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2015 was the year that YouTube ads turned a decade-old.

It was also the coronation year for video marketing, with video taking up 57% of consumer internet traffic, the equivalent of almost 4x as much as web browsing and email.

Video is transforming the way brands interact with consumers. If you are an online marketer and you haven’t gotten your feet wet with video, it’s time to jump on the wagon.

Video Killed the Radio/Traditional Media Star

Numerous studies have found that ad agencies, both big and small, are experiencing a paradigm shift for ad budgets going from traditional channels like TV, radio, and print to online video ads. Spending on US digital video ads grew by 42% to $7.46 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach over $13B by 2019.

The shift to video marketing has arrived and for this reason, we’ve created this simple how-to, so you can build the ultimate YouTube video campaign.

Here’s How It’s Done

1) Link Your AdWords and YouTube Channel

Gain deeper insight into the ads’ performance.

2) Select Your Bid Type

Select your Maximum Cost Per View: The most you will pay each time viewers interact with your video.

3) Choose Your Target Audience

Filter categories or pick overlapping ones to drill down further into customer personas.

• Demographics: Gender, age groups, or marital status.
• Topics: (From main to sub-sub topics) Arts and Entertainment, Computer and Electronics, Finance, or World Localities.
• Interest or affinity categories: Do-it-yourselfers, fashionistas, news junkies, savvy parents, foodies, and shutterbugs.
• Placements: Add specific URL’s to target individual YouTube videos or channels.
• Keywords: Exact words or phrases (long-tail keywords).

4) Create Your Ad

Pick a video from your channel, choose targeting group, and select an ad format.

• In-Stream: Pre-roll ads that appear before the content a user wishes to view. The ad may be skipped after 5 seconds.
• In-Display: These are thumbnails seen in the right-hand column on video pages and at the top of the results of a YouTube search.

5) Define Ad Attributes

• Display: Ad text (for in-display ads), destination URL, image thumbnail, and ad name.
• Destination: Do you want to direct the person that clicks on your In-Display ad to a particular video or directly to your channel?
• Companion Banner: A 300 x 60 image that appears next to In-Stream videos. It provides additional branding space at no extra cost.

How Does Video Fit in the SMB Online Marketing Picture?

Youtube is no longer a field where only the big boys with bottomless marketing budgets can play. Small and medium businesses are quickly placing themselves in the game.

In December 2015, Youtube said that for the first time ever, small and medium-sized businesses make up the majority of the advertisers on YouTube.

SMB success stories include companies like Cosatto, Rokenbok, and Ole Smoky Moonshine, all of whom used Youtube ad campaigns to connect with users. In an effort to show SMB’s that video marketing applies to them, the platform released an ad spot portraying Homer Simpson as the average Joe SMB owner engaging with his audience through YouTube.

In the ad, Homer’s new snow plowing business, “Mr. Plow,” is saved when daughter Lisa puts up an ad campaign on YouTube. With his locally targeted video ad showing on screens all over town, Homer’s landline phone starts ringing off the hook.

The Pro’s

Cost per Views Are Cheap

For now! Get ’em while demand is still warming up.

User Friendly

Setup is intuitive and management has been simplified with the integration of AdWords interface.

YouTube Analytics

Gain deeper insights.

The Potential Con’s

Start Small, Then Carefully Expand

Videos have a tendency to eat up a sizeable budget faster than you can say ka-ching. This is especially true when targeting is too broad and un-layered.

Video is a Brand Awareness Tool

Despite all the fanfare, we do not encourage you to re-allocate your entire Search budget to video.

It is Not Set and Forget

It needs regular fine-tuning and optimization to make those advertising dollars work for you.

Let’s hear it from the Experts

From the creators of the most popular YouTube ads, we give you three winning trends to inspire you in your shot at virality:

1) Be Authentic

You know it when you see it, it’s not a metric. Before, brands controlled the conversation. Now, it’s a two-way conversation. Building relationships with consumers is where it’s at.

2) Think Like a Filmmaker, Not an Ad Maker

Ads these days can be epic too. Consider creating videos with a filmy feel and a dramatic, storytelling quality.

3) Make Video Ads Interactive

Use the social nature of YouTube to your advantage. Give users the chance to click, comment, and share your videos.

To Wrap It All Up

According to Wake Brand Media, after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy online – that’s incredibly valuable.

While the marketing industry is often unpredictable, staying updated on modern trends is necessary. Those who see the potential of YouTube are on the right track.