Ever since it was acquired by Google in 2006, YouTube has become the go-to place for any kind of content in video form. No wonder it is the world?s second-most visited website.
This makes YouTube one of the most preferred advertising and marketing mediums for brands. There are two ways of advertising on this medium- through YouTube ads and Influencers.
Though YouTube ads do get conversions, many brand managers prefer to Hire YouTube Influencers as most people do not take ads seriously.
Who is a YouTube influencer?
A YouTube influencer creates engaging, interesting, and interactive content for a niche audience for free. He posts his videos as a regular user and aims to attract likes, shares, and comments to his videos. For brands, getting their product endorsed by a YouTube influencer can give a better ROI on their marketing investments. This is because an influencer?s followers consider his advice genuine and follow in his footsteps.
How does Influencer marketing on YouTube work?
YouTube influencers generally work in niches. For example, a makeup artist showing how to apply makeup or a gadget guru giving reviews on each newly launched smartphone. As you do not need any qualifications to become a YouTube influencer, there are thousands of people claiming to be influencers online. A brand needs to carefully cherry-pick the ones that match with their brand identity.
Influencers can endorse products in many ways-
Integration-
Many influencers post videos specifically talking about the product. This could be a product review or the ways to use it.
Mentioning-
Sometimes brands just mention the product in the video and do not push viewers to buy it.
Insert-
Some brands get influencers to add a video to their own videos.
Native format-
Here, the influencer seamlessly integrates the advertising message into his content.
Types of YouTube influencer marketing campaigns
Based on the product?s life cycle, brands devise an influencer marketing campaign that aligns with the campaign’s marketing goals. Many times, YouTube influencer marketing campaigns work when the brand carefully coordinates and executes the campaign at the right time for best results. They do it with an-
Introductory campaign-
Here, a campaign is launched to introduce a new product to the audience. As this is a new product, usually brand managers prefer hiring influencers for product reviews and recommendations.
Maintenance campaign (brand awareness) –
Here, brands hire YouTube influencers to increase the brand?s reach. To expand, YouTube is the best way to spread the word in newer markets without physically being there.
Hashtag campaign–
Getting influencers to add a hashtag to the company?s handle is another way to increase brand awareness. When many influencers do so, the chances of increasing the brand?s followers increase, thus meeting the brand?s goals.
Contest campaign–
People love to take part in contests. For many brands, organizing a contest exclusively on YouTube makes sense- it has the potential to reach everyone the brand intends to sell. Many brands let their influencers manage their contests and the winners get a chance to visit somewhere or try something new. Those who register for the contest become the brand?s ready list of potential customers.
7 Tips for successful YouTube influencer marketing
1. Choose your influencer(s) carefully. If they aren?t worth your time, they are eventually going to be a financial burden on you.
2. Set achievable goals for them. Encourage them to give their best with monetary rewards.
3. Plan your budget carefully. Spend only what you need to spend on.
4. Cooperate with micro-influencers who have a better-engaged audience. These are the influencers who?ll help you get the best conversion rates.
5. Measure and analyze your campaign?s success.
6. Engage with your influencer’s followers. They?ll help you get conversions and increase your brand’s visibility and awareness.
7. Avoid micromanaging your influencer campaign; your influencer knows what content would work best for them. Let them make creative decisions.
