Video is an incredibly accessible form of content and for brands who invest in it, it can be one of the most successful forms of marketing. With great video content having the ability to entertain, educate and inform all rolled into one package, it’s no wonder some top brands use YouTube as one of their primary digital marketing platforms.
YouTube’s product statistics for 2015 state that, with over 1 billion users, every day hundreds of millions of hours of content is watched, generating billions of views. With more than a million advertisers using Google ad platforms, the majority of which are small businesses, YouTube channels can be a perfect base to build or solidify a brand. These kinds of figures are pretty compelling and certainly suggest that the value of YouTube is worth a second thought.
However – some brands don’t seem to get it…
There are many brands that are misreading what consumers want from video content. Some of these can end up focusing on advertising for the sake of advertising and missing the boat when it comes to engaging users. In some cases, these brands end up driving traffic away by taking a corporate stance and concentrating too much on attempting to generate consumer desire on a platform thats primary aspect is entertainment.
Having a clear understanding of how certain brands have got it right can help when formulating your own YouTube content strategy. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are certainly other brands that have competing channels; in some cases even better. Feel free to comment with your thoughts below on any brands you think have nailed their YouTube marketing.
Coca-Cola Great Britain’s YouTube channel is packed with content that reflects their brand values, each to varying degrees of success.
Their Community playlist is a good example of a company attempting to bring their brand image back to a personal level. They also share the common value of promoting an active lifestyle. Other highlights include behind the scenes style videos which tackle topical issues such as sustainability. Check out their recent FAQ video below…
2. Waterstones
Waterstones is a good example of a brand that knows their own voice and have done a great job translating it to YouTube. Constantly marketing themselves as the fabulous world of books, but always eloquently so, their videos focus on building desire for reading and engage the audience through personal stories. Although they sway towards advertising on their events videos, they don’t allow this to outplay their original voice.
A particular highlight of their channel is The Book That Made Me video content. This collection of real-life conversations with popular figures is the perfect mix for business YouTube content – the popular figures increase consumer interest, the subject matter is on the transformative power of reading which is in line with their brand’s voice and these two aspects together help to build consumer desire to invest in the company’s products.
Innocent Drinks is a perfect example of a brand that understands their voice. Their playful, friendly and personal style lends itself well to video marketing and it’s safe to say that they pull it off rather well. For well-known brands that it’s important to have a selection of creative videos alongside their advert archive and Innocent’s video categories work well as they focus on each of their brand values.
One of the channel highlights is Innocent Taste Experts – a playlist of short one-minute videos. These work well as they solidify the brand’s expert aspect and also allows for the product to be personalised as users are able to meet the team behind the scenes. Also, the Innocent Sustainability playlist utilises the video format as a chance to highlight their working ethics while creating entertaining and engaging content. By focusing on a matter that is topical they are able to increase their reach potential. Meet one of our Mango Farmers does well to strengthen the personal aspect of their brand.
American Express’s ethos is all about personal journeys and inspiration. It’s no wonder then that their YouTube channel is packed with real-life stories and discussions. The success of their video content is relative to the sheer quantity, and the fact that all videos are in keeping with their brand ethos – there are no misnomers, no content for the sake of content.
The brand’s #PassionProject videos are a great example of how a company can use their own investments (in their case, new projects for a new generation) as a marketing technique. Also, their #EveryDayMoments animated series is a completely different type of video content that works to the same effect. There many different playlists on their channel all around the themes of innovation, visionaries and personal journeys, and a particular strength is that they are all kept updated.
5. GoPro
The indisputable King of video content, GoPro get YouTube. This is a company that wholeheartedly know their brand image and have been innovating video ideas since their channel started in 2009.
What makes GoPro’s YouTube marketing so successful is they shift the focus on their products. While they could easily create content that describes their products’ “under-the-hood” technology for the consumer, they opt instead to show exciting content created using their product. This excitement becomes ingrained in how the consumer views their cameras with the use of idents. The new Hero4 has been marketed as The Adventure Life in 4K – and the content certainly reflects that.
Like many other companies GoPro use real life stories to emphasise the personal aspect of their brand – however the stories are always people with exciting, active lifestyles – and because of its repetitive nature this element is naturally reflected in their product.
It seems the key to a great YouTube channel for your brand is a selection of different types of content, all reflecting your identity. If these are well planned and executed, playlists that are updated regularly and sway away from advertising are more likely to be picked up by users. If you know your voice, know what you want to say and know why it would be interesting; a YouTube channel could increase your digital marketing reach significantly.
