With so many trends and social strategies shared at the convention this year, we've been heads down chatting with our clients about implementations and future strategies. Here are the most popular topics discussed at this year's VidCon in Anaheim. Enjoy!
Main Takeaways:
- Brands should be leaning into a strategy that takes their various fandoms into account. More views and watchtime are collectively gained from explainer and reaction videos than from the original source of content. The most recent YouTube Trends Report dives deeper into this information.
- Long-form content (20+ minutes) is a crucial component for a channel’s algorithmic success. With CTV viewing on the rise, the platform is favouring content with high watch times. Leaning into Livestreams and serialised content is a great way to start increasing watch time on your channel.
- Influencer strategies should really be considered when trying to make a lasting impact in the social space. There has been a rise in brand/influencer collaborations in the past year, with a major takeaway from brands being that in order to appeal to a demo between the ages of 12-34 years old, an influencer strategy is essential.
- Get your Rights Management policy set in place from the start. UGC content is free organic distribution, but it's important to have your Rights Management policy set up at the same time as your channel. You can't retroactively monetise from UGC views.
- Don't sleep on FAST channels. Brands and creators are seeing great lucrative success with putting their content on FAST channels.
- Content format variety drives channel health: We have been to many VidCons but this one really drove home how solidified a varied content format strategy is foundational for sustained channel success for brands and creators alike.
- Being first is super important! Quickly jumping onto trends and doing reaction videos to timely events is crucial. By waiting one week, or not having urgency, you will lose your window for growth.
- Community management is still top. Companies spent millions on focus groups before the rise of the internet. The honest perspective of your audience is invaluable and now we have comment threads packed with it. Need a content idea? Read the comments. You have a wealth of information there that needs to be utilised for channel success.
- Diversify Your Platform Portfolio. Always plan for multi-distribution of your content. Don’t put all of your chips in one basket or plan your revenue to collect in only one place or one platform.
- Videos where people can shop have higher watch time. If a channel has products associated with it, utilising the shopping feature on YouTube is a great way to help channels increase their watch time.
- YouTube is investing a lot in dubbing discoverability. With YouTube investing more into dubbing discoverability, this means it’s a great opportunity for more channels to test the MLA tool. We know channels that jump on new YouTube features first are typically rewarded. Starting by uploading subtitles in multiple languages is a good way to help track demand in different languages.
- Women 💗 YouTube still primarily skews male and women don’t really feel like it’s a place for them. YouTube folks are trying to find ways to change this. They said, “We’re talking to women.” Think about ways to cater towards women and female-centric narratives, especially if channels already skew female.
