YouTube growth shows wealth of opportunity for PR
Have you heard the news today about how YouTube is now getting 60 hours of uploads every minute along with four billion views per day? That's a phenomenal figure for the Google-owned site, which has grown ten-fold since 2007.
As we all know, YouTube redesigned its home page last year to place more of a focus on its full-length movies and social networks, probably adapting to our viewing and internet habits with a mission to become a staple part of our insatiable media diet.
But what does all this mean to brands? Why should it be important for products and services?
Well, from a PR point of view, video opens up a wealth of opportunities for businesses to raise their profiles and get in front of their target markets. Particularly when so many PR agencies and marketing professionals are still stuck in the dark ages of sending out generic press releases to 'media lists' that can only be described as modern-day PR spam. Now is the time to fill that niche and do something that other companies are reluctant to take up.
Coupled with the fact that the appetite for video and online content has never been so hungry, now is the time to start considering a YouTube and Vimeo presence for your own company.
But beware - this isn't an opportunity to put together a stuffy corporate video and hope that people will enjoy it, thus turning into customers. Video is part of the new digital landscape that has transformed the way we shop, find love, communicate and do business. Because the web has made everything so open, it has dusted off the traditional cobwebs of one-way advertising and marketing, allowing firms to talk directly with their customers.
This means you can't 'shout' at people or give them what you think they'll want - you have to do something that's non-sales led. Something that is fun, interesting, engaging. Something that even taps into people's passions or cultures.
Are you a photography company? Think a promotional video will help get you more customers? You couldn't be more wrong. What you should consider instead is sharing your wealth of expertise by providing some fun and interesting photography tutorials. Or are you a fashion brand? Why not film what happens during a photo shoot or interview the designers behind the products?
Whatever you decide to do, it has to be interesting, fun and provide something that people will want to share with their friends. Today, video opens up so many opportunities to raise your profile. So when you're next thinking about getting in front of your target audience, don't discount video. It's something that is only going to get bigger and bigger.
blog comments powered by Disqus