YouTube is an organism that’s unlikely to ever stop evolving. This means something different for every user and viewer. For advertising professionals, the changing face of the platform determines what constitutes impactful outreach.
It’s not always easy to predict how the next incarnation of online streaming video might look. Nonetheless, implementing an effective YouTube video marketing strategy means being able to keep up with the transitions. Here are some basic concepts that could help you stay relevant.
YouTube 360 videos let viewers watch content from any angle, which really puts them in the scene. As a marketer, leveraging this video format might make it easier to effectively share your corporate culture.
For instance, try to post a 360º tour of your data center, production line, or mundane office. This might humanize your company and answer questions about your process.
Some real estate agents and construction firms have even started posting 360º model walkthroughs. It take their traditional service offerings to the logical next level.
The as-yet novel nature of this format also leaves ample room for experimentation. Working with a production company that has adopted it early on could be your chance to do something truly unique.
As of early 2016, the virtual reality remained in its infancy. But things aren’t likely to stay that way for long. Popping your content out into the third dimension is a sure way to reach more people as the price of 3D headsets comes down and the format becomes more standardized online.
Like other new formats, however, there is a risk of creating content that seems gimmicky. In other words, videos shouldn’t feature 3D solely for the sake of using 3D. Ideally, they ought to accentuate some aspect of a product that couldn’t be depicted in normal 2D.
As more people adopt unique video formats, you’ll need to up your game. For instance, don’t just create a boring 3D data visualization that restricts the camera to a static viewpoint.
Instead, work with your animation team to build a YouTube video that viewers can interact with via annotations or other features. Providing more ways to get engaged gives people more reason to get invested and explore your message.
While shooting in full immersive 360º or 3D format may not fit your fiscal or logistic constraints, that doesn’t mean you can afford not to upgrade at all. YouTube HD offers high-definition video in numerous aspect ratios and sizes. Sticking to an outdated default could actually make you look bad by implicit comparison.
When used for marketing, YouTube 4K videos instantly give the products and brands they depict a more contemporary feel.
In some cases, it only makes sense to stick to 4K, such as ads for products like high-resolution TVs or camera hardware. In other instances, content like data visualizations or information-driven event footage don’t absolutely depend on HD, but they still derive benefit merely from the fact that they appear crisper, more professional and ultimately modern.
YouTube’s introduction of an ad-free subscription service, YouTube Premium, may seem geared more towards content creators and media producers. For brands that thrive on engagement, however, offering content that only viewers who pay can access may be the next big smart move. Seeing as more viewers are installing ad blockers anyway, it would behoove you to seek alternate revenue streams.
Naturally, this doesn’t mean you should neglect free content, but YouTubeRed sets a good example of how it might be possible to entice interaction using exclusivity and the lack of ad-monetization as bait. One good way to judge the efficacy of a YouTube video marketing strategy that uses such techniques might be to share unlisted videos with consumers who make purchases, scan QR codes out in the wild or engage in other ways.
Some of the most effective YouTube video production tactics are those that leave room for other creators. For instance, game studios and tech companies are well known for sponsoring gamers who play their titles, use their hardware or even just unbox and give away their headphones. Major brands like Campbell’s sponsor entire series of highly-produced videos that have little in common with their own product line apart from being about food.
The primary reason this works so well for marketers is that influencers have huge, well-established audiences that bring brands to thousands or millions of viewers they wouldn’t typically reach. While some companies simply send a well-known content creator a product and leave the rest up to them, others take even more initiative. For instance, providing an influencer with your own edited ad footage or simultaneously publishing product-rundown videos they can link back to might turn a one-off video into a whole new marketing channel.
Why stop at marketing through influencers or upgrading your content to YouTube HD? Modern marketing is all about making things easier for consumers, so include links that actually facilitate conversions.
No few companies publish YouTube videos in time with sales and include links to the appropriate Amazon listing or other retailer pages so that viewers can immediately make purchases.
Others sweeten the pot by providing links to Instagram and Pinterest photos that take people behind the scenes of fashion shoots or the videos they just watched.
Many of the top YouTubers go as far as creating second channels devoted to such content, and this is a great way for marketers to provide exclusivity and track their most committed audiences.
Continuous Creation aligns perfectly with YouTube marketing strategies by ensuring consistent, high-quality content. With an always-on production model, brands can maintain a regular posting schedule, crucial for audience retention and platform visibility. This approach also enables rapid localization, meeting the needs of diverse audiences while keeping content fresh. By integrating interactive elements and optimizing videos based on performance data, Continuous Creation ensures videos stay relevant, engaging, and aligned with evolving trends.
If you want to learn more about why you should use video in your marketing campaigns, visit our article.
Does your YouTube video marketing strategy leverage these forward-thinking ideas? If not, learn how to get started by visiting our YouTube video solutions.
Get in touch with us today to chat about your next project.
Get in touch with us today to chat about your next project.
