YouTube is one of the most popular social media sites, and for a reason. Videos have become the way in which humans primarily communicate. They’re easy to make, accessible, and engaging.
With all its benefits, however, advertising using this channel can seem daunting. In this newsletter, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to know about YouTube advertising. We previously did an article on video advertising, you can learn more about that here.
About video advertising
Now that we’ve answered, “Why YouTube?” and “Why video advertising?”, let’s dive deep into why you should advertise specifically on YouTube. Here are some of the biggest advantages of utilizing this platform:
Audience
With as many as 2.6 billion active users, it’s no surprise that the ability to connect with them is the biggest pull you have when starting YouTube advertising. Imagine the untapped market of students who discover courses and programs through this platform.
With so many content creators out there doing novel and innovative content that learners tune into, you can reach out to different kinds of people. You have several niches to choose from, like day-in-the-life of a uni student, ’study with me’ vlogs, and even channels of highly-paid programmers detailing their career paths.
Your ads can match the tone and engagement of these types of content. Or perhaps you can showcase your expertise on the subject matter. Eitherway, video ads are a great pull to your website.
In order to fully utilize the platform, take advantage of its sharing and community resources, keywords, topics, and demographics available. Add to that the benefits of video in creating an emotional response to your ads.
For a broader how-to on targeting an audience, check out our article here.
Campaign
Grow your business exponentially while only rendering a few minutes of campaign creation. The simple steps required by Google guarantees that almost anyone can join in their digital advertising efforts.
There are different kinds of formats you can choose from:
- Skippable In-stream video ads
- Non-skippable In-stream video ads
- Bumper Ads
- Discovery Ads
- Non-video Ads
Measurement
Success can’t be replicated without proper measurement. The YouTube ads platform provides users with the necessary analytics in order to view and track things such as:
- Views
- Costs
- Budget
- Most watched videos
- Watch time duration
Use these data in order to inform your next strategies. Besides those, YouTube provides information on the demographics, engagement, and performance of similar videos so you can benchmark your own with your competitors. Ultimately, your goal here is to raise the interest of viewers until they are compelled to check out what you have to offer.
Budget
As with everything in digital advertising, your budget is crucial in determining the extent of your campaigns. These costs are only rendered when a viewer engages with your ad in some way. Be it watching them for more than 30 seconds or clicking on your call-to-action button.
