YouTube as a viable alternative to linear cable, satellite and other on-demand broadcast.
YouTube IS the Mission Field.
The importance of YouTube in a modern media consumption environment, and YouTube as a viable alternative to network, cable and satellite broadcast.
By Joseph Cheetham-Wilkinson.
YouTube's power and potential for spreading your message should be harnessed with the utmost urgency. Here's why:
YouTube is no longer a poor cousin to elite streaming platforms.
In mid 2015 a study of more than 2000 young people by the research agency Childwise reported a tipping point in the way the new generation of consumers are watching videos. Described as a 'Landmark change', marked by an increase in tablet ownership by under sixteens of more than 50% compared with 2014, in 2015 60% of 15-16 year olds watched television on demand on phones and tablets, a statistic which includes access to YouTube:
“The study reveals that however young people are accessing the internet, YouTube is the dominant destination. The video-sharing website is used every day by almost half of all five to sixteen-year-olds.”(article here: BBC.co.uk)
However there is a notion among adults who have witnessed the rise of YouTube that it represents a tacky alternative to quality programming solely for those interested in funny cat videos or 'epic fails'. This is dangerous thinking for anybody involved in media production which must be abandoned with haste. Increasingly, the most watched channels and videos are those with clear vision and production values.
For the purposes of the delivering your message, YouTube offers the largest audience across the broadest geography. YouTube offers a completely free service, allowing broadcasters to provide 4K HD content to one billion unique viewers globally per month, including under sixteens who watch up to 30 billion hours of YouTube per month on a fully branded, customisable content-manageable platform, integrated with your website, social media and even your shop. It presents an opportunity to reach new audiences in otherwise inaccessible countries, and its ever-growing user-base are searching for high quality and engaging content
Engaging and retaining the audience:
YouTube is a modern High-Street of ideas. It is not simply a video sharing platform, it has one billion active users every month who engage, socialise and share the content. YouTube are very keen to connect their users as communities.
Connecting with an audience instantly with comments, replies, 'likes', subscriptions and discussion topics offers forward thinking media producers the opportunity to develop relationship and brand loyalty with viewers in a unique way.
Adapting brand identity (meeting the new generation where they're at):
The younger generation arrive at YouTube with a certain expectation, and they need to be met where they're at. Transplanting a brand created for a different platform, audience behaviour and generation into a pop-culture environment will only serve to negatively impact perception.
Transplanting existing brands onto YouTube which are dull and unappealing goes against the great deal of evidence available which shows how users are attracted to content, and such evidence is acted upon by the most successful channels.
You want your message to sit very comfortably in the pop-chat marketplace, and generate the most heated and enthusiastic debates and conversations. The number one priority for any genuine producer is to connect with your audience. YouTube provides the environment in which to achieve this far beyond any other tool.
Spearheading with YouTube as a Hub:
The next generation of producers understand that YouTube is no longer just a gateway to the mainstream, YouTube is the mainstream. Content creators are recognised in the street, have huge fan-bases, merchandise, and revenue generated from their channels.
For any media producer wanting to have an impact on the world stage, YouTube must be seen as the hub, core, and starting point, with everything else growing out from it. Gone are the days when a media producer advertised a website and used YouTube to host some videos for the showreel page. Now, YouTube advertises the website. And the iTunes account, and the app, and the shop, and the social media accounts...and the reason is simple, as of last year it is now where the majority of young people go to look for video content, and it cannot be treated as supplementary.
Examples:
The examples below represent YouTube Channels which consistently get views from a loyal fanbase who regularly watch and share, as opposed to one-off viral hits like Gangnam Style. I have chosen channels which did not start with an abundance of high production values.
KSI is a 22 year old independent British entertainer with over 12 million subscribers. His videos have been viewed over 2 billion times.
Little Baby Bum make cute nursery rhyme videos for babies and have over 5 million subscribers and nearly 7 billion views.
Seven Super Girls are a group of pre-teens who make funny videos about life and being a kid, they have 4 million subscribers and nearly 5 billion views.
Big business examples:
Red Bull specialise in beautifully shot videos of extreme sports and have over 5 million subscribers.
Ellen DeGeneres has 15 million subscribers to her chat show.
Justin Bieber has 19 million subscribers to his VEVO channel.
Analytics:
YouTube offer channel owners significant insights into their audience. We are provided with information such as the geographical location of our viewers, their gender and age. We are given statistics on individual videos such as where they were the most popular and how long they were watched for, comparisons with other similar videos, and personal information about individual subscribers and the ability to contact them.
Harnessing the technical potential:
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about YouTube is that it offers access to the largest audience across the globe in 4k, for no charge. Indeed, they now offer live streaming, meaning that if the content is available channels can broadcast in a traditional linear format in HD 24/7, for no charge.
The largest Christian YouTube channels are investing heavily.
YouTube encourage links to your social media pages, links to associated websites, links to merchandise partners such as iTunes and Amazon, in fact everything necessary to make YouTube an incomparable hub for a producer's community.
Integration and the bigger picture:
Since Google bought YouTube in 2006 they have been working hard to achieve integration and compatibility. YouTube are interested in synergy, and the whole YouTube experience is designed to make your entire online presence become something which is more than the sum of its parts.
Fundamentally integrating every area of of your organisation with a top-notch YouTube channel will create a complete user experience far superior to a website with a live-stream alone. The purpose of the exercise is to reach more people. That can be done better on YouTube than any other platform.
The opportunity:
Young people are not looking for your website for answers, they are going to YouTube for what they think they need, and it is your job to provide it for them.
Financially, it is by far the best option compared with linear Network broadcasting. YouTube viewers expect punchy vlogs, vox-pops, witty testimonies, kids songs and Bible stories, music videos and comedians, all of which can be produced quickly and inexpensively.
You must immediately take the opportunity to set up a dedicated studio and production house solely for the purposes of producing content for YouTube.
You would reach many more viewers for far less outlay within 2 years when compared with traditional network broadcast.
Costs:
A bespoke strategy can be provided for a fee which will present the course of action required to bring you to the forefront of your field on YouTube, and consequently worldwide, strengthening your brand, its core products and values and its authority in the international arena. Things are moving very fast, and with swift implementation of my plan, and investment, you can be well ahead of the game.
I am confident that within 2 years you can achieve far more viewers on YouTube than on your current platforms.
Conclusion:
There is a huge hunger for video content in the world, and YouTube is where the people are. We need to go to them with the same resources, sincerity and effort that we invest into other means of communication. Failure to fully appreciate and harness the power of YouTube and the impact it is having on young lives now is a failure to fulfil your mission as a video producer.
