How To Advertise On YouTube
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world after Google itself. This makes it prime real estate for marketing of all sorts. If you want to learn how to advertise on YouTube, you’ve come to the right place.
There is video content about virtually every subject on YouTube, meaning there are opportunities to advertise your brand alongside related types of content or within videos, your target audience is watching. This can be a great way to get in front of new customers already thinking about your topic.
In this article, we will discuss the different types of YouTube ads and how to use them.
What Is YouTube Advertising?
There are many types of video ads on YouTube, many of which are not unlike TV commercials that pop up during videos. You use Google Ads to set up different kinds of video advertising on YouTube.
In addition to skippable and non-skippable ads that play before, during, or after videos, there are other advertising options on YouTube.com. Two examples are small popups that appear on-screen without interfering with the video or sidebar ads that appear outside the video window. There are also paid search results like you would see on Google.
How Much do YouTube Ads Cost?
While different factors will affect the actual price, the average cost-per-view is roughly two cents. In other words, 100 paid views will cost about two dollars, and 1,000 views will cost about $20.
Types of YouTube Ads
There are several advertising options available on YouTube. Depending on what you are advertising and how you want to represent your brand, some of these options will work better than others.
Display ads
Display ads appear to the right of a YouTube video above the related video results. They are in image format (including GIFs) and come in different sizes. Clicking the ad can redirect the user or play sounds/animation.
Example
Specs
They can be in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format, including animations no longer than 30 seconds. HTML5 may be allowed as in Google AdWords. The file size should not exceed 150 KB, and there should be a distinguishable border against white and black backgrounds. Dimensions should generally be 300 by 250 pixels.
Sponsored cards
The small, rectangular ads that pop up during a video in direct reference to a product or service within the video are known as sponsored cards. By placing ads for videos directly related to the on-screen content, your target audience can click through right away. The card will appear briefly and can also be accessed from an advanced options icon at the top right of the video player, along with other cards.
Example
Specs
Sponsored cards can be in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format but not animated. The file size should not exceed 5 MB. A 1:1 aspect ratio should be used for these images.
Skippable video ads
Skippable ads, or TrueView ads videos, are the most common type of YouTube ads. These in-stream ads play before the video, but sometimes viewers have the option to skip the ad.
TrueView ads allow YouTube account managers to use their Google Ads account to collect data for optimization purposes.
Example
Specs
Skippable ads must be a minimum of twelve seconds long but no more than six minutes long. They should be uploaded to YouTube as public or unlisted videos with embedding enabled.
Non-skippable video ads
Non-skippable YouTube ads can play pretty much any time during the video: before, middle, or end. They can appear midway through a video that is 10+ minutes long. These ads are best optimized with a call to action (CTA) to draw the attention of the viewer.
Example
Specs
Non-skippable ads generally need to be fifteen seconds long, though 20-second and 30-second videos are allowed in some cases. They should be uploaded to YouTube as public or unlisted videos with embedding enabled.
Bumper ads
These are the shortest type of YouTube ads and are non-skippable. Because these videos can only be 6 seconds long, be sure to make engaging content that will contribute to your ad campaign. Bumper YouTube ads are a great way to gain brand exposure while minimizing user interruptions.
Example
Specs
Bumper ads must be six seconds long and no more than 1 GB. 640 by 360 pixels or 480 by 360 pixels are recommended to achieve 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios, respectively.
Overlay ads
Overlay ads appear as banner images at the bottom of the video that’s playing. These ads are a great option if you don’t want your YouTube ads to be overly intrusive.
Below, we’ll go over some creative, effective, and reliable ways to bring your products to the right leads through YouTube advertising.
Example
Specs
The dimensions for overlay ads are 480 by 70 pixels to create nice banner ads along the bottom of the video. They can be in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format, but not animated. The file size should not exceed 150 KB.
How to Advertise on YouTube
Advertising on YouTube is handled through Google AdWords. The process is remarkably easy, allowing you to have YouTube video ads up and running in about 10 minutes.
For more control, switch to expert mode, where you can choose which specific YouTube ad types you want to employ by selecting a campaign type.
You can go a step further with campaign subtypes.
If you are just ready to get your video advertising campaign up and running, you can worry about these details later and follow the steps below.
Note that you should have a website URL ready to direct traffic to and at least one advertising video ready to use. It would also be a good idea to have some keyword research done to help you target your ideal audience type.
1. Create a Google Ads account
Getting started is super easy. Just sign in to an existing Google AdWords account or the Google account you want to use for your Google Ads marketing and click the Start now button on the Google Ads homepage.
You will be taken to the account creation process, where you will start by entering the name of your business.
