Pixability's study shows how the most successful beauty bloggers are becoming celebrities and attracting audiences that brands want.

Video has taken marketing strategies by storm. This year, 70 percent of companies are spending more on video and they’re looking for results.

If you need inspiration on what works in video marketing, beauty bloggers are a great place to start. The Pixability Beauty on YouTube report for 2015 explores how top video producers within the beauty industry have gained popularity and earned loyal followings that brands want.

Here are six ideas marketers should take to heart as they build their online video strategies:

1. Teach viewers how to do something

How-to videos make up 45 percent of all the beauty-related content on YouTube. They also get more engagement than other types of videos – even if they’re longer. Two-to-three minute tutorials teaching viewers how to do hairstyles and makeup tricks get more pageviews and engagement than 30-second commercials.

“How to” searches on YouTube are growing 70% every year

The how-to trend extends past the beauty industry. Google’s revealed that “how to” searches on YouTube are growing 70 percent every year, with Millennials acting as the driving force behind this trend. A full 67 percent believe they can find a YouTube video about anything they want to learn.

How-to videos also help with search and engagement. By sharing a few of your business’ trade secrets, you can capture viewers’ attention and earn their trust.

2. Build an archive of evergreen content

Remember that old video you posted on your YouTube channel years ago? It’s outdated, but that doesn’t mean you should take it down. Brands that remove older videos from their archives lose video views. For instance, Dior lost 40 million views when it took down some outdated commercials and content. Suddenly, other channels outranked the established channel in video views.

A YouTube Channel should be diverse and include evergreen content. You don’t want to lose views and search opportunities for targeted titles. And don’t assume because something is older, it isn’t relevant anymore. It probably still contains tips that people are searching for online.

3. Lead with your personality & don’t be afraid to be funny

Content creators who dare to be both funny and informative get more attention online. How much? Pixability found they get about 530 percent more views per video than videos that are all business about the products.

One specific content creator has attracted over 4 million subscribers between January 2014 and April 2015. This increased her following 172 percent. Her secret? She creates tips strictly for her audience and delivers them with a sense of humor.

Relatability is one of the most important features of an effective video presenter. A survey by Variety Magazine revealed viewers between the ages of 13 to 18 appreciate YouTube stars’ candid sense of humor. Teens say YouTube creators are more engaging and easier to relate to than traditional celebrities.

4. Make strategic partnerships

The top beauty content creators on YouTube have millions of subscribers. Bethany Mota, currently number one, has 8.7 million. Michelle Phan has 7.6 million subscribers. Collectively, they’re responsible for billions of video views.

Content creators currently own 96 percent of YouTube’s beauty ecosystem. This leaves beauty brands with just 4 percent of it, even with rapid viewership growth from the past year and a half.

Brands can grow faster when they partner with these industry influencers.

Before Lancome aligned with Michelle Phan for a perfume promo, it had about 5 million Channel subscribers. After the partnership, it had 20 million. The brand Channel has continued to build off the momentum it gained through the joint campaign.

5. Interact directly with your audience

YouTube stars build multi-million audiences by directly engaging their audiences and winning their favor:

  • A sample video by Bethany Moat invites comments from viewers about their summer plans

  • Content creators host giveaways to reward their followers with free products

  • Video bloggers take suggestions about what kinds of videos to create next

Marketers might worry that taking audience suggestions will derail a video strategy, but it might be the best card up your sleeve. You are producing videos for your audience, not for your team. Create the kinds of content your viewers want to watch. They will reward you with views, shares and Likes.

6. Don’t be too promotional

Most consumers aren’t going on YouTube to watch commercials. They’re on the site to learn something or watch a video for entertainment.

The Bobbi Brown Channel saw this first-hand. It maintained steady follower growth (83 percent) over the past few years, but the brand wanted stronger growth.

Bobbi Brown created a separate Channel called ilovemakeupOFFICIAL. The new Channel was lightly branded and featured videos of content creators giving makeup tutorials. Between January 2014 and April 2015:

  • The subscriber base grew 235%

  • It got 600% more views

Compared with the Bobbi Brown branded Channel, the ilovemakeupOFFICIAL videos:

  • Attracted 700% more subscribers

  • Earned 250% more shares

There’s lots of room for beauty brands to increase their video presences. With more content that appeals directly to viewers, they can win their audience’s engagement.

Companies outside of this industry should use this information as a case study when they’re building video campaigns. People want to learn, while also being entertained. They want trustworthy information from experts who are personable and fun. Marketers investing in video need to create long-lasting content – and lots of it – if they want to build their presences on the web.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.