5 Tips to Add Custom Ads on YouTube

YouTube is a prevalent social media platform with about 2 billion users. Thus, it gives brands an excellent opportunity to capture viewers’ attention to increase awareness and even establish a loyal customer base. Yet, most people don’t know how to put ads on YouTube, as they only perceive it as an online social network. Such marketers end up overlooking the massive opportunities that the YouTube audience presents.

Since people upload about 500 hours of video on the platform each minute, this could be the only marketing opportunity that you need to seize to stay ahead of your competitors. The platform also gives smaller brands a chance to compete equally with the already established companies.

In this article, I have broken down five powerful tips to help answer your question, ‘ how can I put ads on my YouTube videos.’ When you learn how to promote your ads in the right way, you will be in a position to attract traffic that is seemingly reserved for big brands. Read on to learn more.

1. Understand The Different Types Of YouTube Ads

If you have tried searching, how do you add ads to YouTube video,then you might have come across different types of YouTube Ads. You must understand them first before creating your campaign to help choose the right ad format. They include;

Skippable In-stream Ads

These ads appear during or before the video, and viewers can choose to skip them after five seconds. Though the ad type gives the viewers too much control over what they want to see, it also benefits businesses. The advertiser will only pay for the video if the viewer watches your ad for over three seconds, watch the entire video, or click the call to action. Consequently, you will save money and only reach out to the interested group of audience. Since the time limit isn’t too restrictive, you can try various video formats like testimonials or product demos.

(Image Credit: Printable)

Non-skippable In-stream Ads

Non-skippable ads appear at any time during the video, and the viewers must watch them entirely. Since 76% of people have an ingrained habit of skipping YouTube ads, this option gives users less control. However, the ad should run at an average of 15 to 20 seconds. Advertisers pay for the ads on a cost per mile basis, after every thousand views.

Hence, you should only use this type of ad if you want to create brand awareness. Target your audience appropriately to avoid wasting clicks. Non-skippable ads also require you to develop a very creative ad that will hold your viewer’s attention for the entire 15 seconds.

Bumper Ads

The ads resemble non-skippable in-stream, but they appear before a video starts and runs for six seconds. Hence don’t use them for product demos, testimonials, or stories. They are commonly used to create awareness and increase reach, and you also pay on a CPM basis. For example:

(Image Credit: Instapage)

Sponsored Card Ads

It’s a small call to action pop up that appears within the video at the right-hand corner, denoted by an icon,’ i’. When the viewer clicks on it, it can expand, presenting the entire ad content. You can use them to showcase your products or other YouTube videos. For instance:

(Image Credit: Oberlo)

Discovery Ads

Video discovery ads show up when viewers search for content on the YouTube home page or at the sidebar. You can include 25 characters on the headline, three descriptive text lines, and a thumbnail image. If a viewer feels interested, they can click the ad and are directed to your YouTube channel or video page. You pay when viewers click your ad. Here is an example of a discovery ad:

(Image Credit: AdEspresso)

Non-videos Ads

These YouTube ad types best suit those advertisers who don’t have enough budget for videos. Overlay Ads appear in the form of a banner or text at the lower section of the video. On the other hand, display ads appear in different sizes, at the right-hand side of the featuring video, above the video suggestion list. For example:

(Image Credit: Hello Social)

One great tip on how to add ads on YouTube is to try out various ad types until you determine what works best for your business. Choose a format that directly matches your campaign goals. For instance, if you wish to drive traffic, it would be wise to use skippable ads instead of the bumper that last only six seconds. Pick one that will bring about better results for your campaign.

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2. Create Your Campaign

Now that you know the different types of YouTube ads, it’s time to answer your question, how do you add ads to YouTube video. First, create your YouTube video and the ad copy and then upload it to your YouTube account.

Log into your account, and at the top right corner, click upload video. You can then select what you want to post from the file. Next, create your campaign in Google Adword. Sign in to your Google ad, proceed to all campaigns, then click the new campaign. It should take you to select a campaign window where you have various options like:

• Shopping
• Videos
• Universal App
• Search

Select video and proceed to choose your campaign subtype, be it skippable in-stream, unskippable, or bumper. Next, pick the campaign goal from the outlined objectives. Choose brand awareness and reach if you want to introduce your brand to many audiences who don’t know about it. If you aim to grow sales, focus on linking your products to the audience and convince them to purchase.

Further, your goal is to persuade people to consider your brand for product and brand consideration. Therefore, justify why your brand is a better option to influence their purchase decisions. Other goals include generating traffic, sign up, and leads. It’s worth noting that you can’t run a successful campaign until you know what you want to achieve.

The next step on how to add ads on YouTube is to configure the campaign. Start by clearly naming the campaign to quickly notice, optimize, and manage it later, particularly if you want to run several ads. Further, set your budget, the maximum amount of money you are willing to spend each day or throughout the campaign. You should start with a small amount, try out various strategies, and scale up with time to get the best returns on the investment.

You have an option to select either the standard delivery method that spreads your budget across the entire day or the accelerated option where advertisement pops up in every available opportunity. With this method, it’s worth noting that your budget may run out quickly. Yet, it would be wise for starters, to begin with, the accelerated option to gather useful data that will help optimize their campaign. You can now enter the start and end dates when you plan to run the campaign.

Additionally, choose where you want your advertisements to appear. You can opt to display it on the search results for the discovery or TrueView ads. The ads can also appear alongside the videos, YouTube homepage, or channel pages. Still, you have an option to run the video on the display network or other Google advertising avenues. Don’t forget to specify your audience language and location.

