Videos must be an integral part of your marketing strategy.
Everyone who has implemented videos in their marketing campaigns says video marketing provides a positive ROI.
Back in 2014, Google and YouTube created a strategy that would help creators on YouTube decide what type of content they wanted to make.
While this strategy has the most effects for videos or podcasts, HERO HELP HUB is also a useful strategy for other types of content.
The strategy was a part of a guide called ‘The YouTube Creator Playbook for Brands’, where YouTube and Google worked together to create a how-to guide for all brand creators.
Aside from tips related to thumbnails, ads, different optimizations, and audience interactions, the guide also included the aforementioned content strategy, the so-called Hero-Help-Hub strategy, of which we will talk today.
Further on in the text, you can read about:
- Hero-Help-Hub
- Hero content
- Help content
- Hub content
- Best examples of HHH campaign
- How to choose the best type of content for your brand?
Let’s begin.
Hero-Help-Hub
As the name suggests, it is a strategy that is about three types of content which YouTube and Google named hero content, help (or hygiene) content, and hub content.
Each of these types of content is different and has its uses and YouTube and Google suggest the use of all three when it comes to YouTube content creation.
While it can be challenging and time-consuming to create all three types of content, it would certainly be a good idea to do so and make the most of the hero-help-hub strategy.
Your focus can be on one type of content, this is what most people do, but you shouldn’t completely neglect the other two types.
The hero content is the biggest and broadest and it is all about reach and brand awareness. The aim of hub content is to keep subscribers and providing quality content for them (aka community building). While help content is smaller in scale and revolves around getting new subscribers.
The importance of help content is to show people who their clients can be and that they have something of value to provide to them. Therefore, it is very important even though it is small in scale.
By utilizing all three types of content, YouTube creators are covering all of their bases: spreading the word of their brand, attracting new people, and keeping their current subscribers.
This strategy proved to be quite effective, and soon, it started getting used by brands outside of YouTube and involving other types of content aside from video.
Let’s look at the different types of content involved in the Hero Help Hub strategy in detail (with examples, of course).
What is Hero Content?
As we have already said, hero content is large in scale and it is actually the central piece of every campaign.
It’s the type of content that needs to be made appealing to a huge audience and to reach as many people as possible.
Everything you present with hero content needs to be researched, to have the right information but you also have a lot of room for creativity.
Since it is focused on reach and brand awareness, hero content is all about impactful content.
Many brands have failed precisely because they have not created quality hero content.
Hero content has a lot of benefits, but above all, it makes you credible. If you are not credible, you will not have clients. It is as simple as that.
You need to show your background, your experience, knowledge, and everything else to make people feel confident that you are capable and respectable.
Hero content will certainly have a big impact on your marketing as a whole. One of the positive effects it has is helping you expand your mailing list.
People don’t usually seek out this type of content. Its high quality makes people share this content with their friends, family, and followers, which results in more views and shares.
If people really like what you have done, they will be willing to become your subscribers or followers.
You should definitely know that hero content is the most expensive type of content, both for creation and promotion, but don’t skimp on it.
In the end, it will all pay off many times over.
And now, we will give you some tips for creating a hero strategy, and after that, we will show you the best examples to help you get a better idea of what it should look like.
Hero Content Strategy
Now you are probably interested in how to create quality hero content.
Hero content usually lasts between half a minute and a minute and a half, although there is no clearly defined rule. Nevertheless, this duration proved to be the most effective.
What is important is that the hero content is not only available on YouTube/Google, but that since it is large in scale, you use all available channels.
We include other social networks, both paid ads, and organic reach, then email marketing, to focus on outreach and so on. What we want to emphasize is that the more places your hero content is, the better.
This will affect both the popularity of your brand and SEO.
Call to action (CTA) is indispensable as well.
When it comes to creating the strategy itself, first start by determining which topic is right for hero content.
It can be anything that is your niche or just a specific sector that you want to focus on. Choosing the right topic is crucial.
You should then proceed with the usual steps when any business plan and strategy is being developed, such as a case study and everything else.
Need advice on creating amazing hero content?
Hero Content Best Examples
You will learn best if you look at examples of hero content created by famous companies:
- MySwitzerland
- Red Bull
- GoPro
MySwitzerland “No Drama.” video
Switzerland Tourism which is the national marketing and sales organization of Switzerland recently posted a new video on their YouTube profile called “No Drama.” and it is a perfect example of hero content.
Switzerland Tourism’s new ambassador Roger Federer, one of the best tennis players ever and Robert De Niro, one of the most famous actors ever have teamed up in this fantastic mini film.
In addition to the fact that the two of them alone are enough to attract a huge audience, the script, as well as the way of recording are top-notch. All this brought more than 50 million views to this video in just two months, so it is certain that the number will soon be over 100 million. This promo video was certainly expensive, but it will undoubtedly bring a big profit to the tourism sector in Switzerland, which needs recovery after the coronavirus.
