YouTube plays a key role in the media mix of marketing managers

Utilising YouTube marketing: why or why not?

For 52% of Dutch Marketing Managers, YouTube occupies a permanent place within the total media mix. 48% not (yet). Two-thirds of the managers who do not yet use YouTube indicate that they want to. What’s stopping them?

My target audience is not on YouTube

The main reason Marketing Managers are holding back is that they think their target audience is not active on YouTube. But how correct is this assumption? In the Netherlands, but also worldwide, YouTube and (YouTube’s mother) Google are the most used. 45.41 billion (Google) and 13.34 billion (YouTube) monthly visits to be exact. This makes Google and YouTube leave Facebook (11.74) and Instagram (3.08) far behind (Statista, 2022). Are you not convinced yet? Stay tuned! My colleague Peter will soon devote a full blog to this and show with concrete examples that your target group is most likely also active on YouTube.

The impact of YouTube is unclear to me

It is also unclear to Marketing Managers who are not yet actively using YouTube what impact YouTube can have. Some don’t see the point. Views, watch time and subscribers, okay. But what about YouTube’s effect on brand KPIs such as brand awareness, brand preference, and purchase intention?

Hyundai’s YouTube strategy proves that YouTube is more than just a popular video platform or the place to view helpful how-to’s. The brand wanted to introduce their new electric model, the IONIQ 5, in an innovative way. Their goal was to reach, captivate and convert the orienting car buyer on YouTube. With an integrated approach to data-driven research, production and distribution, Hyundai showed how you can use YouTube to sell more electric cars.

Within three months, the set targets were far exceeded: 83% of Hyundai’s content ranks in the top 3 of YouTube and Google, 198.418 views (+98% compared to target) and 17.222 hours of watch time. In addition, Hyundai had a brand effect measurement carried out to provide insight into the impact of YouTube.

What turned out? An increase in brand recall (+231%), brand preference (+650%) and inclusion of the IONIQ 5 in the consideration set (+256%). In doing so, we provide proof that YouTube can make a real impact on key brand KPIs and even play a key role in the purchase decision. Non-Hyundai drivers who watched Hyundai YouTube videos also scored significantly higher on brand recall, brand preference and inclusion in the consideration set.

Curious about how such a brand effect measurement works? Read more here.

No focus on online video

Some of the Marketing Managers find the use of YouTube too expensive or work for an organization that does not focus on online video. A shame, because since the start of the pandemic, online video has been more popular than ever. YouTube will have a reach of 5.8 million Dutch people per day in September 2021 (Adformatie, 2021)! And this seems only to grow with the rise of Connected TV: online video is now even streamed via the largest screen in the living room. Online video is in demand. And Google sees that too. As the largest search engine in the world, Google’s goal is to give the user the best possible answer. And that answer is increasingly in the form of a video. YouTube (don’t forget: Google owns YouTube) will be the key figure in their new algorithms. The way to rank at the top as a brand with well-optimized videos. How? Read more here.

Conversion options on YouTube

“YouTube is not a conversion platform.” At least, that’s what a number of Marketing Managers indicate. But Oot Granola proves otherwise.

2022 would be the year of performance for the Dutch breakfast brand on a subscription basis. And YouTube had to play a key role in this. Why? Well, KPI’s on platforms like Facebook rose and conversions fell. Oot’s data-driven YouTube Advertising campaign achieved more quantitative and qualitative traffic to their website and a significant growth in subscriptions and first orders. So can YouTube generate conversions? Yes, of course! But if you’re going to do it, do it right.

The top 4 YouTube objectives from marketing managers

But let’s not forget the 52% who have YouTube as a regular part of their marketing mix. This group recognizes the added value of YouTube. But what are their reasons? Their main goal is to generate brand awareness. This is followed by creating reach with YouTube. In concrete terms, this means more views, viewing time and subscribers. But increasing brand KPIs such as brand preference is also on the agenda. In fourth place comes the generation of traffic to the website through YouTube.

Achieve your most important marketing goal with a YouTube marketing agency

A dedicated YouTube marketing agency helps your brand to tap into a broad audience, engaging them with visually rich and relevant video content. A specialized YouTube agency can help you navigate this complex platform efficiently, ensuring that your marketing investment translates into measurable results. Click here to learn more about a YouTube marketing agency.

Born and raised on YouTube, we’ve developed a unique, data-driven approach to create effective videos. As the second-largest global search engine, tapping into YouTube’s full potential requires more than just uploading videos. A specialized YouTube agency can efficiently navigate this complex platform, ensuring your marketing investment translates into measurable results. Click here to learn more about a YouTube marketing agency.