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YouTube Shares Insights into Key Areas of Development, Including Shorts, NFTs and the Metaverse

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YouTube Moves Away from Original Programming to Focus on Creator Funding Initiatives

What’s coming next for YouTube, and what should you be planning for in your digital marketing process?

Today, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan has shared an overview of his top areas of focus for 2022, and where he sees the most potential, including new developments for creator funding, evolved live shopping, the potential integration of NFTs, the metaverse and more.

There are some interesting notes, which could assist in your strategy.

First off, Mohan says that live-streaming will be a key focus for the app, as it looks to build on the momentum of live-streams over the past two years.

Mohan says that daily live-stream watch time more than tripled between January 2020 and December 2021, and YouTube will look to capitalize on this with new elements like collaborative livestreaming, and live-stream shopping.

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YouTube tested various live-stream shopping events last year, including its “Holiday Stream and Shopevent, a weeklong live-stream activation in partnership with creators like MrBeast, the Merrell Twins and Gordon Ramsay.

The event drove over 2 million views and 1.4 million Live Chat messages, underlining the potential of live-stream shopping – which every social app is now looking to develop.

But YouTube, with its vast array of established connections, and huge audience reach, may be best-placed to see the most success. And with TikTok also looking to lean into live-stream shopping, you can bet that YouTube will be keen to build on its efforts, and muscle out the competition where it can.

Speaking of TikTok, Shorts is another area of focus for YouTube, with its TikTok-like clone gaining significant momentum over the past year.

YouTube Shorts

Last month, YouTube reported that Shorts has now surpassed 5 trillion all-time views. And while that’s not the same as monthly active users, or individual user engagement, it does underline the rising interest in short-form content, which YouTube is keen to build on as it works to hold onto its crown as the leading online video provider.

As explained by Mohan:

“Building on a feature we introduced last year that lets you remix audio from videos across YouTube, we’ll introduce new capabilities that empower creators to express themselves even more – new video effects, editing tools, and more. And to help Shorts creators engage with their audience more personally, we’ll also introduce the ability to reply to individual comments by creating a Short.

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YouTube’s also exploring more Shorts monetization options, including improved exposure for Shorts stars in BrandConnect (its creator marketplace), the expansion of Super Chat to Shorts clips and shopping options within the Shorts format.

eCommerce has significant potential in this element, with the Chinese version of TikTok ‘Douyin’ already generating the majority of its revenue from eCommerce integrations with its video clips.

Douyin shopping

TikTok is also working to integrate more shopping tools, and it’ll be interesting to see how YouTube’s push to merge Shorts and shopping aligns with TikTok’s own developments on this front.

In terms of newer tech, Mohan has also hinted at a future integration of NFTs for YouTube creators.

“For example, giving a verifiable way for fans to own unique videos, photos, art, and even experiences from their favorite creators could be a compelling prospect for creators and their audiences.”

It remains to be seen whether the current NFT trend will hold, or whether it’s a short-term fad, though it is also worth noting that there’s more to NFTs, as a process, than profile pictures, which have been the main usage of the option thus far.

Whether you see NFTs as holding potential or not, the fact is that we will increasingly be trading in digital items moving forward, for varying purpose, and the NFT process could play a key role in buying and selling unique digital goods – even if they’re not cartoons of monkeys and cats.

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Mohan has also hinted at the metaverse, and the next stage of digital connection.

“We’re thinking big about how to make viewing more immersive. The first area in which you can expect to see an impact is gaming, where we’ll work to bring more interactions to games and make them feel more alive. It’s still early days, but we’re excited to see how we can turn these virtual worlds into a reality for viewers.

The broader metaverse concept remains an evolving idea, and there are various paths that its development could take. It’ll be interesting to see how YouTube looks to integrate such, and what comes of these new experiments as a window to the app’s next stage.

Mohan says that YouTube’s also working on new additions for YouTube Studio that will help creators come up with the most effective, new content ideas for their audience, while it will also continue to develop new ad offerings to target people viewing YouTube content on Connected TVs.

“TV was once again our fastest growing screen in 2021 — as of January 2022, on average viewers are watching over 700 million hours of YouTube content on TV daily. And in the year ahead, we want to give these viewers easier navigation and even more interactivity. One of the ways we’ll do this is through a device that you always have within reach: your phone. Soon, we’ll be unveiling a new way for viewers to use their phones while they watch YouTube on their TV to read or leave comments, share videos with a friend, and much more – stay tuned.”

The expansion of YouTube’s TV integration could help to maximize engagement on the biggest screen in your home, which could present significant opportunities for advertisers.

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There are some interesting notes here, and some valuable points of reference for YouTube’s ongoing development.

As noted, YouTube remains in a battle of sorts with TikTok for video supremacy, but where YouTube remains well ahead is in creator monetization, and providing pathways for its top stars to make real money from their efforts. That will remain a key consideration moving forward, and it’ll be interesting to see whether YouTube can press this advantage in 2022, in order to win out on several fronts.

You can read Neal Mohan’s full 2022 overview for YouTube here.


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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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