On Saturday, 7 March 2020. Jumper Namibia hosted its first workshop centred on the world’s largest video hosting website, YouTube. As a local freelancing platform for creatives based in Namibia, one of Jumper Namibia’s objectives is to promote creatives in the region to produce more content. The aim of this crash-course workshop was to equip Namibian aspiring influencers, brand owners and creatives with basic information that would help them launch and grow their personal brands, as well as impact the region’s overall online footprint.
The purpose of the workshop was to provide creatives who are interested in producing video content with the knowledge required to launch. The workshop started off as a four-hour crash course, delivering fundamental information such as what equipment to invest in, the benefits of organising and planning content, and the best practices to optimise engagement. Ultimately, attendees were informed on the various monetisation opportunities offered through the platform.
One such opportunity is Google’s AdSense advertising program. Currently, Namibia is not on the list of YouTube’s monetised markets, meaning that Namibian creators are consequently being excluded from being able to monetise directly from the website. Stated by Google, “Advertisers can only target their ads to countries where YouTube has launched a monetized site.”
According to Operations and Community Manager, Comfort Ajibola, more consistent creators from the country could serve as a solution. “YouTube can’t activate monetisation in our region because we don’t have enough and consistent content – we are not active enough. It doesn’t help the overall reflection of our region’s activity ratings [on the video hosting platform]. We need more YouTubers who will consistently produce content so that we, too, can be seen and reconised as a viable market.”
However, there is hope yet. While it might be considered a distant goal for local creatives who are aiming to monetise directly from the website, Jumper Namibia Founder and General Manager, Andreas Elifas affirmed that there is no reason not to take advantage of YouTube at this current stage. Elifas stated that while having a monetised account is one way for content creators to get paid on the website, those who do not have access to monetization can earn through corporate sponsorships and collaborations. Social media has quickly claimed a space in the corporate realm, connecting individuals with brands on a personal level more than ever before. YouTube offers its viewers a chance to relate to content creators at a personal level, which, over the years has proven to be an effective way for brands to connect more emotionally with users.
Earning through YouTube is all about visibility. The website keeps track of the creator’s analytics in terms of traffic in the form of subscriptions, views, and screen time. These analytics can essentially be presented to corporations, and collaboration agreements can be negotiated. Ultimately, it’s a win-win situation for both companies and creators: it provides localised, personalised promotional opportunities for the corporations and alternative monetisation prospects for the content producer.
Elifas iterated that there are, indeed, possibilities for many creatives living in the country, stating that plans to help more start-up creators through similar courses are in the making. Ultimately, Jumper Namibia’s aim through their workshops is to expose local freelancers to income-earning prospects that they might be unaware of. “Our objective is to continue to teach people how to create content and employment for themselves. They can use our platform to advance their individual careers, according to their own skills and interests,” Ajibola stated.
In the meantime, Jumper Namibia continues its primary agenda as a platform for creatives in the media industry. “We are inviting people with skills and expertise to join our freelancing community so that we can subcontract them for jobs that we do for corporate companies. This in turn provides freelancers with material that they can add to their portfolio,” Ajibola added. The company engages in projects that contribute towards national development, linking local freelancers working in media with corporate and non-corporate organisations in order to develop and execute business activities to meet marketing objectives.
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