How to Setup YouTube Ads for Beginners?

Since video content has become one of the most powerful means, have you ever thought of setting up YouTube ads instead of Google Ads?

Indeed, you should do it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE because this is the most efficient and economical means of approaching more of your target audience.

If you are ready to discover, let’s jump right in.

What Do You Know About YouTube Advertising?

YouTube advertising is short videos that appear to the viewers at points during their YouTube experience. Depending on the ad type chosen during the setup process, these ads might change in length from five seconds to more than two minutes and appear at the end, during, or at the beginning of the video.

Done through Google Ads, YouTube ads are an ideal way of advertising your video content on YouTube or in search results in order to boost your user reach.

How Many Types of Advertisements on YouTube?

For beginners, understanding each YouTube ad type is necessary to tailor your ad for the format you are going to use. Read all the four main types of ads below, and then pick the best match with your promotion goals.

#1 – TrueView ads

This is the most common ad format on YouTube because it is a win-win.

• TrueView ads are great for viewers because they can watch ads organized on their likes and dislikes. Also, the user’s mouse is always floating over the skip button. So, if you don’t want to watch more, click it at the sixth second.
• TrueView ads are great for advertisers because they can target a large audience. Ever so wonderfully, they only pay when the ads play for more than 30 seconds or when people interact with it by clicking a call-to-action on the screen.

Here are three main types of TrueView ads that you should use to optimize your YouTube channel.

In-stream ads

TrueView in-stream video ads are placed in the starting of your chosen YouTube videos, and they are skippable after a few seconds.

As an advertiser, you can overlay call-to-action text on this ad or select a companion banner next to the ad. And you only pay when the whole duration of the ad is watched or when a click in the ad is received.

Video discovery ads (In-display ads)

These ads appear on the YouTube homepage or search results or in the right hand sidebar next to related videos. They are a small and yellow square that is named as an ad.

Since this type requires viewers to click on it, you only pay when the ad is clicked on regardless of the length of the ad watched by the user. And if someone clicks on your ad, that means they are interested in what you give.

For reach

If you are going to approach a large number of visitors fast, using this type is ideal since it allows you to improve TrueView ads that rely on campaign goals.

Instead of paying when someone views your ads to completion or clicks through, you only pay per 1,000 views. With this type, your ad should be between 6 and 30 seconds. 

#2 – Non-skippable video ads

According to a report, 76% of YouTube viewers automatically skip ads. That’s why advertisers tend to run non-skippable ads without a skip button.

However, if your ad is too generic and boring, the viewer will click off instead of waiting for 30 seconds. Keep in mind that your goal is to build an impactful connection with them, so your ad should be hyper-focused and decisively portrait your product’s value to your target market.

Below are the two main types of non-skippable ads.

Pre-roll ads

As the name suggests, pre-roll ads are displayed before the video to seize the focus of the audience at a time when they are ready to watch something.

Since they are non-skippable ads, they are best created with a call-to-action to optimize their attention. In other words, your ad must stimulate the visitors to click an ad link to get a kind of benefit as a response. So, if you are going to promote an event or release a new product, you should use this type to get more sign-ups.

YouTube provides pre-roll ads on a pay-per-click basis, meaning you only pay YouTube for each click received.

Mid-roll ads

These ads show midway through YouTube videos that are 10 + minutes or longer.

When the viewers watch the mid-roll ad, they tend to continue watching to finish the remaining part of the video. That’s why this type often has a higher completion rate than the others. However, in some cases, it might disrupt the audio-visual flow or cut abruptly into the video that annoys the viewers.

Like the pre-roll ads, the mid-roll ones are paid for on a pay-per-click. Relying on that, you have more control over your ad spend.

#3 – Bumper ads

Bumper ads are also a version of non-skippable ads yet less annoying because they run only 6 seconds before, during, or after a YouTube video.