Red Bull’s ”Last Call for Mr. Paul” video
The Red Bull YouTube channel has over 9 million subscribers and more than 150 videos with more than 2 million views. Unexpected, right?
They use this channel to feature sports videos packed with action and cool shots and videos of one-of-a-kind competitions. But we’re not here to discuss channel success. We’re here to look at amazing hero content, and Red Bull provided us with one.
Red Bull took over an entire airport and hired the professional free-runner Jason Paul, whom they also sponsor. Here’s the video:
Taking over a whole airport for a day couldn’t have been cheap, as well as the masterful video editing and great slow-motion shots. But seeing as the video has over 150 million views and more than 1 million likes, it must have more than paid off.
I also found it pretty impressive that the Red Bull YouTube team is still active in this video, and likes the comments and responds to them.
This is a smart move on their part because they’re interacting with their audience and showing them that they care about what they have to say, instead of passively watching the views go up.
If you’re working on creating your own hero content, make sure to try and do the same.
Another great thing about this video is the fact that the advertising is subtle – there’s a single can of Red Bull and Jason Paul wears a red bull hat that you can only really see in at the end of the video.
Viewers don’t feel forced to buy Red Bull after watching it, but the next time they’re outside and see it in a store, they might remember this awesome video and buy a can or two.
GoPro – Beyond Next Level
GoPro has always delighted us with its marketing campaigns and they are certainly one of the companies whose hero content you should emulate.
They always have unique ideas and their teams know how to turn those ideas into great videos.
An example of this is “Beyond next level” where the goal was to present the ‘Hypersmooth 2.0’ feature. This feature was created to make shaky videos look their best.
They managed to advertise their product with this hero content, without you ever feeling like you were actually watching an advertisement. Everything is very attractively made, so it is interesting to the broad audience, and not only to those who primarily use GoPro.
So within the “Beyond next level” hero campaign, you got an overview of a product, you were familiarized with the whole story, you were shown real-life examples, and they also explained everything to you from the point of view of a potential customer. In this way, they managed to target the widest possible range of customers.
What is Help Content?
You have probably often come across help content by the name hygiene content as it was originally called when Google and YouTube launched this strategy.
But the term help started being used more and more, and nowadays it is more common, although both are used.
Help content is there to help you attract as many people as possible. Generally, how-to, tutorials, guides, and similar is the type of content that attracts the most potential customers, followers, subscribers, and is also very good for organic reach.
Anything that can help people, and that is also free, will be very popular, so it shouldn’t be surprising why help (hygiene) content is there to attract people to you and your brand/company.
To constantly attract new people, help content is something you need to create regularly. It will have a positive influence on reach and engagement.
Creating help content is very time-consuming, even more than hero content, but cheaper.
If you’re going to write article guides, make sure they can be easily followed and understood.
On the other hand, if you’re creating tutorial videos, the sound and video quality will have to be good.
Just because it’s cheaper to create doesn’t mean you need to be less professional.
For example, when recording a video, you need to make sure that the video is not blurry or that the audio is of poor quality because then the followers will stop watching and will probably not come back again.
If you do not have the money to invest in quality equipment, rent it. And don’t forget that today you can do everything with the help of smartphones.
Help Content Strategy
It is not difficult to have a good strategy for creating the help content.
The point is to show everyone that you are active and that your business is fully alive. Because no dying business that is on the verge of bankruptcy will upload new tutorials every day, for example.
The most important thing is to actively participate in the online community because today you have to exist online to be noticed.
During the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, it was even more complicated to create content regularly, but now that the situation is getting better, you can go back to the content creation routine at least a few times a week. If you can guarantee daily content to your followers, it is even better.
See what videos and content your competition generally creates and make sure you have similar content, but better. Of course, you can take a different approach from them if you think that is going to bring new crowds.
It is essential that you are active and that you are 365-day-relevant.
Social networks are ideal for help content as well as YouTube. People are the most active there, so they will follow your work with great attention.
It should not be forgotten to mention how much quality help content affects SEO.
If you optimize and create content in the right way, search engines will surely rank you higher than those who rarely post new content.
Help Content Examples
Same as we had told you for hero content. Some of the globally famous companies are ones to learn from:
- Sephora
- Linus
- Nike Football
- Gillette
Sephora
Sephora posts YouTube videos daily, and sometimes even uploads multiple videos a day. Here’s what the channel looks like:
Most of their videos are tutorials, guides, and hacks. When someone is looking up makeup tips on YouTube and ends up watching one of their videos and finds it useful, they’ll find a ton more similar videos on their channel.
