Online Video Metrics That Really Matter for B2B, B2C, and Influencer Marketers

Online Video Metrics That Really Matter for B2B, B2C, and Influencer Marketers. And this isn't because they haven’t tried using videos or YouTube. Because, the only things that Google Analytics is tracking are the people who’ve clicked on a link in a video’s description or on an associated website card. How come inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses can’t see the data in YouTube Analytics somewhere, somehow in Google Analytics? So, inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses can add a question like, “How did you hear about us?” Then, among the possible answers, they could include “a video” or “YouTube.” Hey, for $5.00, wouldn’t you want to see the answers to that question from recent visitors to you website? This is why inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses are focused on Google Analytics. For example, the GoPro Channel – the one on its website, not the one on YouTube – uses a custom playlist and player. Wrapping YouTube videos with other players can provide B2C and B2B marketers with online video metrics about website behavior that really matter. When a user clicks a referral link, these parameters are sent to Analytics, so you can see the effectiveness of each campaign in your reports. Then, the results of an influencer marketing campaign don’t get blended or buried somewhere in your Google Analytics Reports.

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In my previous post I took a look at the online video metrics that really matter for media companies, and video publishers and creators. But different industry sectors have different performance goals so let’s focus on the KPIs that B2B, and B2C brands and marketers should be taking into consideration when it comes to their digital video strategies. And with influencer marketing becoming a vital part of the mix, what metrics matter when it comes to that very special blend of earned and owned media?

Video Metrics: B2C and B2B Marketers


Before we tackle the metrics that matter to B2C and B2B marketers, we need to address why online video hasn’t really mattered to a significant portion of this segment. And this isn't because they haven’t tried using videos or YouTube.
According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 82% of B2C marketers use videos as a content marketing tactic and 82% use YouTube as a social media platform. But only 59% of B2C marketers rate videos as an effective tactic and just 53% rate YouTube as an effective platform. CMI also says that 79% of B2B marketers use videos as a content marketing tactic and 74% use YouTube as a social media platform. But only 62% rate videos as an effective tactic and just 51% rate YouTube as an effective platform.
Now, I realize that I’m looking at the 40% to 50% of the glass that’s empty, instead of the 50% to 60% that’s full. But this group represents one of the last remaining growth areas for the industry. And metrics really matter to B2C and B2B marketers just like they matter to the other two segments that we’ve already covered. However, a very different set of metrics matter.
B2C and B2B marketers – especially the inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses – see their websites as the center of their solar system. Yes, they know that YouTube, Facebook, and other video platforms are “out there.” But, they think of these as moons that are orbiting their websites – and some even see video taking precious marketing resources away from other inbound tactics that could drive more website traffic, generate better leads, and increase sales.
Why would they have such a website-centric view of the online video world? Well, their key metrics don’t come from YouTube Analytics or Google AdWords. Their key metrics generally come from Google Analytics (or from one of a handful of other web analytics services). Now, they probably know the “Will It Blend?” success story, which explains how a series of YouTube videos delivered a 700% increase in sales to Blendtec, a division of K-TEC. The 'Will it Blend' channel uploaded its first video 9 years ago, and its last one just days ago. Don't fix what ain't broken, right? (unless it's this iPhone 7):
 
And, many marketers will also have read the Rokenbok case study, which tells the story of how YouTube became the number one source of traffic to the toy company’s website in just three years. Hey, more than four out of five B2C marketers and close to three out of four B2B marketers have a YouTube channel. So, they know that some of their competitors and peers have used video and YouTube effectively. But, far too many inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses look at their Google Analytics acquisition overview and see that the number of sessions and conversions generated by Social is small. And if they drill down into social, far too many will discover that the number of sessions and conversions generated by YouTube is minuscule.
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YouTube.com is the second largest site on the web, behind only Google.com. So, why does it appear that so few of YouTube’s visitors go to a channel owner’s website next? Because, the only things that Google Analytics is tracking are the people who’ve clicked on a link in a video’s description or on an associated website card. It doesn’t track the people who visit your YouTube channel today and then visit your website 30 to 90 days later. So, go ahead, try explaining that to your executives or clients. And, then try to justify why they should give you a bigger share of the marketing budget to release video content frequently on a recurring schedule and maintain activity on their YouTube channel despite the fact that it will be hard to track the direct impact of these efforts on website traffic, leads, or sales. This is the elephant in the room. So, what metrics would make online video matter to this segment?
Awareness: Let’s start where B2C and B2B marketers start: Google Analytics. How come inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses can’t see the data in YouTube Analytics somewhere, somehow in Google Analytics? Wait, let me amend that question. TrueView joined Search, Display, and Shopping campaigns within the core AdWords interface in September 2015. So, they can now drill down to see acquisition, behavior, and conversion data for each AdWords campaign, including the ones on YouTube. But, they still need to jump back and forth between YouTube Analytics and Google Analytics to get a picture of their organic results.
This isn't a rhetorical question. Google’s Universal Analytics debuted in April 2014. It introduced a set of features that changed the way data was collected and organized in Google Analytics, so B2C and B2B marketers could get a better understanding of how users interact with their online content across desktops, smartphones, and tablets. So, why isn’t there a way to roll out the User ID feature to help inbound marketers at small and mid-sized businesses get a better understanding of how users interact with their online content across YouTube and websites? Now, this would be an online video metric that really matters.
Attitude: It's also worth noting that Google Analytics is good at telling you “what” people did on your website. But, it doesn’t tell you “why” they did it. Fortunately, Google Consumer Surveys enable website owners to add customer surveys to their sites in order to measure attitudes.
Here’s how they work. You can place a free satisfaction survey directly on your website so...

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