Marketers should also choose the most appropriate bidding strategy for their campaign, how you wish to pay for the ads. For this, you have various options to consider. You can opt for a cost per view, where you spend on the level of interactions and viewership your ads receive. For cost per mile, you pay a specific amount per every thousand impressions your ads get. Cost per acquisition bases the fee on the level of viewers’ actions like clicking. Alternatively, you can choose the viewable cost per mile, where you only pay per a thousand impressions, but only the audience sees your ads. It means that you won’t pay for a viewer who gets onto your page and immediately bounces off.

If you are still following on how to put ads on YouTube, you also need to specify your brand’s sensitivity to specific safety guidelines. Hence, select your inventory so that your ads display content related to your brand. For instance, if you deal with children’s products, you can’t have them displayed on violent or sexually suggestive content. Go through each option and compare the inventory types to ensure that your ads will appear on the most appropriate content. Proceed to the exclude content page to further limit your ad from appearing in some delicate content categories that deal with sensitive social issues to avoid branding disasters.

The next vital thing is to select the right target audience. It would be best first to create a buyer persona. You can start segmenting your target audience based on demographics like gender, age, income level, and parental status. YouTube even allows you to focus your ads on a specific group of individuals like college students, new homeowners, or parents.

Additionally, you can select your target audience based on interests depicted in their past behaviors. Also, look out for those individuals who have already shown interest in your video for remarketing purposes.

Enter your target keywords, choose topics where you want to show your ads and the ad placement. You can now set your campaign by entering the link to your ad to upload it on YouTube. Check to ensure that you have included a call to action, the right URL, and headline. Press’ save and then ‘continue to campaign,’ and there you have your answer on ‘how do I add ads on my YouTube videos.’

FACTS:

• 92% of marketers surveyed who use video say that it’s an important part of their marketing strategy.
• 95% of video marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

(HubSpot)

3. Provide Compelling Ad Content

Most businesses have adopted YouTube ads, and it’s becoming very saturated. Besides knowing how to get ads on your YouTube video, you need to learn how to make them more profitable. To stand out, develop creative ads that can grab the viewer’s attention. You can achieve this by introducing an element of surprise to your ad content to diverge from the norm. Find out what others are doing in your industry and create completely different ads. For example, controversial ideas tend to attract many since it triggers surprise and other emotions.

Additionally, tell a story that incorporates both auditory and visual components. Still, ensure that your target audience can resonate with the story and also offer a unique perspective about something. Aim at making your audience happy, curious, sad, or even compassionate to lure them into engaging with your ad content.

Address a common problem among your viewers, then show them how your brand can help solve it. Share interesting facts about your product, which can inspire the viewers to take the desired action. Further, use relatable experiences to connect your viewers to their past, then present your products as favorable to their situations. You can also include jokes or a plank to twist your ads and make them more attractive.

Convey your most important message at the beginning of the ad, and be very clear about your business offerings. While using the skippable ads give your audience a reason to keep watching your ads even after the first five seconds.

Create time-specific and personalized content and be aware of various special events throughout the year to show your audience that you have the same interest as them. Irrespective of your budget, the best way to outdo your competitors on YouTube ads is by creating a compelling narrative that grabs your audience’s attention and connects with them.

4. Add Interactive Elements To Your Ads

Another important tip on how to add ads to YouTube videos is using interactive components in your advertisements. Be a little more creative and explore all the possible resources to help achieve your YouTube ads goals faster. While using the TrueView video ads, you can link your shopping cart to invite your audience to make purchases.

Remember that you need to tell your viewers exactly what you want them to do next. Develop an alluring call to action that will convince your audience to click. For instance, if your main goal is to get a large group of people to sign up to your email list, include a clear call to action like ‘click here to sign up.’ You can also set up a call to action asking your audience to subscribe to your channel, attend your business webinar, or even visit your website to buy your product or services. Here is an example of a call to action on a YouTube Ad:

(Image Credit: CXL.com)

The right call to action gives your ads direction and purpose and will most likely attract more clicks. You can also choose to use cards or auto end screens to show your products, market your services or convince people to download your app.

We hope that you found this article useful.

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5. Track Your Metrics To Assess Performance

Once you have your answer on how can I put ads on my YouTube videos, and you have given it a try, you need to measure your ad’s success. Click the analytics tab on your YouTube account to see the number of people who viewed your ad. You can also check the level of conversions, view duration, audience retention, and watch time. This data will provide you with useful insights on how well or poorly your ads are performing.

It’s worth noting that not everything will work for your business, but you need to test and experiment with various strategies. Determine at what exact point did your viewers disengage or stop watching your ad. It will help you make the required adjustments to the content of your ad. Further, the Analytics tabs also show you your ad formats’ performance to help you focus on the best performing.

Keep an eye on new or changing audience demographics, device reports, or locations with the highest traffic. For more in-depth metrics, you can link your YouTube account with Google analytics. You can even use the automatic reporting option to have your ads’ metrics delivered on your email to gather as much information as possible about your ad’s performance.

Based on your business’s nature and ad type, you might notice great performance across multiple ad types. To succeed in most things in life, you need to keep trying. The same case applies if you wish to get ads on your YouTube video. Be persistent, continually review data, and make the necessary changes.

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Marketers should take the opportunity to put across their ads across millions of viewers on YouTube. First, you need to develop a custom target group and personalized message to ensure that your ads display to the right people who are more likely to feel interested in your business offering.

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