In the past year, UK users have been spending more time on YouTube.

In late 2020, YouTube was the leading website in the UK. The average time spent on YouTube jumped to just under 30 minutes per visit, up 3% from the previous year.

Millions of people engage with the platform daily, and the UK has a higher view count per person than any other region in the world.

The platform has also expanded in terms of generational reach. This translates to a lot of potential for ethical marketers.

According to TechJury, YouTube is particularly popular with users under 35. For instance, 75% of millennials prefer it to television. More recently, those in the 35 and 55 plus age groups are the fastest-growing user demographic. Meanwhile, Gen Z users watch more than 1.5 billion YouTube videos daily.

Why YouTube Ad Spend Pays

One of the more obvious perks of advertising on YouTube is access to a captive audience. Not surprisingly, 72% of marketers cite YouTube as their top platform. Video ads combine auditory and visual cues in a more engaging and informative way that makes videos unrivalled when grabbing attention and holding it.

Not to mention that YouTube advertising is cost-effective. You only pay when people click on or watch 30 seconds of your ad.

Tips for More Efficient YouTube Targeting

YouTube is owned by Google and shares many key features with Google Ads. The big difference? YouTube ads are videos.

Here are some easy, actionable tips to help you optimise your targeting when you advertise on YouTube.

Create personas

Marketing personas define different sectors of your audience—and are an essential digital marketing tool. Segmenting the specific groups you want to reach allows you to take full advantage of YouTube’s targeting tools.

Creating personas will also help ensure that everybody on your team is on the same page. Get together and brainstorm the essential characteristics of each persona and the type of video content that each group is most likely to respond to.

Choose the right ad format

Different ad formats tend to yield very different results. Segment different types of ads into separate campaigns so it will be easier to budget for each campaign and track performance.TrueView Ads: TrueView ads are a great way to gain exposure or boost your brand awareness. You can choose either Discovery or In-Stream ad formats. Relevant searches trigger discovery Ads. In-Stream Ads play either before, during, or after a video. Users can skip them after a certain number of seconds. Bumper Ads: These 6-second non-skippable spots are ideal for reinforcing a message or raising awareness for a more extensive campaign. Non-Skippable Ads: These can be up to 20 seconds long and provide the best opportunity to tell a captivating story.

Take advantage of advanced keyword features

Once you have selected the type of videos to use for your target audience, you can take advantage of YouTube’s inbuilt targeting tools to further refine your campaign. Keep in mind that some tools, like keyword targeting, can be an effective way to target discovery ads or longer video content but may be too broad for some formats like TrueView ads. Start with broader audience-based demographic targeting and then narrow it down to more detailed demographic variables like “new homeowners” or “small business owners”.YouTube advertisers can tailor their ad campaigns according to the following automatic targeting mechanisms:

• Demographic categories

• Topic

• Device

• Keywords

• Channel/website/video or app placements

The most successful campaigns combine YouTube’s inbuilt targeting capacities with custom targeting options:

• Custom Audiences You can target your audience according to custom keywords, URLs, channels and apps that your market personas seek out.

• Similar AudiencesExtend your reach by accessing similar audiences generated through reliable sources like remarketing or customer lists.

• Remarketing AudiencesUse remarketing to remind people who have already engaged with or been exposed to your ads.

Leveraging Your YouTube Ad Campaign for Long-Term Success

Leveraging Your YouTube Ad Campaign for Long-Term Success

Don’t expect to nail each campaign on the first shot. RealTime insights give you the tools to adjust your campaign according to how people respond to your ad.

Here at Climbing Trees, we understand that great paid advertising campaigns aren’t built overnight.

We are an ethical digital marketing agency that believes in transparency and accountability.

When something isn’t working, we let you know. That means that we can use this information to build a more robust, more effective, and more sustainable long-term campaign.

The success of our ad optimisation work for groups like Orangutan SOS, Slim’s Detailing, and Volvo Construction speaks for itself. We practice a better way of doing business, and we are in the process of obtaining our B Corp Accreditation status to prove it.