3 Types of Users You Should Be Marketing To On YouTube

The YouTube realm has a lot to offer to advertisers both experienced and new alike. The space has provided a landscape for testing and integration of different strategies unlike any other platform. With the robust targeting capabilities similar to both Facebook and Google Ads combined, YouTube has proved to be a beast of its own – and an interesting one at that.

Think of the classic tiered traffic approach. Cold traffic users are not familiar with your brand and/or have not been to your website. Warm traffic users are those who are being retargeted. Finally, hot traffic users who have purchased from your brand before. This approach typically works quite well but YouTube offers a whole 3rd dimension to this; intent.

There are three types of users on YouTube at any given point in time. And guess what…

We all fall into one of these categories when we visit the video behemoth.

Every. Single. Time.

Related: Keys to SEO Optimization of you YouTube Videos & Channel

There are Spectators; users simply watching what they are interested in for entertainment who are not set out to buy anything just quite yet. These people may just be watching a recap of their favorite team, a clip from a TED Talk or keynote speech, or maybe some random content deep in the rabbit hole that is YouTube. These users need to be treated in a very different way than the other types of users are treated; both in terms of content and targeting. This is where you should focus on capturing their attention with relevant content. The goal is to keep prospects with value and sift out the “non-believers” before that 30 second mark on your ad to avoid waste coverage. Utilize “pattern-interrupt” tactics to stop them in their tracks and pull them in.

Then there are Info-Seekers; users who are on seeking some kind of information. They may be consuming content related to how-to’s, informationals, guides, and any other informational content that solves some kind of problem or answers some kind of question. These users are here to learn something new. An effective tactic is to utilize clear and concise video that offers the viewer some kind of value. Reel the user in with something relevant to what they are searching for. Imagine serving an ad for a free SEO Strategy Checklist on a how-to video called “SEO for Beginners”. Your call to action should focus on the next logical steps and entice the user to seek more information from you.

Finally there are the Shoppers; users towards the end of the decision-making process who may be consuming content to help them make a buying decision. These users are watching reviews, comparisons, demos, unboxings and other videos of that nature. Place emphasis on action for these users. Utilize shorter video content that closes the deal with a strong call to action that makes you stand out. It is important to be your best self wherever you advertise; but even more important here.

Be sure to take the user intent on YouTube into account at all stages of the funnel and integrate that into your targeting strategy for a bulletproof plan of attack. It’s a land grab for advertising space right now and the CPMs on YouTube are arguably healthier than the majority of platforms going into Q4. If your brand hasn’t incorporated video marketing into your overall marketing strategy, now is a better time than ever to do so.