7 reasons why YouTube influencers belong in every marketing mix

YouTube has more than 2.5 billion users worldwide. Instagram has 1.6 billion, TikTok +800 million. And yet quite a few companies focus their influencer strategy on the latter two. In this blogpost, Ellen Buyens, influencer expert at All Colors of Communication, gives 7 reasons why YouTube deserves a role in any influencer strategy.

1.    “Evergreen” content

Unlike TikTok and Instagram, a video on YouTube generates traffic for years; the views keep increasing. If an influencer puts the right terms in the title and description, along with relevant tags and hashtags, then the video becomes “evergreen content” that is findable for years to come, creating traffic and awareness.

2.    Good for your search results

Most traffic on YouTube comes from users who primarily search for a particular topic. Not surprisingly, YouTube is the second-largest online search engine. People deliberately look for tutorials, how to’s and in-depth reviews, and of course they also follow their favorite channels. Moreover, Google is owner of YouTube, and therefore YouTube videos also show up in search results on Google. Win-win.

3.    Ideal for extended content

On YouTube, people are used to watching videos of 10, 20 and even 30 minutes. This allows you to create more in-depth videos with the influencers you collaborate with. A perfect complement to TikTok and Instagram, where especially shorter content works. 

4.    Self-interest in premium content

Unlike TikTok and Instagram, YouTube influencers earn money for the ad views on their channels. So it is in their own interest to make sure their followers watch as long as possible, and stay captivated until the end. You will find that – even more than on other channels – they are heavily involved in storytelling, production, content creation and video editing.

5.    Add and measure direct URLs

On YouTube, you can add a URL or promotional code in the description of your video, from which you can track the results. In other words, YouTube is not only good for brand awareness, but also enables you to follow the “direct acquisitions”. Other metrics you can use to evaluate your campaigns are:

• Engagement rate
• Cost per View (CPV)
• Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
• Click-through rate
• Increase in organic search traffic
• Video drop-off

6.    Important in the consideration phase

YouTube is the place of choice for people to orient themselves and get inspired. They compare different alternatives to make the perfect choice. 90% of users say they discover new brands on YouTube. More than half of shoppers also indicate that YouTube helped to determine what they ultimately buy.

7.    It saves you time and budget

Starting up and maintaining a popular YouTube channel as a company requires both time and money. A lot of time and money. That’s why influencers are the perfect partners in crime. They already have fans who follow their daily activities. So the audience is already there. You only need to make sure the content creators do “something” with your brand. And while it’s true that influencer marketing on YouTube is more time-consuming and expensive than on other channels, it does pay off – see all the reasons above.

Ideally, your brand does influencer marketing on different channels as each platform has its unique characteristics and your customers hang out in different places. Still, many brands can benefit from YouTube influencer marketing precisely because it is so persistent, searchable and premium. We connect you – even if you have a B2B focus – with the right influencers for each channel. Curious? Contact me today, at ellen@allcolorsofcommunication.com.