Video is undoubtedly the king of social media and the internet. In fact, 89% of video marketers say video gives them a good ROI. That’s a staggering number compared to other forms of advertising. That’s why so many brands and businesses turn to YouTube when creating their marketing strategy.
YouTube ads also offer a vast audience. With over 2 billion monthly users (not views, but users!), it is one of the most effective ways to spend your marketing dollars. It is the second most popular website in the entire world, second only to Google. It is also known for its powerful targeting options. Combined, these factors make YouTube ads an incredible tool for marketers.
One thing to be aware of is, it’s not the easiest social media platform to create ads on. It’s not very intuitive and will take time and talent to implement. The time spent learning it is definitely worth it, though, in the long run, with its incredible ROI.
Today we’ll be walking you through the various types of YouTube ads and sharing information on how to make your campaign effective.
YouTube Ad Types
YouTube offers a variety of different advertisement types. They include video content as well as non-video advertisements that are more similar to Google ads. Here are the four main types:
- Skippable in-stream ads
- Non-skippable in-stream ads (including bumper ads)
- Video discovery ads (formerly known as in-display ads)
- Non-video ads (i.e., overlays and banners)
Most of us are familiar with the different types of ads from our time spent on YouTube. You probably didn’t know they had a name, or maybe you never even realized some of them were ads.
Skippable In-Stream Ads
This type of ad plays before or during a video (called “pre-roll” or “mid-roll”). Their tell-tale feature is that viewers can opt to skip them after the first 5 seconds.
When running skippable ads, you only pay when viewers decide to keep watching beyond those first 5 seconds. You only pay when a viewer has watched the first 30 seconds/ the whole thing if it’s shorter than that, or if they interact by clicking onto your ad: whichever comes first.
YouTube does also require that your ad be at least 12 seconds long. There is no limit to ad length beyond that, although limiting them to 3 minutes or less is recommended.
Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads
Let’s be honest; most of us chose to skip skippable ads before the 30-second mark. In fact, 76% of YouTube users report immediately skipping ads when allowed. As marketers, this can be frustrating. That’s why YouTube also offers non-skippable ads. These can still allow for the ad to be played either pre-roll or mid-roll.
These types of ads are best suited for companies that are looking to increase their brand awareness. They also work well when you know you have a strong, creative video that will hold your audience’s attention for the entire time.
Here in the U.S.A., non-skippable ads last 15 seconds. They also have a different cost associated with them, and you pay per 1,000 impressions.
Bumper Ads
Bumper ads are a type of non-skippable advertisement. They only last for 6 seconds and are identical in that you pay for impressions, they show up as pre-roll or mid-roll, and they’re typically best used for reach/awareness campaigns.
Video Discovery Ads
While in-stream ads are more like a TV commercial, discovery ads are similar to the traditional ads you see on Google’s search results page. Google owns YouTube, so seeing similarities between them makes so much sense. You also have to remember that YouTube is just as much a search engine as a social media platform.
Discovery ads show up side-by-side with organic search results. This allows them to blend in better and to seem like a natural part of search results. If a viewer finds that your video is more relevant than the organic results, they can click on it instead.
Discovery ads include up to 3 lines of text along as well as a thumbnail. When interested people click on your ad, they’re directed to either your video ad or YouTube channel. Like Skippable in-stream ads, YouTube users do have to select and choose to view your ad actively.
Non-Video Ad Options
As we mentioned before, YouTube is owned and operated by Google. So, in their advertising options, you’ll find some types are very similar to Google ads. This is great for advertisers without a large budget for video. There are two different types:
In-video overlay ads: These appear on top of video content as little boxes on monetized YouTube channels.
Display ads: These appear on the right-hand sidebar. They include an image, text, and a call to action with a link to your website.
The goal for these types of ads is that they will appear in conjunction with related content. Sadly, that does not always happen. That’s why it is so important to hone in your audience targeting.
YouTube Ads: Making Them More Effective
Now that you know how all these types of ads work, here are some suggestions to help make your ads even more effective. These tips are tried and true and will surely help you get the best ROI.
Design Ads for Mobile
Since most YouTube users are coming to the site from their phone, it’s key that you optimize your ads for mobile. Make sure that any text is large enough to be easily visible on a small phone screen. Tight, bright shots are another great way to make sure it’s ideal for mobile.
YouTube now supports vertical video ads. These make the mobile viewing experience even more immersive! Whether you use a vertical or horizontal video, it’s a good idea to preview it on a mobile device first to make sure that it looks good on a smaller screen.
Tell Your Viewers What to Do
Is your ultimate goal to get people to click over to your website? To subscribe to an email list? To click onto another video? If you’re looking for revenue impact, make your ads action-oriented.
Guide your viewers to ultimately take the action you want them to take to make your ad extra effective.
Feel Free to Use Templates
Not every company has a huge budget to dedicate to video marketing. That’s just life. One workaround for this is premade video templates. There are tons of great templates available online for a fraction of the cost of custom-made videos.
If you’re looking for more help with your YouTube Ads and marketing campaigns, contact us today!