How to boost brand awareness through YouTube

And YouTube influencers could be the secret to helping your brand awareness get the boost it needs.

What is YouTube influencer marketing? 

YouTube influencer marketing means collaborating with the people who make the most popular videos on YouTube. YouTube remains one of the most popular sites on the internet. Even with the likes of Instagram and TikTok vying for its title, YouTube remains the home of user-generated video content, as well as the world’s second largest search engine — almost half of all internet users visit the site monthly.  

Businesses can only grow if people become aware of the brand, and that means reaching a larger audience through multiple channels. But don’t be put off by thinking the traditional methods you may associate with advertisers (billboards and TV commercials) are the only way to go. YouTube is no different to any other social media when it comes to influencing — the more subscribers a YouTuber has, the wider the audience they can reach.  

YouTube also has its own micro-influencers, users who reach a smaller audience but who have increased engagement and can deliver a more personal approach to a campaign aimed at their 1,000 followers versus an influencer targeting a follower count of 1+ million. Whichever influencer you choose to work with, by tapping into a pre-made audience, your brand can benefit from the trust and enthusiasm shared between creators and their followers — in fact, four out 10 millennials say their favorite creators understand them better than their friends. So, this audience is ready to click an affiliate link shared by their favorite YouTuber if it means helping them succeed.  

Why do brands work with YouTube influencers? 

If follower count is all that matters, why not just reach out to a celebrity? Why do brands still choose to work with influencers and creators? Because it’s not just about follower count, but the expectation of those followers and what the influencer can give in return.  

Creators gain 3x as many views as traditional celebrities 

The success of content creators comes from their authentic approach to things. Before all else, they are regular people, just like any of their followers. That makes them relatable and their opinions more trustworthy. By removing the distance of ‘celebrity’ the top 25 YouTube creators successfully gain 3x more views. 

Creators engage more 

Celebrities may have huge followings but they are celebrities. People don’t comment on their videos and posts expecting a response — for creators, the opposite is true. Creators grow by offering valuable engagement to their followers and YouTube influencers enjoy 12x more comments than a traditional celebrity. 

They are trendsetters 

Celebrities by nature are walking ads for the brands that sponsor them. That’s not to say YouTube influencers don’t rely on brand sponsorships, but they do so in a completely different way. YouTube influencers will explore the brand publicly with their audience — if they are being sponsored by a makeup brand, for example, they will create a makeup tutorial so their subscribers can clearly see them a) genuinely using the products and b) truly enjoying it, justifying the sponsorship. The result is a platform where six in 10 YouTube users would follow advice from a creator over their favorite celebrity. 

Who are the top 5 YouTube influencers?  

New YouTube influencers are entering the scene all the time, but many of the biggest names have managed to keep hold of their title over the course of years. And that means they have a truly loyal following. Here are the top 5 names you ought to know about when it comes to YouTube influencer marketing: 

1. PewDiePie — 111 million subscribers 

PewDiePie has been within the top 10 most subscribed channels on YouTube since 2013 — three years after he first started posting. Sharing mainly playthrough content where he plays video games, a notable event in his YouTube career featured a series of ‘diss tracks’ that targeted the YouTube channel T-series, an Indian music label, which was due to surpass PewDiePie’s own in subscribers. The public competition between the two led to PewDiePie’s fans starting the ‘subscribe to PewDiePie’ campaign in an effort to stop T-series surpassing him. While T-series did successfully gain more subscribers than PewDiePie, the event proves the power of influencer followers and their willingness to support the success of their favorite creators even when they’re already number one.

2. MrBeast — 103 million subscribers  

Mr Beast’s popularity stems from public stunts where he gives away items of extreme value. Starting as a gaming channel, MrBeast has continued to be a gaming influencer in one of his many other channels, as well as running a reaction channel and a philanthropy channel. MrBeast specializes in content that is designed to go viral, with attention-grabbing stunts and large giveaways that actively involve the community around him, letting others benefit from the funds that come from his sponsorship. This business model very much supports the idea of creators and their subscribers being a two-way street. By watching his channel, subscribers ensure MrBeast can attract the sort of sponsors that allow him to perform these giveaway stunts.  

3. Ryan’s World — 30 million subscribers  

One of the youngest YouTube influencers ever, Ryan Kaji’s channel was started when he was just three years old, and featured him reviewing toys for kids of a similar age. Since then the channel has diversified to include vlogs of daily family life. The channel has used YouTube as a launch pad for several other products including mobile games, merchandise, and an upcoming TV series.  

4. Kids Diana Show — 100 million subscribers  

A channel run by Eva Diana Kidisyuk, Kids Diana Show features a range of content targeted at children, including songs, vlogs, roleplay skits, and unboxing videos. Diana has made her channel more accessible to a global audience by dubbing her videos into multiple other languages. 

5. Like Nastya — 99 million subscribers  

Like Nastya is a YouTube channel run by Anastasia Radzinskaya, currently aged 8. Her channel launched in 2016, covering songs, vlogs, and skits aimed at kids her age. Like Kids Diana Show, Like Nastya adds dubs from various languages to reach an international audience. 

