Let’s keep this (YouTube) short(s). The leading, and largest, social video platform is the perfect arena to amplify and get results from your Creator Marketing strategy.
YouTube, the king of long-form video, is well on the way to becoming the go-to platform for short-form video. Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat aren't conceding defeat (far from it) but, there are A LOT of reasons to get excited about Shorts, and even more reasons savvy marketers are integrating YouTube creators into their strategy.
But first, what are YouTube Shorts?
Shorts are YouTube’s genius way of bringing the short-form, vertical video experience to the long-form platform.
They’re 180-second-or-less clips (typically <60s) that can be created and published using YouTube’s mobile app - much like other social media platforms.
Shorts pack all the same attention-grabbing, engaging and entertaining benefits of short, snappy videos on TikTok and Instagram, but with a few nuances. Let’s unpack the top 5 reasons YouTube Creator Marketing is an unstoppable force.
Top 5 benefits of YouTube Creator Marketing
1. SHEER SCALE OF AUDIENCE, USAGE & CONTENT
Let’s start with some numbers. Scrap that… some BIG numbers!
YouTube has over 2.7B monthly active users, surpassing both TikTok and Instagram and second only to Facebook.
122 million people use the platform daily and YouTube Shorts are viewed over 70 billion times a day. A day!
Over 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute and watched en mass - 70% of watch time now comes from mobile, which explains why YouTube Shorts were viewed 5 trillion times in the first year since launching alone.
Clearly, YouTube is popular, but who IS this audience of 2.5 billion people? Given it’s a quarter of the world’s population, it’s fair to say it’s a broad group - which is great for creators and marketers alike.
All social platforms are age-inclusive but unlike Snapchat and TikTok’s popularity with younger generations, or Instagram’s stranglehold on Millennials, the percentage of YouTube users is more evenly spread across age groups.
And that’s not including all the kids watching Cocomelon, the third most popular YouTube channel of all time.
😮💨 We told you they were big numbers. Keep reading to learn why they’re an advantage for brands and creators.
2. LONG AND SHORT-FORM VIDEO UNITES
We know video content is vital. 89% of brands use it in their marketing, and 87% of consumers have been convinced by video to make a purchase. Different video formats impact all stages of the consumer journey - making YouTube a one-stop platform to get results through the full funnel.
On YouTube, long-form videos connect through in-depth storytelling like product reviews and tutorials. Going deep builds trust and engagement while the ability to cover more details increases consideration and purchase intent.
Shorts are designed for discoverability and are served to users based on how they interact with content. They’re all about grabbing attention, hooking users and providing bite-sized information and entertainment.
Together, Shorts are used to direct traffic to a creator’s long-from content to convert interest into action. Plus, YouTube rewards creators and brands who use both by optimising the algorithm to boost the organic reach of ALL of their content.
Does this mean you have to work with long-form YouTuber creators?
No. The algorithm favours creators who publish Shorts in general, even if they don’t have any long-form content. A great strategy to get started is to simply collab with your TikTok and Instagram creators to repurpose their content on YouTube Shorts.
3. AMPLIFICATION VIA PARTNERSHIP ADS
Great Creator Marketing strategies go beyond organic performance, YouTube is no exception. Creator Ad Boosting is the go-to way for brands to drive action, conversions and a higher ROI and YouTube’s Partnership Ads are as powerful as its Meta and TikTok counterparts.
YouTube’s full suite of ad formats is impressive, including AI-powered video campaigns integrated across mobile and television placements. On top of that, YouTube delivers a 2.3x higher long-term return on ad spend (ROAS) vs. paid social.
YouTube Partnership Ads work like any other Creator Ad. They blend the authenticity of creators with powerful ad tech - creating a targeted, trackable and effective ad format. And they work. Partnership Ads drove 20% higher conversions on Shorts than ads under a brand’s account.
4. YOUTUBE TAKES SOCIAL SEARCH TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Let’s talk about user behaviour on Social Media. ICYMI, Gen Z have all but dumped Google as a search engine, and are turning to TikTok and Instagram for answers. (It’s not just Gen Z btw, almost 50% of Millennials prefer TikTok over Google.)
It’s called Social Search and its driven by short-form video.
YouTube is a destination platform vs. Instagram or TikTok which are more passive (doom scrolling anyone?). Consumers turn to YouTube for long-form content with intent, eg. to watch a tutorial or catch their fave creator’s latest episode etc. As Shorts continue to rise, Social Search might just be how Google takes back their king-of-search crown.
5. YOUTUBE CREATORS
Creators on every social platform have their superpowers, but here’s what YouTubers bring to your Creator Marketing strategy.
Quality, evergreen content: While Insta and TikTok move fast, YouTubers invest time in content production, storytelling and content that stays relevant over time.
Loyal & engaged audiences: Audiences spend more time connecting with creators via long-form content - fostering deeper relationships that increase trust, engagement and results.
Strong monetization = high-quality content: From ad revenue to brand partnerships, YouTube offers strong financial incentives for creators to show up with top-quality content.
Multi-platform reach: Like many creators, YouTubers have strong cross-platform influence, making it easy to run multi-channel campaigns. And we all know repurposing is the secret to maximizing content ROI.
Getting started with YouTube creators
The OG social media platform has never been more pivotal to successful Creator Marketing, but where do you start? Well, TRIBE of course.
YouTube is now fully integrated into the TRIBE platform and our community is packed with creators ready to shoot content for your brand. Whether you’re looking to go all-in with YouTubers or to amplify your top Instagram or TikTok creators to YouTube’s massive user base, our team are ready to get your strategy up and running.
Want to learn more? Hit the button below.
