I roll my eyes every time I hear it, but it still rings true – Content is King. However, if a king has no subjects then he is merely a puppet. So too with content; a marketer can create the most dynamic, engaging content in the world, but if no one sees it then it was all for naught.

Influencer marketing, video in particular, is the type of content that can significantly increase online sales if placed on the right channels. However, even if a brand puts significant time and effort into influencer video, if they don’t place that content in the right places then they will see no results.

Ironically, some brands scoff at investing in influencer video because it has failed to show ROI in the past. What they don’t realize is that the reason it failed was because no one saw it.

The channels through which content can be distributed increase year after year. In terms of influencer video content, distribution channels such as YouTube have always been the mainstay, and for good reason – YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. In addition to leveraging the power of YouTube for influencer video, online product pages also benefit from influencer video – research shows that influencer video reviews on product pages can increase sales by up to 30%.

So which channels should be leverage for distribution of influencer video?

YOUTUBE

This is a no brainer. `s, hands down, the most powerful channel for the distribution of any video – most of all, influencer video. As mentioned earlier, YouTube boasts the title of second largest search engine in the world. In fact, it beats out Yahoo!.

Here are some more stats about YouTube that make it an obvious choice for influencer video:

• 1 billion regular users
• 4 billion videos views per day
• 6 billion hours of video watched per month
• 82 of teenagers (14-17) use YouTube regularly
• 72% of millennials regularly use YouTube

Here’s something that will really blow your mind:

From food stamps to YouTube star and millionaire entrepreneur, Michelle Phan is truly epitomizes the explosion of influencer video over the last few years.

Michelle has over 1 billion views and 7 million fans on YouTube, which gave her the influence and reach within a highly engaged demographic. This was something brands were searching for. Through hard work, great film making, and great skill, Michelle has established herself as the preeminent YouTube influencer.

Realizing the impact of having such a large and engaged community can have on ROI, Michelle went for gold – she opened her own startup.

Thanks in large part to her YouTube status and continued promotion through her channels, Phan’s startup, Ipsy, has annual revenues of close to $90 million!!

There is no doubt that influencer video that features products, whether in the form of a review, how to, or just product placement within a YouTube series, has meaningful impact on the bottom line.

RETAILER SITES

Historically known as the most popular and successful “big-box” store in the world, Walmart has spent the last few years attempting to catapult itself into the digital age. Having seen the meteoric rise of online marketplaces, Amazon in particular, Walmart has put considerable effort into its online sales.

Following Amazon’s rubric, Walmart allows brands to enrich their pages with a wealth of content, especially authentic influencer video content. Video and text reviews, among other things, are a fantastic tool for brands to increase sales through online retailers such as Walmart.

In the last decade, large retailers have begun to employ an “Omni-channel” strategy, essentially mimicking the shopping experience consumer have in-store on their online channels.

Some other important channels include:

Walmart is not the only player that has embraced including video content on their product pages. Here are a few well known online retailers that have followed suit:

• Walgreens
• Best Buy
• BJ’s
• Rite Aid
• Sam’s Club
• Toys”R”Us
• Staples
• Drugstore.com
• KMart
• Home Depot

Placing influencer video on retail is key to driving success and meeting KPI goals.

Here are some metrics that are directly impacted by influencer video that is placed on retail:

Sales

An influencer video placed on a product page can increase sales by up to 30%

Reach

81% of consumers begin researching online prior to making a purchase

Trust

Studies show that consumers trust content created by their peers 50% more than professionally created content from brands

BRAND WEBSITE 

Retail sites are incredibly important, but in keeping with the shift to Omnichannel, brands have opened up their own websites to online retail. They want the product research and buying experience for consumers to be seamless and therefore have mimicked the layout of other online marketplaces, such as Amazon, on their own sites.

Any brand, large or small, needs to leverage their web presence in order to reach the consumer at every possible level. In order to get the most out of this strategy, brands need to enrich product pages on their websites with the same influencer video that they utilize on other sites. Since it is a channel that they have full control over, brands can customize the placement of content in any way they wish, allowing them more freedom to display influencer video more prominently.

Placement of influencer video on a brand’s website is crucial for meeting marketing KPIs, including:

• Time on Site
• Bounce Rate
• Conversion Rate
• Pages Per Visit

CONCLUSION

Influencer video is an invaluable tool for not only reach, but sales as well. In order to benefit from both, brands need to have a solid strategy for the distribution of their influencer video. Failing to do so will result in leaving significant money on the table.