With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube isn’t just a video platform; it’s a universe of potential customers. There’s good reason why so many companies and entrepreneurs are leveraging YouTube advertising to propel their businesses forward fast. It’s important to research all of the capabilities of YouTube marketing so you can make the most of its potential.
Real-Life Success Stories
- Dollar Shave Club: If there’s a poster child for YouTube advertising success, it’s the Dollar Shave Club. Their quirky, funny debut ad, costing just $4,500 to produce, went viral and garnered over 26 million views. Within 48 hours, they’d added 12,000 new subscribers, and eventually sold to Unilever for a cool $1 billion.
- Purple Mattress: Using a combination of humor and hard science, Purple Mattress demonstrated their product’s superiority by dropping raw eggs onto their mattresses — without breaking them. This YouTube ad strategy drove them from a lesser-known brand to a $1 billion valuation in just a couple of years.
- Blendtec: “Will it Blend?” That was the question Blendtec posed, and YouTube viewers couldn’t resist finding out. By blending objects from iPhones to marbles, their YouTube series not only showcased the power of their blenders but turned them into a household name. Sales skyrocketed by over 700% as a result of their campaign.
How Does YouTube Advertising Work?
At its core, YouTube advertising is simple, but its layers of customization make it a potent tool.
- Types of Ads: From skippable and non-skippable video ads to display and overlay ads, you decide how your audience interacts with your content.
- Target Audience: YouTube’s rich data means you can narrow down your target audience by age, gender, location, interests, and more.
- Placement: Choose where your ads appear: before a video, during, or even in the search results or YouTube sidebar.
- Engagement Metrics: Real-time insights show how your ads are performing, allowing for tweaks and improvements on the go.
The Cost of Advertising on YouTube
Advertising on YouTube is flexible, catering to both large corporations and budding entrepreneurs. You’re charged per view, and the average cost per view (CPV) ranges between $0.10 and $0.30. But here’s the catch: YouTube considers a ‘view’ only if the viewer watches 30 seconds of the ad or the entire ad if it’s shorter.
Remember, setting a daily budget ensures you never overspend. You can start small, assess the performance, and adjust accordingly.
Whether you’re a startup looking for a breakthrough or an established business aiming for a bigger slice of the market, YouTube advertising offers the exposure and engagement few platforms can match. And as many entrepreneurs can attest, it might just be the overnight sensation your business needs.