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Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Brands Can Continue To Capitalize On YouTube
Marketing is a creative discipline, attracting people with outside-of-the-box ideas, a flair for writing and design, a desire to build connections with customers, and enthusiasm for a brand or product. Those on this career path often aren't the people drawn to programming, data, math and technical aspects. Yet in today's world, AI and other new technologies are coming to the marketing department, offering applications that can make a marketer's work more effective—if only they would use it. A new study from Canva shows that marketers know the value of data and tech, but they are still hesitant to use it. Two-thirds of marketing and sales professionals are anxious about data, with 3 in 10 going out of their way to avoid using it. Canva's survey, which includes more than 2,400 marketing and sales professionals worldwide, focused mostly on basic data use, including spreadsheets. Nearly 9 in 10 marketers work with data and spreadsheets on a weekly basis or more, but only 44% feel confident when starting a data-heavy task. More than half often make spreadsheet errors, like misusing formulas and struggling to analyze what the spreadsheets can say. However, more than three-quarters of marketers want to get better at working with data, and hope to improve their effectiveness. A total of 76% think that AI might be the solution, improving data work by automating tedious tasks and suggesting data visualizations. AI certainly can be an aid, but it isn't the whole solution. More effective and easier-to-use tools could help, as well as continuous practical training that clearly shows how to use the available tech and why the processes work. The data also needs to be explained and fully accessible to marketers, meaning there might be some work to be done on the enterprise system as a whole. The tech and training should be fairly intuitive as well. Marketers are willing to take some time to learn, but they still want to focus on their actual jobs. Canva found that just over half of respondents are willing to invest up to three hours learning new solutions. For years, marketers have known that YouTube is an important platform, but its impact is just now coming into focus. YouTube is now the most-watched TV channel in the U.S., and trends of what kinds of videos people watch and who those viewers are can determine messaging success. I talked to Evan Shapiro, a longtime media professional who calls himself the Media Universe Cartographer, about some recent research he's compiled on the video streaming platform. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images On desktop computers, Google dominates search of all kinds—both traditional and AI-enabled. The tech giant is leading on mobile right now as well, but that could soon change. New research from BrightEdge shows that 54% of all AI searches come from mobile. Other AI search engines get just a sliver of their traffic from mobile: ChatGPT sees just 6% from mobile devices, and Microsoft's Bing gets only 4.5% from phones. While it looks like Google dominates this field, it doesn't have the same search foothold as it does on computers. BrightEdge found that 58% of Google's mobile search traffic to brand websites comes from iPhones, which makes sense considering they default to Google Search. If Apple were to change the default to another search engine, or a partnership with another AI provider for search, the percentages likely would change immediately. AI search is getting better all the time, but so are AI videos. Columbia Journalism Review launched a public service campaign—cleverly named PSAi—to help the public distinguish real video from that generated by artificial intelligence, Forbes senior contributor Leslie Katz writes. The video features a catchy rap song with several AI memes—Pope Francis in a designer puffer coat, Will Smith eating spaghetti, Shrimp Jesus and a boat crew rescuing a polar bear—displaying some of the telltale signs of AI. ABC News Live Unless you're Fox News, it can be challenging for major networks to package news programming for a wide audience. ABC has found success with Burden of Proof: The Case Against Diddy, a daily streaming video series on YouTube and its ABC News Live platform, writes Forbes senior contributor Mark Joyella. The streaming show, launched when the trial of music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs began last month, has drawn 16 million video starts and offers a deep dive into the day's testimony and events. The show is hosted by GMA3 co-anchor and senior national correspondent Eva Pilgrim, and she's joined by chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky and legal contributor Brian Buckmire, who has been inside the courtroom. The trial is expected to last 8 to 10 weeks, concluding around the July Fourth holiday, and the success of this show could be a template for networks