YouTube Advertising
In the last 2 years, I have been testing YouTube ads. What I quickly discovered is that there is one advertising format that consistently performs very well – In-stream ads. There are 2 other advertising options on YouTube – In-Display and In-Search – which may also work if you are only interested in increasing your view count. However, if you care about boosting your sales and driving leads toward your business, you will need to place In-Stream YouTube ads.
In-Stream ads Are very similar to the ads displayed on regular TV, but instead of being displayed on your TV, the ads are played before a YouTube user watches an online video. If you have ever had an advertisement played right before you viewed a video you requested on YouTube, then you know what an In-Stream ad is.
Obviously, YouTube ads and TV advertisements have a lot in common, but the few differences between them make In-Stream ads far more effective for smaller-sized businesses. Here, we take a closer look at these small but important differences:
1. You only pay according to the people who actually view your ad
Could you imagine only having to pay for TV ads if a viewer had watched the whole ad? In such a case, you would pay nothing if a viewer fast forwarded or skipped the ad.
For many advertisers, this may sound too good to be true for regular TV advertising. However, with In-Stream YouTube advertising, this is exactly how advertising works. You only pay when someone actually views your ad from start to finish. This is because, unlike traditional TV adverts, viewers are offered the option to skip the ad and go directly to the video after 5 seconds. If the viewer chooses to skip an ad, the advertiser is not charged for the advertising spot. Clearly, this greatly reduces the risk and cost involved in advertising.
2. No minimum investment is required to begin your ad campaign
Only having to pay for ads that are actually viewed is not the only advantage of In-Stream advertising on YouTube; there is also no set minimum investment charged on advertisers. This is unlike traditional buyers of TV and media spots, who have to make an investment of thousands of dollars upfront to book an advertising space. Unless you are in charge of a proven advertising campaign, advertising on TV comes with a ton of risk.
In comparison to traditional TV advertising, you do not have a minimum set cost to start your advertising campaign. Also, as an emerging advertising medium, YouTube does not have the huge level of competition that TV advertising has. According to recent surveys, a real view of your advertisement may cost you as little as 10 US cents; the result is that with an investment of only a couple of hundred bucks, you may get as many as 2000 views. This is not to say that $200 is sufficient to make a difference to your business, but it is enough to test the effectiveness of your ad campaign.
3. Targeting your prospects with precision
One of the things that attract advertisers to YouTube is the fact that there are many different options when it comes to targeting an audience. There are the standard targeting options available like the time of day, demographics and geography. In addition, YouTube advertising offers businesses the chance to use contextual targeting; this ensures that you only show your ads before a relevant video. Finally, a business can layer other advanced options to target their market such as interest tagging and retargeting; these can be set up on the basis of your prospective viewers’ browsing behavior. If you are an advertiser who knows your exact target market, you have an excellent chance to target them with YouTube In-Stream ads.
4. Greater reach for your ad campaign
For many advertisers, this point may be a bit of a surprise. According to a report by Nielsen, YouTube is viewed by more adults aged 18 – 34 years than any cable TV network. This means that for many businesses, a YouTube ad may offer greater coverage than may be possible with a TV commercial.
A point to think about is also YouTube user behavior. For many people, there are a few TV shows which they like to watch during the year, but they rarely catch them during their regularly scheduled times on live TV. They mostly record them, to watch when they have some free time. These TV viewers would never see the TV ads that come before or after the recorded show.
On the other hand, YouTube videos allow users to skip the advertisements, but only after they have watched them for 5 seconds. The result is that an advertiser has a greater chance at getting their audience’s attention with an online video than they would with regular TV.
5. A simpler call to action for prospective customers.
The difference between a call-to-action on regular TV and on YouTube is huge. Whenever you view an advertisement on television for a service or product you require, what options are available for you to take action? One choice you have is to pick up your phone and call the advertiser, depending on the time of day. You may also fire up your mobile device, computer, laptop or tablet and log into the company website. You could also decide to visit the company’s office or store. The thing is, compared to what is possible with a YouTube ad, these are fairly engaging options.
With a YouTube video ad, all that your prospect needs to do is simply move their mouse to the location of the ad (assuming the mouse pointer is not already there) and click. Once the viewer has clicked the ad, they will be sent directly to your landing page, which will give you the opportunity to explain your product or service in further detail. At this point, it is easy to collect their contact information or close the sale.
6. Tracking of your Return On Investment
Because YouTube ads are placed online and your audience have the option to take action on the internet, it is far easier than it is with other advertising media to track the return on your advertising spend. On your online dashboard, YouTube offers accurate statistics regarding how many people viewed your ad, including figures that show how many people clicked on the ad and visited your website’s landing pag. This information can be collated if you have installed a system to track conversions. All this is impossible with a TV ad.
7. Free organic impressions
When you advertise with YouTube video, you are also able to boost your SEO ranking through organic ad impressions. Because YouTube hosts your ad, you can be sure of a ranking on YouTube’s search results – a vital aspect of SEO, because YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine after Google. This means that you are able to receive plenty of free traffic as well as a better Google ranking. In addition, YouTube users will be offered your video on the right-hand column whenever your prospective audience views a related video.
Lastly, YouTube has revolutionized social marketing because your ad can be shared by your viewers with their friends and family online. Users can post your video to social media or send it to friends via email. All of these facts mean that your ad gets maximum exposure without any additional costs.