Content marketing has been a hot topic in the local marketing media of late (see this article and this one too).
I recently presented on a related topic at The Internet Show in Melbourne.
My presentation looked at the use of YouTube by Australian brands – repeating the research that I started in 2010 (just prior to the launch of Encoder PR). The sample for the research was based on the Nielsen top advertisers study for the first half of 2011, working on the assumption that the brands that invest heavily in advertising may also be taking an interest in social video and content marketing.
I think the main take away is that there is plenty of room for improvement when it comes to the way that brands are using YouTube. A small number of Australian brands are using YouTube with real purpose (Coles, Telstra) but in the main there seems to be a lack of strategy and a dearth of good content made explicitly for YouTube.
I provided some commentary for a news story in Marketing Magazine yesterday:
General manager of Encoder PR, Daniel Young, says despite the audience being there, brand are yet to prioritise YouTube, possibly due to the shadow of Facebook and Twitter which are seen as being more user friendly and measurable for marketers.
“Internet users love online video but very few brands are using this channel to tell a coherent and entertaining brand story, share useful information or provide a service,” Young says. “Most marketers focus on Facebook for social media, because they can see the numbers, it provides lots of tools for targeting and customisation, and it’s measurable.
“Brands need to start thinking about their YouTube channel as exactly that [a destination in its own right], and employing some of the techniques that actual broadcasters use to build and maintain an audience, such as content cross promotion, teasers and trailers, and of course quality content.”
Young points to successful community video bloggers, Natalie Tran and Nate ‘Blunty’ Burr, who insert calls to action, whether it be subscribing to the channel or cross promotion of other videos, so that fans keep in touch with their content.
Australian Brands and YouTube: A Progress Report



