When it comes to digital marketing, there is one name that anyone and everyone is talking about: YouTube. And we’re not talking about YouTube being the world’s 2nd largest search engine or even the incredible amount of content that is uploaded and watched every day (or hour).
Nope—we are talking about advertising. Your ability to create the ultimate video ad—the one that will launch your brand into the financial stratosphere and cause your business to grow like wildfire.
But, as is the case with all things marketing, accomplishing this feat is easier said than done.
So rather than just give you our take on what makes a YouTube ad successful, we wanted to give you a broader perspective when it comes to what makes successful ads tick.
To do this, we reached out to brands, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and marketing pros far and wide to learn their top tips for YouTube ad success.
Without further ado, let’s check out these top tips from seven pros who walk the walk that you can use when creating your next (or first) YouTube ad campaign.
1. Hook ‘Em in the First 3 Seconds
“In the age of instant gratification and multitasking, it’s important to grab your audience’s attention within the first three seconds of a video ad, or they’ll skip before they even know what you’re advertising. Your hook should be one of three things: Funny, smart, or bizarre… Keep it short, between ten and twenty seconds, just enough to have a good hook and to tell your audience what you’re selling.”
Submitted by: Vinay Amin of Eu Natural
2. Know That It’s Ok to Be Emotional
“Include emotional triggers…be creative with the message that you want to send and search for emotional triggers. One great example is the Edeka 2015 Christmas commercial with a grandpa who couldn’t gather his family for holidays so he pretended that he passed away. The commercial had a happy ending and it quickly became a major hit on the Internet.”
Submitted by: Harsha Reddy of SmallBizGenius
3. Show a Little Drama
“We always make sure to include a dramatic sequence of events to kick off the ad in order to draw people in… In our case, we try to include a quick montage of a person jumping on a bed, switching sleeping positions, etc. with bright color text on screen flashing key highlights regarding the mattress (i.e. Organic Cotton Cover, Deep Memory Foam Feel, etc). This usually gets the viewer engaged with our ad, which is our primary goal at the end of the day.”
Submitted by: Matthew Ross of Slumber Yard
4. Deliver Value & Inject Personality
“Deliver Value – The only reason an audience will actively watch your content is if it brings them value. Make your videos informative, entertaining or inspiring to deliver that value.
Inject Personality – Your brand has a voice or general vibe. Inject that personality into your video content so the audience can really get to know you. This is how you turn customers into fans.”
Submitted by: Chris Stasiuk of Signature Video Group
5. Consider the Case for Longer Ads
“Sometimes length can be your friend, but only if you fall into one of three categories.
- You’re a well-established brand…
- You’re telling an engaging story with a killer hook…
- You’re banking on the conscience of your audience…
If you don’t fall into one of these categories, stick to shorter ads that are focused on getting people to check you out on their own.”
Submitted by: Mike Falahee of Marygrove
6. Focus on “Mid-Rolls”
“The best tip I can give you about YouTube advertising is to put the ad in the middle of the video. This is called “mid-roll” advertising.
Putting the ad in the middle has an advantage: People want to know how the video ends, so they will keep watching the video through the ad to see how the plot of the video turned out. The suspense will keep viewers glued even while watching the ad.”
Submitted by: Janice Wald of Mostly Blogging
7. Remember: All Eyes Are on Mobile
“Optimize for mobile. More than 60% of videos are watched through mobile devices. Furthermore, video audiences who watch videos on
mobile phones are much more prone to respond towards YouTube ads than the viewers who use desktop computers.“
Submitted by: Andrei Vasilescu of Don’tPayFull
What do you think?
Which tip (or tips) are you going to implement first? Do you have another YouTube ad pro tip to share? Send us an email at marketing@nationalpositions.com or DM us on Twitter and we might just feature you in future updates!
For more information on getting started with YouTube advertising, contact our team today by clicking here or call us directly at (818) 740-4774.