YouTube Influencer Marketing Guide [2023]

Ahana Machaiah
Influencer marketing platform
Product Marketing Manager - Qoruz

Over the past decade, YouTube has become one of the most popular platforms for content creators. YouTube influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach a wider audience.  

And with it come opportunities for collaborative marketing. The boom of the influencer marketing industry in recent years has made it clear that consumer trust lies significantly in the opinions of people they admire or follow. 

And YouTube is home to the creme de la creme of content creators with massive, loyal audiences.

For example here are a few top subscribed YouTube Channels in India:

  • T-Series – 224 million subscribers
  • Sony Entertainment India– 141 million subscribers
  • Zee Music – 87.3 million subscribers 

A unique influencer platform, YouTube is home to a massive, active user base. It is the second-largest search engine for users, searches, and time spent on the site.

Today, the content creator landscape is primed for powerful YouTube influencer marketing partnerships that can propel brands to new levels of success.

Let’s take a deeper look at YouTube Influencer marketing, how it works, metrics involved, and its benefits. 

Why Prefer YouTube Influencer Marketing?

YouTube is a major video-viewing platform with over 2.6 million active monthly users.

And because of this highly-active user base, some YouTube influencers are as famous as traditional celebrities.

The main difference is that these creators have an extremely loyal and engaged audience with whom they nurture a strong, intimate connection.

On YouTube, content creators can publish long, detailed videos. So you know these audiences are highly-engaged and invested in these vloggers.

YouTube influence marketers can create quick, high-value actions with unique links to your website, encouraging their fans to purchase your product or service.

The potential is enormous.

How Does YouTube Influencer Marketing Work?

Influencer Marketing on YouTube is perfect for direct acquisitions. Brands can sponsor specific YouTuber videos in which the creator will speak about your brand or product for a specified duration (up to 1 minute, depending on video length).

YouTube is like other influencer marketing websites in one significant aspect:

The creator’s audience expects authenticity. 

YouTubers are careful about their image and will mostly collaborate with brands only if it aligns with their content topic or if it’s a product or brand they truly believe is a more important aspect of YouTube influencer marketing.

For example:

A YouTuber who makes cooking content will usually promote brands and products that are at least somewhat related, such as organic produce, beverages, kitchen accessories, appliances, etc.

Alternatively, they can also promote brands that they trust themselves

For example: 

A gaming YouTuber can promote an edtech service or ethical fashion brands if they feel strongly about their work.  

YouTubers value their creative integrity. This is why they try to integrate any promotions into their content. Try to dictate their creative output too much, and they will happily decline your collaboration offer.

This is how YouTube influencer marketing works! 

You’re usually in safe hands if you partner with a popular influencer who makes good content. Just give them your product guidelines and let them do what they do best. 

Most of your work should go into picking a quality influencer. They’re easy enough to find if you know what you’re looking for.

Key YouTube Influencer Benchmarks

Before you start searching, you must first identify what you wish to achieve from your Influencer marketing campaign. Once you are clear with your goals, you can begin searching for influencers who are a perfect fit for your brand and objectives.

Specific criteria must be considered when choosing a YouTube influencer marketing collaboration.

Influencer Content

As mentioned, working with creators whose content makes sense with what your brand is offering is best. It will resonate with their audience more strongly.

Occasionally, an influencer will promote brands that have nothing to do with their content, but that’s usually when they are users or fans of the brand.

Be proactive and get in touch with popular influencers even if their content has nothing to do with your brand.

They might even accept if they find your offer interesting enough.

Location

If your brand operates in a certain location only, it’s best to work with influencers who live in the same location as your target audience.

Does it make sense for an Indian fashion brand to sell to a Brazilian audience? 

Probably not. 

This is especially true if your offering is location-based, such as local restaurants, stores, etc.

Influencer Location Is the Important Thing When Considering YouTube Influencer Marketing.

Of course, exceptions exist. 

Such as brands that wish to expand their target market. Whatever you decide, conduct thorough research and make decisions that work for your goals.

Audience Demographics

Any successful marketing project gives careful consideration to this. The people you want to sell to should be first on your checklist. Analyze audience insights for your preferred YouTubers. 

See if their audience demographics align with your target audience.

You can directly request YouTubers for their audience breakdown, or you can use the help of listening tools on influencer marketing platforms.

Metrics

Three main metrics should be considered when evaluating influencers as potential marketing partners: Total Views, Comments, and Number of Subscribers for better YouTube influencer marketing.

Views simply reflect the popularity and quality of their content.

Comments Sentiment shows audience loyalty and perception towards the content or creator.

The Number of Subscribers can help you gauge the influencer’s reach and see how much awareness you can generate for your brand.

All the above benchmarks, and more, can be easily observed through influencer marketing platforms like Qoruz. Make sure the platform you choose provides updated, accurate analytics so you can get the most out of your campaigns.

This brings us to the next step after choosing the right influencer; planning a YouTube influencer marketing campaign.

Planning An Effective Campaign

Influencer marketing campaigns on YouTube can be extremely lucrative when done properly. As mentioned, YouTube audiences are highly engaged and follow their favorite YouTubers devoutly.

Furthermore, affiliate marketing tactics can turn YouTube influencers into direct sales channels. Unique links and promo codes will help YouTubers offer special benefits to their audience while fast-tracking conversions for your brand.

However, a well-structured plan with clear goals is essential to unlocking the full potential of YouTube influencer marketing campaigns.

Balance Budgeting And Compensation

Remember that popular YouTubers will make quite a dent in your budget. So, it’s wise to evaluate your choices carefully. 

YouTube is now a premium marketing channel, so be ready to spend good money.

But don’t worry. The returns will be worth it.

Make sure you provide all information to the influencer. Compensate them for what they deserve to get the best output. 

It isn’t necessary to only pay with cash. Throw in goodies and freebies into the deal while negotiating. Find a deal that works best for both of you.

Being generous helps in forming long-term relationships with influencers. But being generous doesn’t mean breaking a leg when it comes to influencer cost. 

Influencer marketing software like Qoruz gives you access to the actual and estimated costs of the influencers to help you plan your YouTube Influencer Marketing campaign more astutely.

Prioritize Content Relevance

If you choose a YouTuber just based on subscribers, you need to rethink your strategy. You need to analyze whether they have real followers or not. The best way to do so is to check their engagement rate. 

Here, we help you to find out the engagement rate of influencers for your YouTube Influencer Marketing. 

An influencer may have a huge follower base, but if the engagement is low, they may not be the right choice for your influencer campaign.

An influencer who has a real connection with their followers virtually guarantees authentic, high-quality content.

Engage And Promote

Don’t take your eye off the ball once the influencers publish the video. Many of the viewers may be your future customers. 

  • Don’t miss out on the chance to talk about your product.
  • Try answering as many questions as possible. 
  • Join the conversation in the comment section. 
  • Share the video on your social handles and shout out to the influencer.

Some may buy your offering immediately, and others might take some time but will always remember you for making extra efforts to win your YouTube Influencer Marketing campaign. 

The more you engage, the greater your chances of planting yourself in the minds of your consumers. 

To Conclude

YouTube influencer marketing is a powerful marketing channel and growing in popularity at a phenomenal pace. Hopefully, this guide has answered your doubts regarding YouTube influencer marketing. 

Starting a campaign is simple. You can contact a popular YouTuber or use comprehensive influencer marketing platforms such as Qoruz. The latter method gives you access to many analytics, easy search mechanisms, and verified influencers.

However you choose to proceed, make sure you use all the learnings in this guide to launch a supercharged influencer marketing campaign that launches your brand to new heights.

Leave a Reply