Last year Facebook reported, “100 million hours of video are watched on Facebook every day, and video viewing time on Instagram increased by more than 40% in the first half of 2016.” Just last week, YouTube reported its daily views surpassed 1 billion. According to a 2016 forecast published by Cisco, “video traffic will be 82% of all consumer Internet traffic by 2020, up from 70% in 2015.” The takeaway? Platforms are on pace to outperform traditional TV. Digital video is king and its reign is expanding.

If online video is King, then influencers are Queen and similarly benefitting from an expanding marketplace where brands understand their value. Not only are brands spending more money on influencer marketing, platforms are developing new ways to incentivize video content from creators. For example, Facebook’s Audience Network just announced Ad Breaks, a beta program that offers a 55% revenue share to publishers (with over 2K followers) who stream ads during their Facebook Live broadcasts.

Influencer marketing and video are here to stay, and both mediums will continue to evolve. Can they work in tandem? Absolutely. In fact, together they offer brand marketers an even more powerful combination of social-led marketing. Why? Influencers understand what type of content succeeds and what falls flat, they offer their own unique (and trusted) point-of-view on your messaging, and they come with a built-in distribution channel (aka their audience!). They also generate earned media and cache for your brand. An investment in influencer marketing offers brands the ability to connect more authentically with a target audience with greater precision and is more cost-effective and more measurable than broadcast TV.

Here are three ways Collectively works with influencers to enrich video marketing strategies and content for brands.

Consider Casting Influencers
Influencers can be great on-camera talent, and not just YouTuber's. Casting the right camera-ready influencer requires a thoughtful, strategic approach. It's imperative that both the brand and influencer reflect each other's values, beliefs, aesthetic and tone. Influencers who are comfortable on-camera and have a story to tell can help your brand’s message come to life in ways that are more authentic and personal than using actors, and more affordable than using celebrities.

Hire Influencers With Video Production Chops
There are hundreds of talented video experts who can elevate your brand with their video content. Between creative professionals, stop motion artists, YouTuber's and professional Videographers, there are endless possibilities for video content that's one-of-a-kind and highly engaging. Integrating your brand into the right influencers video content also expands brand awareness and consideration to new audiences.

Influencers as Distribution Partners
If you already have awesome video content, you’re halfway there. The question of distribution still remains. While paid media is an important element of distribution, adding influencers to your distribution plan in an authentic and creatively challenging way expands brand reach. Before asking an influencer to share your brand's video content, it’s key to build a relationship with them and make sure they authentically align with your brand so that their choice to promote your content feels organic and natural to their audience.

Ready to up your video influencer-marketing game?
The most successful strategies ultimately leverage all three tactics, with a careful approach to partnering with the right influencer for the right tactic at the right time. Want to learn more about our approach to influencer marketing video? Say hello, we’d love to chat!