Note the use of words in the video titles, they aren’t accidental. They are exactly what people are searching for – routine, hack, how to, at-home, dos and don’ts, challenge, and so on.
The videos might not have millions of views like hero content usually does, but this isn’t their aim. They’re here to be in the search results for people to find, so they can be of use to them. This way, the brand builds trust and establishes a good relationship with the viewers, who are quite likely to become customers.
Just think about it, are you more likely to purchase a product from a brand you’ve never heard of or from a brand that has helped you learn something new?
Linus
Here’s a different kind of example. These YouTubers aren’t a brand like Sephora, but still, generate a ton of revenue through ads and sponsorships. Take a look at their channel.
These tech enthusiasts create all sorts of videos, including help content.
Do you want to upgrade your pc but aren’t sure which CPU to buy? Or maybe you want to make your own gaming rig on a budget?
Don’t worry, they have a video for that.
Their videos are short and perfect for everyone. The thumbnails use bright colors to attract the viewer’s attention in the search results. Check out their subscriber count and their views, they are over 10 million and often over 1 million, respectively.
Nike Football
As we all know, Nike is one of the most popular and influential companies in the world.
Most of the best commercials you see are for Nike and include athletes who are Nike ambassadors. What is particularly interesting in their marketing campaigns is that they very rarely advertise an individual product, but try to convey ideas through their ambassadors such as Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, and many others. They reckon that these famous athletes plus their ideas will attract people to buy their products.
But that is not our topic at the moment.
The Nike Football YouTube channel is a great example of the help content.
There you can see various football practice tutorials for things like free-kick. Stars like Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, and many other famous football players are presenting those tutorials.
Gillette
We can’t imagine shaving without Gillette products.
They’re also well-known because some of the most expensive commercials of all time have just been shot for Gillette, featuring the biggest and most expensive stars like Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.
Their YouTube channel can show which direction to go when creating hygiene content.
Also, an “at home shaving” campaign should teach you how, even during unforeseen and difficult moments, such as a pandemic, you can continue to create quality content that will attract both old and new followers.
What is Hub Content?
Unlike hero and help content that aims to attract people, hub content is made for all those who are already your fans/followers/clients.
Hub content is all about providing content to people who are already interested in your brand and want more.
While it is positive to attract as many people as possible, you can do this to some extent, but you will still not be able to keep all of them. That’s why you have to pay attention to those with whom you have already made contact, to keep them in the long run because they are essential for every company’s long-term success. Without a loyal customer base, your revenue and everything else will be volatile like cryptocurrencies and in that way, you won’t be able to progress.
You know when you visit a website and read an article that you think is so good that you give them your email so they can send you more quality content?
Or when you subscribe to a YouTube channel for a certain series and the YouTuber continues making it?
These are both examples of hub content. Once people find your brand through the hero and help content and show interest, you will need to provide them with valuable content if you want them to stay.
Hub Content Strategy
When creating a Hub content strategy keep in mind that you are addressing those who are already familiar with you and know what to expect. And that’s exactly why they’re there because they love your content.
You can be very creative which, of course, does not mean unprofessional.
The hub content doesn’t need to be as frequent as help content, but it would be good to have a publishing schedule so that followers know when to come and see what you have prepared for them.
Focus on podcasts, vlogs, but also on things like behind the scenes, or lives where you will answer questions. Anything that might interest those who have been following you for a long time and further develop the bond between you and them can be the hub content.
People start to look at a certain brand or person, if it is for example YouTube travel or beauty vlogger, fitness coach, or anything else, as a close friend. Followers like that are the most important thing you can have.
Hub Content Examples
Hub content is not something that big brands are paying that much attention to, but hub content is rather characteristic for YouTubers.
Here are the best examples:
- Adam Savage
- TED-Ed
Adam Savage
This channel of almost 5 million subscribers is as interesting as it is awesome. The former host of MythBusters is now creating his own videos and making all sorts of cool stuff (with some gaming videos on the side). Check out his channel:
His videos include reviews, Q&A videos, discussions, live builds, but also several series that make for great hub content. They include his one-day build series, favorite tools series, and tested from home series. Most of his videos have over 200.000 views, and some even have more than 1 million views.
Judging by the views, they are exactly what the subscribers want to see. Savage is relaxed, but still professional, cracking jokes while he explains the technology and science behind what he’s building and reviewing.
TED-Ed
This educational YouTube channel has over 13 million subscribers and a ton of different series. Take a look here:
Their videos are very popular – I often see them on social media and get them sent to me. The views are anything but few, and the majority of their videos have over 500.000 views. Their 150 most popular ones have over 2 million views.
It is easy to get into this channel, you’ve watched one of their videos, and the next thing you know, it’s 3 in the morning and you forgot to have dinner. The art styles are unique and the videos are short and entertaining, perfect for people of all ages.
