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Optimising Ads for YouTube
When it comes to optimising ads for YouTube there are some common mistakes which can often limit the effectiveness of the video ad. There are a few main factors to take into account to help increase the effectiveness and overall experience.
Starting with the basics, before we begin with any ad creative remember that the audience comes first. Having information to hand such as what they like and what problems they face can help create ads that are relevant and will resonate well. This information will also direct the targeting options to make sure your creative is seen by the right people.
CREATIVE
YouTube offers a variety of ad formats, choose the right one based on the goals for the campaign and the type of content.
The power of good ad creative is a crucial pillar of advertising and responsible for half of the ROI. The creative should use high-quality visuals and sounds, create a compelling narrative which is interesting and engaging. But most importantly, keep an objective in mind and tailor the creative around this core goal. An ad with top performance for one objective won’t necessarily have the same success for other areas.


TESTING
We should always be open to experimentation and let testing be a standard practice. Given the value behind testing creative variations to ensure the strongest-performing versions run, many advertisers reserve a portion of spend solely for experimentation.
It may be helpful to adjust the messaging, try different ad formats and targeting options to see what works best.
The ad performance should then be regularly monitored to see how your campaigns are performing. This information will instruct any strategy adjustments and optimisations to achieve better results for the campaign.
To summarise, we know that strong creative is critical now more than ever, but it can also be the weak link in a strong strategy if it isn’t done right. By using creative that is well aligned to one objective, delivering a relevant message, and considering learnings from testing a strong impact can be delivered with YouTube ads.