to follow during future celebrity trials. CNN is actively searching for its next big thing. Forbes senior contributor Andy Meek wrote about the past and future of the original cable news channel as it turned 45 last week. CNN revolutionized news, shifting it into the 'anywhere, anytime' category—but the network has also been hurt by recent changes in how people get their news, as well as claims of political polarization. CNN is working on launching a standalone weather app, as well as a new subscription product with simple ways for people to get the news and programming they choose. Meek writes that CNN continues to play the long game, even though it isn't winning in ratings anymore. The apps in development—as well as high-profile new hires—are signs of a network seeking to evolve and experiment in an effort to remain relevant for the next 45 years. getty With new tariffs and general economic uncertainty, consumers have become increasingly cautious with their spending, especially when it comes to summer vacations. New data shows that caution is even spreading to the more affluent. High-income consumers—those making over $150,000 annually—are spending less on airline tickets, with a 7% reduction in growth for the 35 days prior to May 25, writes Forbes' Suzanne Rowan Kelleher. This data 'might be a potential forward indicator, because if a weakness is being seen today in the spend, that's probably forward bookings,' Savanthi Syth, an analyst at Raymond James covering the airline sector, told Forbes. Summer is usually a busy travel season, and airlines were counting on wealthier passengers in a year that's already seen a huge drop in demand. Evan Shapiro Evan Shapiro, a veteran entertainment executive who executive produced and launched Portlandia, rebranded IFC, and was an executive vice president at NBCUniversal Media, has turned his attention to the media landscape. Right now, he has a transformation agency known as ESHAP and is known as the Media Universe Cartographer. He writes the Media War & Peace newsletter examining statistics and trends. Shapiro recently published detailed statistics showing that 94% of all YouTube traffic goes to the top 10% of channels. He's sharing details of his findings on YouTube viewership this week at the Stream TV Show in Denver, and he talked to me about what it all means for brands and marketing. This conversation has been edited for length, clarity and continuity. What does it mean for YouTube that most of the top channels are creator-led, and not led by brands or media companies? Shapiro: I think YouTube is noticing. I also think if you look at recent deals that they made with ITV and others, they are seeing data that demonstrates that most of the viewing on YouTube is on-the-television stuff in the United States. That's a growing trend around the rest of the world, especially as younger consumers grow up and take more control of the remote control. YouTube is being watched on television, and if you look at the top creators, most of them are leaning into long form. I think what it says, interestingly, is how much upside there is for YouTube. Now that they are a living room staple, even with $55 billion just for YouTube last year, their total opportunity market is substantially higher than that. Disney has top channels, but they do not put long form content on there, for the most part. Imagine if they did. What do these findings say for brands, and what brands should be doing? In large part, the advertising community is leading the way on this. They've embraced creatordom in a much more accelerated rate than traditional media has. MrBeast had brand deals long before MrBeast came to Amazon. Look at the brands that embraced Alex Cooper and Joe Rogan and Jake Paul. That's a really good indication that the marketing world, the advertising world is really where the audience is on the creator economy. What it means moving forward for those same marketers is when the creator economy looks a lot more like traditional television, in that there's appointment viewing, what is the economic model? Is it purely advertising, or is there a mix of advertising and retail media? That's going to be a trend to follow: blending bottom of funnel and top of funnel on what ostensibly has been social media up until now. Now, it's much more mainstream sight, sound and motion on the TV. Or flip it around on TikTok with short dramas. It's much more of a television product, and advertisers are going to have to start seeing it as such. How much do trends on YouTube move and change, and where are we in this wave that we have currently? About a year ago, I believed it was a demographic split between people over and under 40. At the beginning of this year, I started diving into the data. There's actually two different media ecosystems right now: Millennials and younger, Gen X and older. They are very different. There are certain things that overlap, like podcasts and Netflix, but YouTube on television is a very divergent split. You can