YouTube is huge. Five billion videos are watched every day and 1.9 billion users log in every month. People all over the world are using YouTube, and it’s a marketer’s dream to tap into that audience and revenue stream.
The competition on YouTube is intense, but it’s also comprised of numerous niches. With the right strategy and content, you can find success.
Whether or not you are creating content on YouTube, you can place advertisements on targeted videos and channels. Creators who are part of the YouTube Partner Program can make money on their videos by showing advertisements on their videos.
There are several types of advertisements available.
- Skippable Video Ads
- Non-Skippable Video Ads
- Bumper Ads: six-second ads
- Overlay Ads: 480x70 image at the bottom of a video
- Display Ads: appears to the right of the video and above the playlist
- Sponsored Cards: clickable images that appear on a video
As YouTube is owned by Google, you’re using Google ads. There are strong targeting options, with five different types of interest targeting. You can also get specific videos and channels. If you’re placing ads on YouTube, you have to accept that the users don’t want to be advertised to. Make viewers forget that they’re viewing an ad by being extremely engaging, short, and targeted to the audience’s interests.
A marketer’s dream is to have a successful YouTube channel. With your channel, you can maintain engagement with your audience, spread your messages, connect to your other revenue streams, and build authenticity as a brand.
To do all of that, you need to have great video content that your audience cares about. Producing a high-quality video is cheaper and easier than ever. But what content is right for YouTube?
Importantly, YouTube is a major site for instructional videos and independent education. This means that for every product or service, you can create instructional videos. This is a good place to start, as users interested in your products or services may already be searching YouTube for those videos.
Use YouTube’s analytics to learn about the people watching your videos. Even if you think you know everything about your target audience, you might discover new audiences who are interested in your content. Analytics also gives you useful information like how long viewers watch your channel, and when.
There is also useful information to be mined in the comments on your videos and on your Community Page. While reading comments is never the most fun, it's critical to maintain engagement with your audience.
When you have a successful channel, you have the option of multiple revenue streams, such as joining the YouTube Partner Program. For companies, what’s more, important is growing your audience, optimizing conversions, and building trust in the brand.