Many associations default to placing their videos on YouTube as part of their content distribution strategy. Does this help your engagement or does it steer your members away from your content?
Let's ask the question. Is YouTube about helping your association, or is YouTube about helping YouTube?
I think we all recognize that YouTube is about as self-serving as it gets. My own experience is when I click on a YouTube video, I watch the video (with an introductory ad of course), and then, once I am finished watching, I am offered up suggested videos that may or may not be relevant to the video that I just watched. Chances are I am off to watch the video of the cat doing tricks with a dog rather than staying on task and learning more about my original topic.
Does that sound familiar?
Once your members get to YouTube, what are the chances that they will stay on your YouTube channel or return to your website? Worse, what are the chances that they will find different or more relevant content from another YouTube source rather than from your association? Once that happens, that little voice on their shoulder starts to chatter about why they are a member of your association in the first place.
With Association TV®, you keep your members and prospects on your website where they watch your videos on the Association TV® platform. No ads, no cats. The platform is part of your website. Your members interact with the platform as just another page, in your brand, and functionality. Once they are done watching the video, it is easy for your viewer to find other videos on that topic within your site simply searching for key words that interest them. The end result is that your members are engaged with your content, not YouTube's.
Beware of the Trojan Horse that is cleverly disguised as YouTube.
Association TV® is part of WorkerBee.TV
John Heppenstall is Director of Marketing for WorkerBee.TV