The Small(er) Screen: How Smart Businesses Attract Customers on YouTube
September 20th, 2017 by
Remember those cheesy local ads that used to be on TV all the time? Here’s a New Orleans classic. It’s memorable and fun to watch, but TV ads have their shortcomings, specifically cost and targeting. TV is also starting to lose its biggest advantage: the ability to reach a wide audience. According to research compiled by The Atlantic, streaming services have eaten away at the presence of traditional TV, causing a drop of 25% in viewership among adults aged 18-49 since 2010. As a result, more and more small businesses are choosing to advertise online. However, videos are still a great way to promote your business. On average, research suggests that videos are five times more engaging than text or image ads.
Basics of YouTube Advertising
Over the past few weeks, many of us here at Search Influence have worked toward becoming certified or recertified in Google’s wide range of advertising platforms. Google constantly updates its advertising features and search algorithms, which is why we’re always educating ourselves on the most recent best practices and information. Part of maintaining our status as a Premier Google Partner is consistently demonstrating our expertise in all of its advertising networks.
Most recently, we have been working on certifications in Google’s Video Advertising platform. Businesses can place their video ads on YouTube and Google’s Display network. Let’s focus specifically on YouTube’s Trueview in-stream ads. These are the ads that run before a video on YouTube. Viewers can choose to skip the ad after several seconds, which allows them to indicate their interest in the ads.
YouTube reaches more people between the ages of 18-49 on their mobile phones than any TV network, even during the prime time slot of 8-11 p.m. Advertising on YouTube is available at a fraction of the cost of a 30-second TV ad. Plus, most smartphones have cameras that make shooting professional-quality videos much easier to do on your own.
Benefits of YouTube Ads
As I mentioned earlier, viewers can skip an in-stream ad after five seconds. YouTube only charges for an ad if someone watches it for at least 30 seconds. This prevents advertisers from wasting money on people who aren’t interested in their services. It also provides advertisers with quick feedback on the placement of their ads. No one will engage with an ad that isn’t relevant to them.
About 60% of people watch YouTube on their phone, but they don’t just use their phones to watch videos. 91% of Americans turn to their phones when trying to solve a problem, which presents business owners with the perfect opportunity to advertise.
To give a concrete example, picture Jim. Jim is thirty years old and lives on the third floor of his building. His sink sprang a leak last weekend, and it’s only gotten worse since then. Jim uses his phone to search “how to fix a leaky sink” and watches the first YouTube video he sees. With the right keywords and location targeting, the ad for your plumbing company can be featured right before the video, prompting Jim to call you to schedule an appointment instead of spending all day trying to fix his leaky sink. Utilizing this feature is an easy way to convert your viewers into paying customers.
Keeping that in mind, make sure your site is mobile-friendly. This blog post can help you ensure that your website is optimized for people browsing on their smartphones.
What Does This Mean to You?
Advertising on YouTube can be a powerful tool for any business, but an ad campaign’s results depend on its execution. Google provides numerous study guides to help people learn how to make the most of their advertising networks; but most business owners don’t have enough time to read through hours of material about negative keywords, bidding options, and ad rotations. Fortunately, we are here to help. Reach out to one of our experts to learn more about video ads.
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