YouTube is quickly becoming an effective multimedia social website for businesses to better leverage and monetize the limitless opportunities available for advertising. An infographic put together by FanBridge perfectly illustrates the viral power of the video marketing giant YouTube within the social media landscape, and how marketing professionals can capitalize on the advertising options available to develop effective cross-channel promotional activities.

A significant finding within the study was that 86% of respondents reported that they upload at most three videos on a weekly basis. In most cases, channel owners emphasized on the importance of producing quality videos rather than pushing out as much content as possible. Creating an impact online relies upon ingenuity and creativity; however, the message needs to be clear enough to elicit the proper actions from your audience. A video with great aesthetics, but an unclear message, will not translate into increase brand awareness or sales. On the other hand, a funny video that gets the message across succinctly and captures the interest of viewers can be extremely effective.

Cross-promotional advertising has also become easier to implement with the power of YouTube. A significant finding from the research was that 85% of channel owners use Facebook to promote their video content, whereas 70% use Twitter to do the same. This just exhibits the growing power of social media and reinforces the idea that websites like Facebook and Twitter are beneficial for sharing content on external sites and capturing new audiences.

This research also unearthed the three most powerful reasons why marketing professionals use YouTube for their marketing activities:

1. To grow an audience: YouTube can be the perfect starting point for new businesses, which is perfectly illustrated by the Dollar Shave Club for Men.
2. To engage their audience: interesting video content will help retain fans and help grow a brand’s community.
3. To monetize the site: everything in marketing comes down to whether or not a program will be profitable. YouTube provides an excellent opportunity for advertisers and brands alike to make money.

YouTube is quickly becoming a key component in any online marketing strategy involving social media. For more information on how the opportunities YouTube provides, check out the infographic below.

Infographic Credit: FanBridge