Every now and then Google and YouTube provide us with a little insight into what they’re thinking. This small glimmer of hope shows us that we, too, can have success on the platform with the right steps. The YouTube Measurement Program is one of these little glimmers.
YTMP provides a clear list of all the approved partners that YouTube recommends we use in conjunction with the video platform. Software for metrics, data management, influencer marketing, security, and video insights are all present on the list.
In this article, we’ll cover what YTMP is and see if it’s worth a deeper look.
What Is the YouTube Measurement Program (YTMP)?
As marketers, we spend a lot of money on measurement tools, software, advertising, and analysis; but how can you be sure the tools you use provide the most up-to-date and accurate data?
Unfortunately, you can’t. When you spend time and money creating content, investing in ads, and uploading videos to YouTube, you want to be sure the analytics and metrics you receive are an actual reflection of how well you perform.
That’s why YouTube created the YouTube Measurement Program (YTMP). It provides trusted and approved independent companies recommended by YouTube. Now, when you’re choosing a new tool or software, you can choose from a variety of companies recommended by YouTube.
Why Is YTMP Important?
It’s important because all the companies have been personally vetted by YouTube, which means they meet their requirements regarding service and standards. It also means these companies provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on your performance on YouTube.
Tools use different methods to store, gather, and interpret data. We can’t trust everyone with our information, especially when it pertains to our business.
If you’re trying to find success on YouTube, you want a trusted company with a track record of proven success.
The YouTube Measurement Program takes care of this for you by personally vetting all the companies and offering a YTMP certification. By partnering with these companies, you’re setting yourself up for success.
What About Other Service Providers?
As we look at the approved companies, you’ll see it is a short list, and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other businesses offering similar services.
Are all of these companies providing a sub-par service? Is their data inaccurate? Do they all have a poor reputation?
Let’s take two popular tools like VidIQ and TubeBuddy, for example.
Both help you choose keywords, tags, write descriptions, and come up with ideas for content. They help you to gauge competition and see what’s trending on YouTube.
But, they’re not part of the YouTube Measurement Program. Why is that?
It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something wrong with these tools or that they’re going to steal your information. It just means they were not able to meet the program’s strict requirements. Perhaps they never even tried to work up an agreement with YouTube; we don’t know.
The bottom line is, it’s best to always go with what the platform itself recommends. If YouTube tells you that you should use a certain set of services, they are your best shot at success.
YTMP Partners
Let’s look at some of the YouTube Measurement Program partners to see what sets them apart.
Channel Factory
This global technology and data platform helps improve video performance while increasing contextual suitability and delivering highly targeted content to the right audience. Their flagship product, ViewIQ, analyzes every channel to ensure that you’re only running your ads on videos that are relevant to your goals.
How many times have you been on YouTube and had an ad pop up that has absolutely nothing to do with the content you’re watching? If an ad for Budweiser is displaying on a video intended for kids under 12, you’ve got a problem.
Channel Factory specializes in brand suitability and amplification. By ensuring your ads display to only the most relevant viewers, you can amplify your brand and generate a higher ROI.
Integral Ad Science (IAS)
IAS is the global leader in digital ad verification. They help advertisers and content creators receive the insight and technology necessary to protect themselves from fraud.
The end goal is to help create a profitable campaign by targeting the right audience, zeroing in on every impression, and ensuring your ads are displayed where they should.
This sounds a lot like what Channel Factory does, but they have one primary difference.
IAS focuses on “Quality Impressions.” They’ve even trademarked the phrase.
This metric determines what an impression really means. Essentially, they verify the impressions YouTube says you get are eyeballs from real people who are prepared to buy something, in the right environment, and correct geographical location.
Interesting…
Getting thousands of impressions on an ad doesn’t matter if your ad wasn’t displayed to the right audience. Integral Ad Science helps ensure the impressions you get actually make a difference with your brand.
CreatorIQ
CreatorIQ helps find influencers for endorsement and brand deals. If you want to leverage influencer marketing, CreatorIQ will help you find the right.
They have five primary product offerings, Creator Core, Creator Connect, Creator Pay, Creator Boost, and Creator Hubs. I’ll break some of them down.
Creator Core is a tremendous database of all the most popular influencers on YouTube. It even uses Google AI image recognition to connect you with the right person and prevent fraud.
Once you connect with an influencer and your content hits the masses, you’ll also receive reporting and analytics showing how many posts you made, impressions, engagement, and total reach.
