Overseas video marketing promotion: YouTube influencer marketing guide!

YouTube is quickly becoming one of the most popular influencer marketing channels. As internet speeds have increased, video has become an integral part of most people's online experience. Although buyers can now find videos on most social networks, and Instagram even created a video platform to compete with YouTube - IGTV, in fact, YouTube is still a popular choice for people to watch videos.

A lot of the time, watching YouTube videos is a passive online experience. For example, according to Google, 73% of YouTube gamers say they use YouTube because they enjoy watching other people play games. 56% said YouTube is where they connect with the gaming community. It is also important to remember that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and the second most visited website.

Below is a guide on YouTube influencer marketing methods.

The YouTube influencer marketing guide includes 4 aspects:

1. Why use YouTube influencer marketing?

2. How does YouTube influencer marketing work?

3. Types of YouTube influencer marketing campaigns.

4. The secrets of successful YouTube influencer marketing.

1. Why use YouTube influencer marketing?

The essence of influencer marketing is that social media stars develop and become experts in their topic or niche. As time went on, more and more people noticed and followed them. They become influencers when they earn a reputation for their authenticity and expertise. In the process, their opinions on a particular subject are heard and respected. These people then begin to influence the opinions of their followers in a particular area of ​​expertise. Of course, fans also hope that these influencers can provide relevant information about the products.

As influencers grow in importance, so too does the use of online video. In the early days of the internet, most people didn’t have devices and internet connections powerful enough to watch videos. This has changed rapidly in recent years.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense for marketers to engage in YouTube influencer marketing.

While you can upload videos to most other social networks, they tend to be short clips that don't take full advantage of the video's value. YouTube can unlock the value of video more broadly and deeply. Arguably, YouTube videos are a great way to showcase your product without having to show it in person or using augmented reality (AR).

You can view beautiful pictures of the products on Instagram and read detailed product information on the blog. You can also see the product in action on Facebook and hear the product in action via podcasts. But only on YouTube videos can you get so deeply involved in a product demo and see it in everyday use.

2. How does YouTube influencer marketing work?

YouTube is an ideal platform for influencer marketing. It has many popular channels and is more mature than most social media sites. YouTube also has a formal ad setup, which means marketers can create campaigns in a variety of ways.

You’ll find people of all ages watching YouTube, but it holds a special place in the hearts of millennials and Gen Z youth. In fact, many young people watch YouTube channels for longer than they watch traditional TV channels.

YouTube is very different from other social media channels. On most social media networks, people follow posts from friends, family, and anyone else who interests them. But YouTube is more like a giant TV. You subscribe to a list of channels and primarily watch videos on the channels of your choice. You can also search for videos in other ways and expand your collection of videos to view.

You can compare the ads you see on YouTube videos to the paid ads you see on traditional television. Brands need to pay to have their ads displayed on specific YouTube channels.

3. Types of YouTube influencer marketing campaigns

While influencer marketing is less formal than many other types of marketing, it is still an option for marketers. Therefore, experienced marketers create different types of campaigns depending on the client’s goals. As with most marketing efforts, the type of campaign you run will have a big impact on the quality of your campaign.

Below are some typical types of YouTube marketing campaigns.

(1) Promotional activities

The purpose of a promotional campaign is to introduce a new product to the market or to a target audience. The product may not be completely new, but it is being marketed to a specific audience for the first time.

You can pay influencers to create engaging videos and incorporate your product in them in some way. Also remember that video reviews are a great place to introduce your product. If you make food, you can pay influencers to cook food using your products as ingredients.

Game companies often pay players to try out their new games. Of course, this works even better on a platform like Twitch, where users can live stream their games while they play, and they can also upload highlights to their YouTube channels. Some people also live stream their games on YouTube.

(2) Maintenance activities

Brands require frequent and regular maintenance activities. These maintenance activities are mainly to make people remember a product. Many established brands conduct maintenance campaigns because this can both maintain brand awareness and generate new sales.

