What is YouTube Advertising? Understanding YouTube’s Six Ad Formats
YouTube is not just a video-sharing platform, it’s an enormous search engine, second only to Google. With billions of active users, YouTube has become a go-to destination for entertainment, education, and advertisement. YouTube advertising has become a popular marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes. It provides an opportunity to showcase their products or services to a vast audience. As a marketer, understanding YouTube advertising formats is crucial to create better and more effective advertisements. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the six advertising formats of YouTube.
Display Ads
These are banner ads that appear on the right-hand side of the video player. They’re visible on desktops, and they don’t appear on mobile devices. Their purpose is to generate awareness and drive traffic to the product’s website. Display ads do not appear on embedded players, which could be a disadvantage.
Skippable Video Ads
They’re the most commonly used ads on YouTube, and they’re positioned to play before, during, or after the video content. Viewers have the option to skip the ad after five seconds. It’s best to capture the viewer’s attention within these crucial seconds. Skippable video ads are charged on a cost-per-view (CPV) basis, which means advertisers only pay when the viewer watches the ad for 30 seconds or until the end of the video.
Overlay Ad
These are semi-transparent ads that appear on the bottom part of the video. They don’t stop the video from playing, and the viewer can close them by clicking the X button. Overlay ads are charged on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis.
Non-Skippable Video Ads
These are ads that cannot be skipped, and they play before, during, or after the video content. They can be a maximum duration of 15-20 seconds. Non-skippable ads receive more impressions than skippable ads, but viewers tend to get frustrated and leave the video. They are charged on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) or CPV basis.
Sponsored Cards
These are ads that appear in the form of a small teaser for a product or a link to a product’s website. They appear on the top right corner of the video player, and they are a great way to drive traffic to the product’s website. Sponsored cards are charged on a CPC basis.
Bumper Ads
These are six-second short ads that play before the viewers’ desired content begins. They’re great for capturing viewers’ attention quickly, and they’re charged on a CPM basis. Bumper ads are ideal for creating top-of-mind awareness for products, and they work well in a series of ads.
Conclusion
YouTube advertising is an effective way of reaching a vast audience, generating brand awareness, and driving traffic to the product’s website. The six ad formats offer advertisers options to choose from that align with their goals and budget. As a marketer, the key is to create engaging ads that capture the viewers’ attention within the first five seconds, regardless of the ad format. Understanding YouTube advertising formats allows marketers to create better ads that will lead to better results.goals and budget.