Social media plays a pivotal part in most of our lives. It keeps us connected, is a source of news, and this is where e-businesses grow and celebrities are made.

According to Statista.com, which claims to have statistics and studies from over 18,000 sources, social networking is expected to reach 2.95 billion people across the world by the year of 2020. This just goes to show how big social media will become.

It is a huge platform in Bangladesh and if used correctly, businesses thrive thanks to the content of the users. And YouTube is one such place that is commonly used for such ventures.

Lily Singh, better known as ‘Superwoman’, who amassed a major following of 12 million subscribers successfully released her debut book, ‘How to be a Bawse’, in March 23, 2017.

Her career was launched mostly through YouTube. She used the platform to post videos, most of them a parody of her day to day activities which eventually shot her to fame.

YouTubers in Bangladesh such as Bhaibrothers Ltd and SalmonTheBrownFish have also successfully used social media, especially YouTube to gather a following and then invest in lucrative business deals.

They appear in various advertisements on YouTube and have now ventured into television. Some people may or may not enjoy their content but has to admire their success.

These are only a few examples out of hundreds of people who have used social media in an effective way to boost their online business.

Here are a few tips:

Start by making short videos.

Put in the time to make high-quality content. The higher the quality of your content, the higher your view count will be.

Get a good video editing programme and practice, practice, practice.

Give your videos incredible titles and good descriptions—this is one of the easiest ways to get more views. (Clickbait!)

Be patient as it could take 2-3 years worth of work to get the recognition you’re after.

Above all else, be yourself and be original; the audience wants to get to know you as a person so express your unique personality.