What You Need to Know About YouTube Ads Before Investing

YouTube attracts an amazing amount of traffic every day, so advertising on the platform makes good business sense, especially as stats show that paid ads enjoy conversion rates which are 25% higher than clicks which come via free advertising or shared content.

However, like any other marketing decision, it pays to do some research before going ahead, as understanding how to best implement YouTube ads will really help you get the most out of the experience.

Here we look in brief at the key things you really need to know about YouTube ads to optimize your spend.

There are Several Types of YouTube Ads

• TrueView ads

This kind of ad pops up either before or after a video plays, and viewers have the chance to skip them after five seconds so you need to have something engaging from the start to hold attention. Regardless, they are generally considered the best form of ad for this platform as it drives more views of other content on your channel, possibly by 500%! They are also cost effective as you only need to pay if a viewer watches more than 30 seconds.

There are two forms of TrueView ads - In-Stream and Discovery. In-Stream ads run on YouTube videos and all games, apps and videos in Google’s Display Network. They should be shorter than three minutes long and clicks go through to your website. Discovery ads, on the other hand, appear on YouTube videos, mobile and pc search results, and on the ‘related video’ list amongst other places. You can also add a CTA (Call-to-action) and a headline to in-stream ads -  a real plus.

Do bear in mind that some people will skip it just because the option to do so is there, so you need to give others a real reason to want to stay and watch more. Keep them short and create a good hook which triggers emotion. Using TrueView for Reach by making videos lasting 6-30 seconds and then pay per 1000 views can help keep you focused on brevity.

• Non-skippable ads

These are now in a new, shorter format, with a 15-20 second limit because viewers hated them and tended to leave the site completely. If you like the CPM (cost per million) style of payment and can make the ad fantastic, then this can really be a gamble worth taking, just keep in mind you are eating people’s data!

• TrueView in-display ads

These are shown alongside videos which your target audience is likely to be looking at and planning to watch.

• Sponsored cards

Available on both desktop and mobile content, these feature ads offering products or services which relate to the video they are linked to. After a brief glimpse, the viewer can choose to look
at the card and get more information. They work because they are not in the viewer’s face and they add an often welcome element of interactivity to a video, as well as the opportunity to get in a subtle CTA. Psychology wise, it’s a plus that the viewer must make the active choice to expand the information rather than be focused on trying to erase it from the screen!

It’s really easy to make cards for advertising as there are plenty of blog articles which provide guides, as well as information on YouTube itself, so why not give it a try?

• Bumper ads

These are not skippable but only last six seconds max so they are considered less intrusive. They are paid for via the CPM method so are an affordable option, though devising something powerful in under six seconds needs a lot of research and thought. They do make good reminder ads though, to add on to other campaigns and styles.

• Overlay ads

These are for desktop viewers only, and feature a semi-transparent ad over the bottom 20% of the video screen.

Sponsored cards best target an audience who you can be confident are likely to convert, while the others work best for general awareness raising among your target demographic.

Advertising on YouTube Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

The system is actually really fair and cost-effective as unless someone watches more than 30 seconds of your ad, you pay nothing. The exception here is if the ad is shorter than 30 seconds, in which case they need to watch it all before it counts. You set a budget from
the start, which can be per week or per month – it works pretty much like Google Ads.

If you don’t mind investing in your channel then buying followers can be well worth it. If you want to learn more about this, visit https://www.socialmediadaily.com/youtube.

You Should Maximize the Opportunity to Target your Audience

Your ad can be aimed at viewers based on a whole host of factors, including their age bracket, gender identification, location – from the country through to city, town and even zip code – and,
crucially, their interests. This makes it super easy to be confident the right kind of people will be seeing your ad, presuming you have given enough thought to who you really want to target.

Video Ads Should be Focused

While it’s true that some ads last a long time and do incredibly well the reality is that most wouldn’t fare this well. The best approach is to aim for something between 30 seconds and a
minute, as the shorter it is the higher the viewer figures will be. It’s also worth front-loading your ad, so all the key information and juicy hooks appear early enough to either get the message across or keep people watching.

YouTube is a potentially lucrative market for advertisers, with billions of people passing through the site daily, so there’s no reason to miss out on a piece of the pie. Like anything though, to get the most out of YouTube advertising takes more than just a financial investment, the most success can be had after dedicating time and effort to researching the options and planning an appropriate strategy.