According to Cisco’s trend predictions, for 2021 it would take a full two years to watch all the videos circulating just in that one moment. Yes, it’s overwhelming, but it’s also impressive, and more importantly a huge opportunity for marketers riding the trend.
- In addition to being immensely popular, a video is also immensely effective in engaging consumers and getting content shared.
- Video is more engaging than text or images because our brains absorb visual information much faster than text—60,000 times faster—and video engages both our visual and auditory senses. Also, a video is more emotional, which leads to more engagement, and it’s easier to remember.
- As marketers, we have to be up-to-date on new marketing trends and take measures accordingly based on data.
- According to SearchEngineLand, video helps to improve search engine optimization (SEO) rankings because it indicates to Google that a webpage contains rich, quality content. You can also optimize your video for search by using keywords and including the video transcript.
YouTube marketing: You Too Can Do It!
- YouTube ads can help you connect with people who are interested in what you have to offer.
- From sports fans to fashionistas, and everyone in between, people come to YouTube for the content that they love.
- Believe it or not, YouTube is the third-most visited site in the world, behind only Facebook and Google.
- Every month, people consume 6 billion hours of video on YouTube.
- To have such an enormous audience on a single platform is rare, and it makes sense that YouTube ads have become a preferred marketing technique for many businesses.
- When it comes to advertising, YouTube provides clear benefits that have made it immensely popular.
Consider the following YOUTUBE AD STATS in 2020:
- Two billion monthly users
- Net U.S. video ad revenues above $5.5 billion a year
- Used by 81 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 25
- Used by 73 percent of adults, more than even Facebook.
Social ads on YouTube: Popularity is the reason for using YouTube marketing:
YouTube has a massive reach.
- YouTube is huge and the audience is there. All you need to do is make sure you’re there too, with YouTube marketing.
- Video marketing on YouTube is the closest form to traditional advertising that exists. Make the most of its potential to tell your audience stories they will connect with.
- YouTube as a social media platform boils down to one simple concept: video sharing. YouTube’s free social media video sharing platform allows individuals and businesses to upload and share their videos with the world.
- It is a unique hybrid of social media sites and search engines and draws in viewers for a host of reasons.
- As a search engine, YouTube ranks behind only Google, as users use it to find info on everything from World War II, to how to unclog a toilet.
- In terms of interaction, YouTube is the third-largest social media network.
- If you accept Forbes’ claim that all internet users want either information or social interaction, YouTube manages to provide both.
- Its reach is so encompassing, it engages more people between the ages of 18 and 49 than either broadcast or cable TV. Think about that for a moment, and consider the benefits of advertising on a platform that reaches the widest possible audience
How does advertising on YouTube work?
YouTube offers six types of ads for you to choose from.
Non-Skippable Video Ads:
- A viewer must watch these before they can access a YouTube video. Non-skippable YouTube ads can appear during, before, or after the primary video.
- Since the viewer has no choice but to watch the ad, you wind up paying every time it appears.
- Generally speaking, these types of ads are for companies with larger budgets.
Skippable Video Ads:
- These ads allow the viewer to skip them after 5 seconds.
- Like non-skippable ads, they can appear before, after, or during the primary video.
- With these, you will only get charged if a viewer chooses to watch for at least 30 seconds.
Display Ads:
- These YouTube ads are placed to the right of the feature video.
- Display ads can appear anywhere on YouTube, except for the homepage.
- Ideally, your ad will entice a click from the viewer, at which point you get charged for the advertising.
Overlay Ads:
- These transparent ads appear on the bottom of videos watched on laptops or desktop computers.
- They will not appear on mobile devices, and the viewer can close the ad at any time.
- In reality, these ads tend to generate misclicks, in which a viewer attempts to close the ad, but accidentally clicks through to the advertiser’s video.
Midroll Ads:
- These ads only appear in videos longer than 15 minutes.
- The ads appear intermittently throughout, in the same manner as commercials on television.
- Viewers have no choice but to watch them continue their video.
Sponsored Cards:
- These showcase content relevant to the primary video, such as featured products.
- The viewer sees a teaser for the card and then can click an icon in the top right corner to browse the sponsored cards.
