Google now has launched AdWords for video available for all advertisers, which is expected to make it much easier for businesses to advertise on YouTube. The video is integrated right into AdWords, which means video campaigns can be managed along with search and display.
Considering all the criticism Google has faced regarding its purchase of YouTube, as well as its monetization of the property, the concept of AdWords for Video seems long overdue. Nonetheless, now that it’s happening, it’s expected to make a big impact on Google’s revenues.
“Similar to search advertising — where you pay for clicks and set budgets with bids — we created a new model for video advertising,” said Baljeet Singh, YouTube Group Product Manager. “With Google AdWords for video, you only pay when someone chooses to watch your ad, and you can create and manage video campaigns from the same platform as your search and display ads.”
The new account is tied to the user’s YouTube account as well as a business’ AdWords account. Google designed it this way so that advertisers easily can start video campaigns using their existing videos. This reflects the “one Google mentality the company has been taking (see recent privacy policy consolidation).
“On average, we’ve found that YouTube video ads drive a 20-percent increase in traffic to your website and a 5-percent increase in searches for your business,” said Singh, referring to figures mentioned in Google Campaign Insights, 2011. “With AdWords for Video, you can find out how viewers are engaging with your brand during and after they watch your ad. You can see how many viewers watched your entire video, visited your website, stayed on your channel to watch another video, or subscribed to your channel after viewing your ad.”
Singh explained, “With Google AdWords for video, you only pay when someone chooses to watch your ad, and you can create and manage video campaigns from the same platform as your search and display ads.”
AdWords helps businesses target the right cohort, gauge the effectiveness of their aid spend, and with the TrueView video ads, businesses only pay when viewers choose to watch their ads.
YouTube, which has more than 800 million users, is making a major push to attract advertisers to its site, and is executing other tactics designed to help boost advertising and help businesses use YouTube more.
“With a global audience of 800 million monthly visitors to YouTube, every day you can feel like you’re advertising in the Super Bowl, and one video can launch a business,” said Singh. “To help even more businesses play big with video, today we’re introducing a number of new products, resources, and tools.”
To kick off the launch of Google AdWords for Video, YouTube is offering $50 million in free advertising to help 500,000 businesses jump on the YouTube advertising bandwagon. When businesses open up a new AdWords account they can receive a $75 credit, which can be used to reach more than 1,500 new customers on YouTube for one month.
YouTube also has released an Advertiser Playbook to teach advertisers the best strategies and practicesfor creating compelling content and building a YouTube audience.
Another tactic YouTube has done is to launch what they’re calling the YouTube Ambassador program, which is made up of nine businesses that have reached out to new customers, engaged fans and built their
brand on YouTube.