YouTube Space Proves Content is in Demand
Doug Pace
By: Doug Pace – Bayshore Solutions Executive Vice President & COO
How would you react if I told you that some of the world’s best production facilities and video equipment is available for use free of charge? The facilities are stretched across exotic locations including Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, and London and provide you access to collaborate with some of the brightest minds.
The immediate reaction is normally, “What’s the catch?” Well, you just have to have over 10,000 subscribers to your YouTube channel and you could have access to a YouTube Space.
YouTube Spaces are physical locations built and managed by YouTube. They are meant to provide creators the resources they need to make original content and gain invaluable hands-on experience with industry-leading production equipment and resources.
The space idea is amazing and innovative, but it shows the industry’s hunger for more and more quality content. Without original content, YouTube cannot capture an audience; without an audience YouTube cannot monetize their web traffic and continue to grow revenue.
A similar strategy is being employed by Amazon via Amazon Studios. Amazon Studios takes a bit more of a crowdsourcing approach to creating content – soliciting screenplays with increasing incentives if your creation is selected for testing and producing.
Each of these channels are looking to produce the next “House of Cards”, which was syndicated via Netflix and enjoys a viewership of millions online. The strategies are amazing, but it is a great illustration for the challenge that faces today’s advertisers.
In the MadMen days of advertising, you would select your audience, produce an expensive commercial, and secure air time during the Superbowl or the Cosby show to make people aware of your offerings.
In today’s world, many consumers no longer watch TV. They spend more time browsing social media and blogs than ever. They are exposed to thousands of marketing messages per day, and they interact via a variety of devices including PC, tablet, phone, and even their watch.
Consumers interact with media on their own terms and marketers are challenged to capture their attention with the simple ad or commercial. Online platforms have modified their strategy to help creatively produce their content – helping the platforms to provide channels that capture audience attention and provide value for marketers and products.
As audiences continue to have more choices in how they interact with media our jobs as marketers will become increasingly difficult. One thing remains consistent in that great content marketing will always have a great following.
Instead of getting frustrated, I think marketers should embrace this change in the ecosystem and help our customers create their own unique content. Gone are the days that a video cost millions to produce. With the camera technology and post-editing software available, companies can produce a series of videos for a reasonable budget.
Examples may be an online cooking series produced by the Publix shopping market chain, or a series on high school athletes produced by Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods, or maybe even a series on alternative energy by your local power company.
Content is King, but context is Queen – the marketing field is changing and we must keep our customers thinking ahead!
Contact us to learn more about how Bayshore Solutions can help you create and implement the right content strategy for your business.
Doug Pace is the Executive Vice President and COO at Bayshore Solutions—a Web Design, Web Development, and Digital Marketing Agency.