On mobile alone in an average week, YouTube reaches more adults aged 18-49 during prime time than any cable network.
Getting Started with YouTube Advertising
Over 500 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute worldwide. And, with over 2 billion users, YouTube is the second most trafficked website and the second largest search engine in the world. (Hubspot Blog. 50 Youtube Stats Every Video Marketer Should Know.)
There are a number of ways businesses can take advantage of the power of YouTube.
- Establish a channel to produce and share video content
- Advertise within content that streams on other channels
- Allow others to advertise within their content
Businesses can advertise on YouTube without a YouTube channel, but an account is required to post videos.
If you are setting up a YouTube account, you should optimize your channel to help viewers find you. Complete your profile by including as much information as possible, add a compelling photo and write a keyword-rich description. You’ll also want to add a channel trailer so viewers know what to expect from your channel.
When you are ready to start producing videos, refer to your favorite channels and trending videos. While these videos may have nothing to do with your business or industry, take notes. How do they grab your attention? What makes them appealing to you? How are they formatted? Are they highly produced or casual? You always want to appeal to your niche audience but if there are techniques that are working for others, try to adapt them to your purposes.
70% of viewers say that YouTube makes them more aware of new brands.
Viewers say they are twice as likely to buy something they saw on YouTube.
YouTube for Your Business
You can optimize your videos to ensure a higher ranking within YouTube search results and drive more views. Add strong titles and descriptions using relevant keywords but avoid clickbait or making false or misleading claims. And, create custom thumbnail images as these are the first images a viewer will see and can be the reason someone does or doesn’t view your video. Finally, always remind viewers to like, share, and subscribe!
YouTube sees some of the highest referral rates and highest conversion rates of any platform when it comes to advertising. Businesses can advertise using in-stream ads that appear before, during, or after video streams of other content producers. These ads must be at least 12 seconds long and advertisers pay when viewers watch at least the first 5 seconds or take an action like clicking the CTA (call-to-action). Discovery ads are video ads that appear with relevant content in organic search results. Non-video display and overlay ads are also available on the platform.
Over 77% of 15-35 year old American internet users and 67% of 56 and older American internet users watch videos on YouTube.
Viewers are four times more likely to use YouTube to find information about a brand, product, or service (vs. other platforms).
