How to Advertise on YouTube

What are YouTube ads?

YouTube ads are ads that are tied to YouTube videos, whether they play before the video starts, in the middle of the video, or simply exist as a banner ad below the video itself. Different types of ads are effective in different situations, so it’s your job to decide what types of ads you want to run based on what you’re trying to advertise.

So, what makes YouTube ads different from other types of ads? Videos tend to be more engaging, and that’s especially true when it comes to YouTube. With video ads that play at the start or in the middle of a video, you can capitalize on the fact that people are engaged and interested in the video. It can also be helpful to diversify your advertising efforts, so advertising on YouTube can be a step toward creating a comprehensive marketing plan.

Why consider advertising on YouTube?

You might be wondering why you would want to advertise on YouTube. Perhaps the biggest reason to advertise on YouTube is the fact that it’s one of the most popular websites in the world in terms of traffic. Tens of millions of users visit YouTube to watch videos every day, which means you’ve got a lot of opportunities to make impressions and get people to buy your product.

What’s even more interesting about YouTube advertising is how effective it is. People may mindlessly scroll through Facebook or Twitter, but there’s a different level of engagement when people are watching YouTube videos. When people see a YouTube ad before the video they’re trying to watch, they have to at least pay enough attention to that ad to skip it.

Types of YouTube ads

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are several different types of YouTube ads. You might not have a lot of luck with skippable in-stream ads, but another type of ad may work very well for your business. Here are some of the different types of ads you can run with YouTube video marketing.

In-feed video ads

In-feed video ads are unique because they’re a sort of covert method of advertising. These in-feed video ads don’t pop up when a person is watching a video; instead, they appear in the feed as another video to watch. What this means is that when somebody searches for a video on YouTube, they can see your video ad in the search results.

The great part about in-feed video ads is that they aren’t too invasive, which can turn people off of your brand. Instead, people will see your videos in the feed and begin to recognize your brand as a result. In-feed video ads also allow you to deliver relevant content that users can consume, plus they’re more likely to subscribe and share that content since it’s relevant to them.

Skippable in-stream ads

Skippable in-stream ads are ads that play at the beginning, middle, or end of a YouTube video. Unlike regular ads, these ads have a skip button on the right side of the video. After 5 seconds have elapsed, the viewer has the option of skipping the ad and moving on to the video they clicked on.

There are a few good reasons to use skippable in-stream ads. These ads help reach users across various types of devices, including mobile users and TV viewers. You can also pay based on what you want out of your advertising campaign, whether you pay per impression or per interaction/complete viewing of your ad. You can even add interactive features like product feeds and call-to-action buttons to skippable ads to increase engagement.

Non-skippable in-stream ads

Non-skippable in-stream ads are essentially the same as their skippable counterparts, only the user has no choice to skip the ad. These ads last between 6 and 15 seconds, so they’re still short enough that they don’t interrupt the user experience too much. You pay for non-skippable ads with CPM, or the cost per thousand times your ad is played.

While non-skippable in-stream ads can be good, some viewers may resent brands or products that are constantly interrupting their YouTube videos. It’s also important to keep in mind that non-skippable in-stream ads don’t give you the option of building a remarketing list from your views.

Display ads

YouTube display ads allow you to place your ad alongside the video that’s being played, rather than in the middle of it. This means that viewers don’t have their videos interrupted by your ads, which can make people more receptive to them. Display ads appear in the top-right corner of the web page, with multiple formats available.

One thing to keep in mind is that display ads are only available for mobile users. It’s also important to note that you don’t have the ability to make your display ad autoplay sound because that would override the YouTube video player. However, you can use display ads to create animations up to 30 seconds long.

Bumper ads

Bumper ads are quick little ads that you can put at the beginning, middle, or end of a video. These ads have a maximum length of 6 seconds, giving you a quick opportunity to make an impression on potential customers. Like non-skippable in-feed ads, bumper ads are paid for using the CPM model.

The truth is that people don’t have the best attention span when they use the internet. There’s so much content to consume that there’s no point in hanging around if a video or webpage won’t load. With bumper ads, you can reach people with a quick message about your brand or product to take advantage of that short attention span. This format is especially helpful for mobile users who might not have as much time to watch videos on the go.

Overlay ads

Overlay ads are image or text ads that can appear in the bottom 20% of a video, giving people a look at your brand or product without interrupting the video they’re watching. Overlay ads are a great way to get people’s attention without getting in the way of their videos too much, but they’re only available for desktop users.

Overlay images can contain text, images, or a combination of the two. You’ve probably seen overlay ads in the format of a small banner across the bottom of a video. These overlay ads are effective because they allow you to run digital ads without affecting the videos people are watching too much. When people’s videos are constantly interrupted by the same ads, they may develop a distaste for your brand.

