More and more, brands are realizing that audiences (especially young audiences) are spending a lot of time on YouTube, and that the video platform's influential content creators are perhaps the best target for their media relations efforts. Consumers aged 13-24 spend more time watching YouTube than TV, it has been reported—imagine the investment required for both media and it's no wonder that the former seems more promising in the ROI department.
Clay Helm, public relations director at Autodesk, will be joining us at the PR News' Digital PR & Marketing Conference in Miami, June 6-8, to share her experience in prioritizing specific audiences, tracking factors that drive favorability and much more. When it comes to recruiting and working with YouTube influencers, here is what she recommends as a starting point:
- Start with understanding and being authentic to your community. From watching our customer community on social, we knew YouTube is the number one place they go to search. We also knew that the content didn't need to be polished.
- Find out what your unique audience niche is; those are the customers whom you will connect with most and who will be most dedicated.
- If it's your first YouTube influencer campaign, consider engaging an agency. They can negotiate bulk discounts on behalf of clients.
- Don't automatically go after the top YouTube stars in your category. Look for people on the rise who have shown more than 6 months of steady growth of viewers.
- Choose a mix of influencers that will hit different facets of your audience. Autodesk found a range of YouTubers across gaming and family were the right mix for a recent campaign.
- Pay attention not only to views but to the shares and comments that say more about how your audiences are responding to your influencer's videos. In other words, test, then analyze, then invest a little more.
Learn more about influencer campaigns on a tight budget from speakers from Dell and the American Diabetes Association at the Digital PR and Marketing Conference—and that's just one session out of three days of practical, helpful advice.
Follow Clay on Twitter: @HelmClay
Follow Ian: @ianwright0101