By pbump@hubspot.com (Pamela Bump)

YouTube is the second largest website globally with over 2 billion global users.

Still, despite its huge audience, it can be challenging to gain engagement on your videos.

Ultimately, to gain views, likes, shares, and even subscribers, your content will have to engage at least part of YouTube’s huge audience while fulfilling their needs.

But, if you’re just starting on YouTube, or struggling to grow your strategy, you might not know what the platform’s audience wants just yet.

To help marketers learn more about YouTube’s huge user pool, and their interests, I asked nearly 300 consumers: “Why do you most commonly visit YouTube?”

Here’s what they said.

Why Do People Visit YouTube?

Before we dive into what people picked as the most common reason they visit YouTube, it’s worth mention one thing you won’t see on the list below: product discovery.

Just a measly 3% of respondents visit YouTube primarily to “learn about products.”

Data Source

However, you shouldn’t panic just yet. Keep in mind that we just polled a small group of general consumers about their most common reason for visiting YouTube. Had we asked them for their top three reasons, polled a larger group, or polled a specific demographic, the results could have been different.

It’s also worth noting that many demographics search out product videos when they’re researching a prospective purchase.

In fact, in a 2020 recent survey, 94% of people said they watch explainer videos to learn about products. While many YouTube users might not go to the YouTube platform just for product videos all the time, they probably still watch them when they’re relevant to their buyer’s journey.

However, knowing what YouTube audiences are looking for on YouTube will help you make a video related to your brand or product that still mixes in elements that can engage them and fulfill their viewing needs.

So, why do people visit YouTube? Let’s dive into the three most popular motives.

1. To watch videos that entertain me.

When we asked consumers why they visited the world’s second-largest platform, a whopping 65% of them said they did so for pure entertainment.

This stat might be terrifying for marketers, especially if you sell a product that might not be considered super flashy or attention-grabbing.

But, the stat above shouldn’t have you panicking just yet. Keep in mind that this is just one small survey. Had we asked people of certain age groups or industries this specific question, the results could have swayed in another direction.

However, it is very important to keep in mind that people on YouTube want to be entertained or at least intrigued by the content they’re watching. So, whether you’re planning to launch YouTube video ads or standard videos, you’ll want to add a touch of entertainment, action, or interesting information to them.

Here’s a great video, created by Headspace and LOL Network, that features actor Kevin Hart struggling to …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron