19 Tips for YouTube Automotive #Influencer Campaigns

[This article is the third in a series. See our previous article “How the Ford #FiestaMovement Campaign Drove 200 Million Fan Views on YouTube.”]

Using examples from the Ford #FiestaMovement campaign and best practices from other YouTube product categories, we at Octoly have come up with these 19 best practices:

1. Automotive brands can and should reach out to YouTubers to create authentic campaigns.

2. There are only a handful of good automotive-focused influencers on YouTube that follow the vlogger style that would suit an engagement campaign.

3. Look to non-automotive vloggers and YouTube entertainment channels to find influencers who are comfortable with the platform and experienced at making frequently-released, engaging, low-cost videos.

4. Find influencers that have a variety of niches and different types of core audiences, such as music, comedy, beauty, video games, and more.

5. Encourage creators by giving them ideas, but let them decide what to do.

6. Remember C.C.C. — Be Curators and Cheerleaders of the Creators. Brands should promote these creator videos on social media and within curated playlists on the brand’s YouTube channels, and create campaign-themed websites which aggregate the ambassador videos.

7. Give creators time with the cars, and they will find things to say.

8. Hold public auditions. When creators make videos to apply to be a part of the campaign, and then they promote those videos to their followers, it further amplifies the earned media footprint.

9. It’s not “us” and “them.” It’s just us. Bring the creators on board as agents or ambassadors. They’re not just pitchmen, they should be considered as part of the team.

10. Support the creators and be ready to answer any of their questions. But don’t force information down their throats. They already know how to find things out with a Google search. But give them a direct line to an exclusive representative they can contact, and respond to them quickly — on the same day if possible.

11. Crowdsource the attention. The community knows best.

12. Have the videos be hosted on the creators’ YouTube channels, not the brand’s. The creators will have more authenticity and bring their own fanbases.

13. Low production costs don’t mean low quality or low engagement.

14. Bubble up the winners and put them in “best of” videos or on TV commercials.

15. YouTubers like free stuff, and free loaner vehicles go a long way towards goodwill.

16. Creators know their value is in their ability to engage their own niche community. And yet they also know that their audience will abandon them if they think they are selling out. So if a campaign isn’t authentic and organic to the creator’s channel, the creator may drop out of the campaign. This dropping out is actually a good thing for all involved, because YouTube fans can smell anything fake or overt, and they don’t like it.

17. Fans of YouTubers know that the creators of their favorite channels want to make money and are generally cool with it, often even supportive as they know it helps pay the bills for the channels they love. But they don’t want to be hit over the head.

18. Sometimes brands will find that it will be worthwhile putting a little paid promotion behind a few videos that are likely to get higher views and media attention.

19. One hundred little voices are better than one voice.

Find Out For Yourself

Would you like to know how your brand can better engage with YouTube creators? Get a free audit of your brand footprint on YouTube by contacting us here.