Already the world’s most popular video platform, YouTube is a prime advertising site for brands and businesses. However, the potential to generate higher revenue via YouTube content is increasing all the time and YouTube’s latest update is set to revolutionize digital advertising once again.
Now capable of automatically detecting the products featured in videos on the site, YouTube will provide product information and links as users view content. In addition, users will also have the chance to watch recommended videos, based on the products in the content they’re viewing.
Although this latest feature is still in an experimental stage, it has been rolled out to users in the U.S. and is expected to become available worldwide in the near future. As YouTube hones its technology and enhances the capabilities of its automated product detection feature, we can expect it to become standard before too long.
What’s the Future for Automated Product Detection?
For businesses and marketers, the impact of the latest update is limitless. Depending on how YouTube chooses to evolve, it’s quite possible that users will be able to make purchases directly from the platform, without leaving the site. This form of ‘shoppable posts’, already available on Instagram, is enhancing user experiences (UX) and enabling brands to shorten their sales funnels, thus leading to increased sales and engagement.
As well as releasing content directly, brands will also be able to utilize influencer marketing even more effectively once automated product detection is rolled out around the world. Influencer marketing has grown exponentially in a short space of time and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s currently the fastest growing channel for brands.
If the latest YouTube update has given you the incentive to expand your repertoire and launch your own channel, take a look at these essential skills every successful YouTuber needs:
1. Video Editing
If you’re going to produce great content and gain subscribers, you’ll need to have some decent video editing skills. While you don’t need to be a pro when it comes to editing, you’ll probably want to put a little practice in and ensure you can enhance your content.
Fortunately, there’s a range of great software out there that can help you to streamline the editing process. While some platforms are more complex than others, there’s a fair amount of entry-level video editing software that’s easy to use and ideal for beginners. Of course, if you’re a natural at creating content but not so great at editing, you could always outsource this element of your production to a professional.
2. Social Media
Being a successful YouTuber rarely means only being present on the video platform. Instead, you’ll need to maintain an active profile across a range of social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This ensures fans can follow and interact with you across a range of channels and can significantly increase your reach.
Before you launch your channel, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got the skills to run multiple social media accounts. Take a look at this blog post from Setapp on how to post a YouTube video on Instagram and see if it’s something you’d feel comfortable with. If so, there’s a good chance you’ve got the social media skills required to share your content across multiple platforms. To simplify the process, however, you can rely on Setapp to find you the apps you need. With access to a curated selection of apps designed to maximize your productivity, Setapp makes it easy to streamline your work as an influencer and increase your profitability.
3. Content Creation
Without original and engaging content, you’re going to struggle to make it as an influencer, so this really is an essential skill. From coming up with unique ideas that will entertain or inform your audience to honing your presenting skills and managing the lighting, there are a variety of aspects you’ll need to consider when it comes to content creation.
If you’re working with brands, they may have specific ideas or guidelines that they want you to incorporate as well. This means keeping their objectives in mind when you create tailormade content for your channel. Remember – there is endless competition amongst vloggers and influencers, so you’ll need be creative and have a range of innovative ideas if you want to get views and subscribers.
4. Data Analytics
In today’s market, data is a valuable commodity and, as an influencer, it’s going to be extremely important to you. By monitoring your channel analytics, you can determine how many views your videos are getting, where the traffic is coming from, what type of content is most popular amongst your users and a variety of other information.
As well as helping you to improve your content and build your channel, this data will also be a critical selling point when it comes to securing contracts with brands and businesses. After all, if a company is looking for an influencer with a significant reach amongst teens in the U.S. and your data proves you fit the bill, you’re far more likely to be awarded the contract.
If you don’t have much experience with analytics, it’s time to start getting some. Fortunately, Google and YouTube have a range of user-friendly tutorials that will help you get to grips with what data matters most and how to use it.
Can You Succeed on YouTube?
With more than a billion hours of video watched on YouTube every day, there’s no doubting just how popular the platform is. An estimated 500 videos a minute are uploaded to the site, which highlights just how much competition there is. For aspiring influencers, it’s not surprising that launching a new channel seems like a daunting premise.
However, this needn’t prevent you from achieving success on YouTube. Despite the high rate of competition you’ll face, the vast majority of uploaders don’t employ a content strategy, increase their reach using social media or review their analytics, which means you have the opportunity to outperform them and achieve YouTube success.
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