Getting to Grips with the Fundamentals of YouTube Advertising
Take a look as we cover all the basic details there are to know about YouTube Advertising. Including what it is, the ad formats available and how the ads work.
Do you create branded videos? There’s no doubt that video is taking over – 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
With all the time and money invested into video production, you can’t stop at imbedding your video in the company homepage or organically posting it on social media with the hope it generates a few views.
Particularly with video content, its important businesses are proactive and use their initiative to get their video(s) in front of their target audience.
Launching a YouTube video campaign is one method to ensure you get the most out of your investment. And with a range of targeting and tracking capabilities, businesses can utilise the platform to reach and influence their target audience.
But what does YouTube, one of the world’s biggest advertising platforms, look like in 2019? Here are key YouTube statistics you need to know:
- – There are 2 billion monthly active users
- – YouTube was the most downloaded iOS app in 2018
- – There are one billion hours of YouTube content viewed a day
- – YouTube is the second most popular website after Google
If you’re unsure about how YouTube ads work, you’re certainly not alone. Brands have been able to use YouTube ads since 2007, although there is still some confusion about how it all works. Unlike other advertising platforms, where advertisers pay for a click, video advertisers on YouTube only pay when someone decides to watch at least 30 seconds or clicks on their TrueView ad.
What is YouTube Advertising?
YouTube advertising all occurs in Google Ads. Advertisers upload videos to their Google Ads account, select the targeting, locations and campaign settings and choose the placement for their ads.
Then, they bid to display the ad paying an amount which is within their budget.
When a viewer watches the video for a certain amount of time or interacts with the ad, the advertiser pays a price (which will not exceed their maximum bid already specified). Ads can be monitored, paused and stopped at any time.
As with any forms of digital advertising, there are a wide selection of targeting options to choose from for you to reach your desired audience. Categories to define include:
- – Demographics
- – Interests
- – Remarketing
- – Placements
- – Topics
- – Keywords
Targeting greatly impacts the success of your campaign. Consider which options will deliver the best results for your brand. Possibly test different targeting options and evaluate the results to optimise your campaign.
Looking for Assistance?
Different Gravy Digital are experts at digital paid advertising. Contact us today and see how we can help you succeed with YouTube Ads. For a free no obligation consultation, get in touch using one of the following options:
Book a meeting: michaelgoldman.co.uk/
Telephone: 0161 706 004
Email: contact@differentgravydigital.co.uk
How Does YouTube Ads Work?
Your ads will be appearing on YouTube – but your campaign will be setup and managed through Google Ads. Below are brief summary steps required to get a video campaign up and running:
- – Select the video you want to advertise and upload the content
- – Choose your audience, including location settings and define the type of people you want to reach
- – Decide on your budget, the amount of money you want to invest promoting your video on YouTube
What is YouTube’s TrueView Ads?
Google reports that 80% of viewers prefer TrueView ads to other in-stream video ad forms.
Advertisers are only charged when a viewer watches 30 seconds or more of a video or if they interact with the content in some way (like clicking on a CTA). Viewers control which ads they would like to view and simply skip past the ones they don’t, meaning advertisers only spend money trying to convert people who are genuinely interested.
TrueView videos can be a minimum of 12 seconds long or a maximum length of 6 minutes. There are two key types of TrueView ad formats.
- – In-stream Ads: Play before the main video.
- – Discover Ads: appear within YouTube’s search results and near the suggested video list.
What Video Advertising Formats Does YouTube Offer?
Before you create your first campaign, take the time to understand each ad style and consider which will best suit your business.
- – Skippable Video Ads: Viewers can choose to skip the ad after 5 seconds. The promoted video can be placed before, during or after the main video.
- – Non-skippable Video Ads: The video ad must be watched before the main video can be viewed – they can be 15 to 20 seconds in length depending on regional standards.
- – Bumper Ads: Short non-skippable ads that are up to 6 seconds long.
Do I Have to Use Video Content to Advertise on YouTube?
No – there are formats that don’t require video content.
- – Display Ads: Are shown to the right of the main video or above the video suggestions list.
- – Overlay Ads: Semi-transparent overlay ads that are displayed in the lower 20% of the main video
- – Sponsored Cards: Share content that could be relevant to the video, like featured products.
To learn more about the ad formats available for YouTube advertising, you can check out Google Ad’s Guide.
Does Advertising on YouTube See Results?
The ultimate question on everyone’s lips.
As part of Google’s empire, YouTube has a mountain of knowledge of individual preferences and interests which can assist you to target the right people. If you’re reaching the right people, with an engaging video and an optimised landing page, your YouTube Ads could see excellent results.
If you’re able to build an optimised campaign (possibly with our help) there’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t receive a profitable return on investment from your campaign. YouTube’s platform and popularity has the potential to overturn your marketing strategies and become your brand’s greatest customer acquisition channel.