If you are just getting started and don’t have an official business name yet, don’t worry, you can change your Google Business account name later. For now, enter your prospective business name or a placeholder (such as your YouTube username).
2. Create a strategic campaign
After clicking the Next button, you will be guided through the entire campaign creation process. Simply answer the prompts, and Google Ads will help you design your video campaign type and ads strategy.
For example, on the second page, you will select your advertising campaign goal. In the context of this article, it will probably be the YouTube option, though the others are also perfectly viable.
You probably have an idea of what your YouTube advertising strategy will look like, so use that to help you make your decisions. If you selected an option other than the YouTube video campaign in this step, the following pages might differ slightly.
3. Define your campaign parameters
Google Ads will have you make some selections to narrow down to whom your ads will be served. This includes geographic ranges as well as target demographics.
Throughout the process, you will be given estimates about the reach, effect, and average cost of your campaign based on your selections.
4. Define your target audience
This is one of the most important sections for maximizing the potential of your YouTube marketing campaign. Since you essentially pay for each view, it is crucial that those who are viewing your ad are your ideal target audience. Otherwise, a portion of your marketing budget is spent on serving your ad to YouTube users who are less likely to be interested in your brand, effectively wasting a percentage of your investment.
Carefully consider your target demographic, specifically which demographics are most likely to view your ad, and then become paying customers who will give you a positive ROI.
For example, if your customer base is 80% male and 20% female, you should probably focus on male viewers. While it can be tempting to include both, in this example, the data would suggest that males are four times more likely to be interested in your brand than females (80 vs. 20).
In other words, each view you pay for for a male viewer is four times more likely to have the desired effect than each view you pay for for a female viewer. Your advertising goal is to make the most of each view your budget pays for, so don’t be afraid to stay focused on your optimal target audience type.
5. Do keyword research
Understanding keywords for your brand will help you with your YouTube advertising campaign as well as other facets of business marketing, such as SEO. If you could use some help exploring the best target keywords for your niche, check out the Google Ads Keyword Planner.
This is an excellent tool for SEO, marketing, or even just uncovering related topics that you may consider expanding your company into in the future. Simply type in keyword ideas related to your niche, and you can sort through all kinds of helpful data.
While creating your Google Ads campaign, you will be asked to enter some specific interests for your brand and target audience. This is a great place to put your keyword research to use.
Entering high-traffic keywords related to your brand will assist YouTube with serving your ads alongside the most relevant videos, which can help maximize conversions for each view you pay for.
6. Set your budget
Once you have decided on the strategic elements of your YouTube marketing campaign, it is time to set your budget. All you have to do is set a daily cap for how much you want to spend. Simply put, the higher your budget for video ads, the more views you will receive on YouTube.
The daily budget ensures a predictable cost for your marketing campaign; just be careful not to overdo it. This number can always be adjusted or ended with a preset time limit, so don’t be afraid to start with a low number and ramp up your marketing budget once you start gaining traffic with effective video ads.
Remember, you pay roughly the same amount for every view. The more important factor is your ROI on those views. More effective ads and ad placement that leads to conversions are key.
7. Set your campaign to live
Once your budget is set, the last campaign step is to enter your payment information and Submit your Google Ads campaign.
This will launch your awareness campaign and start earning you views and impressions! The next step is to manage your Google Ads campaigns. You can use YouTube analytics tools to track results while experimenting with different types of ad placement. You can also adjust your daily budget while improving your ad content for higher conversion rates.
Quick tips for Running a Successful Ad Campaign
Advertising products on YouTube doesn’t have to mean creating your own YouTube channel or a series of marketing videos. You simply run a YouTube video ad campaign with existing YouTubers to attract the 40% of shoppers who say they purchase items they find on the channel.
YouTube advertising can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first because there are so many different ways to advertise your product in a YouTube video. You can start with the TrueView ads, which appear before, during, or after a video, as well as on a search result page. Since these YouTube ads are skippable, customers can avoid them if they prefer.
There are also pre-roll ads, which can be up to 20 seconds long (and aren’t skippable). Or you can consider the bumper ads.
The key to a great YouTube ad placement is ensuring your advertisements appear in the right content. Display ads, overlay ads, and sponsored cards can work great for strategic marketing placement.
Having Trouble With Advertising? Scalefluence Can Help With Influencer Marketing!
YouTube can be an incredible tool for advertising, particularly now that video content is more popular than ever. According to SEMRush, YouTube accounted for around 21% of global streaming traffic in 2019. What’s more, 48% of people believe that YouTube will contribute the most to improving the effectiveness of PR communications in the next five years.
If you want to leverage the benefits of YouTube for yourself, you need the right promotional strategy. Consider how you want to advertise your products. The tips in this article should provide you with some creative ways to advertise to your niche audience.