see the divide. Streaming local news: two-thirds of Millennials and Gen Zers say that they stream local news regularly. Far less than half of people older than that do. [On the] flip side, most people Gen X and older watch broadcast television news regularly, and much less than half of the younger generations do. Two different ecosystems. YouTube on television is the No. 1 channel for most people Millennials and younger. For Gen Xers and older, it's less the case. But Millennials are now over 45. Gen Zers are now turning 30. As they become a greater and greater share of the audience, and the consumer base, and the wallets of America and other countries, those habits are going to become the mainstream, the norm. The creator economy that is represented by America's No. 1 TV channel. YouTube, beating not just all other channels, but all of Disney. YouTube has a greater share of voice on television than all of Disney. And when you say that, that's a demonstration of these younger generations aging into becoming the majority. It's important to have talented people on your team, but just having them doesn't make you successful. In order to increase performance, people need to connect and collaborate. Here's how to lead a talented team that produces results. There are many tedious aspects of sales, and AI can help get them done efficiently and effectively, just as long as it's deployed well. Here are several ways you can use AI to get the more boring parts of marketing done. President Donald Trump has long been a fan of personal branding, and Forbes' Zach Everson uncovered a long list of 'Trump' items the Trump Organization is now looking to trademark. Which one of these is not on that list? A. AI chatbots B. Virtual cologne C. VR headsets D. Crypto wallets See if you got the answer right here.
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Sell In Uncertain Times: A Playbook For An Uncertain Economy
Proactive steps for B2B sales professionals who are trying to find their feet in turbulent markets More than anyone, sales professionals know when there is uncertainty in the air. We carry the suspense in our gut when cycles stretch out, clients go dark, and budgets come under review. Now is one of those times, and then some. In March, McKinsey reported that the U.S. Economic Policy Uncertainty Index had soared to 641, 15% higher than during the COVID-19 lockdowns and nearly 80% higher than its post-September 11 peak. Beneath the surface, trends that have been brewing for a long time are accelerating. Technology disruption is intensifying, propelled by the double-edged sword of AI. Customer behavior is shifting amid an economy in transition. And trust—across institutions, industries, and interactions of all kinds—is in steep decline. The market is reconfiguring in ways that feel unpredictable, as some sectors falter and others spike. Meanwhile, basic questions of how we work remain unsettled. Are we back in the office? On the road, making sales calls? Gathered around a white board? Or still toggling between Zoom and email in a dress shirt, shorts, and flip-flops at the kitchen table? No one knows! As I consider the environment, as a sales professional, I keep reminding myself: 'be proactive, proactive, proactive.' It's been ringing in my head. Lately, I've been focusing on the mindsets and strategies that can help sales leaders and teams find their footing amid uncertainty and move toward growth. Here are four that are making a difference in my world: When the path forward is unclear, it's human nature to drift. We don't want to waste energy swimming when we don't know which way to swim. And treading water won't work. Sales leaders should push their teams to reassess their pipelines regularly, but especially now. Not to slash, but to clarify. A proposal from four months ago might already be obsolete. If a client has gone quiet, it's likely they're under pressure. That 'just checking in' email isn't going to break through. The better question is, 'How can I help?' Reconnect. Ask how their landscape has changed. Reconsider your value in light of what they're facing now. Clients don't expect certainty—they're looking for clarity and support. Offer that, and you differentiate yourself immediately. Sometimes that might not even mean revising your proposal's economics. You might be able to help the client de-risk a deal in other ways. In one recent case, my team took a stalled proposal intended for one initiative and redirected it to a more urgent client priority, unlocking movement without starting from scratch. Another way to be proactive: Reconsider your ideal customer profile. The uneven effects of policy and disruption mean your best-fit buyer might have shifted. Stand back and reconsider who needs you most. Success now comes from studying sector-specific pain points and crafting fresh ideas that directly resonate with today's reality. To lean forward in uncertainty, develop this habit: the 30-10 Rule. Spend 30 minutes each week planning your