In the beginning, YouTube was a playground for amateurs to post home movies, webcam confessionals and videos of cats chasing string. And it was good.
As the platform grew up, a new breed of talent emerged to dominate the landscape. These YouTube "creators" — amateur filmmakers, beauty experts, armchair pundits and a thousand other flavors of self-made star — produced a unique type of content built specifically for YouTube and its audience. And it was awesome.
In 2013, we stand at the beginning of a new epoch; one in which brands are becoming creators themselves and, instead of producing interruptive advertisements, making content people actually want to watch. Videos like Red Bull's chronicle of Felix Baumgartner's space jump or K-Mart's hilarious "Ship My Pants" video generate the same amount of buzz as any piece of "original content." Big-time brands like Benefit Cosmetics, Rovio and Home Depot are investing in YouTube — and making it the primary destination for fans to interact with their brand.
This requires more work than simply setting up a channel and uploading the videos you have lying around. As Pop Chips found out with its now-infamous Ashton Kutcher video, producing content that doesn’t feel authentic or funny can actually create a negative backlash.
Here are six mistakes that brands need to avoid in order to achieve YouTube success.
Legend has it that every time someone in brand marketing says the word "viral," an angel loses its wings.
There’s no doubt that "viral" is a real phenomenon — we've all had a day when 12 people send over a link to the same video — but when it comes to branded content, "going viral" is exceptionally rare (and not the only measure of success).
What's more, there's a lot of value that isn't captured by YouTube's view count. Did your video reach its target audience? Did a handful of influencers — whose followers hang on their every word — tweet it out? Did it make the headlines of the right publications? These qualitative outcomes are more powerful than a video with 2 million untargeted views (which may very well have been purchased).
Fewer than 1% of YouTube videos exceed 1 million views, according to recent data from TubeMogul. Combine this with the fact that the most highly viewed videos usually involve sex, scandal or severe shock value, and you'll realize that making your brand's spot “go viral” on the web takes more than the average marketing team can imagine.
YouTube is the second largest search engine — trailing only its parent company, Google — and, as with any search engine, content can be optimized for it. Learning the simple tools and tricks can help your video rise above the white noise and into results and recommended videos. Here are three quick tips to get you started:
A full list of guidelines can be found in Google's creator’s playbook. Study it. Know it. Live it.
It’s a common misconception among brands new to YouTube that simply creating videos is enough; somehow people will magically find them. Some call it the "post and pray" strategy (and you can imagine how well it works).
The cold truth is that 50% of videos on YouTube have fewer than 1,000 views. Since there's so much content on the site, it's easy to get lost in the mix. To stand out, consider the following:
These two strategies lay the foundation for organic sharing, the Holy Grail of YouTube distribution.
Over the past few years, YouTube has made a concerted effort to move away from the one-hit nature of viewership (users receive links in emails, view a video once and then close out of the site) and toward a true content platform, comprised of channels and subscribers. For example, every time Victoria’s Secret posts a video, it goes directly into the feeds of the 300,000+ people who subscribe to the channel.
While views are important, brands should instead aim for subscribers — repeat viewers who will come back to watch every new video you post. Don't be shy about reminding people to subscribe to your channel, and give them incentives to do so.
While low production value may have worked for David After Dentist, it probably won’t work for your brand. Studies show that high quality can increase the amount of time viewers watch your video. And with an estimated 100 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute, viewers are becoming more and more selective in the content they seek out.
Consider "Uncle Drew," a five-minute video by Pepsi Max featuring hoops star Kyrie Irving. The piece, which has been viewed more than 26 million times, was expertly shot and produced. But it doesn't feel like a typical ad because it puts entertainment first and messaging second.
High production value (as long as it doesn't feel like Advertising with a capital "A") can put you in a different class of content on YouTube and give brands a way to stand out.
How do most people watch YouTube videos? Typically, on a small screen, with seven other open tabs competing for their attention.
But for some reason, this situation isn't always reflected in the type of content that brands create for YouTube. Often, a brand's channel contains nothing more than repurposed TV ads — a practice comparable to a brand tweeting verbatim from a press release.
A few tips: Grab your viewers' attention in the first few seconds so they don't click away, rely on close-ups of faces to counteract screen size and don't produce videos longer than three minutes unless there's a compelling reason to do so.
But the most important rule of thumb is the most difficult for many brands to implement: Be bold. YouTube is a place to push the envelope, and viewers expect to be provoked and challenged. Post something that is unexpected or starts a conversation (as long as it doesn’t involve Ashton Kutcher in makeup).
YouTube is one of the most exciting new places for brands to interact with fans and publish the type of bold, innovative content that couldn’t exist on any other platform. But brands need to look before they leap, and be smart about what they produce and how they release it. Keep the above pitfalls in mind, and you'll be well on your way to creating a sustainable presence and maybe even going vir- nope, not even going to mention it.
As the platform grew up, a new breed of talent emerged to dominate the landscape. These YouTube "creators" — amateur filmmakers, beauty experts, armchair pundits and a thousand other flavors of self-made star — produced a unique type of content built specifically for YouTube and its audience. And it was awesome.
In 2013, we stand at the beginning of a new epoch; one in which brands are becoming creators themselves and, instead of producing interruptive advertisements, making content people actually want to watch. Videos like Red Bull's chronicle of Felix Baumgartner's space jump or K-Mart's hilarious "Ship My Pants" video generate the same amount of buzz as any piece of "original content." Big-time brands like Benefit Cosmetics, Rovio and Home Depot are investing in YouTube — and making it the primary destination for fans to interact with their brand.
