The important YouTube metric too many marketers ignore

Views. Likes. Engagement rate.

Those are just some of the metrics marketers look at when measuring the success of an YouTube influencer campaign. All are important for measuring different results, but the most important metric to determine how effective your video content is, might be one you forget to check.

Wait, hang on a second...

Before we deep dive into this, let's take a step back. YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine behind Google. It is one of the most valuable platforms for driving sales and reach. YouTube and the creators that use it are important elements in any brand's marketing toolbox. Understanding YouTube is the biggest step to accelerating your influencer marketing strategy.

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Here's the point

This is stating the obvious, but when using YouTube as a marketing channel, a main goal is to get people to see your brand. No one can learn about your brand or product if they aren't watching the whole video.

That's why the most important metric to consider in every stage of your influencer marketing campaign is the Average View Duration. Which is a metric that gives you an understanding of when viewers are dropping off from your video content.

Channels and videos with higher watch times are likely to show up higher in search results and recommendations - YouTube

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What to think about

• When choosing creators for a YouTube campaign, know the average watch time of their audience. They might have 500K views on their videos, but views mean nothing if the audience leaves 20% through most videos. 

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• Working with an influencer that consistently loses their audience before the halfway mark means you are paying full-price for half the content. Simply put, it's a waste of money and a waste of time for your campaign.

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• An ideal YouTube creator retains their audience until the last few seconds of a video. This indicates they consistently produce engaging content which promotes loyalty. Audience loyalty is what your brand is counting on to boost your sales and brand recognition.

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• Average view duration is a good way of measuring the effectiveness of your video content. The longer people watched, the more they connected with the content.

Wrapping it up

Courting longer watch times boosts your presence on the platform, but helps in more ways than just that: as time people spend watching your content goes up, so can brand consideration and favorability, purchase intent, and even measurable sales. 

Other metrics matter too, but average watch times are particularly important for video. Despite its importance, it is too often overlooked. This is a reminder to always consider it at each stage of your campaign.