top priorities, and 10 minutes each day reviewing progress. It's a small discipline that drives intentional action over reactive motion. It's common sense, just not common practice. Sure, sure. You can tell me: 'I know this.' But are you doing it? The knowing-doing gap will kill you right now. Today's buyers are more consensus-driven, skeptical, and risk-averse than ever. They're not looking for a pitch. They need a partner who understands the stakes. Salespeople have been striving to reposition themselves as 'trusted advisors' for decades. But now is when you really need to step up and be exactly that. When fear is in the air, trust becomes your greatest asset. In fact, if you've earned that trust in your industry, now might be when more contacts are reaching out, not fewer. But beware: uncertainty can breed low-trust sales behaviors. High-pressure tactics, false urgency, or rigid terms undermine confidence and signal desperation. Instead, lead with curiosity. Anchor your outreach in the client's world, around their goals and not your quota. Ask deeper questions: How's demand holding up? What are you up against right now? What are the most significant changes in your company? What would actually make a difference? Then bring something to the table. Share insights from across your industry to help your clients see a little more clearly into the future. You want them to take your call, because you bring them new ideas and insights; because you help them think. Those who master consultative conversations will find themselves not just closing deals, but forging relationships that generate long-term revenue and referrals. Sales leaders must reinforce this trust-first approach by adjusting incentives. If your comp plan only rewards activity volume, not customer outcomes, you're incentivizing motion over meaningful partnerships. In 2025, the edge belongs to those who build sustainable connection. Hybrid work has reshaped the sales experience—often in ways that can reduce connection and morale. Yes, we're more productive in some ways. But other times we're like humans who have retreated to their caves, isolated and eating whatever we find in the fridge. Managers, meanwhile, watch dashboards and Slack threads, trying to understand if anyone is actually working. We might like this set-up better, but that doesn't mean it's better for us. And for sales? It's likely not great for business either. The antidote is simple: Reinvest in presence. Sales isn't just about the number of demos you can do on Teams or Zoom. It's about trust, timing, and human nuance. Even a few in-person touchpoints a year can reenergize a team and build unity. One global sales team I work with recently came together for a single day in Tampa after a long remote stretch. The emotional boost and recalibration of priorities were immediate. The CSO committed on the spot to make it a twice-yearly event. Here's something worth noticing: some salespeople are flying again, even when Zoom would suffice. Why? Because their competitors aren't. Face time still closes deals. If you're a leader, consider reallocating a portion of remote work savings to create intentional in-person moments—team offsites, client lunches, informal gatherings. Small investments in connection yield returns in performance, engagement, and loyalty. AI and other advanced technologies are reshaping entire industries, and that in itself is something sales professionals must navigate. In B2B, the very products and services we sell may be evolving under the pressure of AI. What we offer today may look very different in the near future. But AI is also changing how we sell. Used well, it can streamline follow-ups, sharpen targeting, and elevate coaching. Used poorly, it erodes confidence. Some sales leaders now use AI to 'instant replay' sales missteps in team meetings, spotlighting every verbal tic or off-script moment. For sellers— already in one of the few professions where missing your number can mean losing your job—this kind of scrutiny can create fear. Now we fear every word feels like it's being judged by an algorithm. Leaders must strike a better balance. Use AI for what it does best: private, skill-building tools like conversation simulators and pitch practice. Avoid weaponizing it in public critiques. Instead, hold human-led post-call reviews rooted in genuine curiosity, ask: What went well on that call? What could have gone better? What did you learn? In uncertain times, sales leaders should build a culture of coaching that makes everyone feel more confident, not less so. Uncertainty isn't going away. But the best salespeople I know aren't chasing certainty. They're building relationships, insight by insight, conversation by conversation. That's the strategy for selling in uncertain markets for 2025. Show up. Get out from behind the screen. Ask real questions. Share something useful. Coach yourself—your team members, and your peers—through the ambiguity. Building connection isn't the soft stuff. It's the work.
