Top gaming vloggers like PewDiePie rake in $2.3 million a month, while beauty gurus like Tati Westbrook earn around $89,000 monthly from their respective YouTube channels alone – according to YouTube’s Social Blade. Indeed, for many of these creators, YouTube is their main source of revenue and more than one has quit their ‘full time job’ to dedicate themselves fully to video content creation. Despite not having a background in business or marketing, they have managed to build successful online businesses, many of which are based on the success of their YouTube channel. Since so many vloggers are self-made, they can indeed be a useful source of inspiration for small businesses wishing to make it big in the digital age. What are a few key lessons that can be learned from the world’s most followed channels?

 Content is King for Vloggers and Small Businesses Alike

There are a whopping 23 million YouTube channels, according to software company tubics, indicating the extent to which top vloggers are up against more competitors than the average small business may have to battle on a daily basis. To stay at the top of their game, vloggers therefore have to work hard to create original, truly useful or entertaining content. Small businesses in particular have to work hard on creating cracking content, since doing so will lead to more likes and shares – and therefore potentially increase their client base. Small businesses also have to let customers know that despite having a small team, they are interested in gauging the type of content clients crave. If you have just launched your business or you have a small digital marketing budget, use free or cheap services like Hootsuite, Sendible, or Buffer Analyze to carve out a winning social media strategy.

 Interaction Matters for Businesses Building their Brand

Around 44% of small businesses say they depend on social media to generate brand interest, according to Small Biz Trends. An important of tenet social media is feedback. Top vloggers like Rich Lux (a ‘drama’ channel), Jeffree Star (beauty) and Flamingo (gaming) have one important quality in common: they interact with their audience, in order encourage comments, likes, and shares. Small businesses often have to compete with much larger companies that benefit from client complaint and after-sales departments. These departments have dedicated staff ready to attend to complaints quickly. Given the potentially viral nature of negative comments, client interaction is key for small businesses, since they may not have a solid enough brand presence to buffer the odd complaint. You may not have an entire Complaints department, but when clients complain on social media, answer them and quickly address any issues they may be having with your business. This will show them as well as other followers that you are committed to providing a great all-round experience.

Teamwork Boosts Engagement

Companies with less than 10 employees still make up 75.3% of private-sector employers, and that means that regardless of the industry you are operating in, there are probably a plethora of other small businesses that would be interested in collaboration. David Dobrik a YouTuber with a 13M following, credits teamwork, friendship, and new collaborations as the secrets to his success. When was the last time you attended a networking event, or suggested working alongside another company in your industry? When competitors become collaborators, you can not only reach their audience, but also show confidence in your own abilities.

Because so many of the world’s most followed vloggers do not hail from academic backgrounds, their success is often all the more interesting. Million-dollar creators like David Dobrik, Jeffree Star, and Safiya Nygaard have all shone primarily because of their ability to cue into what audiences demand. By embracing new relationships with competitors, engaging with followers, and creating a cracking product, they have shown that talent and hard work are indeed the pillars of success – regardless of which industry you are working in.

Jennifer Mackay is an experienced freelancer writer and editor who has worked with a range of different publications. Prior to this she had a long career in marketing and still keeps herself up to date with the latest trends. When not working she loves running, tennis and traveling as much as her schedule allows.