It's no secret that some of the biggest up and coming celebrities today aren't known for their movies or music - but for the videos they post on YouTube documenting their daily lives. YouTubers have managed to take a totally digital consumer experience and showcase the best modern examples of client retention and brand loyalty - with their 'product' being consumed entirely through a screen. Where these social media celebrities have the upper hand is how they can acutely define and adapt to their current and ideal consumer demographics. After all, the business of YouTube is not producing videos - it's straight up advertising.
Social media is, clearly, the crux of every successful YouTubers triumph - and profit. Simultaneously utilizing various platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube) is considered a basic requirement from their fan base. No single successful YouTuber is to be found without any of the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media is allowing individuals to interact on a scale never seen before, and these online communities increasingly want to express their online messages offline. These networks are a space defined by customers, where the customer is in control. Philip Rooke studied YouTuber online behaviour for Digital Marketing Magazine, and reported that, "More than traditional brands, YouTubers seem to understand the possibilities of the online social world and are finding innovative ways to engage with their viewers. They are working hard to spread their message, extend their marketing scope and at the same time communicate with fans in a more personal, interactive manner".
Where traditional businesses seem to lose sight of these possibilities to connect with new and existing customers via online platforms is when traditional ROI comes into play. ROI is not as big with digital advertising, but does provide an incredible return on interaction - the traditional "ROI point" is no excuse for not moving forward and innovating. YouTubers are the height of digital social innovation - interacting on social media requires an in-depth level of knowledge and customer service that corresponds with the core values of their brand.
But like any endeavor to build a community around your products and services, this effort takes time. And no, that Twitter account with two re-tweets from 2011 won't do the trick. Building an online community takes patience and dedication to prove to your targeted audience that you're worth spending time with, and deserving of sustained attention. Knowing the role that your business and brand plays in your customer's lives is tremendously important to achieve this.
Direction is key to crafting an effective digital marketing plan, and your business's creative roadmap is highly influenced by who your targeted audience is. YouTubers know that if fans don't like content, a video has received less views, or the audience makes suggestions for improvement, a change must happen to keep their channel afloat and growing in popularity. It's critical that you must be willing to change strategy if your current plan is proving ineffective.
To utilize social media to it's full potential like a YouTuber, we suggest implementing these six simple strategies:
- Define your target demographic: Write it down, discuss it with your superiors, just get a concise vision of who you're trying to reach. How old are these people? Where do they live? What are they interested in? Why do they use your product?
- Get help: Unless you're responsible for a relatively small business' social presence, managing multiple social accounts regularly and relevantly is no minute task.
- Stay engaged: If you're posting two updates a month across platforms, you may as well be obsolete online. Make up and stick to a regular schedule of posting updates every few days.
- Tweet back: What's the point of having social media if you're not part of your own discussion?
- Open up: Posting personable content is just as important as posting business-relevant content. Give some sort of individual voice to your social presence, this is your chance to be more than an ad listing.
- Use one venue to feed another: Create a new promotional video that you posted on YouTube? Share it on your Facebook and Twitter pages. Post a photo album on Facebook from a company community event? Share the photos on Twitter and Instagram. Each outlet doesn't need it's own individual feed - they all work together to produce a cohesive flow of interaction.
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