YouTube Stars Becoming Brand Ambassadors
Brands Look to YouTube to Boost Sales
As online
viewing figures continue to rise, brands and advertisers are looking for new
ways to reach their target audience. Their next port of call? YouTube.
getchute.com
YouTube advertising
on the whole is nothing new. I’m sure you've all been frustrated by seeing an
advert at the start of a video you’re trying to watch, even more infuriating
when that advert is longer than the video and won’t let you skip it! (I’m not
bitter at all…)
The latest
approach, however, puts a different spin on the tried and tested techniques. By
collaborating with YouTube stars who have managed to accumulate a large
following, brands are hoping to build a rapport with their customer base on a
more personal level. The ambassadors are often content creators who focus on
independent product reviews, a style that helps them to earn their viewers’
trust, as they will only endorse a product they have themselves tested and
liked.
A major
factor in why these people have amassed such large following is the genuine and
personable feel you get from an independent YouTube star, as compared to a
generic TV host. When a major YouTube star such as Zoella (recently appointed
digital ambassador for the charity ‘Mind’) advises her viewers to invest in a
particular product, they are more often than not taken on their word. They
carry with them a certain level of credibility accrued from years of making
videos, meaning their audience now are likely to have been following them for a
while, and keep coming back because they enjoy, and importantly trust, the
content.
thenextweb.com
When
selecting a brand ambassador for your own business, getting the right representative
is key. Make sure you’re hitting your target market, there’s no point in a
make-up company teaming with a cooking channel, to make an obvious example. Once you've found your demographic, aim to find a YouTuber who is passionate about
your product. They need to believe in what they’re selling or that edge they
gain for being genuine with their audience is lost, and they may lose
credibility as a result. Of course, that would be bad news for both your
marketing campaign, and the star’s subscribers.
Done right,
a brand ambassador can dramatically boost your business, but make sure you know
the rules. Oreo recently had a YouTube marketing campaign banned for misleading
viewers. The purely promotional videos were not labelled as such, and YouTube
decreed that as it was unclear that the videos were paid for they had to be
taken down. As long as you follow the guidelines however, a YouTuber on your
side can be a big advantage.
Sam is an aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. Currently working part time as a content writer, he hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. Follow him @SamAtSMF
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YouTube Stars Becoming Brand Ambassadors
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, January 08, 2015
Rating: