As a content marketer, if I told you I had a branded YouTube channel with 407,349 subscribers, 5003 videos, and millions and millions of views, you would probably be impressed. That is, after all, a ton of fans, and a ton of potential engagement. What if I told you that the brand in question is the White House? That’s right, the stodgy, traditional White House is one of the hottest things on YouTube. What’s more, President Barack Obama is using his YouTube pulpit to get the word out about some of his key agenda items to young Americans.
The President used YouTube Effectively on the Campaign Trail.
If you followed Barack Obama’s campaigns for President, you know that he and the people who work for him are far more tech savvy then the average politician. In fact, many cite the technological prowess of the Obama campaign as the main reason he was able to win the last two presidential elections. In 2012, in addition to traditional campaign ads, the Obama campaign deployed a Youtube rapid response team that created videos to support the President while refuting claims of the campaign of Mitt Romney.
The White House is Utilizing YouTube to get their Message to Young Voters.
Now, the White House is using YouTube content creators to figure out ways to better inform and educate young voters about the Affordable Care Act. Last week, Obama invited the owners of some of the most popular channels on Youtube, including MyHarto, Epic Rap Battles of History, the Fine Brothers, and others to the White House to pick their brains about ways to make content that will more effectively reach young Americans. By identifying a channel of media that their target audience, young adults, make copious use of, and engaging influencers who appeal to that demographic, the White House is essentially using targeted marketing to achieve their political goals, just like a brand would use it to achieve their marketing goals.
The White House has also embraced Tumblr. See how, here.
