5 Reasons Why Every Brand Should Invest In YouTube Influencer Advertising

YouTube is the second most popular social media platform in the world. With 95% of the global internet population watching it 1, and 90% of those using it to discover new brands and products 2, it’s apparent why companies big and small across all industries are turning to it for marketing. It’s actually one of the best-performing, fastest-growing channels for our clients.

However, not all YouTube advertising strategies are created equal. YouTube influencer advertising, in particular, has proven to be a safe, authentic and effective way to reach the platform’s 1.8 billion monthly users 3, ultimately converting them into brand-loyal consumers. The following are five reasons why every brand should utilize YouTube influencer advertising.

1. YouTube influencers bring an authentic, credible voice to a brand’s ad

Successful YouTube influencers have massive and extremely loyal followings. From comedy skits to gaming tips, beauty tutorials and more, (we see you, Rachel Levin) influencers create original content around these niche topics while simultaneously opening up their personal lives to everyone watching. Their die-hard viewers become subscribers to ensure they never miss a new video, often becoming invested and engrained in the influencer’s everyday life. Basically, viewers feel like they’re best friends with the influencer, even though they’ve never met IRL.  

This relationship is why when a YouTube influencer promotes a product or service, especially one that seamlessly aligns with their personal brand, it resonates so authentically with their viewers. That digital connection translates into trust, which ultimately results in conversion. The power of persuasion YouTube influencers have over their audience is unique, making it an extremely effective marketing tool for brands.

2. YouTube content is great for educating an audience about a new brand or product

While traditional advertising mediums often have time and language restrictions, YouTube is a free-for-all. Translation: the influencers themselves have full control over how long their videos are and what content is covered.

This is a major advantage for new brands that are looking to increase awareness. YouTubers can thoroughly explain how a product or service works in a language their audience will actually understand. Storytelling and sharing personal experiences with the brand are also great ways for the audience to relate to the product, which are challenging to fit into traditional 30-second ad placements.

This approach has driven positive results for brands like Audible in its early days and meal delivery services before they became mainstream. Both of these products were unique ideas that required just a bit of education before the audience felt ready to make a purchase.

Of course, the freedom of the platform does come with some risks. That’s why we analyze every YouTube influencer advertising campaign and follow a regimented approval process before they actually go live. This ensures that the brand is always correctly and best represented.

3. YouTube advertising is perfect for promoting visually interesting products

Unsurprisingly, among the most-watched types of YouTube content are tutorials. Gone are the days of learning how to do something yourself or, heaven forbid, opening an instruction manual—in today’s digital world, consumers turn to YouTube for all of the answers. YouTube influencer advertising in the form of how-tos can be extremely beneficial for brands that have a product or service that is best displayed visually, or have functions that require a more in-depth learning process to use correctly.

Unboxings have also become increasingly popular on YouTube. These give consumers a realistic view of a product—its shape, size and packaging—that often isn’t translated as well through traditional advertising channels. Beyond that, there’s a therapeutic element here too. Watching an unboxing of a new product allows you to put yourself in that person’s shoes and experience the joy of opening the new item right along with them. “It’s almost like watching a kid open a present at Christmas,” says Tom Honeyands of YouTube’s The Tech Chap.4

4. YouTube influencer advertising is a great way to reach millennial consumers

Millennials are currently the largest living generation, accounting for a quarter of the population in the U.S. alone. 5 They also hold more spending power than any other customer demographic, 6 making it pretty clear why brands are so actively targeting them. And if you had to guess where most of those millennials are spending their time online? You got it—YouTube.

Millennials prefer YouTube two-to-one over traditional television 7. 37% of that coveted 18-34 demographic is also binge-watching on the platform, 8 meaning they’re among those die-hard audience members we discussed in point number 1. As if that wasn’t enough, studies have also shown that 83% of millennials find online content useful in making purchasing decisions.9

YouTube advertising is the quickest, most direct way to reach the largest, most powerful customer demographic.

5. YouTube influencer advertising provides high direct attribution for brands

YouTube influencer advertising is great for brands focusing on direct response campaigns. Unlike other social media platforms (yes, Instagram, we mean you), YouTube makes it easy for brands to accurately capture ad conversions. Influencers have the ability to include a direct, trackable URL right in the video’s description.

This is mutually beneficial for both the consumer and the brand. It allows the consumer to easily follow through and make the purchase, with the brand being able to measure the success of each campaign, knowing the exact origin of each individual conversion. Brands can then utilize this information to optimize their campaigns accordingly, placing more spend with the high-converting influencers and utilizing the others for more awareness-based campaigns. YouTube influencer advertising is a great way to generate successful ROI for your brand.

Conclusion

YouTube influencer advertising is an authentic and effective way to reach a large, loyal audience. Whether you’re an existing brand targeting a young, millennial customer or a new brand looking to introduce and educate about your product, YouTube presents an opportunity for brand growth. Partnering with the right YouTube influencer has the ability to not only generate conversions and ROI, but create return customers that will keep coming back for more.

Interested to see how we’ve created some of our most successful YouTube influencer advertising campaigns? Start exploring here!

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Photo by Christian Wiediger, on Unsplash