The rise of the ‘How To’ Video on YouTube

Why has Video Become So Popular?

‘How to’ videos are extremely useful when you are trying to find something that is uniquely helpful or entertaining. The masses are now getting the hang of video production more and more as video tech is more accessible and distribution made easier. The increasing relevance of video is also linked to the powerful search engine behind YouTube, the second largest search engine in the World. It’s no surprise that YouTube is also owned by Google, the world’s largest search engine and now the most valued brand above Apple.

(Read this article for more info on Google overtaking Apple to become the most valuable brand in 2014. WPP Article )

Choosing what type of video to make?

Excited by the opportunities the new video revolution offers us, the choices can be overwhelming as to what to make a video of. What type of video is worth doing? Who would watch it? What’s the purpose of the video that you’d make? Would this reflect well on the brand? What if the video doesn’t fit with the main staple of content, how do you segment this? These are very difficult questions if you don’t have the experience or foresight as to what would work well. As a staring point, if stuck for ideas, you should think about what you know best and how this could benefit the individual on the other end. In terms of production values, this can be done at a high end, mid end or with minimal production values. It’s up to you and what your brand represents that will determine your approach to the production quality of your videos.

In terms of subject matter, essentially, helping others through video is inherently good, interesting and searchable. One of the most popular types of videos on YouTube are ‘How To’ videos. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense as the search engine behind YouTube, similar to Google’s search algorithms, enables you to find practically anything you want. Almost limitless based on your needs. Whereas in the past, we’d just throw away a bit of broken kit or have to ask a friend, or start all over again, we now use YouTube to find out ‘How To’ do something, something important to us at that moment in time. Which is awesome, amazing and makes me feel warm that we can now have this global connection and can help each other out in this way and pass on knowledge in this way, within an ecosystem of content which is also monetised.

What kinds of ‘How to’ videos do people make?

The need for information as to ‘how to…something’ spans from the high brow thought leadership of Ted Talks and Photoshop tutorials by renowned graphic artists, through to how to fix a HP printer. YouTube is used for a wide range of subjects and how to seems to be in all of them. When curiosity strikes and common sense doesn’t have the answer you can bet your bottom dollar someone else has made a short video about it. Through its smart advice, YouTube has become as a trusted friend. Informing you of what to do for example, when your iphone4 runs slow after upgrading to IOS7. Or your printer breaks down, or if you want to know ‘how to learn a language in 6 months’. When this kind of random curiosity strikes, YouTube unrelentingly provides the answers.

What should brand owners be doing with YouTube?

Smart brand owners, managers and marketers are also using YouTube as a platform for their advocates to show how it is done. For example how best to use your kit, wether it be a digital camera, samsung wearable tech or a quadcopter, we have so much to show. For top brands it is an important opportunity to show ‘How To’ do amazing things with their products and services, which the average customer may have never dreamed of. From a brand perspective the opportunities are endless, but it is the brand managers and marketers that understand that quality, not just quantity is required to make YouTube work in your favour. It is important to serve interests and needs.

The trend for the ‘How To’ Video is forecast to increase in 2015.

The trend of the ‘How To Video’ is shown below, in the Google trends timeline, which shows the increase in search volume for How To Videos on Google, with a forecasted increase within sight for 2015.

The increase in popularity in these videos presents and opportunity for you and your brand. Please get in touch with us at Brands on Digital, to discuss how we can help you make tap into the power of Video and YouTube.

Key takeaways:

Use YouTube but also use other SEO friendly players for Video on your website.

Have a YouTube strategy that takes into account what is really useful for your audience. On a practical level.

Consider your brand in the context of the ‘How To’ video. What would your brands ‘how to’ look like in comparison to your competitors or a lesser brand? What could you do to raise the bar?

Research what has gained many views on YouTube and see where you could add value. Or which trends you could benefit from.

Think about the right people in your team to get involved and the level of production quality needed to match your brands positioning. Plan your production in stages.