YouTube has launched a free training guide to help brands and agencies to build an effective video content strategy. The new Brand Partner Program Certification features an online curriculum that aims to provide users with the tools and skill set they need to engage with audiences and broaden their reach using the online platform.
YouTube says that it has used data collected from its Brand Partner Program during the last three years as a foundation for the new initiative, which will feature easy-to-grasp lessons and tips for optimising campaigns and partnering with content creators. The content and distribution guide will be available for users across the globe in 22 different languages.
Many popular creators on YouTube have already provided best practices and shared their life experiences as a means to showing what bespoke clips may resonate better with target audiences. These creators include Flavia Calina, MysteryGuitarMan, Hannah Hart, Veritasium and My Cupcake Addiction. Global media agency MEC has already started using the program and has enrolled almost 200 of its employees.
“We have data to identify precisely what consumer behaviour needs to change along the purchase journey and create content that’s specifically designed to make that change happen,” Global Chief Operational Officer of MEC and Global Head of Wavemaker Alastair Aird said. He added: “Equipping our people with the necessary knowledge to design the most effective video content is key to our service to clients.”
Kelly Merryman, YouTube”s Vice President of Content Partnerships, said that the growing consumption of videos among millennials now provides marketers with lucrative opportunities to reach more people on the video-sharing site. She added that more than a third of millennials now watch clips for four hours on average every time they visit YouTube.
She concluded: “Viewers don’t care if it’s from a brand or a creator – in fact, many of our top trending videos every year are from brands.” YouTube claimed earlier this that it now reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds than any TV network in the US. It also recently launched a new product called YouTube Director to make it easier for brands to create engaging and memorable ads.
