The following are five tips to help you manage your YouTube advertising better:
1. Target the Right Audience
YouTube has huge variation in targeting options and allows you to reach the ideal target audience. Demographic filters like age, gender, location, and interests should be utilized to your benefit. You can also use advanced targeting features, such as remarketing, to reconnect your viewers who have already engaged with your brand, or Custom Intent Audiences to target users based on their recent search behavior on Google. The better targeted your ads are, the more likely it is that you will reach those who will engage with your content.
2. Use Ad Format Strategically
YouTube offers a number of ad formats, each serving a different purpose:
TrueView Ads are skippable, making them more cost-effective since you pay only when a viewer watches the ad to its entirety or to at least 30 seconds. Non-skippable ads work great in making sure brand awareness is obtained in a shorter amount of focused time. Bumper Ads will work for quick brand impressions and are 6-second non-skippable ads.
Display Ads send traffic to your website or other content. Align your ad format with your campaign objective: in other words, whether the goal is brand awareness, lead generation, or conversions.
First 5 seconds of your ad are the most important: pique interest in or address a pain point your product solves with a hook at the beginning. Sustain interest in the ad through storytelling and aesthetics that engage the viewer. Add value rather than do the hard sell, considering the needs and preferences of your target audience in the content.
4. Optimize for Mobile
Since a majority of YouTube users are leveraging the platform from their mobile phones, it’s very important to make sure your ads are mobile-friendly. You can create your video ads vertical or square for best mobile display. On mobile, viewers are potentially stopping on videos with less invested time, so consider shorter ad formats and drive an easy-to-follow CTA as screen sizes shrink.
5. Optimize for Performance
Analysis Through YouTube Analytics, you will be able to observe real-time performance for your ads. You’ll know how well your campaign is doing by key metrics such as view rate, CTR, and conversion rate. From that data insight, you could adjust targeting, ad creatives, or a bid accordingly. This way, continuous optimization will ensure you get the best results out of your advertising dollars.
Following these tips, you’ll get targeted, engaging, and high-performing ads that reach your intended audience while driving your desired outcomes on YouTube.