YouTube is a giant.
Almost three quarters of American adults use it each day, as do over 94% of 18 – 24 year-olds. It’s the first port of call to search for any video, from personal vlogs and music videos to movie trailers.
But that’s not all it’s good for: just like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, YouTube serves as a valuable marketing channel for businesses in all sectors.
TrueView is an essential component of advertising on YouTube — but what is it and why is it worth your time (and money)?
The many faces of TrueView
We’ve all used YouTube. And that means we’ve all encountered ads that run before and during videos. Like them or not, they’re a vital part of the platform and help to support content-creators.
There are multiple types of TrueView ads:
In-stream: These roll before, during or after a video. Viewers can interact with them, most commonly by clicking the ‘skip ad’ button. You’ll only be charged for these if the viewer watches 30 seconds or more, or the entire ad if it’s shorter than this.
Discovery ads (formerly ‘in-display’): These appear alongside other videos on various areas of the page, such as in the related videos, video suggestions or search results sections. Again, you’ll only pay when the viewer clicks on it.
Bumper ads: These are short, unskippable video ads that play before, after or during video content. These either run on YouTube or partner sites / apps within the Display Network. You only have to pay whenever your ad has been presented to viewers 1,000 times.
Outstream ads: These are for mobiles only, playing on apps / partner sites across smartphones and tablets. They start rolling with no sound but unmute when viewers tap the ad. You only pay if over half of the ad’s screen space is shown to the user for two seconds or more, per 1,000 impressions.
The benefits of TrueView
TrueView is an effective tool in your PPC campaign for various reasons:
Flexibility: You have multiple video ad formats to choose from and take advantage of. There are varying video lengths and placement options, not to mention the content itself. You can get really creative and aim for maximum impact in an ad lasting no more than six seconds.
Cost-effectiveness: As you can see, Google has done a great job keeping its fees fair, whether this means paying per 1,000 impressions or if only a certain amount of the ad is on-screen for an allotted time.
Brand building: Video ads take your marketing to another level. Research shows four times as many consumers prefer to watch a video promoting a product than to read about it. Videos can engage customers faster than text ads alone, and make a great addition to traditional PPC.
Want to learn more about maximizing your marketing reach? Our Orange County digital marketing team is here to help!
