YouTube user milestone reveals video demand

Graeme Parton +

The news that YouTube has reached the milestone of one billion active users every month has reinforced the importance of targeting consumers using videos.

While some marketers have been apprehensive about using video content, figures from Google have revealed that all firms listed in the Ad Age Top 100 now run campaigns on its video hosting site.

Incredibly, nearly one in every two internet users regularly visits YouTube. It is for this reason that many businesses are realising they cannot afford to ignore its marketing power.

In a statement, YouTube’s parent company Google said:

“Tens of thousands of partners have created channels that have found and built businesses for passionate, engaged audiences. Advertisers have taken notice.”

While businesses are now starting to realise the success they can have with video sites, it remains important that they understand how to use the outlet properly. Not only can brands strategically place adverts before relevant videos, they can also create their own channels to distribute original, engaging content to keep potential customers interested.

The biggest users of the video site are a group named by market research firm Nielsen as ‘Generation C’. The tech-savvy consumers of Generation C are defined by the ways in which they choose to access online content – through a number of different devices and at all times of the day; often shunning less convenient methods altogether.

The idea that consumers are beginning to turn away from their television sets in favour of accessible web services has even led many content creators to bypass traditional methods completely. This is exemplified by the rise of House of Cards, a major U.S. TV series which was exclusively premiered on the popular streaming service Netflix.

The fact that videos can now be streamed on a plethora of devices in an increasing number of locations across the world only points to the trend being pushed even further in the near future.