To promote their products, businesses have turned to YouTube to communicate with their consumers and to popular video bloggers to endorse their goods and services.

The rise of social networking has fundamentally changed the way people receive information. Word of mouth has always been a major force in market sales. However, before the Internet, word of mouth lacked and wide reach that it does today. Video blogging or “vlogging” has combined the personal credibility of WOM and the widespread reach of advertisements. Why is vlogging so effective in capturing audiences? Vlogs allow the viewer to share a personal relationship with the vlogger. As vloggers acquire more followers their credibility increases and their opinions are valued far more than the average vlogger. These pocket communities on YouTube become the power behind the creation of viral video hits—the ultimate measure of success on YouTube. In this way, the vlogger’s influence on viewers equals that of word of mouth. The host can further establish a relationship with viewers by having viewers commit by subscribing to the channel. Having more subscribers enhances the value of the vlogger’s opinion and enables viewers to share their opinions with the host who will sometimes feedback in the vlog.

The YouTuber JeremyJahns vlogs about films and encourages his followers to leave feedback. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3XYrFtu10A&w=560&h=315]

 

Vloggers may also give away prizes as a way of saying thank you to their loyal followers. In many ways these popular vloggers become mini celebrities except rather than becoming publicly famous, they are popular on the Internet for basically being average, relatable people. Their ability to showcase their personality and their anonymity makes them appealing to users.

Here, vlogger BubzBeauty shares weekly vlogs of her daily life in Hong Kong in addition to posting videos of makeup and beauty tutorials. Her openness with her millions of viewers makes her one of the most subscribed channels.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-H_DrXNA0&w=560&h=315]

Being popular on YouTube is rather an oxymoron because even though YouTube is widely used, the community itself is still rather unknown. This underground quality is another factor contributing to the appeal of YouTube. Depending on the video, the viewer may feel as if they owe the vlogger a rating or comment because the host shared personal information. The openness of videos is essential. Businesses view YouTube as the ideal way to reel in customers. If they can gain the support of popular vloggers or create successful video marketing, it can dramatically increase sales. In the age of social networking, business will become more transparent and they have already turned to vloggers to spread their brand.

McDonalds turned to popular YouTubers Rhett and Link to create a national commercial using their famous stop-motion vlogging style. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKWdSCt4jGE&w=560&h=315]

 

In their book, Beyond Viral: How to Attract Customers, Promote Your Brand, and Make Money, Nalty and Scott point out that online videos have created a new kind of advertiser, the “one-man band amateurs.” Some of these frequently watched vloggers earn six-figure annual incomes for advertising brand name products. These high priced vloggers have the credibility and underground audiences that make them popular and able to profit from advertising. As consumers require more personal interaction and attention from companies, YouTube’s power shift from the company to the consumer can provide a successful marketing approach.