Remember to track the results (such as engagement, clicks, and shares) to see which promotion strategies work best for your brand. This will help you determine which strategies will work best for you in the long term.
Scalefluence can help you plan our YouTube marketing strategy to get the most out of your advertising budget. We can also connect you with YouTube influencers related to your niche to help you reach your ideal target audience.
FAQs
Below are some answers to common questions about how to advertise on YouTube.
Other Strategies for Increasing Brand Visibility with YouTube
Paid marketing through Google Ads is a great way to advertise on YouTube, but not the only strategy for leveraging this insanely popular social platform. If you are wondering, “How can I advertise on YouTube in other ways?” or “How can I advertise on youtube for free?” we have some other options.
Here are some ways you can advertise on YouTube by creating your own branded content or partnering with famous YouTube influencers.
Teach Your Audience Something
When browsing YouTube, most visitors are looking for entertainment or information. “How To” videos are one of the best ways to do both!
Educational marketing sells. Creating “How To” or educational content can help you promote your brand and product in various ways. These types of videos can help you rank for long-tail keywords and establish your brand as an authority in that niche.
You also showcase your products or services without overt ads. Instead, try to use the angle of sharing informative content that happens to be related to your brand niche.
For instance, the HubSpot Hacks YouTube channel is full of “How To” guides for problems like optimizing blog posts or exporting contacts from your CRM app. The videos simultaneously teach customers important skills while showcasing the value of the creator’s product (HubSpot software).
YouTube is an excellent resource for learning how to do something. If you can provide value to your target audience with a helpful “How To” video while also promoting your brand or products, this can be an effective alternative to paid ads.
Partner with Influencers in Your Niche
One of the best ways to share product recommendations is through influencer video partners. Many YouTubers make money by creating content for sponsors. When browsing YouTube, most of your potential customers aren’t going to be looking for advertisements. They want entertaining content.
Sponsoring an influencer to have a place in their video means you can tap into their unique personality and marketing ability to get your product in front of a large audience. Here is an example from Ryan George, a comedic YouTube influencer with over 1.5 million subscribers.
In his hilarious “First guy to ever….” YouTube videos, Ryan adds a fun part to the end of his content where he uses visual effects of outer space to appear as an “ad-stronaut” out in the “ad space” to tell you about the content’s sponsor. The fun way Ryan implements the advertisement into his content makes it less likely customers will want to skip or ignore it.
Influencer marketing has become one of the best ways to advertise on YouTube. A single sponsored post can get your brand in front of millions of viewers, providing excellent ROI in a short amount of time. While paid ads are good for steady, daily traffic, partnering with influencers can give your marketing campaign a huge boost.
Produce Unboxing Videos
People love sharing in the excitement of opening up a brand-new product. The right review or unboxing video from the right influencer can be an excellent way to get customers excited about an upcoming product or an item in your catalog. It’s also a fantastic way for affiliates and advocates to draw attention to branded items.
The key to a great review is ensuring you answer all your viewers’ questions. You could consider hosting polls in advance to find out more about what your viewers want to know, or you can research what people are searching for on social media.
A good unboxing should also include plenty of instructional information. For instance, in this video review, Mac Cosmetics works with Jaleesa Moses on a review of their Next to Nothing face makeup. The review shows how the product works, what it feels like, how well it applies, and adds plenty of personality from Jaleesa.
Create Product Comparison Videos
When shopping online, customers will encounter a multitude of different products promising the best solution. You can save these shoppers time by producing comparison videos discussing the pros and cons of different options.
A popular YouTube channel called UsefulCharts compared 5 DNA Testing Kit companies and compared the DNA reports. If your DNA testing kit were in this video, it would have gotten lots of attention.
Typically, it’s preferable to work with an influencer for this type of content. Viewers might automatically assume you’ll rank your product higher than a competitor’s. However, they can trust an influencer to give a more authentic review with less bias.
For instance, check out this review of Dollar Shave Club vs. Harry’s by the Kavalier.
Conduct Live Q&A Sessions
Live video is a more recent feature on YouTube and countless other online channels. As video becomes a more natural part of our lives, customers are using it to get an authentic insight into brands and products.
A live video is best when you want to connect with customers on a more human level. You can use this technology on YouTube to answer customers’ questions about a product or service, giving them more real-time information for an important purchase.
The key to successfully using live videos on YouTube is ensuring you advertise your upcoming streams in advance. This means ensuring you get people excited about your content on social networks, email newsletters, or blog posts before the event happens.
Benefit Cosmetics offers an excellent insight into how effective live video can be by allowing potential customers to ask questions in real time during a live video.
Hopefully, this handy guide has given you some ideas about how to advertise on YouTube in 2023!
