Leveraging YouTube: Beyond The View

The world changed in 2020 and so did consumer behaviors. As viewers have flocked to video platforms, traditional advertising approaches may be losing effectiveness. YouTube is commanding more attention from marketers in order to move consumers to action. 

Youtube campaigns support advertising efforts, on and off the platform, at every stage of the consumer journey. By leveraging-party data and audience insights, brands can reach users at the right time with the right message. 

One of the biggest hesitations marketers have about the platforms is measuring campaign success. If users aren’t clicking on the ads, how can you prove they are working? We break down how to use YouTube’s unparalleled opportunity to boost your reach and track attribution.

From YouTube to the Store Front

When your brand invests in YouTube advertising, it’s backed by the full power of Google. This allows you to target viewers with digital precision. Google’s capabilities to track ad performance is also available for both online and offline attribution.. YouTube campaigns can also help you track both direct and indirect conversions from your video ads; direct conversions would be clicks that lead to purchase, and indirect conversions can be a mix of increased traffic and increased conversions as a percentage increase relative to your previous traffic and sales statistics before you launched your YouTube ad campaign. 

In Google’s platform, businesses can upload offline customer information and match it back to online activity. Once cookies phase out in 2022, the unique identifier that will replace it will be imperative to track conversions. Often users will access YouTube through the same email address they’ll input when purchasing, both online or in store. This allows you to accurately attribute the viewing of your YouTube ad to that sale, further clarifying the overall impact of your digital marketing efforts for campaigns to meet goals that go beyond online checkouts. Similarly, mobile data is another helpful way to connect offline conversions to viewings of your video ads. 

As a note, Google Analytics typically reports on last click attribution. While this is possible through YouTube ads, what would be most valuable for your brand is tracking assisted conversions, which means tracking clicks from all potential sources that precede the actual conversion. Be patient and allow for a longer window to more accurately measure attribution for your sales. 

YouTube Plays Well With Others

While YouTube’s vast reach is a great place to spend your digital marketing dollars and efforts, it’s always important to have a mix of digital marketing. YouTube ads work well as part of a full scope campaign alongside other ad formats. 

Search ads are a natural companion to YouTube advertising. For starters, with Google Search Intent you can set up a video campaign in AdWords and add keywords that your prospects are likely to be searching with. This process allows your brand to target customers with relevant ads on YouTube who have recently searched for your category of product. Additionally, much of the content on YouTube is “how-to” videos; for example, when someone googles, “How to fix a dishwasher” they may likely want to view an instructional video. This would be the perfect time to advertise your services both on the search results page and as a video before they view the content. 

While you’re already crafting engaging video creative, you can expand your reach by using that same video ad on other platforms, such as CTV or other social media platforms. With both of these ad formats, you can similarly use first-party data to target your ideal audience to make the most of your investment into creating video content. The same type of offline attribution applies to platforms like CTV where you’re not generally looking for just clicks, but ultimately increased conversions.