In 2017, YouTube revamped its AdWords, allowing advertisers to reach more viewers on YouTube, especially on mobile devices, where more than 50% of all YouTube views occur.
YouTube also announced the ability for advertisers to target viewers based on their Google search history—in addition to the viewing behaviors it was already targeting. This means that you can now target viewers who recently searched for a specific product or service, and you can then create different ads for different types of viewers.
If a viewer sees a video-based ad that’s closely related to something they were just searching for, they’re more likely to watch the entire clip, or even click through to your website for more information.
Targeted ads allow you to maximize your marketing dollars and reach deep into your niche, connecting with your audience in a matter of minutes.
YouTube ads are a little different from other types of ads (like Facebook or Google) though. With some of the other platforms, you’re required to pay upfront for your ads. With YouTube, however, you only pay for a view if the user watches a pre-determined duration of or all of your your video ad, or takes an action (such as clicking through to your website). With Google or Facebook ads, you’d pay no matter how much of your ad was seen. With YouTube, you pay only when your ad has met a minimum viewing or action threshold.
