This infographic came out detailing the most popular video categories on YouTube. The top-runners came as a surprise, to say the least. As far as views and shares go, we were pretty darn sure funny animal videos would take first place by storm.
Our guess couldn’t have been further off.
Here are five of the most popular video categories on YouTube off that list, and how you can incorporate them into your video marketing strategy. After all, the secret to successful marketing is to follow the trends.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Although many consider YouTube to be primarily catered to the entertainment/comedy/slice-of-life sector, product review videos land the top spot as far as views and activity go. Product review videos are basically authorities, experts, or influential YouTube personalities giving their honest feedback on a particular product.
Brand Building: Big-name makeup brands like Urban Decay have started sending out samples of their palettes and products to makeup artists and beauty gurus to review before the actual release date – like this video here. If there’s budget for it, try searching for the more influential Youtubers in your category and consider sending them some stuff to try out.
HOW-TO
The next most-searched and most-viewed type of videos are the How-To’s. The name pretty much explains it all, but How-To videos show people how to use a product or program. From downloading and installing applications to make-up tutorials to assembling or using a gadget, how-to videos are extremely helpful for people who need step-by-step instructions plus visuals, but don’t like flipping through user manuals.
Brand Building: Aside from including user manuals in your product, consider leaving a link to your business’s YouTube channel where consumers can find helpful How-To videos on using your product. Take it a step further and show them how they can use your product in practical, everyday scenarios (only do this if at all possible. If your product wasn’t meant for everyday use, it will come out forced).
VLOGS
“Vlogs” – or video blogs – are slice-of-life-type videos that record what is happening to the user at the time of recording. Some people film on-the-spot vlogs (especially if they’re performing a stunt, visiting a new place, or experiencing something considered news-worthy) while others film story-type blogs, where they recall an event that happened to them and they share it with their viewers.
Brand Building: You could encourage people to send in videos of themselves using, enjoying, or relying on your product/service in daily life. GoPro utilizes this best by encouraging people to submit the films they captured via their own GoPro device and sharing it on their website.
HAUL
Coming in riiight below the Gaming and Comedy/Skit categories, “haul” videos are relatively new, but they’ve gained quite a bit of popularity. YouTube personalities go on a shopping spree for products under a certain category (like clothes, makeup, art supplies, etc.) and then show everyone what they got, how many pieces of them, and what they’re planning to review or feature in a future How-To.
Brand Building: Search for hauls that include your products (they’re often mentioned in the description or tags, and a little clever Googling can produce amazing results) and request that the YouTuber do a product review, or ask if they’d like to send it in as a testimonial. Offer something in return, like a sampler for a yet-to-be-released item or a discount on their next purchase.
FAVORITES/TOP #/BEST OF
Best Of videos – as their name suggests – are basically videos that list the “best of” of any category. They also come in the form of Top Five, Ten, Twenty, and etcetera videos. They can be about anything from people (“Top 10 Hottest Celebs in 2016”) to products (“Top 5 Smartphone Models This Year”) to services (“Top 15 Best Video Production Companies in Los Angeles”).
Brand Building: Release your company’s own Best Of list compiling the best video testimonials and vlog submissions from people using your product, or create a Top # video featuring the top number of ways to use your product or service. Alternatively, you could search for Top #/Best Of videos that feature your brand and use them as testimonials on your website.
