Beginners Guide on How to Use YouTube Ads

With over 3 Billion search queries processed every month, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world next only to Google. YouTube is also the 2nd largest social media network outside of Facebook, with over 2 Billion subscribers, spanning over 100 countries. It is estimated that almost 79% of internet users today have a YouTube account. 

Advertisers love placing Ads on YouTube due to its increased ROI. As of 2019, roughly 79% of marketers consider YouTube to be one of the most effective marketing platforms in terms of ROI.

And rightfully so. You Tube Ads convert better than other social media Ads due to its effective impact. YouTube Ads are based on Video content that has twice the impact and retention of text or images. Further YouTube also provides the flexibility to create Ads in different types such as in stream, non-in stream and video discovery Ads (All discussed later). These Ad types are created to increase conversion by capturing the audience’s attention through effective timing. The platform further allows advanced retargeting by repeatedly showcasing the Ads to people who have shown interest in your product.

In addition to having a global reach, advertisers love YouTube because of the user age group which ranges from age 2 to 65+. 77% of YouTube users are between 15 and 35 years of age. 70% of the users are between 36 and 55 years of age. This translates to 70% of the audience on Youtube being people who are capable of making buying decisions. Minors too can click on a YouTube ad, get to the website of the advertiser, and then try to convince their parents to make a purchase for them.

YouTube was the first platform which pioneered the concept of 'Followers'. There are YouTubers with millions of followers and there are also micro influencers with small but highly engaging followers. Depending on our budget, you can work with these influencers to showcase your brand in their videos and promote them as a sponsor. If they love your product and are incentivized, they will recommend it to their followers which can boost your conversions.

For example, if you are trying to promote power tools for woodworking, try to find an influencer who has a woodworking channel with a significant amount of followers. You can approach the influencer and send them a sample of your product.  The YouTuber can use and review the tool in one of their videos and if it performs well, they can encourage their followers to check out your product and buy it.

One of the perils of running paid ads is showcasing your products in front of people who have no interest in either the niche or in your product.

In YouTube, you can choose to target people who show an interest in your product. You can choose specific niches where you can show your ad. You can also choose the kinds of videos where you want your ad shown. For example -if you are selling woodworking tools then you can choose to portray your Ads only in videos about woodworking or DIY.

The advanced algorithm of this tool can also help you retarget the same people who have already engaged with your website. If a person went to your website and did not buy, the algorithm tracks their Digital footprint and the next time they watch a video, YouTube can showcase your ad again to that person.

Because YouTube is owned by Google, it has one of the best and most seamless advertising systems in the world. You can view your metrics, choose your demographics, choose your budget, and make sure that you are only advertising to people who are already “warm” to your products or services.

Because YouTube is owned by Google, it has one of the best and most seamless advertising systems in the world. You can view your metrics, choose your demographics, choose your budget, and make sure that you are only advertising to people who are already “warm” to your products or services.

These are skippable video ads that are mostly played at the start of a video. The ad allows the viewers to skip after 5 seconds

These are 15 - 20 second ads that play in their entirety without allowing viewers the option to skip them.

Formerly known as in-display Ads, Video discovery ads show your Ads on the YouTube search results page. They are usually shown at the top of the search page, or sometimes on the side bar.

These are non-Skippable 6 second Ads (or less) which can play before, during, or after another video. These Ads must be watched  before the video is resumed.

These are banner ads that are shown as overlay on the bottom 20% of the video like the one below

Click-through-rate is the ultimate measure of your Ad’s effectiveness. It refers to the number of clicks that your Ad generates. If your CTR is high, it means that your Ad is effective and that people are reacting to it. If it is low, maybe the quality of your ad is poor, or you are targeting the wrong audience.

This is the cost-per-view of your ad. If you spent $100 on the Ad and it is shown to 100 people, it means that you paid $1 per view. In order to lower your costs, you should optimize and choose a wider range of audiences for your Ad.

Impression is the number of times the Ad was shown to a customer. The bigger the impression, the more people saw it. A view, on the other hand, is 30-seconds worth of watching an Ad. If the ad is shorter than 30 seconds, a view is its entire duration.

If your impression count is low, consider showing your ad to more people by expanding your audience. If the view is low, your Ad may not be that interesting, or you are showing it to the wrong people.

This is the percentage of people who watched your Ad, provide that it was served to them. It is your views divided by your impressions. The higher the View Rate, the more engaged your target customers are. This also tells you if you are targeting the right people and how interested they are in your offer.

Use the right keywords in your title. The algorithm of YouTube is similar to Google and other search engines. Content is indexed based on the title, meta data and description. If you use the wrong keywords, your content will be indexed on another category, and people who have an interest in your actual content may not find your video. 

A title describes the nature of your content and is one of the most important aspects of your video. The title gives people a brief idea of what the content is all about and if it would be of interest to them or not. It is important to do keyword research beforehand and structure your title to standout from competition. One of the ways is by generating curiosity. For example, if your video is about python programming for games then instead of using a generic title such as “python programming.”, use “how to make money with python programming for games”. This not only generates curiosity but also provides viewers with an accurate description of your video. 

A thoughtfully written video  description is the second most important thing for your video (next to title). Description is the text that is below the playback screen of your video. The description explains the users the details about the video, its content and also provides links to other content or products they may find useful. It is also an important element for algorithms to pickup for rankings. 

The YouTube search algorithm works the same way as the Google algorithm. For the search engines to pick your video for display, it is important to embed your main keyword in the first paragraph of your video description. This increase your chance to rank when Youtube robots crawl on your title and your video description.

Thumbnails are the images that show up on top of the video. Thumbnails increase or decrease the appeal of your video hence its important to aesthetically design thumbnails that are enticing to viewers. 

There is no standard format for a thumbnail. You can use images, or embed texts. The key point is to have a thumbnail which stands aside from the competition. For example, your headline could be “Ten Safety Tips in Using a Power Drill.” Your thumbnail can show a person who was hurt and bloody, and your thumbnail text is “Do not let this happen to you!”

Pro-Tip - Use Canva.com for creating your thumbnails for free.

Videos with sub-titles are often grab more attention especially from viewers who are not well versed in understanding a different accent or may have trouble hearing due to hearing issues. By providing captions, you would be doing a good service to your audience who will happily subscribe and follow you along.

The one thing which guarantees regular viewership and subscription is the amount of value add you are providing through your videos. To ensure regular traffic, you have to make sure your content is either educational or entertaining. Also the content must be real meaning, whatever you teach should be relevant and can be replicated in real life by anyone else in a similar situation.

One suggestion for new channels is to produce a series of content which follows sequentially for 4-5 weeks. Keep the videos fun and entertaining so viewers are going to be encouraged to subscribe and wait for your next video.

Another suggestion is to make the first few seconds of content enticing enough to capture the attention of your viewer. Most people skip to other videos if the intro or the start of the video is not exciting. If the viewer leaves, the YouTube algorithm records it as a bounce and signals to YouTube that your content is not great. This triggers the algorithm to skip your video in search results.

The last and the best advice on how to get YouTube traffic is to publish regular content. This is the key to generate a fan following. Once you have avid subscribers eager for your new content, you can channel them to your website, blog or email list for future conversion.

Regular content publication also puts you at a good spot in YouTube’s algorithm. It tells the system that you are a serious content creator, and your other videos will be shown to the user while they are watching one of your videos.