Love them or hate them, here's why and how YouTube Ads work 💪
There are countless ways to get discovered on YouTube.
But while creators navigate the often confusing and elusive algorithm, YouTube has made it much easier for advertisers to make the most of their platform.
From in-video ads to banner ads, here's how YouTube ads can work for you and your brand.
Let's get started!
What are the types of YouTube ads?
1. Non-skippable in-stream video ads
For many users, skipping past the ads that occur before or during a YouTube video is almost an automatic response to seeing an ad.
This has meant that advertisers have faced pressure to find innovative ways to keep people watching past the mandatory first 5 seconds.
While skippable ads are the better option for certain brands, many other brands have seen amazing success from running non-skippable pre-roll or mid-roll ads.
The main benefit of forgoing the skip feature is that you can encourage users to pay attention to your entire ad, giving you as much time as you need to grab their attention and promote your product/service.
This makes non-skippable ads the ideal way to build brand awareness.
There are 2 main kinds of non-skippable ads that advertisers can create for YouTube:
1. An up-to 15 second (or 20 seconds in EMEA, India, Malaysia and Mexico) ad that engages and entrances the audience.
2. A short, snappy 6-second "bumper ad" that quickly grabs the user's attention.
For both of these options, advertisers can expect to pay per impression (CPM).
2. Skippable in-stream video ads
Occurring before or during a video, these ads give viewers the option to skip after 5 seconds.
This means 2 things.
1. You have 5 seconds to make an impression.
2. You only pay when viewers continue watching after those 5 seconds and clicks the ad, finishes watching the ad or watches 30 seconds of your ad.
It is worth noting here that these ads must be 12 seconds or longer.
In order to make the first 5 seconds count, many brands have found success in acknowledging the skip button during these first few moments in order to speak directly to the user and grab their attention, while others use these vital seconds to build up the mystery about what it is they're selling.
The beauty of skippable in-stream video ads is that, other than certain time restraints, advertisers are free to get creative!
3. In-feed and non-video ads
1. Discovery ads. Showing up alongside organic search results, the discovery ads feature allows advertisers to promote videos to users.
2. Display ads. Appearing on the right sidebar, these ads don't utilise video and instead consist of an image with text and a CTA link to your brand's website.
3. In-video overlay ads. These ads appear above video content on monetized channels.
What makes YouTube ads special?
With more than 2 billion monthly users, it is highly likely that your target audience can be found on YouTube.
While it remains one of the most popular social media sites, users tend to use the platform as more of a search engine.
YouTube is so ingrained in our culture that the phrase "YouTube it" can almost eclipse "Google it".
This means that when viewers want to expand their mind, learn something new or consume something, they can search specifically for what they want with ease, providing advertisers with plenty of opportunities to make an excellent first impression- not only to users but to the right user.
We believe there's a YouTube ad for every brand.
Let's face it, your audience is already on YouTube. Are you?
To learn more about Youtube Ads, get in contact today.
