With over a billion users, YouTube should not be overlooked as a viable advertising and acquisition channel.
This month, YouTube launched 6 second unskippable ads which help advertisers get their message across to consumers quickly. The fact that these ads can’t be skipped ensures that the ads will always be viewed, thus providing a valuable way to promote your products and drive brand awareness.
The new ad format is designed for mobile advertisers after new research found that 50% of 18-49 year olds prefer to watch videos on mobile. These short “bumper” ads are predicted to work effectively on mobile where users respond positively to easy-to-digest “snackable” video content.
Here are some tips on how to succeed at YouTube advertising…
Choose the right ad format
YouTube offers several advertising options. Before you start using this channel to acquire traffic, you need to decide where you’d like your ad to be shown.
Search ads appear when a viewer is actively searching for content. This works in a similar way to Google Search; you can bid on a list of selected keywords for your ad to appear next to. By placing your ad here, you can reach a highly targeted audience who are already invested in what you have to offer. This could mean they have a higher propensity to convert. Search ads are cost effective as they work on a click per view basis, so you will only pay when a user clicks on your ad.
InStream ads appear before a viewer watches their video of choice. Although these ads are more likely to be seen and watched, they can have a high drop-off rate as they are skippable. However, you only pay if someone watches more than 30 seconds of your ad. InStream ads allow you to create longer videos to reach specific audiences and target viewers with related interests.
The new “bumper” ads are a form of InStream ads as they appear before a viewer watches their video. They are intended to be short reminders of longer ads, which can be used to reinforce your messaging and reach more users.
For more information about the different types of YouTube ads, click here.
Create engaging content
To fully engage with your audience, invest in making high quality ads that are creative and personal. You should create content that will engage with your audience and leave them wanting to know more about your product. Ads should be informative and communicate your key messages simply but effectively.
Focus on creating content that will engage your target audience and that they will want to share and discuss. This will maximise your exposure and increase the effectiveness of your ad.
Tailor your ads to your audience
YouTube advertising allows you to target by age and gender, interests and topics. For example, if you run a niche dating site for horse lovers, you can target your ads to be shown alongside videos about horses.
It also offers contextual keyword targeting, which helps show your ads to an audience with a pre- established interest in your keywords and product. For more information on how to build a contextually targeted keyword campaign, click here.
The various options mean you can create highly targeted ads that reach a more specific audience than with other forms of advertising. This will help you to achieve a good return on investment.
Measure your success
Remember to add the relevant tracking to your ads so that you can view your analytics reports in Google AdWords. These reports will tell you how many times your ad has been viewed and how many times your ad has been clicked. They will also tell you where these users have come from and what device they are using, helping you to adjust and optimise your campaigns to be more effective in the future.
YouTube should not be overlooked as a viable advertising and acquisition channel. Its various ad formats means you can tailor your ads to suit your audience and budget in order to create an effective advertising campaign.
Speak to your Partner Manager for more details and help with setting up a campaign.