How to advertise on YouTube

Simplicity is one of the biggest benefits when you advertise on YouTube. While creating and running ads on YouTube requires a little bit of work, you don’t have to be a computer expert to publish your ads on YouTube. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to advertise on YouTube.

Upload your video

The first step to advertising on YouTube is getting your marketing video uploaded to your channel. Once your marketing video has been uploaded, it’s easy to add that video to your ad campaign.

In order to upload a video on YouTube, simply log into your account and click the camcorder icon in the top-right corner. From here, click “Upload Video”, which will take you to the upload window. Simply drag and drop your video file or browse your PC to find it and upload it. Make sure you add a title, description, and tags when you upload your video as well.

Create an ad campaign

Now that you’ve uploaded your video, you can create your ad campaign. If you don’t have a Google Ads account yet, you’ll need to create one. Next, log into your Google Ads account and click on “All Campaigns”. You’ll see a big blue circle with a “+” in the middle — click that to create a new ad campaign.

When you’re creating a new campaign, you’ll see five options: Search, display, shopping, video, and universal app. Select the “Video” option, then select one of the goals based on what you want your ad campaign to achieve.

Configure your ad campaign

Once you’ve created your ad campaign, you need to configure it. You’ll start by choosing a name for your ad campaign and setting your budget. As far as your budget goes, try starting small and increasing your budget with time as you see fit. Next, you’ll need to select the start and end dates for your campaign.

With video ads, you’ll have three choices of networks (places where your ads can appear): YouTube search results, YouTube videos, and YouTube partners. You can also select the language and location for your ad campaign in this section.

Next up, you need to choose a bidding strategy and inventory type. Your bidding strategy determines how ads are paid for, which can affect the overall cost of your ad campaign. Inventory type allows you to select what type of product you’re advertising, that way your product isn’t lumped in with an inappropriate video. Finally, you can exclude specific content from your advertising campaign, such as “sensitive social issues” and “sexually suggestive content”.

Choose your audience

Now that you’ve got an ad campaign, it’s time to choose your audience. You can target various demographics based on age, gender, parental status, and income. You can also use this section to add specific information about the audiences you’re targeting, which is essential for an effective ad campaign.

Choose where to display your ads

Next it’s time to decide where your ads show up. You can choose where your ads are posted based on target keywords, topics, and more. This section also allows you to choose whether your ads appear on YouTube or on YouTube as well as YouTube partner websites.

Pick your video

Since you already uploaded your video, use the search bar to find your marketing video. You can select your video by clicking on it. This will bring you to the final step in the process.

Configure and publish your video

The last step is configuring and publishing your video. Once you select your video, you’ll see the video format as well as URL options. Fill out this information, then click “Save and Continue” and you’re good to go!

Advertising on YouTube best practices

Like any sort of digital or social media marketing, the effectiveness of YouTube advertising depends on the effort you put in. If you want to successfully advertise on YouTube, you need to spend time creating the right ads and making sure they’re targeting the right people. Here are some tips to help you get started with YouTube video ads.

Carefully consider your YouTube ad format

First and foremost, you need to think about the ad format you’re using when you advertise on YouTube. Certain types of ads are better at accomplishing certain things, so choose ad formats based on the goals of your campaign. You should also keep in mind that certain ad formats are better for reaching certain types of users, so you don’t want to run overlay ads if you’re trying to reach mobile users.

Segment your audience

Whether you’re paying for clicks or impressions, segmenting your audience is one of the best ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your advertising budget. Marketing is more effective when it’s personalized to some degree, and segmenting your audience gives you an opportunity to personalize your marketing campaign based on the different audiences you’re targeting. If you target the wrong audience with your ads, you’re wasting money. Plus, YouTube offers tools that make it easy to segment your audience when you advertise on YouTube, so you can get the best results without all the extra work.

Create compelling content

When it comes to video advertising, people want to see compelling content. Even if you’re advertising a household product, you need to find a way to make an attention-grabbing video that gets people engaged. You can use your video ads to tell a short story about your product or one of its users, or you can simply give viewers a quick rundown of what your brand is all about. Creating high-quality content is the best way to make sure you’re advertising effectively and getting the best possible return on your advertising spend.

Track your YouTube video ad campaigns

In addition to tools that make it easy to create ad campaigns, YouTube and Google also make it easy to track your video ad campaigns. You should take full advantage of these tools to determine how well your ads are working and make changes to them based on that. If you’re getting a lot of clicks from a particular ad when it’s displayed to a particular audience, you may want to make the ad and target audience a larger part of your ad campaign.

Reap the rewards of Youtube ads

Brands that advertise on YouTube can enjoy a lot of potential benefits, but it’s all about making sure you’re creating an effective ad campaign that’s right for your brand. Creating an effective YouTube ad campaign means using the right types of ads, segmenting your audience properly, and using analytics to track the performance of ads and make changes as necessary.

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