This requires more work than simply setting up a channel and uploading the videos you have lying around. As Pop Chips found out with its now-infamous Ashton Kutcher video, producing content that doesn’t feel authentic or funny can actually create a negative backlash.
Here are six mistakes that brands need to avoid in order to achieve YouTube success.
1. Focusing on "Going Viral"
Legend has it that every time someone in brand marketing says the word "viral," an angel loses its wings.
There’s no doubt that "viral" is a real phenomenon — we've all had a day when 12 people send over a link to the same video — but when it comes to branded content, "going viral" is exceptionally rare (and not the only measure of success).
What's more, there's a lot of value that isn't captured by YouTube's view count. Did your video reach its target audience? Did a handful of influencers — whose followers hang on their every word — tweet it out? Did it make the headlines of the right publications? These qualitative outcomes are more powerful than a video with 2 million untargeted views (which may very well have been purchased).
Fewer than 1% of YouTube videos exceed 1 million views, according to recent data from TubeMogul. Combine this with the fact that the most highly viewed videos usually involve sex, scandal or severe shock value, and you'll realize that making your brand's spot “go viral” on the web takes more than the average marketing team can imagine.
2. Not Paying Attention to Detail
YouTube is the second largest search engine — trailing only its parent company, Google — and, as with any search engine, content can be optimized for it. Learning the simple tools and tricks can help your video rise above the white noise and into results and recommended videos. Here are three quick tips to get you started:
- 1. Only 160 characters of your video description will show in search results, so make sure the first few sentences of your video description are the most compelling.
- 2. Never underestimate the importance of eye-catching thumbnails. Think of them as mini-marketing posters for your content on YouTube. You should always create custom poster-frames and upload them along with video titles.
- 3. Titles should include what the popular content site Upworthy calls the "curiosity gap." In other words, they should stoke — but not completely satisfy — a viewer's curiosity.
A full list of guidelines can be found in Google's creator’s playbook. Study it. Know it. Live it.
3. "Post and Pray"
It’s a common misconception among brands new to YouTube that simply creating videos is enough; somehow people will magically find them. Some call it the "post and pray" strategy (and you can imagine how well it works).
The cold truth is that 50% of videos on YouTube have fewer than 1,000 views. Since there's so much content on the site, it's easy to get lost in the mix. To stand out, consider the following:
- Paid Placement: YouTube is built atop Google’s ad platform and offers a variety of ways to increase viewership with paid placement at great value. You can target your content based on age, gender, geography, keywords, search terms and interests. This is not cheating. I repeat: This is not cheating.
- PR and Influencer Outreach: Scoring placement on a popular blog or content site makes a difference. If people see an influencer tweet your video, or read about it on their favorite blog, chances are they'll watch the content and share it themselves. But don't "boil the ocean" with PR outreach. A post of your video on a niche trade blog might make more waves than one that's hidden inside the depths of a tier-one publication, far from surfacing on its home page.
These two strategies lay the foundation for organic sharing, the Holy Grail of YouTube distribution.
4. Ignoring the Fact That YouTube Is a Social Network
Over the past few years, YouTube has made a concerted effort to move away from the one-hit nature of viewership (users receive links in emails, view a video once and then close out of the site) and toward a true content platform, comprised of channels and subscribers. For example, every time Victoria’s Secret posts a video, it goes directly into the feeds of the 300,000+ people who subscribe to the channel.
While views are important, brands should instead aim for subscribers — repeat viewers who will come back to watch every new video you post. Don't be shy about reminding people to subscribe to your channel, and give them incentives to do so.
5. Settling for Low Production Quality
While low production value may have worked for David After Dentist, it probably won’t work for your brand. Studies show that high quality can increase the amount of time viewers watch your video. And with an estimated 100 hours of content uploaded to YouTube every minute, viewers are becoming more and more selective in the content they seek out.
Consider "Uncle Drew," a five-minute video by Pepsi Max featuring hoops star Kyrie Irving. The piece, which has been viewed more than 26 million times, was expertly shot and produced. But it doesn't feel like a typical ad because it puts entertainment first and messaging second.
High production value (as long as it doesn't feel like Advertising with a capital "A") can put you in a different class of content on YouTube and give brands a way to stand out.
6. Forgetting That YouTube Is a Unique Format That Requires Unique Content
How do most people watch YouTube videos? Typically, on a small screen, with seven other open tabs competing for their attention.
But for some reason, this situation isn't always reflected in the type of content that brands create for YouTube. Often, a brand's channel contains nothing more than repurposed TV ads — a practice comparable to a brand tweeting verbatim from a press release.
A few tips: Grab your viewers' attention in the first few seconds so they don't click away, rely on close-ups of faces to counteract screen size and don't produce videos longer than three minutes unless there's a compelling reason to do so.
But the most important rule of thumb is the most difficult for many brands to implement: Be bold. YouTube is a place to push the envelope, and viewers expect to be provoked and challenged. Post something that is unexpected or starts a conversation (as long as it doesn’t involve Ashton Kutcher in makeup).
The Takeaway
YouTube is one of the most exciting new places for brands to interact with fans and publish the type of bold, innovative content that couldn’t exist on any other platform. But brands need to look before they leap, and be smart about what they produce and how they release it. Keep the above pitfalls in mind, and you'll be well on your way to creating a sustainable presence and maybe even going vir- nope, not even going to mention it.
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