The shortness of these ads indeed makes them a good choice for quick promotions as part of a larger video campaign. For instance, some advertisers use this type to increase their brand awareness and then lead first-time viewers to their longer promotions.

#4 Non-video ads

For those who want to create their own ads yet do not prefer creating a video or an interactive video, non-video ads are the best solution. This format of the advertisement includes three main kinds that you can follow.

Overlay ads

Overlay ads appear at the lowermost part of the YouTube video screen while it is played. They can be an image- or text-based and cover only 20% of the video window. So, the viewers can see the ad while still watching the video or they can close the ad any time by clicking the “X.”

Display ads

Display ads appear on top of the video suggestion list and the right hand side of the main video. The only drawback is that they are available on the desktop.

Sponsored cards

Sponsored cards are small call-to-action pop-ups that will be shown within the video. They are effective in their modest position while compelling actions from viewers. If you are going to merchandize, fundraise, fan-fund, or introduce new playlists, you should use these cards to impress more engagement on your videos.

How to Advertise on YouTube?

Step 1 – Create a video ad and upload it

The good news, you can make a video ad by getting started with Motionden, Animoto, Biteable, Wistia, or YouTube AdBuilder. Also, don’t forget to check out the YouTube ads leaderboard to find inspiration for making a powerful video ad.

Once you’ve created the video, let’s upload it to your YouTube account.

HOW?

• Click the small camcorder icon on the top-right of the YouTube homepage first.
• Then choose “Upload Video.”
• Next, select or drag the video file you want to upload.
• Make sure to fill out all the information, including the title, description, and tags.

Step 2 – Link your Google AdWords account to your YouTube channel

There are lots of benefits to this step.

• The first thing is that you can avail it to boost your YouTube ads because you would basically be linking two of the most powerful and well-known search engines.
• The next advantage is that Google Ads gives focused and nuanced targeting of your viewers.
• The last thing is that it comes with analytics in an easy-to-view and -understand layout so that you can easily identify the viewers’ behaviors.

Step 3 – Determine your objective

Why do you want to advertise on YouTube? What is your main objective?

There are four main goals that you can choose from, including:

• Leads – Create leads and conversions from your YouTube advertisements.
• Brand awareness and reach – Create a buzz around your brand, product, or service.
• Product and brand consideration – Create more brand awareness and give you offers in front of big audiences.
• Website traffic – Steer qualified traffic to your sites.

For further information, you can hover your mouse over it. And for more context, you can consult the chart below.

Step 4 – Set up a new campaign on YouTube

First of all, you need to sign in to your Google AdWords account.

Then click “All Campaigns” in the left-hand sidebar and the blue “+” icon to set up a new campaign.

Next, select a campaign type that Google offers, including Search, Display, Shopping, Video, and Universal App. If you choose Video, you have to opt for a single goal that matches the main objective you want your campaign to obtain for your business.

Tip: It’s okay to remove or add a goal at any time, or you can create a new campaign without an objective.

Last but not least, do not forget to give a name for your new campaign.

Step 5 – Configure the campaign

Since this step is vital, make sure you follow and carry out all properly.

Set a budget

Setting a budget means you set the average amount that you can spend on your ads every day. For beginners, starting small at first to check and refine your ad campaign is a MUST.

Additionally, you should select a delivery method either standard (spreads your budget throughout the day) or accelerated (shows your ads as quickly as possible). In this case, we suggest you should come with accelerated delivery to get data for optimizing your campaign quickly.

Set a location and language

You need to choose the country and language that your YouTube advertising must appear.

Set networks

Where do you want your ads to appear? Let’s check out three options available, including:

• YouTube search results – This allows your ads to appear in search results. But it prevents you from using video discovery ads.
• YouTube videos – This allows you to use in-stream and video discovery ads. And your ads will show on YouTube videos, YouTube homepage, and channel pages.
• Video partners on the display network – This allows your ads to appear across Google’s other advertising avenues.

