A Beginner's Guide to YouTube - What You Should Do To Succeed!

YouTube is a gold mine for advertisers, with marketer spending expected to reach $20 billion in 2020. The platform enables brands to target specific audiences, show video ads with the ability to respond, and measure the results by monitoring subsequent purchases. It has also become a primary source of video content and social interaction for millions of people. While brand-safe environments like YouTube Kids remain popular channels, the general audience on YouTube continues to grow rapidly (especially among younger demographics). In fact, there are more than 1 billion active users. So if you’re not already working with YouTube as an advertising channel, it’s time to start thinking about how your brand can take advantage of this exciting opportunity.

 

What You Should Know About YouTube Advertising

Before we dive into the details of how to create a successful ad campaign, it’s important to understand the basics of YouTube advertising. In order to create an ad campaign, you must have a Google Ads account and a connected Adwords account. YouTube ads are called “in-feed ads”, which means they are placed within users’ video feeds. Unlike other social media sites, you don’t have the option to run ads on the page feed of YouTube but only in the video feed. There are two types of ads that you can run on YouTube: In-video ads and In-display ads. In-video ads play while the video is being watched. When someone clicks on an In-display ad, they are directed to a landing page. In-display ads are placed inside the YouTube homepage feed and across the Google Display Network.

 

What Are the Benefits of YouTube Advertising?

Since the content on YouTube is created and managed by users, the site experiences very little growing pains. It’s a largely user-driven experience. In other words, each viewer is creating their own path through the site and choosing what content they’d like to consume. There’s also a wide variety of content that people can interact with. And with the rise of creators and influencers, there are more individualized voices than ever before.

 

Getting Started With YouTube Ads

As with any new marketing channel, you’ll want to kick off your YouTube advertising campaign with a research phase. Here are some basic questions you should ask yourself before diving in: When you’re ready to dive into creating your first ad, you’ll be prompted to choose your campaign settings. The first option you’ll be prompted with is your ad campaign type. There are two types of campaigns available to you: Ad campaign type is important because it impacts how your ad is displayed on YouTube. A video campaign can only be displayed in the video feed and will play before the selected video. Display campaigns are displayed on the YouTube homepage feed, in the YouTube search results, and across the Google Display Network.

 

Best Practices for a Successful YouTube Ad Campaign

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of creating an amazing video ad for your business, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. The most important thing you can do is stay focused on your end goal. There are plenty of things to consider when creating a video ad, but if you forget why you’re doing it, it’s easy to lose focus. Before you start brainstorming your video ad, it’s important to understand your goals. What is the purpose of your ad? What do you hope to achieve with it? Once you have a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish, it becomes much easier to move forward with the creative process.

 

YouTube Video Optimization Tips

When it comes to optimizing your video, there are a variety of things to consider. You’ll want to consider the title, description, thumbnail, and video content. Start with the basics:

 

How to Use YouTube for Brand Awareness

If brand awareness is your goal, it’s important to remember that you’re not trying to sell the viewer on your product or service. Instead, your goal is to inform them about who you are as a brand. You’ll want to be transparent and authentic. The key is to create video content around your brand’s purpose, mission, and values. One of the best ways to create video content for brand awareness is to collect questions that you often receive from customers. Create a video answering those questions. This is a great way to give your customers the information they need while strengthening your brand at the same time.

 

How to Advertise on YouTube

If you’re ready to get into the nitty-gritty of selling your product or service, it’s important to remember that your video ad shouldn’t feel like an infomercial. Instead, it should be a natural, genuine representation of your brand. The goal of a video ad is to inform customers about your product or service, not to sell it to them. Once you’ve created your video ad, you’ll want to place it in the most effective placement for your business. Here are some general rules to keep in mind when selecting your placement:

 

Conclusion

While YouTube has existed for nearly two decades, it is only recently that marketers have begun to realize its enormous potential. Indeed, the sheer scale of the platform means that it is a hugely valuable source of new customers, but brands have been slow to realize this. However, as more advertisers turn their attention to YouTube, it is important to understand how best to make use of the platform. When it comes to using YouTube for marketing, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Indeed, the best way to make use of the platform will depend on your business, the nature of your product, and the type of audience you are targeting.