How to Make YouTube Ads Work for You

Your Guide to Effective Youtube Advertising

YouTube is the world’s second most-visited website, after Google, and reaches the largest number of engaged online audiences worldwide. 

What’s more, YouTube is the second most popular search engine. This means that YouTube advertising provides businesses with a unique opportunity to reach their target market through both organic and paid methods.

Whether you are a large enterprise or a solopreneur, choosing to advertise on the video streaming platform is a smart move. From appearing in YouTube search results to in-stream ads, choosing to advertise on youtube is a great way to reach your target market.

This blog post will cover valuable digital marketing strategies that will help you leverage the video content platform so you can make Youtube advertising work for your business.

Let’s get started!

The A-Z of YouTube Advertising

Are you thinking of using YouTube Ads as a way to reach your target market? Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In this section, we’ll take you through the A-Z of YouTube Advertising so you can learn everything you need to know about how to make YouTube ads work for your business.

Before worrying about equipment for making videos, the most important thing to consider is your video campaign objective and how you will engage viewers. 

Here are some tips on how to advertise on youtube so that you can get your business or side project noticed.

Choose Your Objective

The first step is to select your advertising objective. What do you want to achieve with your video campaign? From increasing brand awareness to growing sales, the objective you choose depends on the business goal you have in mind, as well as the products or services you offer.

Some objectives may be more suitable for your business than others. For example, if you’re a B2B company, you might want to focus on lead generation. Alternatively, if you’re a B2C company, you might want to focus on brand awareness or sales.

Below are 12 of the most common YouTube marketing objectives to choose from, each with its own optimisation and conversion goal. Choose the objectives that are most relevant to your business and remember, select specific objectives so that you can measure and optimise your efforts for optimum results. 

1. Awareness

Awareness objectives are designed to increase brand awareness or reach. The goal is to get your YouTtube ad in front of as many people as possible so they can learn about your product or service.

2. Consideration

Consideration objectives are designed to generate interest in your product or service. The goal is to get people to start thinking about your brand and what you have to offer.

3. Conversion

Conversion objectives are designed to get people take a specific action, such as subscribing to your channel, visiting your website or making a purchase.

4. Video Views

The objective of video views is to increase the number of times people watch your video. The goal is to get as many people as possible to watch your video so you can raise awareness of your brand or product.

5. Lead Generation

The lead generation objective is designed to get people to sign up for your email list or other conversion goals. The goal is to generate leads so you can follow up with them and sell your product or service.

6. Website Clicks

The website clicks objective is designed to get people to visit your website. The goal is to increase traffic to your website so you can generate leads or sales.

7. Product and Service Views

The product and service views objective is designed to increase the number of views of your product or service page. The goal is to get people interested in your product or service so you can generate leads or sales.

8. Store Visits

The store visits objective is designed to get people to visit your brick-and-mortar store. The goal is to increase foot traffic to your store so you can generate sales.

9. App Installs

The app installs objective is designed to get people to install your mobile app. The goal is to increase the number of downloads of your app so you can generate leads or sales.

10. Engagement

The engagement objective is designed to get people to interact with your video. The goal is to increase the number of likes, comments, and shares so you can generate leads or sales.

11. Ad impressions

The ad impressions objective is designed to get your ad in front of as many people as possible. Ad impression can be influenced by a number of factors, such as your budget, ad format, and target audience.

12. Thought Leadership

Establish yourself or your company as an expert in your industry with the thought leadership objective. The goal is to increase brand awareness and brand loyalty so you can generate leads or sales.

Define Your Target Audience

The next step is to identify your target audience. This can be done by considering several factors such as:

•  Age
• Gender 
• Interests,
• location 

Once you have a good understanding of who your target audience is, you can start creating content that appeals to your target demographic. Consequently, YouTube advertising can be cost efficient when your content is relevant to you audience.

Create Compelling Content

If you want people to watch your videos, you need to create compelling content. This means making sure that your videos are interesting, informative, and entertaining.

One way to do this is to come up with creative concepts that will capture people’s attention. Work on a unique perspective on topics related to your industry to stand out from your competitors

The first step is to come up with a compelling idea that connects to your target audience that you can use as content for your YouTube video ad. Your ad should evoke an emotional response that encourages users to take action without being too “salesy”.

Compelling Video Content Ideas for Youtube Ads: 

• Product demonstration videos
• Video testimonials
• Animated explainer videos
• Tutorial or how-to videos
• Customer case study videos
• Event promotion videos

Once you have an idea of the type of video ad that you want to create, it’s time to start thinking about the production process.

The ABCD’s of Engaging Youtube Ads

If you have videography skills or are already a video content creator, you can start creating YouTube ads immediately.

By following the ABCD of Youtube advertising, you will have a higher chance of creating a marketing video that makes you stand out and get noticed.

1. Attract – Capture customers’ attention and keep them engaged.
2. Brand – Assist them in recognising/hearing your brand.
3. Connect – Make consumers feel or think something about your business.
4. Direct – Encourage them to take action.

If you don’t have the in-house capacity to create your own YouTube ads, there are a range of freelance platforms available where you can find highly skilled video creators and editors to create engaging video ads. Some of the best freelancer platforms are:

1. Fiverr
2. Upwork
3. PeoplePerHour
4. Behance
5. LinkedIn

Producing high-quality YouTube ads doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, and creativity to create engaging content that will keep people coming back for more. But with a little bit of planning and creativity, you can create video ads that will help to promote your business and achieve your Youtube advertising goals.