Discovery Ads:
- These ads show for the targeted keywords.
- When users search for the for the terms from our search terms, our ads showcase on the search results.
The biggest change in the ad program is that any channel monetizing its videos from ads can now choose to implement non-skippable ads.
In the past, only a very select few in the channel partner program was able to run non-skippable ads, but now, every channel monetizing from ads can benefit from the option.
Why Are They Making This Change?
- If advertisers are paying more, YouTube (and Google) is making more.
- But indirectly they want creators to be incentivized to create more and better content for their channels.
- So As a YouTube Creator, non-skippable ads mean they are going to make a LOT more money because advertisers will pay more for non-skippable ads. The same goes for creators whose videos host the ads.
- YouTube is adding a tool to let you have control over which of your videos will have non-skippable ads in your dashboard.
- Older video content that has skippable ads will be switched over to non-skippable BY DEFAULT when the change happens (you will get a notification in your channel dashboard) even if you weren’t previously allowed to run non-skippable ads.
- This means that any channel owners/creators will need to dig deep into their videos and make some changes if they want to maintain the same experience.
- YouTube certainly isn’t forcing channels to use non-skippable ads, but rather giving them more opportunities to increase their revenue on the platform and enabling them to create more of the content that their viewers love.
If you’re not yet doing YouTube marketing strategy for your brand, start now!
- Some say hosting your video on YouTube will help because Google owns YouTube, although that’s not certain. Finally, because a video is more likely to be shared, using a video can increase your number of backlinks, which improves SEO.
- In addition to the SEO benefits, There’s a package for everyone.
- Results are immediate and measurable.
It’s a social network. It’s a search engine. - Interactivity with other social media platforms by Linking your channel to other social media accounts and allowing visitors to interact with your content from other platforms.
- This saves a lot of time that’s usually required for setting up different campaigns.
One of the biggest benefits of using YouTube for business – you can reach a worldwide audience even if you only speak one language.
Consumers: Can make or break a brand:
- We are in the age of consumerism and this will most likely intensify in the next few years. Consumers have a say, demand response, and can make or break a brand, ultimately they can compare services and products in one search.
- In other words, consumers ultimately sell your services and products for you if you develop a dialogue and honest relationship.
- Keeping this in mind, you need to begin your customer research.
- Find out what attracts people to certain videos, products, and services, and then decide what is working and what is failing.
- Plan discussion groups, get insight from staff members, develop a survey, ask current customers and potential customers for feedback and suggestions to improve.
Social Media Helping you open windows of opportunity worldwide:
- Maintaining a presence on social media has become inevitable for businesses around the world – that’s how they reach and engage with their customers.
- When used correctly, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram can be powerful social media marketing tools.
With consumers turning to social shopping during the pandemic, how ads influence their behavior:
- Consumers have developed more critical eyes for ads on social platforms, so brands need to adapt as well by tapping into the latest technology to align with what’s relevant and avoid unsuitable content.
- A recent study shows “With 96% of U.S. consumers having at least one social media account, respondents ranked Facebook as the platform they use most, followed by YouTube, and Instagram”.
- Consumers have grown more aware of inappropriate ads on social platforms; in fact, 38% of consumers say the growth of fake news means they’re less trusting of ads in their social feeds.
- Importantly, most consumers (59%) hold social media sites responsible for ads appearing next to unsafe content, compared to 36% who hold advertisers accountable.
- Context Directly Impacts Favorability and Memorability of Social Ads: Almost half (47%) of consumers report having an unfavorable view of brands whose ads appear next to unsuitable content, proving the significant impact this can have on social campaigns.
- Yet, 46% of consumers are likely to remember a social ad if the message relates to surrounding content, while 41% would feel favorable towards these brands.
- In fact, 32% of respondents are likely to purchase a product or service if the ad in their social feed is contextually relevant.Meanwhile, 60% of consumers are unlikely to purchase a product or service advertised next to unsafe content.
- The quality and context of in-feed ads across social media impact consumer perception, engagement, and even purchase intent.
The key to your social media marketing plan is to
- Always keep the buzz alive,
- Keep generating new content,
- Keep your audience interested.