Creator Connect allows you to build a network of content creators so you can spread your reach in a safe and encrypted environment.
Creator Pay is a way for you to make and accept payments in a systematized and scalable way.
CreatorIQ is an all-in-one solution for influencer marketing. If you’re looking for an easy way to find influencers safely, without having to DM hundreds of creators, CreatorIQ seems like a great choice.
How Do You Know If a Company Is Part of the YTMP?
There are two ways to find this out. The first way is to check the YouTube measurement program page. Here you’ll find a list of all the companies within each niche and a brief explanation of what they do and what sets them apart.
You can also find out if a tool is part of the program by looking at their website.
The image above is from the footer on ChannelFactory.com. Every company that is verified by the YouTube Measurement Program will receive this seal of approval. You can use this to help determine if you plan to work with this company or not.
YTMP Certifications
When it comes down to specific requirements, there are three. To become YTMP verified, members must show the following:
- proof of strong demand in the market
- proof of a strong and successful industry track record
- continued compliance with Google and YouTube policies
All the companies you see on YouTube’s list meet these requirements. That makes finding the right platform much easier.
What Are the Vetting Standards for the YouTube Measurement Program?
I mentioned the three certifications YouTube presents to their partners, but how do they get those certifications? There is a strict vetting process to weed out less ideal tools. Here are the standards all YTMP partners must follow.
Strong market demand: YouTube expects its partners to have a certain level of demand in the industry. They want the companies they recommend to be popular and well-received by their niche. This is usually a tell-tale sign that they’re providing top-notch service.
Successful track record: YouTube wants the best partners with long-term track records of success. Many companies on the list have been in business for 10+ years, so the chances are they’re doing something right.
Policy compliance: We all know that Google is serious about its policies and they expect creators and advertisers to follow the rules. The same goes for service providers. YouTube will only recommend companies with a proven track record for following the guidelines.
Accurate and up-to-date information: The goal of YTMP is to help provide creators and advertisers with only the most accurate data. To become part of the program, service providers need to prove that their data aligns with YouTube. If they can do that, it’s a gold star for them.
Actionable and insightful metrics: YouTube wants to ensure that the data these service providers offer is actionable, insightful, and has the potential to actually make a difference.
Security and safety: Security and safety are critically important and that’s why YouTube requires all members to comply with proper data handling, encryption, and other security measures. You can trust that if you choose a YTMP partner that they’re properly handling your private information.
What Does the YTMP Mean for Content Creators?
This leaves us with one final thought, how can YTMP make a difference in your business?
YouTube, Google, Facebook, Instagram, and all these platforms are constantly trying to figure out new ways to get advertisers to choose them. How can this new measurement program help your company? Here are a few ways.
1. Ensures Data Accuracy
Probably the biggest plus is data accuracy. We use so many tools and frankly, they all tell us different things. If you’re in SEO, you probably use SEMrush and Ahrefs; but have you ever compared them? The data is completely different, so who do we trust?
The goal of the YTMP is to provide the most accurate data across the board so you get a direct representation of how your money is being spent.
2. Easy Competition Analysis
YouTube lays it all out and shows you each company that they partner with. This makes it much easier to choose a service because you can compare them easily without having to randomly crawl the SERPs looking to solve your problems.
It’s a lot like walking down the cereal aisle in the grocery store. You have a much better chance of enjoying your cereal when you’re choosing between the five best in the world versus 100 random kinds of cereal.
3. Match With The Right Company
Companies are changing the way they provide services and attempting to provide more of an in-store experience. When you go with a vetted partner you’re ensuring that you get a company that aligns with your goals and objectives.
4. Trust, Safety, and Security
Last but certainly not least, security and safety are everything. We have tons of data, and if the wrong person gets access it could cause huge problems. Knowing how companies handle your information is so important, and the YTMP ensures you’re only trusting your valuable data with companies that know how to handle it properly.
Conclusion
Do you think the YouTube Measurement Partner Program could make a difference with your content creation? You are much more likely to find a solid tool that serves your needs. If you need additional help these tools don’t provide, we can help.
Remember that in the game of marketing, YouTube and Google sometimes give us a little glimpse into how they work and what we can do to succeed. That is exactly what YTMP does. They’re telling you that these companies might give you a little advantage.
Do you use any of the companies on the YouTube Measurement Program approved list? If so, let us know which one in the comments and what your experience is/was?
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