{"id":49707,"date":"2013-06-19T20:50:01","date_gmt":"2013-06-19T20:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webolutionsmarketingagency.com\/denver-social-media-marketing-opportunity-in-paid-youtube-channels\/"},"modified":"2013-06-19T20:50:01","modified_gmt":"2013-06-19T20:50:01","slug":"denver-social-media-marketing-opportunity-in-paid-youtube-channels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webolutionsmarketingagency.com\/denver-social-media-marketing-opportunity-in-paid-youtube-channels\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Social Media: Marketing Opportunity in Paid YouTube Channels?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paid YouTube channels in a free YouTube world presents an interesting decision for social media marketers.
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\nAn Example of Success on YouTube<\/strong>
\nSome best practices won\u2019t change between paid and traditional YouTube videos. When social media marketers search for a benchmark against which to compare or after which to model a YouTube campaign, the easiest example is Blendtec, known principally for its Will It Blend?<\/em> series.<\/p>\n

The free channel has over 600,000 subscribers and a total of 223 million channel views and is a bona fide benchmark of online virality. Unlike major brand triumphs like Old Spice\u2019s The Man Your Man Could Smell Like series, which owed much of its online success to major penetration on national TV, Will It Blend was as close to a pure online organic opt-in experience as you\u2019ll find.
\nThe Will It Blend series owes its success to each of these factors, presented in no particular order:<\/p>\n

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  1. Content. <\/strong>The visuals are simple and meet expectations. The host is professional but not over the top, successfully becoming a mere deus-ex-machina that allows the product to be the star of the video. The videos are funny and appeal to all audiences. The fact that the graphics, wardrobe and setting are consistent indicates these are produced en masse, meaning they are shot one after the other. Several months\u2019 content can be shot in a day or two and formulaic post-production can be contracted as well. This is an old technique to minimize costs and maximize efficiency.<\/li>\n
  2. Length.<\/strong> The longest video, which features a mild satirical send-up of Steve Jobs and Apple-ophiles, runs less than 3 minutes. They are thusly easy to consume and share.<\/li>\n
  3. Promotion<\/strong>. Will It Blend YouTube videos are published on Facebook, Twitter and Blendtec\u2019s website. The Internet user can consume, interact with and share them at her leisure in the place of her choosing. Each of these channels employs best practices to maximize engagement and a content plan consistent with but independent from the others.<\/li>\n
  4. Video Optimization<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Most of the products being blended are popular in and of themselves. The descriptions and metadata of the videos are optimized for search.<\/li>\n
  5. Timing.<\/strong> The release dates of the videos leverage online activity the brand didn\u2019t have to generate. Examples of subjects include: The Mayan calendar \u2013 on Dec. 21, 2012; iPad and iPad2 \u2013 hot anytime, but especially when the new versions are coming out; HALO 4 \u2013 released on the day many millennials and 30-year-old-parents\u2019-basement-dwellers camped out to purchase the newest version of the game; Roses on Valentine\u2019s Day \u2013 Many single people hate Valentine\u2019s Day. Many non-single people do as well but can\u2019t say so out loud for fear of incurring the wrath of Hallmark and significant others.<\/li>\n
  6. Volume. <\/strong>When YouTube videos finish playing, \u201csimilar\u201d videos are suggested. By consistently creating a large volume of content optimized around the same keyword phrase (\u201cWill It Blend\u201d), YouTube funnels the user directly, continuously and virtually exclusively from one WIB video to others.<\/li>\n
  7. Consistency.<\/strong> For years, Will It Blend provided new products and scripting for its audience, always giving it a reason to check back for more.<\/li>\n
  8. Engagement.<\/strong> You know the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World? You know those phrases about him that make up the voice content for the TV commercials (\u201cCuba imports cigars from him.\u201d \u201cHe lives vicariously through himself.\u201d)? Only the first few spots were written by the marketing department. The rest came from Facebook and Twitter. Will It Blend did the same thing, successfully asking its following what products they would like to see destroyed\u2026er, blended.<\/li>\n
  9. Quality.<\/strong> The dialogue and action are scripted, the shots are steady, the set is evenly and fully lit, the audio is clear, the video image is obviously from something far superior to a cell phone, the graphics are simple but professionally produced.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why Paid YouTube Channels?<\/strong>
    \nThe short answer is YouTube sees the same market opportunity as Hulu, Netflix et al. As the Internet and devices grow increasingly integrated and capable of delivering higher-quality content, power in the marketing relationship shifts to the consumer. The delivery and business models for cable and satellite are dying. Content is being presented in this way because consumer behavior has demonstrated a desire for it to be so and because the market requires a model that appeals to the interests of providers.<\/p>\n

    What Happens Next?
    \nTaking the end user in mind\u2014as marketers must always do\u2014the question is what will be the difference in the consumer experience?<\/p>\n