YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet. It receives over 1 billion unique visitors every month, is the fourth most popular search engine in the world and is also the fourth most visited site in Australia. Its vast reach and visual format presents a wealth of opportunity and potential gains not normally associated with standard online advertising, such as AdWords and Facebook.
YouTube video advertising (also known as TrueView) allows businesses who don’t have the budget for traditional TV advertising to incorporate and utilise video in their strategy. YouTube advertising also enables a business to reach a broader and more diverse audience where they otherwise could not afford to.
How?
YouTube ads are served in two different ways, in-stream and in-display.
In-stream
In-stream are the ads that play before a video, which let viewers to skip to the main content after a couple of seconds. You only pay if the viewer finishes watching the ad or after 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Clicks through to your website are free, you only pay for views. For example:
In-display
In-display ads appear in YouTube search results of videos that are contextually similar to your video. Unlike in-stream, you pay when someone clicks on your ad. For example:
Benefits
Video ads allow you to connect and engage with your target market in a way that isn’t available with regular CPC advertising. Video:
Creates a personal interaction between a business and their audience as well encouraging further interaction
Strengthens brand awareness
Builds trust
Sets your business apart from the competition and emphasises your point of difference
Is one of your strongest selling tools
Combines visual and audio to emote and inspire action
The only is only one limit – the length of the video at 4 minutes max
The numbers
Research into businesses utilising online videos advertising by American company Amimoto found that:
96% of consumers find watching videos useful when making purchase decisions online
94% of consumers watch videos online
77% of consumers say that videos leave a positive impression of a business
73% of adults are more likely to purchase after watching a video that explains a product or service
58% of consumers find businesses that produce videos to be more trustworthy
Scott Shorter is a YouTube advertising agency based in Perth, Western Australia providing advanced YouTube ad campaigns for customer throughout Australia.
