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As more brands turn to influencer marketing to gain visibility and reach a target audience, various social media platforms have become a topic of interest for marketing teams. Among the most popular digital marketing platforms for influencers is YouTube, which is currently the second most popular platform for influencer marketing, following Instagram.
YouTube’s video platform is highly successful because of the engaging material that content creators post. YouTube videos are a massive source of entertainment, information, and discovery for users. Because of this, brands looking to appeal to their targeted audiences through influencer marketing can significantly benefit by marketing on YouTube.
While partnering with a YouTube influencer can foster better brand awareness, digital marketing teams must understand how to find YouTube influencers that fit their brand voice. This article will cover what you need to know about influencer marketing campaigns on YouTube and how YouTube marketing can boost your brand.
Why You Should Consider YouTube Influencer Marketing
Though you’re likely aware of how highly engaging YouTube videos can be, you may be questioning how YouTube can benefit you over other social media platforms. It may seem like there are less complicated platforms to market a product or service that your brand is offering.
YouTube influencer marketing may take time to master, particularly when searching for influencers that fit your brand. However, your team should seriously consider this strategy for several reasons. Not only is YouTube the second most popular social media platform for sponsored content—it’s a platform that allows for longer videos. This means influencers will have more time to engage an audience, benefiting you in the long run.
For example, if you want an influencer partner to do a full review of your new product, long-form videos give them a lot more leeway and creative freedom than even TikTok can offer. Instead of showing brief snippets of a product or service, YouTube influencers can go through a detailed process of using the product or service and describing your brand.
Additionally, the lengthier content allowed on YouTube gives influencers a better chance of connecting with their audience on a deeper level. Many popular YouTubers have a loyal and responsive fan base that watches them because they genuinely appreciate their content. This kind of audience-influencer connection can also help your brand stand out if you strategize correctly.
There is an authenticity to YouTube influencer marketing that is difficult for marketing teams to capture on other social media platforms. Because of this, YouTube is often a great way to reach your brand’s marketing goals.
Finding the Right YouTube Influencers for Your Brand
As with any form of social media influencer marketing, the real challenge is searching for an influencer that closely aligns with your brand. Though YouTube is beneficial because it allows for lengthier content, it can often pose a challenge to marketing teams as they navigate through an influencer’s content. Discovering the right influencer for your brand can be a long process, especially if you are new to YouTube marketing.
However, there are some ways to simplify your search. First, use YouTube’s search feature to look for content that’s related to your brand. You can also turn to Google since the popular search engine platform owns YouTube, meaning that a quick search can help you find influencers that post content related to your products and services.
Once you’ve found a YouTube influencer that fits your brand, look deeper into their content. What’s their main “genre?” Are they entertainers, informers, or artistic creators? Many YouTube influencers will also post product reviews or add sponsorships in their videos for brands they are working with, so looking out for this type of content is critical. You’ll also want to determine the general age and demographic interacting with their videos.
Your initial instinct might be to target influencers that regularly get high view counts. As the video platform continues to thrive, many influencers receive over one million views regularly. Though high numbers like this appeal to marketing teams, influencers with smaller audiences and higher engagement may form a closer bond with their audience in a way that more popular creators cannot. For this reason, you should not solely fixate on an average number of viewers when exploring YouTube influencer content.
Types of YouTube Brand Partnerships
Another essential aspect to consider when navigating YouTube marketing campaigns is what type of brand partnership you want with an influencer. Though there are numerous different types of YouTube marketing strategies, some of the most popular include product introduction campaigns, hashtag campaigns, maintenance campaigns, contest and giveaway campaigns, and branding campaigns.
Product Introduction Campaigns
Product introduction campaigns appeal to many marketing teams and can lay a foundation for greater brand awareness and success. With these types of campaigns, influencers will introduce your products to their audience through various means.
In some cases, introduction campaigns are equivalent to product placement within a video. In other cases, brands partner with influencers that will make full-length video reviews about the products and services the brand offers. These kinds of campaigns help gain an audience’s attention and get people excited about your new product or service releases.
Hashtag Campaigns
The majority of social media platforms implement hashtags in some way. Marketing teams have increasingly turned to hashtag searches when looking for influencers to partner with. Though you may not think of hashtags when it comes to YouTube, hashtag searches are still available and effective for brands looking to market their content.
Brands can use hashtags to find the right influencer for their products and services and can also use hashtags within their influencer campaign. It’s the best of both worlds!
Maintenance Campaigns
After introducing a product, brands will partner with influencers to create a maintenance campaign. These campaigns remind audiences of your brand and the products or services you offer. Instead of highlighting your brand in one video, influencers in maintenance campaigns will regularly mention your brand and encourage viewers to seek out your services.
Maintenance campaigns come in many forms, including how-to videos, regularly scheduled sponsorship snippets, and brand ambassador partnerships. With maintenance campaigns, you can ensure that the marketing funnel doesn’t abruptly stop by encouraging your audience to repeatedly engage with your brand.
Contest and Giveaway Campaigns
There are few better ways to get audiences to engage with your brand than by having influencers promote contests and giveaways for your products. Contest and giveaway campaigns are a surefire way to get people interested in what your brand offers, even if your products are not what they would typically seek out. They’re a good way to grab the attention of people that wouldn’t usually be in your target audience.
Contests and giveaways are even more effective if you’re marketing within your brand’s niche. Because people are often hesitant to invest money into a product that may be ineffective, free giveaways are an incredible way to sway audiences toward your brand. YouTube is an excellent platform for influencers to promote this kind of campaign, as the long-form video format gives them enough time to explain everything in-depth.
Branding Campaigns
Branding campaigns tend to be more commercial, with obvious marketing tactics that may often appear inorganic. However, for teams knowledgeable about branding campaigns, this method could be suitable for you.
In a YouTube influencer branding campaign, a creator might make a long-form video about a specific brand and the products or services it offers. It’s important that this content doesn’t come off as a forced advertisement. You may want to stick to more minor instances of branding in influencer videos until your team is confident in your strategy and your influencer partner.
Final Words
YouTube influencer marketing can help brands achieve widespread visibility and reach untapped audiences. While finding the right YouTuber and coming up with a campaign strategy can be challenging, marketing teams do not have to navigate the process alone!
The experts at Markerly can provide brands with the tools, knowledge, and drive to create a YouTube influencer campaign that shows results. Contact the team at Markerly today to find out how we can assist you in your upcoming digital campaigns.