Brand maintenance is a common type of influencer activity. You can use the same videos for maintenance campaigns as you would for brand campaigns, but instead of overemphasizing the “newness” of your product, focus more on how it solves common problems for your channel’s audience.

Educational videos about products often fall into this category. You can work with influencers to create how-to videos that showcase new uses for your product or show people how they can get the most out of their purchase. But remember to focus your video on showing the benefits your product can bring to your audience, rather than the features of the product itself. Because video viewers may not be interested in your product itself, especially if it has been on the market for many years, they are more interested in how the product can help them and improve their lives.

(3) Tag activities

Hashtag campaigns are a hallmark of the social media age. While tags on YouTube may not be as useful as on Instagram or Twitter, they are still used as a way to find and differentiate videos on a specific topic. Ideally, you’ll want to create custom hashtags for your campaign.

(4) Competitions

Contests on YouTube are no different than contests on other social channels. People love contests, and they’re usually very interested in contests hosted by their favorite channels, especially when the prizes are highly relevant to the channel’s niche.

(5) Brand promotion activities

Sponsored Brands campaigns feature videos about a specific brand or product. You need to be careful that these campaigns don’t come off as too commercial, or else cynical viewers will quickly tune out of the channel and question its authenticity. Keep in mind that most people don’t like watching commercials, and there’s a fine line between influencer-produced branded videos and paid ads. Use with caution.

4. Secrets to Successful YouTube Influencer Marketing

（1）Set clear goals for your campaign

At its core, YouTube influencer marketing is no different than any other marketing. The type of campaign, influencer, and KPIs you choose will all be completely influenced by the goals you set.

Both influencers and brands need to clearly know their marketing goals. These goals will influence every video produced during the collaboration.

Your goals will strongly influence the influencers you choose, so you need to choose influencers who can help you achieve your goals rather than those with a large number of followers.

（2）Identify the YouTube influencers that are right for your campaign

The secret to successful influencer marketing is choosing the right influencer for your product. This is very similar to TV commercials. For example, don't advertise a fashion show on ESPN or promote KFC on the cooking competition show Master Chef.

You need to take the same approach with YouTube influencer marketing. Think about which YouTube channels your target audience might spend their time on. The influencers on these channels are the ones you should prioritize.

Your budget will also affect your choice of influencer. Therefore, you need to find a YouTuber who can make videos for your target customers within a limited budget.

It’s also important to choose influencers who share a similar culture to your brand. For example, Disney is unlikely to choose any influencers who are not family-friendly. Don’t just go after popular, well-known influencers, as they may not align with your brand values.

You can also use influencer marketing platforms or agencies to help you find suitable influencers.

Finally, you need to ask yourself, are these influencers’ fans your potential customers? If not, then what is your purpose in working with them?

(3) Pay the influencers you work with

Like any other marketing campaign, you should have a budget for influencer marketing. If you’re a small business with a tight marketing budget, you may want to focus on influencers with smaller influence.

In fact, more businesses use micro-influencers for marketing than celebrities or super-influencers.

Many influencer marketing platforms, such as SocialBook, will tell you how much you should pay different influencers.

(4) Interact with fans of influencers

Don’t just pay influencers and sit back and watch. You also need to convert those people who watch your influencer marketing videos into your customers.

You need to discuss your product with your audience. You can join the discussion in the comments below your video. Share the video on your own social channels. Then be prepared to answer any question, no matter how awkward.

(5) Don’t micromanage the influencers you work with

Don’t forget that influencers are the experts on their channel. Viewers subscribe to the influencer’s channel, not yours.

You need to give influencers autonomy and let them run their channels as they see fit. You can work with them on any campaign, but you’ll need to leave creative control to the influencer. If you don’t like their videos, then you should choose another type of influencer.

Author: Hugo.com APP

Source: Hugo.com APP