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All About YouTube Ads and How To Use Them

  • January 9, 2018·
  • 1 Comments·
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With billions of monthly active users, YouTube is the world’s biggest video platform. It offers a wider, more targeted audience to advertise to. Advertising using video instead of a static content is also more effective because people love videos.

These are just some of the biggest benefits you can get from advertising on YouTube. So, build your brand and advertise on YouTube! Outlined below are the types of YouTube ads and how you can run successful ads.

Types of YouTube Ads

Depending on your budget and your ad goals, here are kinds of ads you can choose from:

TrueView Ads

There are three kinds of TrueView ads: In-Stream, Discovery, and Bumpers. Let’s take a look at each below.

TrueView In-Stream

The TrueView In-Stream ads appear right before you watch a video, in the middle of it, or at the end. They are further subcategorized into two kinds: skippable and non-skippable videos.

Skippable In-Stream ads are placed before a video and can be skipped after 5 seconds. You only pay if your viewers click on your ad and if they watch it for 30 seconds, or if— for videos shorter than 30 seconds— they watch the whole thing.

Image credit: Degordian

Non-Skippable In-Stream ads are those you see pre-, mid-, or post-roll while watching a video. They can be up to 15-20 seconds long and viewers must watch them before they can watch the whole video.

Image credit: YouTube Creators

Advertisers pay for non-skippable ads on a CPM basis or “cost per thousand”, making it possible for YouTube creators to earn a higher income. Skippable ads have a high abandonment rate, leading to lower video views and watch time for YouTubers.

TrueView Discovery

TrueView discovery ads can be seen on the YouTube homepage, search results, and on related videos section. As an advertiser, you only pay for this when viewers click on your ad thumbnail.

Image credit: think with Google

Because Discovery ads appear on related videos panel, they are an ideal format for campaigns that aim to increase audience reach.

For YouTube creators, you can also buy YouTube views to increase your organic views and widen your reach. Your view count— whether the views are organic or bought— serves as a recommendation for people on whether to watch your videos or not.  

From a viewer’s perspective, a video with a high view count can only mean it’s good. This is how you can attract real views on your videos.

Bumpers

Bumpers are 6-second, non-skippable pre-roll ads optimized for reaching a mobile audience. They are also sold on a CPM basis and are meant to complement TrueView In-Stream and Discovery ads.

Bumpers with TrueView ads are more effective than just In-Stream or Discovery only. Google recommends using Bumper ads for brand awareness campaigns because they drive a “significant lift in ad recall.”

Sponsored Cards

To add interactivity to your video ads, you can insert a sponsored card. Sponsored cards appear against videos for a few seconds and are optimized for both desktop and mobile viewers. They display content that may be relevant to the content of the video, like products or services, and they are ideal for call-to-actions.

Creators don’t need to do anything extra to get sponsored cards on their videos. They only need to have their channels monetized to start earning from advertisers’ sponsored cards.

Image credit: Lion Pictures

 

Overlay Ads

In-video Overlay ads are semi-transparent overlay ads that appear on the lower 20% portion of your video. They’re optimized for desktop viewing and like cards, are best used for call-to-actions.

Image credit: startup daily

4 YouTube Ad Best Practices

1. Use short, snappy, informative and relevant titles for your video ads.

Don’t mislead your audience with a click-bait title and make your title relevant. Also, make them informative enough to captivate their attention and make them click your ads.

2. Follow YouTube’s recommendations for ad specs.

The recommended specs are there for a purpose. Follow them for a better quality video and so that your ads will look good on mobile and desktops platforms.

3. Create content that will appeal to viewers.

Try injecting viral qualities in your video ads to encourage them to check out your videos. Bear in mind that users who watch TrueView ads through the end are 23 times more likely to visit or subscribe to an advertiser’s channel.

Boost this result by buying YouTube views for your own brand videos that will not only encourage organic views but— because YouTube favors the popular— will also make your videos rank high not just on YouTube but in Google, as well.

4. Target the right audience.

Remember that even if your ads have all the qualities of a perfect pitch, they won’t convert unless they’re seen by your customers. Know your market so it’s easy to choose the targeting options offered by YouTube.

Ready To Advertise?

Ready to advertise?


Advertising is important in business. They help build your brand, increase brand awareness, and create a buzz around your name. Advertise on YouTube and get the benefits of advertising and doing it on a platform with a wide reach.

Pick the best ad format for your campaign and your budget, and start running YouTube ads today!

Image credit: Fresh U

 

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One Comment.
  1. Vikas
    January 10, 2018·Reply

    wow, awesome article.
    Thanks for updating us about YouTube Ads.

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