YouTube has become a search engine for videos that many people have come to love, even those who are less tech-savvy. We spend a billion hours a day on YouTube, more than videos from Netflix and Facebook combined!
Yes, people love YouTube, but the main question remains for many companies: is it a platform worth advertising for?
The answer is yes … in some cases.
With YouTube receiving more than 30 million visitors a day, there is no doubt that YouTube is a powerful tool for branding and marketing. The problem is that it takes a lot of time and money on the part of advertisers to make it effective. So, is it a good fit for everyone? Probably not.
While you can definitely succeed on the video platform, in this article we’ll talk about whether or not this is the best advertising for your company and how you can successfully market your videos on the platform.
Advertising on YouTube: The Basics
Table of Contents
Video advertising on YouTube is different from other platforms, such as Google or Facebook Ads, due to the way a view is counted: you only pay for a view of the user exceeds the 30-second mark or watches the entire video.
Let’s take a look at some of the things you should know when advertising on the video platform:
What types of ads does YouTube offer?
There are a few ways to display your videos on YouTube. Let’s look at the different YouTube ad layouts you can run with:
Non-skippable video ads
These kinds of ads can develop before, during, or after the main video.
When a viewer watches the ad, advertisers have to pay and the creator is paid. If your landing page is set up correctly and your videos are engaging, you’ll be able to capture leads.
The problem here is that whenever your ad is shown, you will pay for it. Typically, they will be used by companies with larger budgets!
Skippable YouTube TrueView Instream video ads
Skippable TrueView video ads allow users to skip ads after 5 seconds if they wish.
In-stream gives the viewer the option to watch your ad or skip it. As soon as the viewer watches 30 seconds of your video, the creator is paid and advertisers are charged.
YouTube image ads
Image ads appear to the right of the featured video and above the list of video suggestions. Image ads can run on all areas of YouTube, except the homepage.
If a view is interested in your product or service and they see your screen, you should receive a click.
YouTube overlay ads
Overlay ads are transparent ads that appear at the bottom of 20% of the video. This type of ad appears only on computers and laptops. Viewers can also leave the ad at any time.
They tend to cause problems as there are fake clicks and many YouTubers don’t like to see them.
YouTube mid-roll ads
Mid-roll ads are available for videos longer than 15 minutes.
These ads are spaced on the video – similar to the way TV commercials take place during a program. Viewers must watch the ads before continuing to watch the rest of the YouTube video.
Advertisers can insert ad breaks at natural breaks throughout the YouTube video for a better and more streamlined viewing experience. These ads appear only on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.
YouTube sponsored cards
Viewers see a teaser of the card for a few seconds and then they can also click on the icon in the upper right corner of the video to browse the cards. This is available on desktops and mobile devices.
How much does advertising on YouTube cost?
As a marketer, you’re probably assuming that video advertising is expensive, but YouTube makes video advertising very affordable. Remember, with YouTube advertising, you spend for video viewing, either for a complete video or 30 seconds.
A typical video ad showing costs between R $ 0.58 and R $ 1.63 per display, depending on the quality of the video, segmentation, and marketing goals.
Finding out if your ads are working
There are dozens of different metrics that you can measure to measure the success of your video, but it depends on your specific business goals. That said, it’s usually worth looking at these video metrics at least to see how well your campaign is doing:
This will help you to see the audience you are reaching.
The number of points people clicked on your video. This can help you understand how attractive your ad is to people who see it.
Video view: allows you to see which share of viewers completed 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of your video ad. This helps you understand where your audience is losing interest. It can also help you understand how you can improve your messages!
Why will advertising on YouTube work for you?
After analyzing what is needed, you may be wondering why advertising on YouTube is attractive …
Videos tend to have a higher level of engagement among viewers and therefore provide better returns. Social videos are believed to receive around 1200% more shares than texts and images.
Also, Google says that people who watch YouTube ads to the end are 23 times more likely to visit or subscribe to a brand channel, share a brand video, or watch more brand videos. Even those who don’t watch to the end are 10 times more likely to do one of these things.
That said, is it the right fit for your business?
The answer is that it depends on a few factors, most of which are what your business is and the content you are creating.
