YouTube Influencer Marketing: The Art and Science behind It
Influencer marketing is one of the top marketing techniques used today and this has created a tremendous rise in the number of YouTube influencers who project themselves through engaging, quality and realistic content. The number of YouTube views is an important measure of a video’s popularity, success and approval. Whether it’s for sport, beauty, fashion, education or entertainment, influencers are capitalizing on the engagement offered by the YouTube platform. Navigating through this social media minefield is no cakewalk though, so here is how you can successfully maneuver through this powerful tool to give your product or brand the push it needs.
Do the Groundwork
The first step is to identify campaign objectives and calculate the cost per view or cost per conversion. The next step is to provide the framework and brand guidelines for a successful ad campaign.
Define the Budget
The budget should include acquisition costs, sponsorships as well as the number of influencers to be recruited.
Identify the Influencer
Find an influencer who matches your brand perfectly. Outline their cost of service, their expectations and benefits. A successful collaboration between a YouTube influencer and a brand can make or break an ad campaign.
What Sells on YouTube
There are genres of YouTube videos that have a large following because of top influencers. Companies in India are now spending more on these social media influencers to promote their brand or product.
Animals
People love to see videos of cute animals, funny animals, animals doing tricks and animals that are truly talented. Channels such as National Geographic feature David Atten borough who is world famous and has massive number of followers.
Videos
Music videos, dance videos and gaming videos are quite popular on YouTube. Gaming videos like the ones uploaded by Ajay Nagar include walk throughs, game plays and a unique background commentary which are hugely popular among young people in India. Live play sessions have been used by gaming video makers to engage with their target audience.
Tutorials
Availability of so many ‘how to’ videos help their audience to learn the step by step process through visual and auditory inputs. From learning to ride a bicycle to creating a fancy dish, YouTube videos are a great way to create brand awareness and recognition.
Product Reviews
Most people refer to the Internet before purchasing a product. Product reviews, pros and cons and its ease of functionality all help in creating a positive image in the mind of the customer.People find it easier to relate toa review if they can see the product physically being-put touse.
Celebrities
Celebrity gossip is a fix most YouTubers need. Involving celebrities, movie stars, singers, sportsmen and athletes is another strategic way brands can strengthen their business campaign.
Vlogs
Video blogs are a few steps-ahead of a blog. The content is definitely more engaging and real. It’s unscripted, comedic and is usually published daily or weekly.
Shopping Sprees
Also known as haul videos, they focus on watching people shopping for particular products. They come under the umbrella of lifestyle, fashion and beauty. Shopping spree videos are perfect for brands who want to engage in influencer marketing.
Education
Large educational channels like TED share their organizational material which is shared again by smaller sites. On the other hand, educational video channels provides free interesting videos on education related topics that will benefit children and students. The content on these channels are considered “evergreen”.
Pranks
Videos that show jokes or tricks people play on one another is a definite way to make social media stars. While they may be controversial, brands can find pranksters that match well with their company’s values or sentiments to further their product.
Indian brands are now using information collected from digital and social media, in collaboration with influencers to advertise and gain better insight into their customers in order to create compelling content.