October 15, 2015

Thinking of becoming a YouTube advertiser? This insights roundup will help get you off the fence.

If there’s one thing that online audiences love, it’s engaging, inspiring, and thoughtful content — which is why YouTube has grown to become the third-most popular websiteon the Internet.

Potential YouTube advertisers will be happy to hear that the platform’s engagement stats are through the roof, too.

According to Google, 3 out of 4 YouTube users agree: “If there’s a brand I love, I tell everyone about it.” Collectively, people watch hundreds of millions of hours of content on YouTube and generate billions of views each day.

YouTube is the antithesis to banner blindness

In 1997, usability researcher Jakob Nielsen uncovered the marketing community’s biggest nightmare: people ignore online ads. While display networks can be highly effective growth channels, the harsh reality is that your ads are more likely to be ignored than remembered.

With YouTube marketing, however, the trend is the opposite. In an analysis of 62 tested YouTube campaigns, 87% had significant ad recall lift following TrueView campaign exposure, compared to a control ad. In other words, people find video ads memorable.

The global market opportunity is massive

According to Google, YouTube is localized in 75 countries and available in 61 languages. The potential to connect with a global audience depends on more than volume, though.

What makes YouTube powerful is its presence in evolving markets; for instance, in the APAC region where digital continues to grow. Reel SEO points out that 80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside of the U.S., with 60 million users in China and 6 million users in Japan (that’s 50% of all Japanese Internet users).

As one forecast points out, online videos in APAC are expected to increase by more than 254% by 2020. The growth will be distributed across channels—including YouTube. If you’re looking to be a first-mover in Asia, now is the time to start testing campaigns on YouTube.

Young, empowered consumers love the platform

Google recently coined the term “Gen C” to describe the cohort of consumers who thrive on connection,

community, creation, and curation.

According to Google, Gen C is twice as likely to agree with the statement, “I would rather watch videos posted by brands on YouTube than watch TV commercials.”

As Google further points out, Gen C likes YouTube ads because they can choose whether to watch them. The “skip” function puts control in their hands.

With TV, it’s easy to walk away from a commercial to grab a drink, make a phone call (yes, seriously) or take a bathroom break. Advertisers will never know who’s watching and who isn’t. With YouTube, advertisers can track who’s paying attention—and rest assured, the people who stick around to watch a video are a campaign’s most engaged audiences.

YouTube is a relationship hub

In a recent webinar, Dun and Bradstreet’s CMO Rishi Dave explained the importance of creating “a singular, integrated view of your data and insights required to manage your web of relationships.”

With traditional video advertising mediums like TV, this ambitious goal is almost impossible to achieve.  Through digital experiences, however, brands can monitor audience behavior through multiple touchpoints  and synthesize this data to create a unified customer view.

YouTube, as a result, is more than a channel for broadcasts and advertisements. It’s a hub that helps marketers build relationships with customers, prospects and brand stakeholders.

The price points make sense

In a media world where Super Bowl ads cost millions of dollars per 30 seconds, only big brands can survive. What YouTube brings to the table is an opportunity for companies of any size to enter to enter a level—yet ever expanding—playing field.

From a cost-to-ROI perspective, YouTube makes sense as an advertising channel. On average, shifting 18% of TV budgets to YouTube could achieve 4.6 additional percent points in reach at no extra cost. Google forecasts that 63% of campaigns would benefit from a shift to YouTube from TV.With YouTube, advertisers can achieve the interactive value of TV while maintaining tighter control over their budgets.

Final Thoughts

There’s no need to jump into YouTube with everything you have. Start with a few small campaigns to test the waters, learn as much as you can, and figure out what success means for you. The best way to start is simply that—to start.

Originally published March 31, 2015
By Ritika Puri
http://www.adknowledge.com/blog/5-reasons-to-become-a-youtube-advertiser/