Set a bidding strategy

Setting up bidding is extremely important in this step since doing it correctly will directly affect the success of your advertising campaign.

There are four options that you can consult.

• Maximum CPV (cost-per-view) – Depending on the number of views and interactions your video gets, costs are changeable.
• Maximum CPM (cost–per-mille) – Costs mainly rely on every thousand impressions your ad gets.
• Viewable CPM – If a viewer lands on the page and instantly leaves, you won’t be charged.
• Target CPA (cost–per-acquisition) – Costs rely on actions by viewers such as clicks on your video ads.

Depending on your chosen campaign goal above, you should select proper bidding. For instance, if you come with brand awareness and reach, the Target CPM will be the only option.

Set inventory type

Inventory type permits you to show your ads on the content that is relevant to your brand. Make sure you read all the options carefully, or your ads aren’t displayed on unsuitable content.

For instance, if you are running video ads for a family-friendly brand, you won’t want your ads shown alongside content that is sexual or violent. So, the best pick is to opt for the Limited Inventory.

Set excluded content

Excluded content allows you to have more control over where your ads appear. Here, you can select some types of content such as Tragedy and conflict, Sensitive social issues, and Profanity and Rough language.

Besides, YouTube suggests you exclude types and labels. For instance, if your ads are relevant to the family-friendly tone, you should choose DL-MA: Mature audiences to exclude your ad from all videos with that label.

Set devices

For beginners, we highly recommend selecting all devices so that your ads can appear.

Set frequency capping

Frequency capping is an action of setting a limit to the number of video ads a viewer watches in a day, week, or month. But it’s often ignored.

The fact, you need to add it when setting up your YouTube campaign since it ensures your video ads don’t repeatedly play to the point where it’s excessive or annoying. In many cases, when your ads play over and over, they might become a negative experience and make viewers frustrated with your ads and brand.

The best frequency is between 5 and 10 impressions per day. Although you can set a frequency cap at the weekly or monthly level, avoid doing it since the rate at which a viewer watches videos on YouTube might change over time periods.

Set ad schedule

Setting your ad schedule by the time of day, day of the week, or a combo of both depends on you.

If you don’t have any powerful data from your previous campaign or research, avoid changing the schedule during the setup process. But in case you do have data, it’s okay to set a schedule for when the ads should display.

Youtube Tips: When is the best time to upload to Youtube? – The Secret to viral videos!

Step 6 – Define your video targeting

Here you need to set demographics to establish who can see your YouTube ads. By narrowing your visitors by gender, age, parental status, etc., you can improve the visitors you want to approach.

If this is your first time setting up a campaign, choosing a large audience range at first is ideal because it helps you establish your audience in the long run. Also, you can revisit and readjust your selections later on.

Step 7 – Tap the “Narrow your targeting further” if available

Although this feature is unforced, it’s highly suggested to concentrate on your ads and approach the proper target population by simply choosing the Topics. Additionally, you should view a graphic on the right side to discover the number of impressions your ads might get.

And don’t forget to click on Placements to add particular places to narrow down your targeting.

Step 8 – Select your video ad formats

The final step on how to advertise on YouTube is to choose a suitable video advertising format that is relevant to the campaign selections you’ve selected in the previous steps.

There are available options, including:

• In-stream video ad
• Video discovery ad
• Bumper ad
• Outstream ad

After that, you need to fill out your URLs, CTA, and headline.

Click the “Save” button to finish. And while waiting for your ad approval from Google Ads, you can create other video campaigns.

Are You Ready to Get Your Video Ads on YouTube?

Since you all get a complete guide on how to set up YouTube ads above, we believe that you are able to complete your first ad campaign perfectly. Ever so wonderfully, targeting a large number of audiences is a piece of cake when YouTube and Google have teamed up.

In sum, we hope this article was helpful and interesting to motivate you to get started. Don’t mind asking us any query you still wonder by leaving your comments below.

Once again, thanks for being here.