How To Create Your First Google Ads Video Campaign

You’ve created a great looking video for your business or your client’s business and you want people out there to see it. You want to show what that brand is all about, to show that you have a big sale coming up, that you have a new product in your stores soon etc.
So, the inner traditional you whisper one word into your head: „TV“. And you think to yourself; „Yes, that’s absolutely genius. Everybody watches TV right? I can’t go wrong with TV.“
Well, that’s not totally how it is. Yes, with that option you’ll target everyone who watches TV. Everybody who is your potential customer and everybody who’s not. But, there is a downside to that.

If you choose this option, first you have a big budget problem. TV commercials cost because it has a lot of viewers and it should cost. Secondly, remember how TV watching goes. You’re watching a movie, then they stop it to show you a bunch of commercials. Like 8 or 9 of them. What is the first thing you do after the movie pauses? That’s right, you pick up your smartphone. If not that, you’re still not watching the commercials, you go to the bathroom instead. Or go get something to drink or eat.

Why is that, why aren’t you watching those commercials? Because there is a lot of them. And 80% of them are not even something that might be interesting to you.
Video Adwords solves these two problems:

1. Your video ad is not one of the 9 in a row.
2. Your ad can be shown exactly to your target audience, so you won’t spend your budget on people who will never be interested in your products or services.

Let’s take a stroll down the path and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Firstly…

After you’ve clicked that big blue ‘+’ and chose Video campaign type, you’ll have two options of Campaign goals to choose from:

• Product and brand consideration – encouraging people to consider your brand as an option. If you want to engage with people who’ve shown interest in your brand or are currently shopping or researching products in your category or if you even want to encourage people to buy your products in the future, this is the option for you.This option has two campaign subtypes:
  – ‘Standard consideration’ – Drive views, engagements, and consideration
  – ‘Shopping’ – Encourage people to consider shopping in your online shop (if you have one, of course)

• Brand awareness and reach – raising awareness about your brand or your product. Choose this if you are trying to show yourself in the new market, if you want your target audience to recognize you later, to remember your brand.
  This option has one campaign subtype:
  – ‘Standard awareness’ – Drive reach, impressions, and views

Since you’re probably a beginner, I take it that you need your brand to be recognized more, so I’m going to choose ‘Brand awareness and reach’ goal.

Secondly…

After choosing your campaign type and subtype, the rest of the process is pretty similar to creating an Adwords Display campaign. But, there are some differences, of course.

First up, name your campaign (duh..).

A budget can be set to daily or Campaign total. I recommend daily, cause that way you can track and optimize your spending better. For delivery method, stay with Standard, only if you have something short-term that you need to get out there as soon as possible – consider Accelerated (and if you have enough budget to cover it).

Start and end dates: don’t need to explain.

This one’s different from Display. So, you can place your ads in Youtube Search results (only for video discovery ads) and in Youtube videos. See that Youtube videos is fixed, you can’t uncheck that). And you can add Google’s video partners on the Display Network.

Languages and Locations: don’t need to explain that also. Where do your people live? Which languages do they speak?

When it comes to Video Adwords, there are two Bidding strategies available: Maximum CPV (how much you are willing to spend for a view) and Maximum CPM (how much you are willing to spend for thousand impressions). But if you chose the other Campaign goal (consideration) you’ll only be able to „choose“ Maximum CPV.

Devices: think about this thoroughly. Do you have enough budget to cover all types of devices? If not, consider setting specific targeting for mobile devices.

Frequency capping: I’ve talked about this before. This is an absolute must. I am tired of seeing the same ads over and over again. And believe me, so are other people. So, set your limits on how many views or impressions one user per day, per week, per month and also per ad, per ad group, per campaign.

Content exclusions: Rifle through this, maybe there is something that is specific about your communication, and some people should not see it, or it shouldn’t show in some parts of the internet.

Ad schedule: Simple. If you know that people are most likely to buy from you in the evening, schedule your ads in order to show them ads at that moment.

Ah, the detailed targeting. The most important and most fun step of the creation process.

Demographics: target people by their age, gender, parental status, household income (remember, U.S. only)

Audiences – three types (just like in Display campaigns):

• Affinity audiences – people who are interested, who are browsing topics related to your brand or product. Very interesting targeting option for long-term and brand awarenness.
• Intent and life events – people who are in research right not, who are looking to buy a product in one of offered categories. Life events? People who just graduated, got married, got a baby etc. These are the people you want when it comes to consideration and buying.
• Remarketing – people who have previously interacted with your business in some way. And similar audiences. I’m saying it again, remarketing is one of the best digital advertising assets out there.

Instead of targeting people based on what they are looking for and how are they behaving, why not a different approach. The other way around?

• Keywords – target those sites where your target keywords are shown the most.
• Topics – target sites that are content specified
• Placements – you know a particular site or a Youtube channel, video, app that your target audience is visiting frequently? Place your ad there.

And the one that started it all….

Your video. Add it by pasting the URL. But first, you have to upload it on your Youtube channel.

Not so simple, is it? Video advertising is definitely a prettier and more handsome approach than Display advertising, but it does require a video, not a banner. And video is little bit harder to create. 🙂

Next time when you want to present your brand to the world, just go through this blog post and please consider taking this way of advertising instead of the dreaded TV commercials. It will really benefit your business!