The value of video in advertising can not be understated. It is a unique form of media that allows companies to engage the senses of sight and sound, resulting in a more engaged and attentive audience. Videos allow you to convey a lot of information in a short amount of time, and they are especially useful for explaining products and services to potential customers. They also allow advertisers to tell a story which can capture the attention of even the laziest customers. Video is very easy to consume, and the modern buyer does not have time or motivation for heavy reading in order to investigate a product or service. YouTube is considered the second largest search engine (second to Google), and its volume is larger than Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Ask combined. The benefit of having a large audience is that you can target certain customer profiles just like you would on the Google Network.
A common misperception regarding Youtube ads is that they only work for larger companies that have big budgets. Running ads on Youtube is actually quite affordable, however most small businesses resist video marketing because of the perceived difficulty with producing the actual video itself. Effective videos do not always require a large film crew and a million dollar idea. Hiring a designer to create a short animation for your company is an affordable option that will allow you to reap the benefits of advertising on YouTube. There are a variety of skippable and non-skippable video formats that are available, depending on which option best aligns with the actual content of your video and your marketing strategy. Once you have your content finalized, advertisers can expect to pay $0.10 – $0.30 per view or action. Many think that YouTube ads are not cost effective because users can just skip through the ad, however you are not charged if the ad is skipped through early in the video.