Video advertising is expanding year by year. One thing that cannot be ignored is YouTube advertising.
YouTube advertising is said to be one of the most effective marketing strategies.
Here, we will explain what YouTube is in an easy-to-understand manner and explain how to use YouTube as an advertising platform.
What is YouTube?
What is YouTube? Started by an American Internet video sharing service company, anyone with an Internet connection can upload, share, and enjoy their videos without the need for special equipment or software for broadcasting. It’s a service.
The word “Tube” in YouTube refers to a vacuum tube, which is similar to the cathode ray tube on a TV that displays images. Approximately 400 hours of video are uploaded every minute, and the number of views reaches billions of times a day. Its main feature is that anyone can use it for free, and it is possible to not only watch videos but also post videos taken with a smartphone or video camera for people all over the world to see. It’s bringing.
Additionally, in 2018, a service called “YouTube Music” was added, allowing users to enjoy a variety of music along with videos.Although the way in which it is used changes year by year, it is one of the factors that is increasing the number of users.
Users can easily watch newly registered videos by registering frequently viewed accounts as channels, and can register multiple videos of their favorite content to create their own playlists. You can also do it.
Thanks to this system, video creators called “YouTubers” with over several million subscribers are appearing one after another.
Since 2007, YouTube has provided a system that allows video contributors with a large number of viewers to earn profits on the condition that they post advertisements. With the introduction of this system, the number of people who can earn a living from advertising as video contributors has increased.
What is YouTube advertising?
YouTube ads are video-based advertisements that appear on the YouTube platform when you watch a video.
Advertising videos need to be uploaded to YouTube, and when posting ads on YouTube, you need to create a YouTube account.
What are the benefits of YouTube advertising?
Below are the benefits of using YouTube ads.
Large reach, large number of users
YouTube is the most popular video sharing platform used by over 2 billion users worldwide, and over 65 million users in Japan.
YouTube ads can be delivered to users wherever and whenever they are watching their favorite content, allowing them to be seen by many people.
Targeting method
There are various targeting methods for YouTube ads using data held by Google. You can target by age, gender, region, etc., as well as keywords, categories, topics, etc.
By combining targeting, you can display advertisements to appropriate users and encourage interest in products and services. By using placement targeting, you can arbitrarily decide which videos to distribute ads to, and it is also possible to limit where ads are displayed.
You can set goals and distribute advertisements.
YouTube ads allow you to set goals for ad distribution.
In addition, if you are not familiar with ad distribution such as campaign settings, it may take a long time from setting up to distribution, but there are support functions, so even those who are not familiar with it can distribute advertisements with peace of mind.
Find high-value users
Based on data from web services provided by Google (search engine, Google Map, YouTube, Gmail, etc.), it is possible to predict users with high interest who are likely to make a purchase, and advertisers can It is possible to efficiently and effectively distribute advertisements to targets who want to use your products and services.
Effectiveness can be verified
From the management screen, you can measure the behavior of users who viewed your videos, such as the number of ad impressions, clicks, playbacks, and playback time. Therefore, by reviewing and comparing the numbers from the distributed advertising videos, you can analyze the good and bad parts.
Additionally, YouTube ads allow you to distribute ads at extremely low bids, starting from 1 yen. In that sense, it can be said that advertising is cost-effective.
What are the disadvantages of YouTube ads?
The downside is that ads may be unintentionally placed on your videos.
The distribution of advertising videos is basically left to the Google Ads algorithm. As a result, ads may end up on unintended YouTube channels.
Some YouTube videos are inappropriate, such as those with a biased ideology or using violent expressions. If ads are actually distributed on such videos, it will damage your company’s brand image.
However, Google has also taken measures to address the above issues, and it is possible to set settings such as excluding the delivery of sensitive content or to prevent ads from being attached to inappropriate videos.
What are the types of YouTube ads?
What types of YouTube ads are there?
I will introduce the types in summary.
In-stream advertising
In-stream ads are video ads that are distributed and played before, during, or after video playback on YouTube, and are in a format that allows the ad to be skipped 5 seconds after playback. I am.
This type of advertising cost will be incurred when the advertising video is played for 30 seconds or more, and no cost will be incurred if the advertising video is skipped before 5 seconds have elapsed. The benefit is that you can reduce unnecessary advertising costs because you only pay when you are interested in the video and watch the ad for a long time.
bumper ads
Bumper ads are video ads that are delivered and played within 6 seconds before, during, or after a video on YouTube is played, and because they are short advertising videos, they are less stressful for viewers.
The cost is charged on an impression basis, and the fee is charged every 1,000 times an ad is displayed.
Bumper ads have a high view completion rate due to their short video duration, and have the same cognitive effect as in-stream ads. Although it is difficult to get your message across in 6 seconds, there are many benefits to using it when placing advertisements for the purpose of awareness.
TrueView Discovery Ads
TrueView discovery ads are ads that are served at the top of YouTube video playback pages, YouTube search results, and mobile apps. Fees are incurred when a user clicks on a video and transitions to the video viewing screen.
This type of advertisement does not make the user watch the ad regardless of the user’s intention, as with in-stream ads and bumper ads, but the ad is played when the user clicks on the ad himself, so there is a high degree of interest in the service or product. The user will click on the ad. 3 It is a good idea to use discovery ads when you want to encourage viewing of long videos, promote information, or run an acquisition campaign.
masthead advertising
Masthead ads are ads that appear at the top of the YouTube home feed for up to 30 seconds without sound. This is the most visible distribution slot on YouTube, so it is used when you want to promote your campaign with the aim of significantly expanding its reach or increasing its awareness.
