YouTube has become one of the most influential marketing tools for businesses of all sizes. With over 2 billion active monthly users, YouTube is not the 2nd largest search engine. Making it the ideal platform to market your brand and achieve your marketing goals.
But with such a large and nuanced platform, it can be hard to know where to start. What goals to use, what video type to leverage, and most importantly how to measure impact.
We’re here to help. We’ll walk you through the basics; what, why, & how to take advantage of this powerful tool.
Why Should you Invest in YouTube?
With over 2 billion active monthly users, YouTube has taken the world by storm. Whether you’re looking for instructions, a review, or watching your favorite streamer, YouTube is full of endless possibilities. So it only makes sense that companies take advantage of this platform to relay their message to the masses and increase brand or product awareness.
YouTube is about connection, innovation, and trust. So, here are 5 key reasons why you should start advertising on YouTube.
- Reach a Large Audience: With some many diverse users logging into YouTube daily, Youtube provides access to a massive audience. Take advantage of this audience and reach a large number of people who are (or maybe in the future) interested in your products or services.
- Target Your Core Audience: Similar to search & display ads, YouTube allows advertisers to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. You also have the ability to remarket to users who have shown interest in your business in the past. The possibilities are endless, and with AI, they’ll keep getting better.
- Get the Most Bang For Your Buck: Set your budget and pay to play. While Google will spend the money if given the opportunity, advertisers can determine what they’re willing to spend daily and set Target CPM to ensure that you’re setting boundaries and getting the most efficient clicks.
- Engage With Users: Have you ever needed to connect with your audience on a more personal level? YouTube allows you to tell your brand's story, showcase your product, and build awareness. Creating video content that is engaging and relevant to your business is a surefire way to attract new customers.
- Measurable Results: YouTube ads, like search, provide detailed analytics and recommendations that allow you to track the performance of your ads.
Where to Start & What Ad Type to Use
With so many different ad types is can be difficult to know where to start. We’ve got you covered.
For starters, you’ll need to set up a YouTube channel for your business before you can run YouTube ads. YouTube channels are free and once set up you can upload your videos as unlisted so only users who see your ads can see the video content.
Once your channel is set up, you can now start creating your ads in Google Ads (if you don’t already have a google Ads account you can create one for free).
From Google ads, you’ll be able to set up your campaigns by selecting your campaign objective (sales, leads, traffic, consideration, or awareness)
Once you’ve determined your objective, the fun part comes. What type of ad can or should you run? Below we've included a comprehensive chart with ad types and best use case senarios!
After your ads are launched it’s time to monitor and optimize. Use the performance metrics to your advantage, tweak headlines, run experiments, or adjust targeting as needed. The details are in the data.
Conclusion
YouTube Ads can be a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. By reaching a large audience, targeting specific demographics, and using engaging video content, you can connect with potential customers and grow your business. If you're not currently using YouTube Ads, it's time to consider adding them to your marketing strategy and exploring the various ad types available that will help you reach your marketing goals.
