INTRODUCTION
Online videos have been huge and it is obvious that they are here to stay. They present an opportunity for those with an entrepreneurial spirit. Even though markets have rapidly grown to accept video as the primary way to present and consume information, growth is still accelerating. The best years of online video is still in the future. This article discusses what others have done to capitalize on the trend and what you can potentially do if you would like to follow in their footsteps.
WHAT IS IT?
If you ask someone what the biggest search engine in the world is, they will most likely say Google. But if you ask someone what the second biggest online search engine is, they may not be able to tell you. The second largest online search engine is YouTube. In recent years, there has been a shift in online content towards video. Google saw this trend coming and acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. According to a report in Digital Organics, statistics now show that half of all web traffic after 5 p.m. is video traffic, whether on platforms like Netflix and Vine or YouTube. YouTube marketing is not a new thing; large companies and individuals realized the power of online videos and the existing database of potential consumers on the platform a while ago, so there are already many forward-thinking people and companies capitalizing on it.
WHO IS DOING IT?
YouTube marketing comes in many forms, from the paid ads you see while browsing the platform to the videos you may have watched of an aspiring musician singing covers in their basement (that’s actually how Justin Bieber was first discovered). Some examples of companies that have used YouTube in innovative ways to market themselves can be found here on The Content Factory. NBC partnered with YouTube to market their show America’s Got Talent by allowing users to upload audition tapes to the platform. The two-hour show that resulted from this earned first-place ratings.
Before the 2008 election, artists Will.I.Am and John Legend made a YouTube video called “Yes We Can” to promote Barack Obama. Did it help him with the election? No one can say for sure, but it definitely found the ears of millions of young adults.
Beauty brand Dove managed to cash in by outing the beauty industry they are a part of by releasing a video called “Evolution of Beauty.” The video consisted of a time-lapse showing the many stages of alteration a model goes through before ending up in glossy magazines. Women all over the world watched it, and one can assume that quite a few of them bought Dove products afterwards. That video reinforced Dove as a brand that cares for natural, everyday women.
WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT?
Here are the top reasons YouTube is effective as a marketing platform:
1. YouTube Has Over One Billion Users
Most people spend a significant amount of time on YouTube, watching movie trailers, product reviews, online tutorials and funny videos of cats. If there is a video, YouTube has it. That’s why over one billion people are on the platform, watching millions of hours of videos every single day.
2. YouTube Is Accessible
YouTube has local versions in over 70 countries, making it extremely accessible for people all over the world. The platform destroys language barriers by being available in 76 different languages. Speak only Azerbaijani? No problem. You can still navigate through YouTube at ease, in your own language.
3. YouTube Is Engaging
Reading YouTube comments is a good way to pass time. The comments are hilarious, poignant and even mean at times (looking at you, online trolls). The fact is that the people on YouTube take the time to comment, like and dislike videos, making their opinion known. There has been a 60 percent increase in the number of hours of YouTube people watch.
4. YouTube Is The Second Largest Online Search Engine
This was mentioned before, but it can’t be stressed enough. After Google, YouTube is where people go to search for things online. This is huge and should be tapped into.
WHAT KIND OF PROFIT ARE SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAKING?
Alex Ikonn and his wife Mimi own an online store called Luxury Hair that sells hair extensions. They were inspired after being unable to find good hair extensions for their wedding. Their business is driven entirely by the hair extension tutorial videos that they put up on their YouTube channel that now has 1,474,246 subscribers and 173,657,125 video views. The duo started their business in 2010; their annual profit now is in seven figures. Read an interview about their YouTube marketing success here on Shopify.
YouTube stars are a new breed of superstars, solely because of the videos they make and share on the platform. They are great examples of how people can use an existing audience to garner fame and fortune. People like Flula Borg (who made the video “Jennifer is a Party Pooper” and went on to star in Pitch Perfect 2), Rosanna Pansino (who hosts a baking show called Nerdy Nummies), and comedian Lilly Singh, or “Superwoman,” are all prime examples of YouTube marketing successes. Many top earning YouTube stars are millionaires because they cash in every time people view their videos and the ads attached to them.
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?
YouTube is dynamic and ever-changing. You need to learn from resources that are up-to-date with YouTube trends and can teach you exactly how to make YouTube work in a way that is relevant to you and the trends. A marketing guide like the one sold by Simply Sales is a good place to start. This type of guide written by a YouTube marketing expert will save you the time and money required to figure YouTube out for yourself. The guide is targeted at bloggers, entrepreneurs, affiliate marketers and anyone who is looking to market something using YouTube. In brief, this is what the guide aims to teach you:
- How to get started, even if you don’t know the first thing about making videos and have never even been on YouTube.
- How to get followers and generate views.
- How viral videos have worked for other people.
- How to integrate YouTube into your existing online marketing strategy.
- How to create video content, even without a camera or high tech equipment.
- How to use YouTube to your advantage without having to create video content
More information about the guide is up for grabs on the Simple Sales website for $9.95, which is a limited period offer.