The best thing about it is the different themes in their videos, resulting in interesting series that are separated into YouTube playlists.
They might not be a conventional brand trying to sell you products, but still present a great example of a YouTube channel that is definitely worth watching, which is exactly what their viewers are doing. Achieving this many subscribers and views isn’t easy, and I’d say they figured out the formula of content that people stay on their channel for.
Best examples of HHH campaigns
Following brands did a fantastic job in implementing all three types of content into their HHH campaigns.
These brands are:
- Maggi
- OnePlus
- Asian Paints
Maggi
You’ve probably heard of Maggi, a company that is one of the most famous in the world for making seasonings, instant soups, and noodles and has been owned by Nestle for more than 70 years.
They have brilliantly implemented HHH several times, and it stands out especially for the product line called Hot Heads.
They first launched a large number of ads to reach a broad audience. Then they made a lot of YouTube videos where they talk about how you can all take advantage of their noodles, which is ideal help content.
And finally, to target those who use their products the most, namely young people, under the age of 30, they have teamed up with well-known influencers to create interesting hub content.
OnePlus
A few years ago, OnePlus launched a campaign for its OnePlus 3 model that is an ideal example of hero-help-hub content.
Hero campaign was standard and involved the introduction and launch of the product itself, which is the OnePlus 3 smartphone.
Help content included unboxing, and “OnePlus 3 unboxing” was among the most popular videos on YouTube trending.
They very cleverly organized events in many cities and it was only possible to buy OnePlus at these events 3 in the physical world, but you could get it online. So you couldn’t buy it in any other brick-and-mortar store and that increased their fan base.
Asian Paints
While you probably haven’t heard of Asian Paints which is an Indian multinational paint company, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to create a hero-help-hub marketing campaign from them.
Their hero content was an ad featuring Deepika Padukone who is one of the most famous actresses in Hindi movies. And even Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 so she is globally popular, not just in India. It is easy to conclude that, this way, they reached a lot of people
Help content included various tutorials that were closely related to their niche. Hub content included home makeovers that were shown on the most popular channels and Asian Paints sponsored those makeovers.
How to choose the best type of content for your brand?
There are three questions you can ask yourself when deciding which type of content you should create for your brand.
- What category your brand belongs to?
- What is your area of expertise?
- What is the behavior of the consumers in your category?
What category your brand belongs to?
If your brand belongs to the traveling category, you can make all three types of content. For example, when it comes to hero content, you can make amazing videos that promote your tours.
For help videos, you can make content that is all about guides of cities, and when it comes to hub content, you can make weekly videos of notable must-visit landmarks.
While some brands can make all three types of content or two, some can only make one. Think of Coca-Cola and soft drinks in general, for example. They can’t make help videos, nor hub content. Because of this, they invest a lot of money into hero content and the ads that involve it.
What is your area of expertise?
If you’re knowledgeable about the beauty industry, aside from the hero content about the promotion of your new products, you can also make help content that involves tutorials.
If your brand deals with food and you know how to cook, help content would be the way to go, and you can make a YouTube channel or blog where you can share recipes
In recent years, brands that deal with finances have also started making YouTube channels and helping people learn about their area of expertise.
What is the behavior of the consumers in your category?
Do you know what your potential customers are looking for, and what trends they’re following and are interested in?
Or maybe there are some problems that they’re dealing with and are looking for articles and videos that will help them solve them.
Make an effort to understand your potential customers, because this knowledge can help you decide what kind of content you want to make.
Remember the example I used earlier, the Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel?
Because they’re part of the tech industry, they know what other people like them are interested in and are searching for, hence why they get so many views all the time.
Conclusion
The hero-help-hub strategy involves 3 types of content, each focused on different areas of maintaining a successful YouTube channel, website, Instagram profile, or any other channel you use to contact customers.
This HHH strategy, created by YouTube and Google, has been focused on video content from the beginning, but that by no means implies that you should ignore other types of content that can get a positive impact from HHH strategy.
Hero content is made up of videos or any other type of content that you think can reach a large number of people. Hero strategy has the aim to reach as many new viewers as possible, but it would be good for it to be in a natural way. What do we mean when we say natural way? To make the content so high quality that people send each other what you post and so you have free advertising. This part of the HHH strategy is usually expensive to make and promote.
Help content is focused on helping people solve their problems and help them learn something new. It aims to get them interested in the brand not directly but by helping them learn more about you and potentially become customers.
Hub content, on the other hand, is designed to nurture existing subscribers. Once you have loyal customers and audience, it doesn’t mean your job is done. What Hero and Help content brought you, you should maintain with the help of Hub content.
Hopefully, this article has helped you learn something new and the examples we provided were interesting and of use.
Do you need help in content marketing?
