If you are an avid YouTube watcher or aspiring beauty vlogger, then names like Zoella ‘Zoe Sugg’ and Michelle Phan are not strange to you.
Since its inception in 2001 and acquisition by Google in 2006, YouTube has continued to change the game for traditional marketers and media companies all over the world. The internet behemoth has given rise to a whole new type of career; a YouTuber.
These people are YouTube personalities who make their money online from something as mundane as sharing their breakfast with viewers, to the bizarre yet lucrative art of revealing the contents of their shopping bag.
Although beauty vloggers make up a significant percentage of Youtubers, there are other online segments such as tech experts, marketing tutorials, comedians and so on.
How has Youtube Changed Traditional Advertising as We Knew It?
- Communicate in real-time
With the introduction of live streaming technology, YouTubers can engage products with their audiences in real-time, and get an accurate number of live participants. In traditional advertising where marketing campaigns are produced and delivered after completion, YouTubers have the advantage of a synchronous interaction.
This means they can communicate actively with their audiences while promoting a product. Unlike traditional advertising campaigns where the brand is somewhat impersonal and sell-sided, YouTubers bring their familiarity and human personality to the brand.
- Evaluation and budget control
Still on real-time advertising, YouTubers can easily track how many people viewed a live stream or posted video. This makes it easier to measure impressions, engagement rate, and attribution to sale. Traditional advertising at best, works with an estimate. For example, determining how many people viewed an ad on TV by the number of households in an area with a television tuned to that specific channel.
The advantage of YouTubers’ advertising is that the precise number of viewers can inform an advertiser’s budget. They can ultimately adjust marketing expenditure to match precise viewing numbers.
- Easy customer profiling
With traditional advertising s a lot of money is spent on research in an attempt to profile the typical consumer. This involves organising focus groups and facilitated workshops. Most times, the data is inaccurate and advertising is presented to the wrong audience.
However, YouTubers can tell an accurate description of the typical viewer down to their name and possibly location, which works to an advertiser’s benefit. This makes promotional campaigns more personalised and targeted to suit the audience’s preferences.
- Greater influence and marketing clout
For some people, the YouTuber is a ‘god’ and their say is gold. This had spurred a form of craze following for some YouTubers, making them the ideal opinion leader for certain brands. Although the same effect is applicable to celebrity endorsements in traditional advertising, what makes YouTubers more influential is their personalised relationship.
Are you looking to be a popular YouTuber someday? You can start by posting simple interactive videos on YouTube.
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