YouTube is the second most popular website in the world, behind only Google. According to user data, it attracts almost 2 billion active users each month and those visitors consume billions of hours of content on the video sharing platform.
These impressive numbers showcase what a massive advertising opportunity YouTube presents to marketers. Yet, the majority of businesses fail to seize this opportunity and produce ad messages on YouTube.
Before you begin publishing ad content on YouTube, you need to understand some of the basics.
For example I am scrolling the YouTube and I see the smartwatch ad. Generously I am looking for buy best smartwatches. This is the power of YouTube paid ads.
The Four Types Of YouTube Video Ads
YouTube is a platform designed for watching and sharing videos. And that is exactly what its users like to do. Thus, it stands to reason that the most effective ad formats on YouTube are video ads.
YouTube advertising offers four formats of video ads that marketers can use.
TrueView Ads
These ads display right in the YouTube player. When someone clicks to watch a new video, a TrueView Ad will typically appear in the beginning. These can be skipped after 5 seconds. For videos longer than 10 minutes, TrueView Ads may also appear in the midst of the content.
While 5 seconds doesn’t seem like a long time, it’s enough to include a quick call-to-action. Plus, TrueView Ads guarantee that the user sees at least some of your video ad message.
If your video manages to engage audiences enough that they continue watching and don’t press the Skip Now button, the value can be tremendous. However, you will be charged if someone watches for more than 30 seconds, even if they never click.
TrueView Discovery Ads
This is an alternate type of TrueView ads. Rather than appearing at the beginning or middle of a video, these ads appear as a sponsored result in searches on YouTube or as related content to the video that the user is watching.
YouTube users rarely engage with Trueview Discovery Ads. This seems like reason enough to ignore this ad type. However, they still see the ad, which is a form of engagement on its own. Generating impressions with TrueView Discovery Ads will help stimulate brand awareness and may inspire conversions later on.
Due to the huge user base of Google, this can be a great option if you want to reach a wide audience very quickly and with almost no effort.
Non-Skippable YouTube Ads
As the name suggests, non-skippable YouTube Ads function similarly to TrueView Ads except for one key difference: users don’t have the option to skip. That said, non-skippable YouTube Ads can run for a maximum of 20 seconds. So, don’t expect that you’ll get a long message across.
These ads can run before or in the middle of a longer video. Because they can’t be skipped, users will find them more disruptive than TrueView Ads. Marketers should use these ads carefully and use very specific targeting.
If you can put your video message in front of very relevant audiences, then it will be better received and you’ll minimize the disruption felt by potential customers.
Bumper Ads
Perhaps the most tolerable of YouTube Ad formats, bumper ads are 6-second ads that appear at the end of some videos, before the next video in the playlist loads. Their length and position in the video is great for mobile users who tend to binge-watch YouTube content and won’t engage with an ad for longer than a few seconds.
One effective tool for bumper ads is to use them as a shorter version of a longer ad that you are currently running. If you engage with a 6 second ad and then show them a TrueView Ad on the same topic, they are more inclined to let the ad run, instead of immediately skipping.
Non-Video Ad Formats On YouTube
If you don’t have any video content ready to prepare a video ad, there are non-video formats available on YouTube.
Overlay Ads
YouTube overlay ads are essentially the same as traditional banner ads that you may run in the Google Display Network. They appear at the bottom of a video and can incorporate text or visuals.
Display Ads
Similar to TrueView Discovery Ads appearing as normal videos with the yellow “Ad” tag, Display Ads appear above the list of suggested videos on a user’s homepage and carry this same label. The main advantage is that display ads have much larger dimensions for more visibility on the page.
Cards And Sponsored Cards
These ads appear as small pop-ups set within the actual video player. These windows present a short CTA that aims to engage users enough to click and expand to view fully. The nice feature of YouTube Ad cards is their ability to blend into the video content and not disrupt the user’s viewing experience.
YouTube Ad Specifications
Before getting started with your own YouTube Ads, you need to ensure that you create ad content that fits the specifications of the platform. There are also a number of policies that YouTube has about the types of content you can include in your ad materials.
Specs for TrueView, Non-SkippableAnd Bumper Ads
Video Codec Formats: H.264, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
Audio Codec Formats: AAC, MP3
Resolution: 640×360 pixels to 480×360 pixels, or 19:9 aspect ratio or 4:3.
Frame Rate: 30 frames per seconds
File Size: No larger than 1GB
Specs For Overlay Ads
Dimensions: 480×70 pixels
Ad Image Type: PNG, JPG, GIF*
Ad Image Size: 150KB or less
*If using an animated GIF format, the loop should be under 10 seconds.
Specs For Display Ads
Dimensions: 300×250 pixels
Ad Image Type: PNG, JPG, GIF*
Ad Image Size: 150KB or less
* For display ads, your animated GIF should have a loop under 30 seconds.
Specs For Sponsored Cards
Dimensions: 1:1 aspect ratio
Ad Image Type: PNG, JPG, GIF
Ad Image Size: No larger than 2MB
Conclusions
YouTube is a content channel that is absolutely buzzing right now. The popularity and use of this platform make it a prime target for paid ads. If you can hook viewers with engaging content, video or otherwise, that is relevant to what they are watching or interested in, then you can drive substantial traffic to your website or your own YouTube account.