YouTube Ad Content Creation Tips

Once you’ve selected your advertising objective, and brainstormed your content angle it’s time to start creating your ad. 

Here are some tips for creating engaging content:

• Keep it short and sweet: People have short attention spans, so make sure your ad is short and to the point.
• Use eye-catching visuals: Use images or videos that are visually appealing and will grab people’s attention.
• Use persuasive language: Use language that is convincing and will persuade people to take action.
• Tell a story: People love stories, so tell a compelling story that will capture their attention.
• Evoke emotions: Use emotion to drive people to take action. For example, you can use fear or guilt to get people to sign up for your email list.
• Use humour: Humour is a great way to engage people and get them to remember your brand.
• Include a compelling call to action : Make sure your ad includes a call to action that encourages people to take your desired action. For example, if you want people to sign up for your email list, include a call to action that says “sign up now!”

Plan Your Video Ad Campaign & YouTube Strategy

Planning is key. Before starting to film your YouTube ad, it is important to come up with a script or storyboard top keep your video ad on track.

This will ensure that you capture all of the footage that you need and make the editing process much easier.

Additionally, if you’re working with a small budget, you may want to consider filming your video ad in one location. This will help keep your YouTube Advertising cost down and make the filming process less complicated.

3 tips for shooting a compelling video ad

1. Production & Editing

When it comes to producing and editing your video, there are a number of different software programs that you can use. If you’re not sure where to start, have a look at some online tutorials or consider hiring a professional video editor.

2. Get your message across in under two minutes

There is no secret formula as to how long your videos should be, butou have at least two minutes to make a lasting impression. Maximise it to create compelling messages to get your point across quickly. The shorter the video, the more likely someone will watch it from beginning to end.

3. Know what ad format you are working with

There are several video ad formats on Youtube, each with its own requirements. From Trueview ads to skippable in-stream ads, later on in this post we discuss the different ad formats available and how to choose the best one for your campaign objectives.

Fast forward to learn more about ad placement.

Optimise Your Youtube Videos for SEO

Just like with any other type of content, it’s important to optimise your videos for SEO. This means including target keywords in your titles and descriptions so that your videos can be easily found by people searching for those terms.

There are a number of other factors that can influence your video’s SEO, including the length of your videos, the quality of your content, and the number of views and likes you receive.

By taking the time to optimise your videos for SEO, you’ll be able to ensure that your videos are being seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in them.

These are just a few tips to help you successfully advertise on YouTube. As with any form of marketing, it takes time and experimentation to find what works best for you and your business.

YouTube Ad Formats 

YouTube Ads come in different forms. From commercials to pre-rolls and tags, you can use a variety of methods to reach your target audience.

The type of ad format you choose will depend on your budget, target audience, and the message you want to get across. Remember, the key is to create compelling youtube videos across a range of ad formats to achieve your advertising goals.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of Youtube Ads:

Skippable In-Stream Ads

• Skippable In-Stream YouTube ads are the most common type of ad format used on the platform.
• They are typically 15-20 seconds long and appear before, during, or after videos on YouTube.
• As skippable ads, viewers have the option to skip the ad after five seconds.
• If you want to reach a large audience across multiple platforms, skippable in-stream ads are a great option with reach across websites and apps connected to the Google Display Network.

Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads

• Non skippable in stream ads showcase your entire ad and are typically 15 seconds or less and can appear before, during, or after other videos on YouTube.
• If you want your advertising campaign to generate awareness for your brand or product quickly, non-skippable ads are a great option. 

Trueview In-Stream Ads

• TruView In Stream Ads are 12-30 seconds long and play before, during, or after a video.
• It is skippable after five seconds with the Skip Ad button at the bottom right corner of the screen.
• Use this video ad format if you want to reach reach a larger audience.
• You only pay when someone watches your ad for at least 30 seconds or clicks on it.

TrueView Video Discovery Ads

• TrueView Video Discovery ads appear on the YouTube homepage as suggested videos in YouTube search results and as related video thumbnails on the watch page.
• Trueview Discovery ads appear as a suggestion above the fold on the YouTube homepage, on the right hand sidebar or as a related Youtube video on the watch page.
• Discovery ads are a great way to increase views and subscribers by getting your video in front of potential customers when they’re actively searching for content.

Bumper Ads

• Bumper ads are short, non skippable video ads that are six seconds or less in length.
• Bumper ads appear before, during or after another video on YouTube.
• Bumper ads are typically used to generate awareness or create a ‘teaser’ for longer video content.

Overlay ads

• Overlay ads are semi-transparent, clickable banner ads that appear on the bottom 20% of a video content.
• This type of YouTube ad can be used to drive traffic to your website or promote a call-to-action
• When users click on the ad, users will be directed to the destination URL off YouTube.
• Overlays are not intrusive and users can click on the “X” button to close the ad at any time.

Outstream ads

• Outstream ads are a mobile-only ad format that appear on websites and apps across the Google Display Network outside of YouTube.
• Oustream ads are typically short, non skippable ads between 15-30 seconds in length.
• Because they can be served on a variety of websites and apps, Outstream ads offer a wide reach to potential customers.
• If you’re looking for a way to reach your target audience across multiple platforms, Outstream ads could be the best option for you.

No matter what your advertising goals are, a well-strategised YouTube ad campaign can help you achieve them. By creating compelling video content and using the right ad format for your goals, you can reach a wide audience and generate awareness for your brand.