much time watching makeup tutorials and reviews on YouTube. I am subscribed to a long list of beauty gurus and makeup artist, each of them are in different points in their career. Some of the individuals that I am are subscribed to are professional makeup artist and some are just making videos from home. The one thing that they all have in common is their passion for makeup and their hopes of achieving a personal brand where they are recognized as beauty gurus.
YouTube has become one of the most popular platforms for individuals to build and maintain their personal brand. I believe that part of it is due to the fact that they are able to build a whole channel around what it is that they are wanting to share with their audience. Also, it is easy to be more interactive with a YouTube audience. There are many instances where beauty gurus will upload videos of them simply answering their followers’ questions. Adding to their personal brand, many of them make videos that simply explain who they are and why they are in the beauty industry in the first place.
It is especially interesting to see the growth of their personal brand. There are two artist in particular that always come to mind whenever I ponder on this topic. Michelle Phan and Jaclyn Hill are perfect examples of individuals whom have worked at their personal brand through this platform.
Like many other beauty gurus, Michelle Phan has been able to develop a personal brand through her YouTube videos. Her videos have definitely come a long way since she uploaded her first video in 2007 and she has been very successful in making a name for herself. It is very easy for one to automatically think of beauty and makeup when they hear the name Michelle Phan. Due to her success on YouTube, she was able to expand to other platforms. She now has a book, a lifestyle network and is a co-founder of ipsy. With over 8 million subscribers it is safe to say that Michelle Phan has been very successful in building her personal brand.
Another perfect example would be Jaclyn Hill, she has used YouTube as a way to make a brand out of her name. There are many beauty gurus on YouTube that decide to name their channel something completely different than their name but there are also many that decide to stick with their name. Since Jaclyn Hill’s name is recognized by makeup fanatics around the world, makeup companies have collaborated with her. Makeup brands like BECCA Cosmetics, Morphe Brushes and Beauty Geek have absolutely no problem when it comes to collaborating with a well known makeup artist like her. These companies know that her 2 million subscribers on YouTube will go out and buy a product that has Jaclyn Hill’s name plastered all over it.
Due to the success of these two beauty gurus it is safe to say that YouTube has become one of the most useful platforms for individuals to build and maintain their personal brand.