Everybody knows that YouTube is the second most used search engine. Everybody knows that YouTube is SEO optimized. And everybody knows that more than 1 billion unique visitors watch more than 4 billion hours of video on YouTube each month. That’s why 100 of the top 100 advertisers post videos and create channels on YouTube.
But did you know that most brands post videos without much of a strategy and hope for the best? Or did you know that many brands post videos that don’t match the interests or viewing patterns of their most likely customers or prospects?
That’s the insight Pixability brings to the table in measuring and analyzing YouTube as a communications platform. Their study of the Consumer Electronics vertical on the video platform, which analyzed 18.9 billion CE views on 113,780 specialized CE channels, turned up these ten expected and not-so-expected observations:
Brands are Minority Publishers. Only 23% of CE views are attributable to brands. Three-quarters of the videos about phones, tablets, computers, cameras, wearables, etc. come from other sources, some of which have significantly more credibility and share-ability than the leading brands.
Viewing influences purchases. Videos about tablets and smartphones prompt more than 334 million views per month. 48% of tablet buyers and 61% of smartphone buyers watched a video on YouTube before they bought.
TV Spots Don’t Play. Branded TV commercials represent 37% of all CE videos. It’s standard operating procedure, a free reach extender, to put a spot on the brand’s YouTube channel. But the fact that they only pull 10 percent of the views indicates their relative ineffectiveness in the social sphere.
Length Matters. Brands produce short videos, generally no more than three minutes in duration. But viewers watch more than twice as many videos that run 8 to 10 minutes in length. There is an appetite for extended storytelling that’s being underserved.
More is Not Better. Frequent posting doesn’t seem to guarantee attention. Seventy-five percent of all CE videos on YouTube get less than 10,000 viewers. Don’t be seduced by the fact that there are 325 channels with a million or more subscribers. Most videos on YouTube go relatively unnoticed. The burden is to develop content that resonates with consumers because it entertains, distracts, informs or intrigues.
Celebrity Counts. Branded videos featuring celebrities and elaborate storylines attract 123X as many views as the average CE video. Developing unique online video seems to be the formula for penetrating consumers’ consciousness.
Different Topics Play Differently. Product teasers are the most popular CE content on YouTube drawing 21 percent of engagement from just 12 percent of all videos. Videos testing the limits of products or showing head-to-head product comparisons account for more than half of all engagement in the category. Surprisingly, spoofs, how-tos, celebrity endorsements and expert interviews collectively only account for 12 percent of CE videos.
Timing Plays a Role. Consumers turn to brand videos and teasers before products launch or reach the market. But after a new product hits the market vloggers and user generated videos rule. Audiences seem to appreciate the often entertaining and somewhat independent voices of peer content creators.
Optimization is Crucial. Too many publishers skimp on keywords and tagging. The top 25% brands use 1/5X more metadata tags than the bottom 25%. Similarly the leading brands use 8X more playlists to differentiate and sort videos making them easier to find.
Search behavior spikes around product launches not around the traditional retail calendar. Many brands focus enhanced search efforts or amp up paid search or sponsored videos on President’s Day or Black Friday rather than zero-in on the days surrounding a global product introduction.
Be Directive. Viewers are seeking answers and information. Brands that ask for social sharing and drive viewers to registration pages using conversion links and art cards at the end of videos get considerable compliance. Brands using conversion links effectively drive almost double the desired interactions with consumers.
YouTube has evolved from a default repository of video into a series of multi-dimensional channels that can be measured and benchmarked to help marketers’ target, reach and persuade consumers. Using this data and observed behavior to inform and improve creative development, reach and frequency optimization, timing and placement feels like a no-brainer.
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