What is it that makes your business great?
Perhaps it’s a heartwarming story, an innovative product or service, or a fresh approach to sustainability. Whatever it is, that’s what your marketing needs to get across.
Consumers are more likely to do business with a brand they can relate to. According to Harvard Business Review, emotionally engaged customers are less price-sensitive, three times more likely to re-purchase, and at least three times more likely to recommend your product or service.
As we work with clients to achieve growth at a cost that makes good business sense, we’re finding YouTube highly effective in communicating what makes a business special.
The great advantage of YouTube is the ability it gives you to connect with potential customers. Video ads give consumers a chance to see a brand in action. They get to connect with the faces that represent the brand, better understand their attitude as a company, and see how a product or service works.
Unlike the more expensive medium of television, people can leave comments on a video, allowing you to understand them and their preferences even better so you can create a more targeted campaign.
After overtaking TVNZ last year as New Zealand’s most viewed media, YouTube is now used by half the population for either video or music streaming. In comparison to other social media channels, YouTube users also spend more time on the platform.
NZ on Air’s Where Are The Audiences? survey found viewers across all age groups spend an average of just over an hour a day watching online video of all types (including YouTube, Facebook, NZ Herald and others). However, YouTube is the most popular of these and continues to increase its daily audience.
Success stories like US mattress company Tuft and Needle demonstrate the value of using your own people to tell your story, which builds authenticity and allows viewers to relate to your brand. And keeping your video ads 30 seconds to two minutes long gives enough time to tell your business story while keeping more potential customers watching until the end.
Even a 15-second spot can give you enough time to tell your story, as shown by this ad from one of our clients, Junk2Go. A dynamic presenter, direct message and clear call to action make for an engaging and effective ad.
The advantage of short, non-skippable ads is that they capture the viewer’s attention without interrupting their overall viewing experience. Some businesses use ads as short as six seconds to complement their longer “hero” ads.
This ad from Flooring Xtra and Wools of New Zealand tells a story of Kiwi-owned sustainability in just 15 seconds with some beautiful imagery. It’s complemented by this longer ad profiling a Wools of New Zealand grower.
Whatever strategy you adopt, effective YouTube advertising should:
- Follow YouTube’s recommended specifications
- Connect with your audience
- Give viewers clear instructions on what to do if they like your offer
YouTube advertising follows the pay-per-click model which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad – or if they continue watching after the first 5 seconds (when the “Skip Ad” button appears). This, combined with the analytics that allow you to measure results in detail (you can even see when someone stopped watching your video, or watched it more often), makes advertising on YouTube a cost-effective addition to your marketing strategy.
YouTube also allows you to get extremely detailed when it comes to targeting the audience you want to reach. These include:
- Topic – the subject of the YouTube video content
- Demographics – location, age, gender, parental status
- Similar Audiences: target users similar to those who typically show interest in your ads
- In-market audience: those currently searching for products or services that you offer
- Life events: target users based on milestones they’ve recently experienced, such as moving house, getting married, or having a child
- Placements – specific YouTube pages relevant to ad
- Category – user interest
You can also exclude categories, keywords, and content to avoid association with videos that don’t align with your brand.
It can take some trial and error to decide how to target your audience, and we can help you with that.
If you’d like to explore YouTube advertising as an addition to your marketing plan, we can support you with everything from strategy to execution. Get in touch today and let’s get your business story out there.
