Influencer Insight: How To Utilize YouTube
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
With the help of social media, influencers have an easy platform to reach their audience and tell them what products they love, and in turn, what products they should purchase. Traditionally, one platform that has been incredibly effective in convincing the public to make purchases has been YouTube – especially for beauty products. Thanks to its visual capacities, YouTube has evolved into the beauty forum of the web, making it the ideal spot for beauty companies to advertise their products through partnerships with famous vloggers. The power of YouTube lies in the fact that it’s soley driven by video content, which is something that other social platforms don’t offer.
We’ve all heard the names of household YouTube beauty vloggers: Bethany Motta, Michelle Phan, Zoella, and many others. But what makes these vloggers so powerful? To get over five million subscribers they must be doing something right!
Last month, I found myself in the Nordstrom makeup department buying the Armani Silk Foundation after Bethany Motta claimed it was the only foundation she used in her 2017 Favorites Video. But why did I take her word for it? The foundation wasn’t cheap and I knew hardly anything about it other than that Bethany used and recommended it. She was a beauty vlogger I had never met, yet I found that I trusted her opinion nonetheless. As I took my new foundation out of the box and proudly set it into my makeup bag, I already looked forward to applying it the next day. I felt as though I had some sort of connection with Bethany, almost as if some of her expertise had rubbed off on me.
Here’s what I learned from my experience with beauty blogger recommendations:
- YouTube beauty vloggers create a personality for themselves through their channels, which creates a level of trust between them and their viewers.
They don’t limit their videos to simply selling products, rather they engage with viewers and give them insight into their own lives. When you subscribe to their channel, you are subscribing to an inside look at their life. They not only give their viewers advice on beauty, but they also talk about fashion, hair, relationships, jobs, and everything else in between. After Bethany’s seven minute video, I felt as if I had interacted with her in a sense, I wanted to recreate the look she modeled and felt as if I could trust her as I would a friend, which is ultimately what led me to take her advice and go out and buy that specific product.
2. They make buying makeup easier.
There are so many different makeup options currently on the market that, to be honest, it can be overwhelming. When I walk into Sephora to look around, more times than not, I find myself leaving empty handed because I am so flustered by their wall to wall selection to choose from. Beauty vloggers help to narrow down our options, they tell you which products to buy and why. Suddenly, the number of different products seems much less intimidating. After Bethany’s recommendation, I confidently walked into the makeup department and immediately knew what I wanted to purchase.
3. They have become opinion leaders.
Brands want to work with vloggers because they are the top influencers in the makeup industry. They are in the first group to try new products, and when they recommend them, everyone else follows suit. For example, when beauty vlogger Jaclyn Hill partnered in creating Champagne Pop, it broke Sephora’s records as being the most purchased product. Jaclyn was an opinion leader within the beauty community, and when she showed support for a product, the entire makeup community wanted to try it.
YouTube beauty vloggers have changed the way people decide which makeup they purchase. Whether you follow their advice or just watch their videos, they have become a key part in how makeup companies sell their products. Share your favorite YouTube beauty vlogger with us in the comments!