If you already have a creative and compelling video that works on brand awareness, then definitely go ahead, but to map out whether advertising on YouTube is worth your time, consider some of the following:
Advertising budget
Depending on the industry in which you operate, some products or services generate more revenue than others when it comes to video ads. So, unless you have tons of views (and I’m talking about millions), ad revenue isn’t usually that good.
Content Promotion
Much of the success of YouTube depends on the type of content a video contains and how it will go “viral” and resonate with people. Therefore, as a company that is considering investing a lot of resources in creating videos, you need to ask yourself if the content and products you are promoting are attractive enough to make your investments count.
Therefore, when analyzing your products, services, or businesses, you need to create engaging content that people:
Like to see
To remember
To wish
Sponsorships and influence
Yes, there are countless ways to make money from influencer marketing on YouTube, but if you’re relying solely on it and not getting millions of views, it won’t work for you.
The most common source of revenue, by far, is through AdSense earnings. You are unlikely to be in a position to even think about merchandising, sponsorship, subscriptions, or even becoming a successful affiliate until you have increased your numbers to the point that you are receiving a decent level of advertising revenue.
So unless you become a viral sensation or create content that people love, you probably won’t earn the money you think you’ll earn on YouTube!
Building a Brand
If your goal is to build a personal brand, YouTube is a great way to gain recognition for key funnels and traffic to your other online platforms. It doesn’t help much with corporate brands, but the investment is worth it from a personal brand point of view!
Generating leads
If you want to collect leads, YouTube is a great channel for that, the only problem is that it takes time and is not the first step in a marketing plan.
Putting a video does not mean that you will have instant success. When thinking of a strategy, first focus on building a brand community and then direct people to other videos on YouTube or a specific landing page once you’ve established yourself!
Tips for improving advertising on YouTube
If you think YouTube is a great option after going through the points above, but want more help on how to make it effective, let’s look at ways to help your YouTube advertising efforts in the next section!
Choose the right ad format
The first tricky fact about advertising on YouTube is that there are many different ad formats available. From display ads to skippable ads, you’ll need to test which ones perform best for your content, specifically.
This will require some trial and error in the content and placement on the platform!
Load text-based transcripts
Like much of the Google Adwords content, many people put in the necessary and waive over the detailed and detailed content needed to improve their listing.
Do not assume that YouTube will know what your video is about, so be sure to manually upload a transcript of your videos. While this takes more effort, it will help to categorize your video on the right terms and topics! (there are tools out there, like REV, to help you write the transcript cheaply, so don’t be discouraged).
Add interactive elements
There are several ways to add value to your videos, including interactive elements that will significantly help with your calls to action! YouTube has features like buttons, demo cards, end-screen options, and more to help encourage viewers to take action.
explore the options available to help make your video ads more actionable!
By doing this, your videos can perform faster!
Create branded thumbnail images
Like a list of Google maps, you want to make sure you’re doing your best when it comes to video visuals … so make sure your ad has a great thumbnail image.
Design or use a high-quality still image from the video to entice viewers to click on your video.
Find the right keywords
Similar to Google, if you target the wrong keywords, you won’t get much love from YouTubers! When searching for the right keywords, don’t just go after the ones with the most traffic, focus on those that are also related to your video.
The first part of the process is brainstorming. You write all the terms that you think your audience might be searching for when they want to find you, your products, or something like your products. From there, research with competitors and keyword planners to see how you can refine the list to best suit your ad.
Take advantage of YouTube’s targeting options
Just as you should with other digital advertising, you need to target people who are interested in your content! Why waste money on unqualified people who are not relevant to your message or offers?
YouTube allows companies to obtain many details about who sees their ads through different types of targeting. Make sure you restrict your audience to what makes sense!
Draw on cross-platform followers
When it comes to video ad success, be sure to attract as many people as possible by sharing it across multiple platforms, including your email list!
Share your next live streams in your newsletters or email campaigns, so you don’t miss out on those who can’t get involved on social media. This will dramatically increase your return on investment.
Advertising on YouTube, ready!
Advertising on YouTube is an amazing way to show your video ads to a relevant and engaged audience. Yes, video content takes more work, but there are many good reasons why most marketers are moving to produce more video content.
Overall, YouTube is worth it. You just need to find the right monetization strategy for your business through market research and some trial and error with YouTube ad formats!
