There is a significant difference between measuring YouTube influencer marketing and Instagram influencer marketing, which is primarily due to the fact that YouTube videos require viewers to stay longer on one piece of content, but also because, unlike Instagram, the content will continue to gather views indefinitely.

For far too long, YouTube influencer marketing has been measured incorrectly — or, at the very least, insufficiently; it is typically measured as a digital channel, with only direct link clicks (vanity URL, bit.ly, or promo code) being measurable. As a result, even the most powerful brand measurement teams are unable to track many user actions.

Viewer behavior when watching YouTube videos is similar to that of TV viewers. YouTube influencer marketing campaigns, however, cannot be measured using spot attribution methods commonly used in TV measurement because YouTube views are not concurrent. Simply put, the effectiveness of YouTube influencer marketing is not properly measured because it is not properly understood.

Identifying YouTube Influencers

Because YouTube is owned by Google, finding influencers is as simple as searching for keywords related to your brand. You can then see which influencers create content on that topic. Before you launch a YouTube campaign, look for influencers whose audience is similar to your ideal customers.

If your company is more established, you may be able to search your brand’s name to see if anyone has previously reviewed your products. You can also look at your frequent commenters for brands with active channels of their own. Check to see if any influencers are participating in the conversation on your videos.

You’ll also want to look at the types of content that these influencers produce. When you’ve found an influencer you like, watch a variety of their recent videos. Check to see if they mention other brands, provide product reviews, or create content that includes product mentions. That way, when you reach out to them, you’ll know what to propose for collaboration.

If you want to contact an influencer, their email address is usually listed on their channel’s About page. If they’re big YouTubers, the email address might be to a marketing agency or manager, but it’s a good place to start pitching your brand.

Why should I think about YouTube as a platform for my influencer marketing campaign?

YouTube is well-known in the industry, but it is vastly underappreciated. The industry is flooded with information about Instagram influencer marketing. Many marketers interpret this as a sign that they should focus their influencer budget solely on Instagram, despite the fact that the platform is nearly three times as saturated with influencers (830,000+ influencer accounts) as YouTube (347,000+ influencer accounts).

Brands must communicate their campaign objectives to influencers in a clear and concise manner. The objectives will have an effect on every video created as part of the collaboration.

The influencers you choose are heavily influenced by your goals. Choose the influencers who will best help you achieve your goals, rather than the accounts with the most followers.

The time investment is one of the reasons I believe there are fewer influencers on YouTube than on Instagram. A 14-minute video with creative, unique storytelling that audiences can watch from beginning to end like a show is much more difficult to create than a static image or a 60-second video muddied by algorithms.

YouTube can be a great platform for brands that want to tell longer-form stories creatively to specific niches of followers.

Read more: Most Common Errors When Marketing Errors Online and How To Solve It?

Final thought

Influencers are intimately connected to and aware of coveted audiences. Their true power stems from their audiences’ perceptions of them as trustworthy and relatable. As a result, it has the potential to be a highly effective tool in any marketer’s toolbox.

Influencer marketing on YouTube can be extremely effective. Not only have influencers grown in importance, but there has also been an increase in the use of video on the internet. It is much easier to watch video online now that the majority of people have powerful devices and internet connections. Given all of this, it makes a lot of sense for marketers to use YouTube influencer marketing because it allows them to reach one of the largest online audiences through hosts that viewers actually trust.