The Meteoric Rise of Content Creators on Video & Live Streaming Platforms
Video consumption is on the rise, and the pandemic has changed the way we create and consume content. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch are growing at a meteoric rate and are creating opportunities for content creators to make a living out of sharing videos with their highly engaged followers. Video views by these audiences drive purchases, and brands want a piece of the pie. Whether you’re a content creator or a brand interested in how video and live streaming platforms can become a part of your strategy, this article is for you.
Video Content Is King
Businesses are increasingly using video as a marketing tool. According to HubSpot, 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 61% in 2016. Additionally, 87% of marketers reported that video resulted in a positive return on investment. The most engaging content comes in many forms including short, funny, informative, educational, entertaining, while capitalizing on trending topics. Content creators are publishing unique content within their niche, allowing brands to leverage highly engaged and segmented audiences, thanks to the virality and hard work of content creators. This trend has completely disrupted what success looks like--creators are taking market share from traditional media publishers, creating freedom, producing passive income from video views, and maximizing fame.
Created in 2005, YouTube is the original home of viral videos. Fast forward to March of 2020 and YouTube has reached more adults ages 18-49 in the U.S. than all linear TV networks combined. This can be attributed to consumers increasingly cutting the cord on cable television. Not only are people watching a lot of content on YouTube, but they’re using it to make more informed purchases. A solid 68% of YouTube users turned to the platform to help them make a buying decision. A majority of the time, content creators are producing videos about product reviews. This authentic style is often found to be trustworthy by viewers, ultimately driving purchases from the brands the content creators are reviewing. In many instances, content creators maximize their income potential by monetizing their videos with ads, or even sharing a discount link to the product or service to earn commission from brands when viewers purchase via the link shared in the YouTube video.
Live Streaming: Twitch On the Rise
If you haven’t yet heard of Twitch, we’ll sum it up for you. Twitch is increasingly becoming more mainstream. Essentially, it’s a live streaming platform for gamers, content creators, and more. Viewers have the option to subscribe to creators on a monthly basis to support them, interact with streamers via a chat box, or even give monetary donations through paypal. In May of 2021 alone, there were over 2.3 billion hours of video viewed on Twitch.
BustaRhein is a Whole Brain Digital client who’s seen recent success on Twitch. A full time gamer and content creator based out of Belleville, Illinois, he streams games daily and plays with viewers, taking on both serious and casual games. By being his authentic self, he creates community with his viewers and followers. With strategy help from Whole Brain Digital, he has grown on TikTok, ultimately leading to more viewers on Twitch.
Short Attention Spans = Rise of Short Form Video
Short-form videos are particularly engaging because humans have short attention spans.
TikTok is indisputably where trends are created and thrive. Social media megastars like Charli D’Amelio --with an impressive 120 million followers and 9.7 billion likes -- are blossoming on this platform. Brands are paying attention and are following suit. Take VaynerMedia London, for example. They produced more than 650 pieces of content to help secure brand awareness for Euro 2020 this year. This reactive and quick turnaround of content creation by award-winning agency, VaynerMedia London, helped the Euro 2020 gain international attention and create engaged fans via TikTok.
Our client Alexandra Kay is redefining success on TikTok. As an independent country music artist, she has made a routine out of posting short videos of her singing country music covers while preparing her morning coffee. Her unique sound paired with her consistent engagement with fans and followers have driven her to massive success. She has created multiple sponsored posts integrated natively with her content. Reborn Coffee recently partnered with her, generating over 6.4 million views for Reborn across multiple videos. This is a classic example of how small brands can leverage creators and their audiences to maximize brand awareness and even sales.
@alexandrakaymusic If this doesn’t get ya goin this mornin idk what will! ☀️ ☕️
♬ original sound - Alexandra Kay
BustaRhein went from zero to 29.3K followers and 900,000+ likes on TikTok by consulting with us. In his industry, keyboard, mouse, and other gaming equipment companies are leveraging micro-influencers to drive brand awareness in gaming communities.
Brands interested in working with streamers like BustaRhien can compensate the creators in a variety of ways. The first is by offering the content creator free gear or product in exchange for a video review of their product. The second way brands can compensate content creators is offering them a set price per post that includes their brand message or product. The third way is based on performance, like establishing a CPM (cost-per-thousand views) compensation scale. This method of compensation allows brands not to overpay, while also giving content creators a way to maximize their revenue earning potential.
@bustarhein Pt 1 gulag warzone glitch ##warzone ##warzoneclips ##foryou ##fyp ##viral
♬ original sound - BustaRhein
Short Form Video Rivals to Keep an Eye On
YouTube Shorts is a feature that rivals TikTok. YouTube has poured a lot of money into opportunities for creators to generate content. Whole Brain Digital client BustaRhein posted shorts on YouTube for one month and grew his subscribers from 40 to 200. Across his channel, he collectively has over 612K views and 2,800 hours watched sharing tips, tricks, funny content for games like Call of Duty Warzone & Fortnite.
Another TikTok competitor is Instagram Reels. Some content creators will repurpose their TikTok videos for Reels, which helps them to reach even more followers across platforms. These short pieces of content are perfect for reaching potential followers in the Explore feature of Instagram and can lead to account growth when done correctly.
Video Strategy for your Business or Brand
If you’ve made it this far we’d love to hear from you. Let’s connect for a brainstorm session and see how we can integrate video into your marketing strategy. Contact us here!