6 Keys to Success of YouTube Stars

Last May, I surprisingly found that YouTube, a world based on searching, sharing, and a bit of serendipity, has just been turning five years old. Since this online video-sharing site has a significant impact on the social networking and online entertainment, it makes me feel like its existence has been through decades. However, what I want to mention here today is the "people", who definitely contribute a lot to the success of YouTube, not the site itself.

If you keep following my blog, the recent article is right about shining stars on YouTube, who may believe this site is a miracle for them to fame and richness. YouTube did change someone’s lives, from being the online celebrities to landing roles on TV shows as well as becoming “household” names. However, these people weren’t accidentally successful. They do work hard and are passion about what they do. This is the number one secret to their online video success. What else’s?

1. Targeted

As you may realise not many famous YouTubers try to target mass audience. With the demographic of YouTube being predominantly 18-34 years old, most famous Youtube stars are among this age and their video are mostly targeting this group. It seems more difficult to find a favourite channel on YouTube when you are over 40. Then the common pattern easily found here is targetting the right audience with the right content. 

2. Interesting Content

Most of moneymakers on YouTube produce video blogs, comedy skits and parodies, inserting their humour and creativity on daily activities or interesting topics. It seems that the fastest way to impress the audience is making them laugh and feel entertaining.

3. Personality

Most YouTube stars try to embed their personality, character and personal view in their videos. Sometime you cannot bear the fact that how that sucking video got million views. It simply did, as it is simple, even nonsense but might be real and entertaining to the targetted audience, who may find themselves somewhere in there.

4. Edit well

Editting is important to make a video neat and interesting. Most of YouTube stars spend hours for editting. It requires software knowledge, content planning, filming and editting skills, creativity and definitely, hardworking.

5. Promote everywhere

An interesting video will somehow attract the audience attention. But the best way to increase the viewership in a fast pace is to promote your video elsewhere online. Nowadays, thanks to the booming of social media, people can find you not only on YouTube but also Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Digg, blogs, discussion forum, search engines, and so on. All of the YouTube stars now have their “fan” pages and profiles on other networks. It helps to spread their videos to audience in multiple rates.

6. Keep loyal viewers

Hot video-sharers do have their loyal “fans”, who are keep following their channels and spreading their videos to the others. In one or another way, most of YouTube celebs try to engage more audience but at the same time, keep interacting with their current fans. They respond to their loyal viewers, keep them updating with their schedule and sometimes also organise “offline”activities. 

It is undeniable that YouTube stars have developed their online content and impact audience by their very own way but somehow, they are sharing commons on their way to success. Once again, I want to emphasize “passion”, the greatest key, which I believe do exist in all of these online celebs. Let's wish them well and keep the fire burning in their hearts!

Foursquare, Places, Gowalla… Geo-marketing: Are you there yet?

For years, we’ve been hearing the business and real estate mantra: ”Location, location, location”.

For marketers this is truer today than it has ever been, but not for the reasons you might think. Geo-marketing through platforms like Foursquare and Facebook Places is the next trend in super-targeting for marketers.

By identifying where customers and/or prospects are during the day, marketers can get a better idea of consumer interests and patterns that will give them a competitive advantage in the battle to increase customer loyalty.

I have recently been studying geo-marketing more and more as Goodwill of Greater Washington considers whether it would enhance our present marketing strategy.  DC Goodwill is already developing another Goodwill first: an iPhone web app designed to allow donors to locate the nearest Goodwill retail store, donation center or donation bin through geo-coding, while also allowing the user to more easily communicate with us via our blogs and social media sites. The more value we can provide to our shoppers and the more convenient we can make the donation process, the more likely we are to build customer and donor loyalty.  Geo-marketing might allow us to take this a step further.

Imagine the loyalty programs that can be created if we begin incentivizing donors for giving their used goods to Goodwill (and checking in when they do so) versus another charitable agency; or provide them with incentives for every 10 visits to our retail stores. How about cross promotional opportunities with partners to incentivize visits to each partner’s locations?

Certainly these types of promotional and customer loyalty programs are available now through more traditional means, but geo-marketing significantly reduces the cost of execution and management, while also allowing us to track the geographic and shopping habits of our customers.

Don’t get me wrong, while I view this burgeoning trend favorably, it does have its challenges. First of all, one doesn’t actually need to be in the location at the time they are checking in. They only need to be nearby. Second this is one way communication, so I wouldn't eliminate other forms of social media and/or market research in favor of geo-marketing exclusively.

Much like the web, this too will require some experimentation before a solid and measurable strategy evolves. However, it is still another means of engaging consumers and converting them into loyal customers and advocates, which in and of itself provides a tangible benefit to any business on the leading edge.