AdWords Video Campaign: Key Principles for Smart Marketers

AdWords video campaign has been a marketing service for online marketers for a while now. The potential audience for a Google AdWords ad is hard to resist.

However, with more and more people opting for this method, there has been an increase in the cost of running such a campaign.

Competition for keywords is stiffer and increases by the day, making the campaign quite expensive as compared to how it was before.

The good news is that there is another less populated way. This option is more affordable based on the fact that not that many people know of it yet, thus less competition. I am talking about the AdWords Video Campaign.

What is an AdWords Video Campaign?

It is a service offered by Google that allows you to show video ads. You can showcase the ads either on their own or on other streaming video contents such as on YouTube.

Your ads may appear on the YouTube search results or on the video itself on YouTube and other Google Display Networks where the ad usually appears before the video starts, in between or after the video.

If you have seen those adverts that come when you’re streaming a video on YouTube, now you know what they are.

Read on to find out more about them and how you can use them for your marketing purposes. There are targeting options that come with this type of online marketing.

The options are quite basic and are in terms of age, interests and gender but they do narrow the field to a more suited audience. You do therefore have control over who views your advert.

Types of Video Ads

These Video campaigns are referred to as Google TrueView. The name comes from the promise that the advertiser is only charged when a user actually views the video.

Google TrueView offers three formats for the videos including: In-stream, in-search and in-display.

The formats work differently from one another, the difference being in how people come into contact with the ad as well as requirements to have access to it.

a. In-stream Ads

These ads play at the start, during the video or at the end of the video. The videos where the ad may appear are those of YouTube partners.

These are those YouTube users who allow ads to be displayed in their videos and earn from this.

When the ad appears, the viewer is given an option to skip the ad after 5 seconds. You are charged once a viewer watches for 30 seconds or more.

If the ad is less than 30 seconds, you are charged when a viewer watches the whole video. A screenshot of an ad running is shown below.

b. In-search Ads

This type of ad requires a viewer to perform a search in the search engine using specific keywords.

Your ad is displayed in the search results once the specific keywords are keyed in. The viewer is then required to select the video for it to play. You are charged each time the viewers play the video.

c. In-Display Ads

Once the viewer searches for YouTube videos and are brought to the watch page, your ad would appear next to the other videos.

This is the in-display video and it is usually labeled ‘Ad’. Just as for the in-search ads, you are charged when one clicks on the video to play it.

You may have your advertisement appearing in any or all of the formats mentioned. You can then test them out to find which works best for you.

Is AdWords Video Right for Your Business?

AdWords video campaign may not work for every business. To find out whether it is beneficial or not, you may consider the following;

Is your target audience watching the video?

This type of ad relies on your audience watching videos frequently, so that they are more likely to land on your ad.

Demographics, therefore, matter a lot when finding out if the Video campaign is a worthy marketing strategy for your business.

Your type of audience will determine whether you should try out the video campaign or not.

Can You Afford Quality Videos For Your Adwords Video Campaign?

To be able to compete with rival companies and catch the eye of the viewer, you require to having a professionally done video.

They must be interesting, creative and appealing to capture the attention of the audience. Such might be an expensive task, and you may need to consider a more affordable form of marketing.

Number of Videos

Does the number of views coincide with clients coming in to acquire the product or service?

You may have to pay for views that do not result in actual customers, maybe for targeting the wrong audience or for other reasons. Such requires you to weigh your options, and decide if it is worth the budget.

Tips for AdWords Video Campaign

For a successful video campaign, you are required to provide real value for the viewer. You want them to feel engaged and have the need to subscribe.

Consider having how-to videos where the viewer learns something new to pique their interest.

There are other strategies that you may put in place to achieve higher success rates for such campaigns. For instance, you may:

1. Segment Your YouTube Video Ads

Have your ads in In-view format in a different segment from those in In-search formats.

This allows for a better plan as you can anticipate the needs and reactions of the different viewers depending on the segment.

You can then proceed to test different targeting for the segments and get the best of each format.

2. Keep your Target Group-Small

The AdWords video campaign allows you to choose your target group by adding audiences, keywords, interests and other such filters.

Choosing your target groups lets Google give you an estimated views-per-day. This comes in handy when planning your budget.

If you are working with a small budget, have a small target audience. This will ensure that you manage your allocated budget well.

3.Create Remarketing Lists

You can create YouTube remarketing lists from your viewers after linking an AdWords account with a YouTube channel. You may use a website remarketing list or remarket directly to your YouTube viewers.

It is possible to capture viewers on a channel and even more specifically those that comment on the video for remarketing purposes.

This leads to a more targeted audience for your ads. It is especially better when your channel is popular.

4. Small Budgets

Set low budgets especially if you are just beginning. YouTube may use up your set maximum daily budget.

Thus a small manageable budget should be adopted. This may also act as a way to avoid risks involved as you learn what works for you and what does not.

5. View Data Regularly

View data on whom the viewers are, where they are coming from and if they are watching frequently. This allows you to make well-informed decisions on target options and keywords as well for a better experience.

Google AdWords video campaign is a fun and convenient way to advertise your service or product to viewers. It may just be what you need for your business to grow. Give it a try today.