Make yourself influencer ready 

Of course, it’s unlikely a small business is going to be able to afford a collaboration with the above household names, but it’s important to be aware of the trends they cater to. These are the giants of YouTube, the trend-setters who define what it means to be a YouTube influencer. By understanding the way they run their channels, and the way they appeal to their dedicated niches, you can also better shape a YouTube influencer plan for your own small business.  

You may have seen yourself how many YouTubers will align with brands they like even if they don’t immediately match their area of expertise.  For example, a food blogger who travels often advertising a VPN — it’s not food, but it is useful for travellers. Or a gaming influencer advertising gourmet snack boxes, because even gamers can enjoy snacks to fuel their sessions. Get creative and make sure that you’re able to really sell your own product to an influencer before you ask them to do the same.

Where can brands find YouTube influencers?  

The obvious answer for finding a YouTube influencer platform is…use YouTube! If you’re going to work with a YouTube influencer then you need to know that they can be truly aligned with your brand, therefore their audience will also find value in your offering. The best way to do that is to consume their content and get a feel for the sort of creator they are. Keep an eye on the ”trending” tab on YouTube to see if any currently viral content seems to match your brand. You can also search for a key term that relates to your brand with the term “youtuber” and see who pops up. Of course, if you are passionate about your brand and what it stands for, you might have the perfect influencer in the accounts you already follow. Alternatively, Awin’s Publisher Directory provides access to an extensive network of influencers available for collaboration. The directory allows advertisers to filter for content creators and influencers and search for specific platforms such youtube.com, helping you make a seamless start to your YouTube influencer marketing campaign. 

What are some common types of influencer marketing content on YouTube? 

So, you've found the perfect influencer — what sort of content should you create? It’s worth knowing that when it comes to YouTube influencer marketing, you’re not going to be the one holding the creative reins. YouTubers work sponsorships into their videos in endless different ways. And remember, no one knows their audience better than the influencer themselves. Some common YouTube influencer marketing examples include:  

Vlogs 

Casual, authentic, real — vlogs let influencers show off their everyday lives to their followers. This is a great way to present your brand as it shows how it can seamlessly integrate into an influencer’s life. This format also allows any advertising to be inserted naturally, shared with the creator at the perfect moment in their day. 

Unboxing and hauls 

One of the simplest YouTube influencer marketing examples, this is when creators show off their latest purchases in an envy-inducing show of retail therapy. So what better way to show off your brand than to be part of this aspirational display? The great thing about hauls is that you can show off multiple products, so it's ideal if you cover several areas i.e. fashion and beauty.  

Tutorials 

A great one if your brand offers services or products that are more functional. Tutorials can explain exactly how to use your products while creating a video more aligned with user interests. For example, if your brand offers cloud storage then why not reach out to a digital artist who could weave a sponsorship into a video that offers valuable advice like “how I make art while traveling” or “the best image file types and storage.” 

Comedy skits 

For brands that don’t take themselves too seriously, hand your product to a comedy influencer and let them go wild. By creating this sense of fun and enjoyment, you automatically make your brand feel more human and real — not just a sponsorship campaign that the YouTuber is running.

How can brands measure the success of their YouTube influencer campaigns? 

You’ll need to keep an eye on the same sort of metrics you’d watch for any campaign, as well a few specific to YouTube,  including: 

Audience retention  

So people land on your video, but do they stay there? More importantly, are they still watching when your brand is mentioned? This is where it's on you to understand your creator and their process. If they do short skits, then pushing for a long-form video isn’t going to appeal to their audience. Similarly, if they do large stunts like giving away very expensive products, then you might want your brand to be mentioned early on so people can dive into the content they came for.  

Engagement rate 

Are people commenting? Liking? Or, worse, disliking? Engagement rate is a powerful metric that lets you track how people are interacting with your content. YouTube engagement can be measured in plenty of ways, including likes and dislikes, views and subscribers, comments and views, and likes to views. With this in mind, it can be helpful to analyze your content and benchmark it with competitors to see how your engagement rates compare. 

Conversions 

YouTubers will typically tell their viewers they have added a link to the products they are promoting in the description box below their video. These links usually have affiliate tracking so the YouTuber can receive a commission for every customer that buys the product after clicking their link. Awin’s tools add to this, allowing you to measure the success of things like coupon codes that influencers can share exclusively with their audience.

If you run a YouTube influencer campaign, you’ll want to know if people are actually clicking through to your site via affiliate links. This is one of the clearest indicators that a campaign has worked and is easily trackable with Awin’s advertiser tools. Awin’s tracking solutions allow you to capture the impact your influencers are having on conversions and optimize your campaigns accordingly. 

Get started 

Awin gives you everything you need to start with affiliate marketing and creating valuable YouTube influencer campaigns. We have the tools and know-how to help you build key relationships with creators across social media to boost your brand. Launch an Awin affiliate program today to start working with YouTubers.