In 2020 over 5 billion videos are watched in YouTube daily and over 500 hours of video are uploaded to the platform every minute. Launching in 2005 as a platform to easily put your videos online, YouTube is today one of the largest social networks and the world’s second-largest search engine, surpassed in searches only by its parent company, Google. YouTube is both an entertainment and an intent platform. Users usually end up on the platform to watch specific content and they understand they will probably have to watch an ad to do so.

Despite its millions of users, most businesses still overlook video content, investing instead in other advertising channels such as Google Ads or Facebook/Instagram. The many different ad formats available on YouTube advertising add a level of complexity that make it seem overwhelming. However, the targeting and remarketing options YouTube offers allow for great flexibility and a great amount of control over who sees your ads in order not to waste money on irrelevant viewers and run effective advertising campaigns.

With YouTube delivering over 77% more ROI than traditional TV commercials and video generating 66% more qualified leads than other media like text ads, it is imperative for your business to start harnessing its potential today. Bellow are six tips to help you stand out from the competition, spend your ad budget smarter, and gain the attention of your audience in an effective and efficient manner.

1. Keep it short

Unlike television, two-minute commercials won’t perform well on YouTube. People aren’t here to watch your content. The purpose of a YouTube ad is to pique the users’ interest. You have to keep it short so you don’t hold them captive. There isn’t a perfect, universal runtime for an ad and user engagement depends on its content. For TrueView In-Stream ads, the most popular ad format, a duration between 15 and 60 seconds is preferable if direct response is your goal. Grab people’s attention and fill in the details with your landing page.

2. Capture attention quickly

Ideally your ad content should be better than the organic content they intended to watch. Even though a complete ad might run for 60 seconds it is unlikely a user will stick around for that long. Ads can be skipped in 5 seconds so it is critical you grab the viewers attention in that time for him to keep on watching. In those 5 seconds you have to mention your company, your product or service, what it does and why people need it, preferably all in one sentence.

3. Be interesting. Captivate your audience.

Users are overwhelmed by advertisement. They don’t want to listen to another business bragging about its products and services. Your ad should be entertaining and feel native in order to stand out and captivate your audience. The right content strategy will help you create something interesting by telling a story in just a few seconds. An impeccable production with high quality video content, upbeat music, a recognizable face, a compelling story or humor are elements that will add value to your ad.

4. Relate and associate

Relate to your intended audience by empathizing with their needs and pain points. Use characters and scenes they might identify with. Associate your brand’s product or service as the solution to those needs and pains. YouTube is great for branding. Be creative on doing that and try to place your name or logo naturally in the video. You might need to segment your audience by demographics or other characteristics and take advantage of YouTube’s targeting options to be more effective.

5. Make your ads action-oriented

Tell viewers what you want them to do, YouTube is an excellent direct response channel. By adding interactive elements such as links and cards in your ad you can drive this response to landing pages, product pages and calls-to-action. Be clear in your video about the actions you want your viewers to take. Having a great ad is good but what you really need is to get measurable results and grow your business.

6. Design your ads for mobile

A very large part of YouTube users is consuming video on mobile devices. Make sure your ad is geared toward such devices. Using bright scenes and backgrounds, tight frames and clear text and graphics to convey your message is important when viewing on a mobile screen. Always preview your content on a mobile device to make sure it looks as good as on a larger screen.

There is no magic formula for the perfect YouTube ad but you can adhere to these practices as a starting point to help you achieve better results. You need to keep testing and iterating to find what works best for your audience. Even though you might have creative assets for TV or on your website, as the world gravitates towards multimedia content your brand should definitely embrace YouTube ads as well. If you fill intimidated having a go by yourself consider asking assistance by professionals. Don’t hesitate to contact FlyHigh today for a free brainstorming session.

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