SKIP AD? How this online video platform became one of the biggest advertising tools of all time [Every Thursday: FYO!]
Online businesses are booming nowadays and various online platforms are used as a means to promote and advertise brands.
You can make your brand known by posting on various social media platforms or even by paying for banner ads on various related websites.
One particular platform, however, stood out as it proved to be another effective tool in advertising.
Not only is it accessible to almost any target audience online, but it’s also not too heavy on the marketing budget!
YOUTUBE
Known as the second largest search engine on the internet, YouTube provides its users with all sorts of information through video content.
Users have the opportunity to watch videos created by other people and also upload their own.
- Tutorials
- Vlogs
- Music videos
- Reviews
- Live Streams
- Short movies
- TV show snippets
- Hauls videos
- Unboxing
- ASMR videos
Name it. It’s probably there!
YouTube has 30 million visitors daily. That’s a big number.
With so many people exposed to it, YouTube is one of the best ways for your target market to FIND YOU and your brand online.
Paid Advertisements on YouTube
In 2006, YouTube started to offer slots for advertisements on their platform.
If you haven’t noticed yet, ads suddenly pop up during videos. This is how businesses use YouTube to advertise their brand, product, or service.
The length of exposure that businesses get is dependent on how much they pay for their ads to play on YouTube.
Types of ads on YouTube:
1. TrueView Ads
Businesses who avail of this type of advertising are only charged depending on the YouTube user’s preference to watch and/or click on the ad.
- TrueView In-Stream Ads: Advertisements played before, during, or after the YouTube video.
- TrueView Discovery Ads: Advertisements seen on YouTube search result pages.
These are skippable after 5 seconds and businesses aren’t charged for viewers who choose to skip it.
These ads are often paired with videos of the same content and are a great option for product demonstration videos. Businesses are charged regardless of how long a user views their ad.
2. Pre-Roll Ads
Like TrueView In-Stream Ads, this type of advertising gives way for skips. The only difference is that it’s paid for regardless.
These ads can play before, during, or after a video but are only 15 to 20 seconds long.
Oftentimes, these are used for call-to-action driven ads and are seen in the middle of videos that are 10 minutes or longer.
3. Bumper Ads
This type of advertisement is also paid for regardless of what viewers do. The difference with TrueView Ads and Pre-Roll Ads? These are NON-SKIPPABLE.
These ads are played right before the actual YouTube videos and only run for about 6 seconds. Businesses are encouraged to avail of this most especially when their aim is to build brand awareness.
“What if my business is just starting out and I don’t have a big marketing budget?”
Try uploading videos on YouTube!
You can create a channel for your brand, shoot relevant video content, and publish those videos for FREE!
You have the freedom to choose the length too.
Creating and posting videos regularly doesn’t necessarily guarantee a wide reach. Remember that it also depends on the approach.
You need to create good content that your target viewers would find interesting, useful, and enjoyable.
You can even partner up with vloggers that have the same target viewers.
Also, don’t forget to take into account that this is time consuming and in some cases, there are hidden charges too.
Although it’s not necessary for you to invest money in uploading videos, you still need to invest both time and effort to produce the video.
On top of that, partnerships are also not entirely free especially when you’ve been gaining a lot of attention because of them.
No wonder some prefer paying for advertisements instead!
Why choose YouTube over other platforms?
Paid advertisements and uploading your own videos on YouTube cost a lot less and reach a bigger audience compared to traditional advertising platforms such as televisions.
In 2015 alone, 18-49 year-olds spent 4% less time watching TV while their time on YouTube went up by 74%.
As of 2016, 6 out of 10 people prefer online video platforms over live TV.
YouTube gained popularity due to its ability to provide people with the choice to watch what they want, when they want.
The app can be accessed via PC, smartphones, and smart televisions in over 91 countries.
In terms of ad success stories…
The first video to hit one million views on this platform was actually a Nike video ad featuring Ronaldinho, a former professional football player from Brazil and ambassador for Barcelona. It was because of this video that the concept of “viral videos” started.
Just last year, Apple’s video ad introducing the iPhone 11 was considered as one of the most viewed ads on YouTube with 31.5 million views.
See?
There are so many opportunities to go viral on YouTube as long as you think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Businesses, big or small, just starting out or have been operating for a long time, can utilize YouTube as a great marketing tool!
This might be just what you need to give your marketing campaign an edge.
Try this week’s tip! You’ll never know unless you try. 😉
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: FYO! Find You Optimization”
Why should you stop thinking SEO and start thinking FYO?
We’re not saying that you should abandon Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Don’t get us wrong, of course, we know this is something very important, especially in today’s digital marketing age.
The internet landscape is vast, and a world of its own. You really need to distinguish yourself and make your brand/company/website known and easily searchable.
Better yet, get to the top of page one for Top Results on Google or any other search engine.
However, what is the purpose of SEO? It’s that customers Find You!
That’s what matters. So, while SEO is one factor of FYO… it really is only one, and we ought not to abandon all the myriad of ways digitally and offline for improving your FYO.
How can we look at this from a different and better perspective?
Let’s say you have it in the bag! You and your team are experts in SEO. Awesome. But did you ever wonder what else you could do to push it further and give your SEO skills a boost?
FYO! Find You Optimization!
You need your target audience to FIND YOU—your brand, product, service, or offer. This is SEO plus other tools that increase visibility online (and offline).
Every Thursday, we publish content on how you can get your target market to find you, beyond the typical “type and search.” There are other things you can do along with your SEO to give your online advertising process a boost.
Try considering other tactics beyond it—WOMO (Word Of Mouth Optimization), RO (Referral Optimization), and “All-Other-Means-Of-Getting-Your-Target-Market-To-Find-You” Optimization (AOMOGYTMTFY, if you’d like a long acronym).
Part of a great marketing strategy is knowing how to adapt new methods and make use of different types of marketing and promotion that best fit your business goals and which give you the results you want.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s FYO!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
Powered by Valens Research
www.valens-research.com
