A picture is worth a thousand words, but how many words is a video worth?
Let’s talk numbers. YouTube alone reaches over 2 billion users — and every single day those users watch a billion hours of video, generating billions of views. YouTube on mobile alone reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network – and that’s not all, users are accessing YouTube on their computers and Smart TVs as well. YouTube is the second biggest site in the world (behind Google, which it is owned by!).
YouTube marketing just makes sense, and if you’re not using it – you’re missing out.
Your law firm social media marketing strategy MUST include YouTube.
Video advertising takes a LOT of work. You have to make your video advertisements professional, yet fun, engaging and intriguing. But you can definitely find success using this ultra-popular platform – if you know how.
Here at Third Eye Insights, we are all about helping you stay on top of digital marketing trends. This article will show you how the awesome power of YouTube video marketing, and how it can work for you. Here you’ll learn what is YouTube advertising and the different types of YouTube ads available for you to make the most of in 2021.
What is YouTube Advertising?
YouTube is owned by Google. Therefore, YouTube advertising is done through Google Ads. It is a way of advertising your video content on YouTube or in search results so you can maximize your user reach – you can have access to up to all of 2 billion users of YouTube. Your video advertising will play before a YouTube user views another YouTube video, or it will play in the middle of the YouTube video like a TV commercial. It can also show up in YouTube search results for people to watch in full. You’ve seen YouTube ads every time you watch a YouTube video! It really works – and you can make sure your law firm is seen too!
Types of YouTube Ads
There are six types of YouTube ads:
- TrueView ads
- Non-skippable instream ads
- Bumper instream ads
- Sponsored card ads
- Overlay ads
- Display ads
Before your law firm begins its YouTube marketing journey, it’s important to understand each YouTube ad type. That way, you can tailor your ad for the format you plan on using.
What are all the different YouTube ad types?
YouTube TrueView ads
What is a YouTube TrueView ad?
YouTube TrueView ads are the main advertising format for YouTube. Advertisers (i.e. you) only pay for TrueView ads when users watch for a certain length of time, watch an entire short video, or interact with an ad in some way, such as clicking on it. Since interested viewers (i.e. your target clients) would watch the advertisement for longer, you are screening out the audience who is not interested, and only paying for the audience that is interested – a win-win situation!
Now, there are two main types of TrueView ads: in-stream ads and discovery ads. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
YouTube Instream ads
What is a YouTube Instream ad?
These are the video advertisements that play before a YouTube video, or as a commercial break during the YouTube video. They feature a countdown timer and after a certain period of time, the audience can skip over it. Good advertising keeps viewers entertained and intrigued enough to watch the entire advertisement as well as click on it to find out more. Marketers can customize ads with text overlays, clickable links, and calls to action.
YouTube Discovery ads
What is a YouTube Discovery ad?
These are the video ads appear within YouTube search results as “suggested videos”, above organic results. They will also take you to the advertiser’s website.
YouTube TrueView ads are:
- An excellent way to reach your target audience: the Google/YouTube advertising algorithms will effectively match your advertising content to the perfect audience.
- Low risk and great bang for your buck! You only pay for audience that is genuinely interested – you’re not paying for people who immediately skip your advertisement
- Not restricted by time-limits – whether your advertisement is seconds to minutes, you have the ultimate flexibility!
YouTube Non-skippable In-stream ads
What is a YouTube Non-skippable In-stream ad?
It’s in the name! These ads are exactly like TrueView ads, but they are non-skippable – viewers can’t skip them! Due to this, there is a time limit on how long these ads can be, which is 15-20 seconds.
These are played before videos, and also part-way through videos that are over 10 minutes. Because they are non-skippable, they aren’t priced by engagement unlike TrueView ads. These ads are priced on a ‘CPM’ basis, which stands for cost-per-mile – advertisers pay a fee per thousand views.
If this is your marketing strategy, it is especially important to precisely target your audience so you don’t waste your budget advertising to poor prospects who are uninterested in your services. Whereas pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is ideal for converting prospects into leads (which is what you need), CPM advertising is more suited to major branding campaigns designed to achieve massive exposure – this works for large brands with huge expense budgets like Apple or H&M.
YouTube Bumper ads
What is a YouTube Bumper ad?
Bumper YouTube ads are similar to non-skippable video ads, however they only play before a viewer’s chosen video and they must be less than 6 seconds long. Like non-skippable YouTube ads, advertisers pay for bumper ads on a CPM basis. Many brands use them as part of a larger YouTube advertising campaign in addition to other ad formats – they are not usually used as the sole YouTube advertising medium. These ads are really good at reminding viewers of an existing brand or product, that they might have already seen in a longer commercial.
YouTube Sponsored Card ads
What is a YouTube Sponsored Card ad?
YouTube sponsored cards appear within videos as small call-to-action (CTA) popups. Sponsored cards are popular because they are a very unobtrusive form of YouTube advertising. A small ‘i’ symbol pops up in the upper right-hand corner of a video and when a viewer clicks on it, the card expands into a showcase of clickable video links and products through Google shopping. This works very well if you have consumer products to sell, but may not be the best format for service-oriented products, such as the services your law firm might offer.
YouTube Overlay ads
What is a YouTube Overlay ad?
The simplest form of YouTube advertising, these consist of a simple banner on top of the video that is clickable, which will link to an advertising video or website. Sometimes they are pure text, or they can be a combination of text and images.
YouTube Display ads
What is a YouTube Display ad?
Another very simple form of YouTube advertising, these consist of ads located above the “suggested videos” sidebar. These can be shown in various size formats and can include images, text, or both.
Why you must Advertise your Law Firm on YouTube
Video advertising is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate your law firm’s authenticity and to truly engage with prospective clients – and YouTube is the most popular video streaming website in the world. YouTube advertising can be used to build brand awareness, influence the buying decision, grow sales, or increase brand loyalty. Here’s how:
- YouTube helps you Build Brand Awareness: YouTube will help you introduce your law firm to new prospective clients who do not know much, or anything, about it yet. It will target people who are interested in the services you provide, in your geographical areas to help you secure clients.
- YouTube helps you Influence the Buyer Decision: A video has endless potential to speak volumes about your product and truly engage with clients. If your video advertisements are made and marketed well, they will justify why your law firm is the best option for your customer.
- YouTube helps you Grow Sales: YouTube will help you branch out to lookalike audiences that you have never targeted before and test new tactics, optimizing the advertising algorithm and ensuring you get the best bang for your buck.
- YouTube helps you Increase Brand Loyalty: Sincerity and authenticity will help you build clientele. You can use your advertising videos to invite your customers to talk about their experiences with you and show prospective clients that your law firm truly provides the best service.
Leave it to the Professionals
So now you know that YouTube can help dramatically improve your SEO and overall brand presence. YouTube allows business owners – such as your law firm – to present unique and authentic content that’s easy for viewers to consume and share. That being said, YouTube marketing can be an intimidating tool for brands – video marketing is hard work. Your video marketing should be polished, savvy and effective to make the most impact, and it can be a lot to do on your own.
At Third Eye Insights, we specialize in marketing for law firms. We know your audience, and we know how to bring them to you. By making digital marketing a priority, your law firm will successfully overcome operational challenges created by the pandemic. Furthermore, you will be able to position yourself to authentically and sincerely connect with a variety of new clientele, ensuring your success. Contact Third Eye Insights today for a free business audit!