Despite their recent prominence, Twitch and YouTube streaming are generally not considered effective means of digital marketing. Companies relying on digital brand ambassadors prefer to focus on other means of digital communications. While this approach generally resonates well with the end consumers, ignoring Twitch and YouTube as a marketing channel is quickly becoming more and more myopic.
Intrigued to know more? We have prepared a brief guide outlining how exactly Twitch and YouTube streamers can become effective brand ambassadors.
What is Twitch?
While YouTube is a mainstay of almost any digital marketing campaign, the popularity of Twitch among digital marketers is significantly lower. Even though in January 2023 alone, the 2.4 million viewers of Twitch consumed more than 1.2 billion minutes (yes, you read that right) of video content.
Here are some misconceptions about Twitch that resulted in this platform becoming a bit of a black sheep in the world of digital marketing.
- Twitch streamers primarily focus on video games.
- Twitch is owned by Amazon and does not allow for third-party advertisements.
- The audiences of Twitch streams are not loyal to one streamer and frequently “change the channel”.
All of the above is simply not true. Within the past five years, Twitch has launched very prominent streams on arts and crafts as well as a variety of talk shows. Twitch also has functions for running third-party advertisements and generally does not enforce any rules established by Amazon. Finally, major streamers on Twitch typically have more than 30,000 paid subscribers. Twitch viewers are not only loyal to their content creators but are also willing to demonstrate said loyalty with money.
All of that means that Twitch is a very decent platform for digital marketing if used right and when catering to the right audience.
What Are the Main Ways in Which Streamers Can Market Products?
While both YouTube and Twitch allow for third-party ads, we are here to discuss using streamers as brand ambassadors.
The process is very simple. You provide a streamer with some form of benefit (e.g., discounts or a paid sponsorship) and they become obligated to promote your products. In other words, streamers are just another form of celebrity endorsement.
What distinguishes streamers from other celebrity endorsers, however, is interactivity. Streamers very rarely run pre-recorded content. In fact, the majority of any stream is dedicated to interacting with a live audience. With an average of 2.4 million daily viewers in 2023, Twitch can easily rival YouTube in terms of the potential outreach of your marketing campaigns.
Interactivity means that you do not have to limit your marketing creativity to simply recording a video advertisement. Here are just some examples of how you can spice things up when relying on Twitch and YouTube streamers to promote your products.
- Run live raffles and contests.
- Join the chat yourself to respond to the audience’s questions and queries.
- Offer benefits to the subscribers of a particular streamer (e.g., a small discount).
- Encourage the streamer to show how your products are used in their daily lives, arousing consumer interest.
The interactivity and the live format of Twitch and YouTube streams, therefore, open a variety of interesting marketing avenues that are not available on any other platform.
What Are the Benefits of Using Streamers as Brand Ambassadors?
Well, just like any other celebrity, streamers try to create their own brand. This means that their audience is usually very homogenous in terms of their habits, interests and other characteristics.
Below are just some examples of how businesses, even kid businesses, can instantly access specific audiences when relying on streamers.
- The audience of video game streamers will be receptive to new consoles, unique gaming periphery (such as headphones) and other gadgets.
- The lovers of art streams will react positively to offers on art supplies, self-development books, or gadgets for creating new artwork.
- The subscribers of ‘real life’ streamers will be attentive to clothing, kitchen appliances, foods and home improvement materials and solutions.
Streamers are used to interacting with large audiences of over 10,000 viewers. When partnering with a celebrity for an endorsement, it is difficult to predict exactly what you are getting. Non-actors, for example, may turn out to be poor at delivering their lines in video advertisements.
Streamers, on the other hand, are basically professional marketers in their own niche. Most large streamers have used their significant marketing skills to gain a large following and a decent subscriber count. Because of this, you can be sure that your promotion is in the right hands.
The reliance of YouTube and Twitch streamers on subscribers as their main source of revenue also highlights the loyalty of their audiences. It is difficult to estimate how exactly your customers are going to react to you recruiting a particular celebrity for an endorsement. Regular viewers, however, trust streamers and will likely react positively to whatever endorsements are delivered on these channels.
Are There Any Risks When Using Streamers as Ambassadors?
Well, to put things simply, yes. For example, Twitch became a subject of controversy for revoking privileges from one of their streamers in 2021; the streamer in question had previously expressed positive opinions of the Capitol riot in the US. YouTube, on the other hand, regularly faces criticism concerning its draconian copyright laws and the slow progress of any meaningful changes to these provisions.
We would argue, however, that the above risks are far less significant compared to regular celebrity endorsements. Both Twitch and YouTube streamers typically have a very strong base of fans who are willing to stick with their content creators no matter what. Regardless of contingencies, you should still have access to your targeted audiences when partnering with Twitch or YouTube streamers.
While using Twitch and YouTube streamers as brand ambassadors can seem a bit risky, the reality is that both of these platforms provide great means for improving your digital marketing campaigns. By interacting with live audiences, streamers can promote your products to a degree that is not really comparable to any other form of celebrity endorsement.
