How to Create a Successful YouTube Ad Campaign
March 16, 2023 By Karen Layman, aka Karen
Over the past few years, Google has implemented some changes that make YouTube ads a very worthwhile advertising platform. However, advertising on YouTube is different from other advertising platforms. There are a few constraints to be aware of, as well as many options to choose from. Here’s how to create a successful YouTube ad campaign.
1. Understand the Different Types of Ads
One of the things businesses should know about YouTube is that there are plenty of ways to advertise and reach your target audience. There are a few different types of ads on YouTube and using the right one is important to your campaign. Here are the different types of ads:
1. In-Feed Ads
In-feed ads are ads that show up on the YouTube homepage, search page, and related video feed.
2. Skippable In-Stream Ads
These ads are ads that appear before a video plays or during a video. These ads are skippable after a certain amount of time. Advertisers only pay when a user watches a video longer than 30 seconds, or performs an action, like clicking on a link.
Skippable ads must be between 12 seconds and 6 minutes in length. They also are customizable with different calls to action (CTAs) and overlay text. These ads can include video and dialogue but try to avoid mimicking traditional ads or users will simply skip over them.
3. Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads
Unlike skippable in-stream ads, these ads must play the whole way through before a user returns to their video. They can occur before a video, during, or after. These ads are between 15-20 seconds in length and only appear mid-roll if the video they are appearing on is 10 minutes or longer.
Like skippable ads, you can use video and dialogue and overlay text. Writing successful calls to action will motivate users to interact with the ad.
4. Overlay Ads
This type of ad is a banner ad that sits on top of the video as it plays. This is the least intrusive type of ad since it doesn’t disrupt the video.
5. Bumper Ads
These are the shortest video ads on Youtube. They last only 6 seconds, are non-skippable, and play right before a video begins. Since they are short, these are a good complement to longer skippable or non-skippable ads.
2. Create and Upload Your Video
Now, it’s time to put together your video ad. You can either start with a brand new video or repurpose video content you already have. If you’re starting from scratch, one of the best tips for producing effective marketing videos on a budget is to tell a good story to draw people in.
If you want to repurpose video content, taking a longer video and breaking it down into shorter clips works great for skippable and bumper ads. Once you have the video you want, upload it to YouTube.
3. Log Into or Set Up Your Google Ads Account
Now that your video is uploaded, it’s time to start your campaign. Begin by logging into your Google Ads account or create an account if you need to. If you’re signing up now, the screen may prompt you to create a campaign right away.
Look for the option that asks if you’re a professional marketer or to sign up without creating a campaign immediately. That way, you can familiarize yourself with Google Ads before jumping straight into a new campaign.
4. Create Your Campaign
After accessing your dashboard, find the option to begin a new campaign. The screen will prompt you to choose a goal and campaign type. Choose whatever goal suits your business and select video under campaign type.
Next, you need to choose a campaign subtype. There are two options: video reach campaign and ad sequence. Choose video reach campaign. Then, select the method of reaching your goal. Your options are either efficient reach, which is either bumper or skippable ads, or a mix of both and non-skippable in-stream ads.
5. Name Your Campaign and Pick a Budget
Pick a name that gives you enough information to know what it is at a glance. Then, input a budget for the campaign. Having a budget in place will help keep daily costs low and will ensure you don’t run out of money too quickly. Choose a start and end date for your campaign.
6. Choose Networks and Locations
Choosing your network and location is important so you reach the right audience. You’ll need to decide where your video appears. This can include YouTube search results or videos. Then, choose a location for where your ad is targeted. You can choose by country or by more specific locations.
Also, select a language for your ad. If your ad is targeted to the USA or other English-speaking countries, choose English. Anywhere else, choose the most commonly spoken language of that area.
7. Configure Advanced Settings and Demographics
In the advanced settings, you can choose to target specific operating systems, devices, and even carriers. The setting is especially helpful for mobile apps. You can also choose to limit daily impressions on your ad if you’d like.
Define your target audience you would like to reach. Options include age, gender, and household income. You can also target by interests, like cooking or nature. If you’re unsure where your customers are coming from, there are ways to identify your customer journey. You can also try running multiple campaigns targeted at different audiences to see which one receives the most engagement.
8. Select Keywords and Start Bidding
Selecting the right keywords is one of the most important SEO best practices. But it’s also imperative here because it will help you reach your target audience. This is why keyword research is important to do before you even begin working on your ad.
Next, choose the max amount of money you want to spend on each view. You can adjust these later if need be.
9. Create the Ad Assets and Link Google Ads
Now, you can finally link your YouTube video to the campaign. This is where you also choose whether you want an in-stream ad or an in-display ad. For in-display ads, you will need to provide a title and a short description.
Once you have everything finalized, it’s time to link your Google Ads account to your YouTube channel. Find the navigation bar in Google Ads, choose “Tools and Settings”, then click “Setup”, then go to “Linked Accounts”. Choose YouTube and link your account.
Now your YouTube campaign is ready to go! Once your campaign begins, you should be tracking data and analyzing it to see what’s working. This will help inform future campaigns.
This is how to create a successful YouTube ad campaign. These types of ads are very helpful in reaching a specific audience and are useful tools in marketing. YouTube advertising is much more targeted than other platforms and is a little less competitive than Google Search. So, give YouTube ads a try and see the results firsthand!
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