3 Ways to Improve Video Performance [Case Study]

Transcription

1 3 Ways to Improve Video Performance [Case Study] Video marketing is becoming increasingly essential for brands. When seeking to connect with audiences on social media, very few efforts compare to the impact of video. A YouTube channel is perhaps the most popular platform for consistently reaching customers through video; however, many brands struggle to get their channels to perform. Whether trying to increase subscribers or increase video views, gaining the audience and engagement that converts to bottom line revenue growth can seem out of reach. Along these lines, Ownage Pranks, a YouTube channel, partnered with Spyglass Digital, a digital marketing agency, and Zendeux Business Data Solutions to identify ways to improve channel engagement, increase ad revenue, and boost channel awareness among potential brand partners. Ownage Pranks has over 3 million subscribers. The audience is predominantly male between the ages of Fans are largely based in the United States, but with sizeable audiences also in Canada, the U.K. and Australia. Ownage Pranks had seen strong growth and fan loyalty but was seeking to increase growth in two areas: 1. Viewership 2. Ad and sponsorship revenue In order to understand the best ways to increase channel performance, several years worth of data from the channel was processed and changes in channel management were isolated to identify what caused the strong growth among viewership and how to build on it. Evaluate Video Performance and Growth Areas For brands to see strong viewership and subscriber growth on their channels, they need to undergo three primary steps related to understanding their audience: Review Data: After downloading data from YouTube s API, Zendeux and Spyglass Digital were able to evaluate views/likes/subscriber growth over time. They noticed a sharp increase in likes and views around Q3 of Through discussion with the YouTube channel managers they confirmed that a channel collaboration had been established during this time leading to the growth. As the partnership came to a close, the growth leveled off.

2 Understand your audience: By analyzing the geographical distribution of your channel, you can focus in on your most engaged audiences. In looking at the demographic data of Ownage Pranks, it was discovered that there was an even stronger viewership among males than previously recognized. This was a much higher percentage than previously believed. Age groups fell in the ranges of 18-24, and

3 Break down your content: Ownage Pranks had produced a wide range of video lengths. Through analysis they determined optimum video length appeared to be about five minutes as most viewers watched videos for about that length of time. Brands should look at length of video views on their channels, compared to the length of their average videos, and see whether they are doing more or less work than is necessary for their audience.

4 When evaluating video views based on content for this study, it was revealed that animated videos and videos with restaurant themes performed best. Ownage Pranks had recently begun to animate videos, which proved to be a decisive element in engaging audiences. Brands should isolate any changes in their own video content management to see what themes their audiences are responding to. Consider Productivity (and Ad Revenue as it Applies) Not all brands are looking to generate ad revenue from videos, but all brands should seek to understand revenue generated from videos in some form, whether through lead generation, product sales, or otherwise. Through conducting this study Ownage Pranks learned more about their most successful revenue generating activities and how to build on their successes.

5 While in most markets there was a reasonable association between playback-based gross revenue and views, in Canada, there was a discrepancy. This raised the possibility that more revenue might be generated in the Canadian market. Solutions could include more brand partnerships and channel collaborations among other things. Three Action Items for Your Brand

6 While this case study reflects analysis of Ownage Pranks YouTube channel, there are many takeaways for brands seeking to increase their own viewership and ad revenue. First, evaluate the data that's available to you. Look at the optimum video length, the geography of your viewers, and the content most interesting to them. A better understanding of these factors will allow you to tailor content more specifically for your audience. Second, implement tests to evaluate your findings. If you identify that your videos are consistently watched for a certain number of minutes, try producing videos of that length with a call to action at the end and track the change in performance. For example, if you typically have five-minute videos, but most viewers watch for three minutes, try videos of three minutes as a test to see whether they are watched completely. Then gauge the performance of calls to action at the end of these test videos. Third, don t overlook growth amongst your existing audience. Before seeking to expand into a new market requiring new content themes and strategy, evaluate whether you can expand amongst your current audience. Doing so will be more efficient, increasing your return on investment. For example, as a result of this study, Ownage Pranks identified it would be efficient to explore more ways to increase revenue among existing audiences in Canada. By completing this analysis and implementing tests to determine the most effective changes for video efforts, whether on YouTube or some other video distribution platform, brands can increase their audience, engagement, revenue and brand awareness. Ownage Pranks is a comedy channel with over 3 Million subscribers with Million views a month, and totaling over 400 Million views since its inception. The channel is ranked among the top 50 comedy channels on YouTube worldwide, hosting the world s best prank calls, with all 250+ videos being performed by one voice actor/comedian - Russell Johnson. Ownage Pranks prides itself in consistently delivering value to its viewers, meanwhile partnering with brands by creating custom comedic content that effectively push and promote the brand's mission. For more information or to discuss brand partnerships please contact them at contact@ownagepranks.com. Spyglass Digital is a full service digital marketing agency helping promote businesses online. They specialize in telling compelling brand stories that create ambassadors and customer loyalty. Particular expertise includes content marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, video marketing, search engine optimization and paid search advertising. For more information contact hello@spyglassdigital.com. Zendeux Business Data Solutions is a full suite data science consulting company specializing in Big Data Analytics, Document Data Management, Data Integration, and Data Quality. They help businesses discover hidden insights from their existing data assets. Zendeux provides solutions for organizations that optimizes their data management practices to increase profitability, lower operational costs, and reduce risks.