Distribution of masthead ads requires a reservation and requires direct communication with a Google sales representative, and in most cases the request is made to an agency.
You can choose between the CPD format (CostPerDay), which specifies the advertising cost per day, which allows you to reach a huge number of users, or the impression charge method, which charges a fee for every 1,000 times an ad is displayed.
However, although the effect of gaining recognition is very high, keep in mind that you will need a budget of 10 million yen or more.
outstream advertising
Outstream ads are video ads that appear in inventory on websites and apps on Google video partners. What is different from other ads is that instead of advertising on YouTube, you can appeal to new users outside of YouTube. Fees are paid per impression, which is charged for every 1000 ad impressions.
You can use it when you want to distribute promotional videos etc. uploaded on YouTube to people other than YouTube users and gain recognition.
overlay ads
Overlay ads are ads that appear at the bottom of a video. There are two display methods: one that displays images and one that displays only text. Ten seconds after playing YouTube on your PC, it will be displayed overlapping the bottom of the screen. Since it is displayed within the video, it is easy for users to see and is effective in increasing awareness. The screen occupancy rate is 20%, and the banner ad has a close button from the beginning, so it does not greatly impede usability.
There are two types of billing methods: pay-per-click, where you are charged for each click, and pay-per-impression, where you are charged for every 1,000 views.
About the new format of YouTube ads
In addition to the ad types listed above, new YouTube ad formats have emerged over the past few years.
These are direct response ads and video action campaigns.
Direct response ads are an ad format suitable for encouraging users to take direct action to purchase a product.
When displayed on YouTube, the distributed advertising video is played and the product image is displayed below it.
It allows you to display product catalogs in list form, and is often used for purchasing and promoting products such as on e-commerce sites.
A video action campaign is a campaign aimed at promoting conversion with video ads on YouTube.
You can place ads in various places on YouTube and Google video partners. Usually, it was not possible to encourage users to take specific actions by simply distributing video advertisements.
However, by using action campaigns, you can display arbitrary text content and action buttons in in-stream ads and discovery ads.
Points to consider when choosing YouTube ads
When it comes to YouTube advertising, it is important to select each format according to the purpose and place the ad.
Here I would like to explain the points to choose from.
1. Improving awareness of services and branding If your goal is to get users to purchase products, you first need to gain awareness from users. Advertisements aimed at increasing awareness of products and services include “bumper ads,” “instream ads,” “outstream ads,” “masthead ads,” and “overlay ads.”
Although “bumper ads” and “in-stream ads” have a video time limit, they are almost guaranteed to get users to watch the video. On the other hand, since a short video time requires a message that will interest the user, the level of creativity required is high and it is necessary to put effort into production.
Masthead ads are displayed in the most prominent place on YouTube’s home page, and are effective in significantly expanding your reach and gaining widespread recognition.
2. Comparing products and services After acquiring awareness, it is necessary to encourage users to compare and consider products and services as their next action. “Skippable ads” and “TrueView discovery ads” It’s effective if you aim for it.
“Skippable ads” can deliver advertisements to users who are considering purchasing or using a product or service, or to users who are considering competing products or services. If the user does not press skip and continues watching, the user will watch a longer video than with a “non-skipable ad,” making it possible to provide more information to users whose interests and needs have become clear.
In addition, “TrueView Discovery Ads” are displayed as search results and related videos, not while watching videos (in-stream). It plays when the ad video is actually clicked, and users who are interested in the ad end up watching the video, which tends to lead to the advertiser’s purpose, such as making a purchase or using a service.
3. When running potential customer lists and lead acquisition advertisements, what you are ultimately asking users to do is to take specific actions such as making a purchase or making an inquiry.
Direct response ads and video action campaigns are suitable for acquiring leads that become potential customers and encouraging users to make decisions about purchasing products.
“Direct response advertising” is characterized by the fact that multiple product images can be shown in a catalogue, so there is a high possibility of action from the advertisement to purchasing the actual product.
“Video action campaigns” can include advertising phrases and action buttons in addition to regular advertising videos, and have the characteristic that they are more likely to lead to results than other advertising formats.
“Direct response ads” and “video action campaigns” are recommended if you want your ads to be clicked on YouTube and to encourage users to make purchases.
What is YouTube audio advertising?
An ad space called “YouTube Audio” has been added that distributes audio advertisements for the video sharing service “YouTube” and music streaming service “YouTube Music” provided by Google.
When distributing audio ads, either “image” or “image-based video” is displayed, and it is also possible to measure the delivery, such as CTR when distributing audio ads.
The submission format for audio advertising “YouTube Audio” is for the material to be an mp4 file of 15 seconds or less, and the audio and screen are submitted as one, similar to submitting a video.
What is the effectiveness of YouTube audio ads?
Audio advertisements can be recognized even when users are not looking at the device screen and are playing in the background, and they are said to have the following effects.
Audio advertising is said to have a high potential for branding, and one study found that compared to regular display advertising, it increased brand lift (recall) by 24%, advertising awareness and understanding by 28%, and purchase intent by 2 times. may appear.
summary
We have explained that there are multiple types of YouTube video ads, and each one has very different characteristics. Video ads may seem a little difficult as they require filming and editing. However, the YouTube market, the world’s largest video sharing service, is still developing and has immeasurable benefits, such as being able to effectively reach young people who are increasingly turning away from television.
YouTube ads are a very efficient advertising method because you can set detailed targeting settings. This situation is changing day by day, with the creation of services such as YouTube audio advertising.
YouTube is an advertising platform that cannot be ignored in order to ride the modern trend of broadcasting to the world.