Before I begin this incredibly insightful article written by
a girl who is simply passionate about PR and YouTube as separate entities, and
as one, and definitely is not a leader in the field, or a secret Google
employee (one day…). I want to formally apologize for the two months of silence
on this blog. I’d love to say that it’s because I’m so sort after in my field
that I’ve had very little time to get to this blog, but let’s be honest. We all
know I’m just a little bit flaky (authenticity, amiright..?).
ANYWAY, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand,
I want to discuss PR (and business communications) and its cross-over with
YouTube as a social media platform. Now, I want to be totally honest here and
say that I have a bias opinion on this matter in that I think that combining
these communication tools provides and incredible opportunity for both parties,
and I will tell you why.
YouTube, to me, is a place that is both open to the public
as well as being accessible by businesses, brands and celebrities. Think of PR
campaigns that have been run through YouTube like Save The Children and Dumb Ways To Die, which both have awesome coverage. These were fantastic PR campaigns
however this platform is also open to the likes of Zoella, Pewdiepie and Jenna Marbles, vloggers and all names I imagine you’ve at least heard of. The
diversity of this platform is what first drew me to it.
There are many ways to utilise YouTube. Having just passed
its 10th Birthday, people have had plenty of time to work out new
ways to thrive on YouTube and yet I still feel it is being underutilised. The
average person, with the right equipment and motivation, can earn their living
through becoming a YouTuber (#TeamInternet). Monetization, Ad revenue,
sponsorships. Dedicate enough time and love into a channel (not to mention
following those trends) and you could potentially establish yourself in the community.
On the flip side, businesses also have access to this
opportunity, however in a slightly different way. I personally feel that
businesses could do so much more with YouTube than they are already doing, some
companies are doing it right, as you can see from the videos I mentioned before,
however not all are. YouTube allows for the opportunity to make the company feel
more personable and authentic and give it a face, and not just the face of the
guy yelling ‘SALE!!!’ at you through the TV. Think behind the scenes, talks
with important industry professionals, live-streams, a channel in which you can
talk to your audience and have them be able to connect to a face. Use YouTube like
you use SnapChat, just a little more refined.
I feel that, especially within fashion brands, YouTube is a
must have and as mentioned, I’m 100% bias as I am definitely a supporter of the
platform. This however, is just a little insight into what I’ve learnt through
my university degree and what I’ve observed through studying PR and business communication
in my free time.
Let me know what you think, is YouTube INCREDIBLE or do you have
a number of reasons why you think it’s the weakest of the social media
platforms? I’d love to hear.
So, like, comment and subscribe (share, comment and follow)
and I’ll see you next week (don’t hold me to that) for another video (blog
post).
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Words and Some Pictures by Nicole Dickson
Photo Links:
Computer and Coffee: http://blog.springnest.com/blog/tag/youtube/
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