13FebDelivering a powerful online advertising campaign- Youtube: your opportunity.

Advertising in any medium is big business and many consider it (perhaps prematurely) beyond their means but with recent advances with online video, campaigns can be targeted, cost-effective and bring you results with a modest investment.

Over the past year Enterprise Screen has delivered a number of ongoing campaigns that are engaging audiences in a wide range of mediums: TV, Web, Social Media, Print, Public Space. With video specifically, this has included large-scale broadcast advertising but we have also adapted these campaigns to work very effectively with the online and Youtube audience.

The results have been impressive- not only have we targeted a geographically specific audience but we have managed to bring in viewers that are hardest to reach with conventional TV advertising. Results have demonstrated a consistent and ongoing response from the target audience- not just with viewing and retention rates but also with click-through (to the website) and sharing. The nature of Youtube's search function (based within the google adwords console) and the multiple variables your ads can be programmed with allows you to find the market place and audience you want with a simple and impressive ad. Ultimately this will drive results you can see and translate to sales or conversions.

The biggest night of advertising in the world is the US Superbowl- the annual American Football cup final.  This event played out on Sunday 2^nd Feb 2014 and delivered one of the largest TV audiences of all time with 111m people watching the spectacle unfold in the US alone. The average cost of an ad spot within the game comes in at an incredible $4m with some companies pushing the limits with huge productions, celebrity participation and highly specialised content development. Of course, it works.

They spend this money as they undoubtedly see a return each year but it's worth looking at how they have taken this concept and looked to expand their reach and increase brand awareness with online advertising. Once you have the attention of your audience you need to keep it- in advertising the phrase Effective Frequency is applied with various theories (read more about this with the Wiki link). If you are building your brand with marketing, campaigns, customer engagement then you will see results with targeted, cost-effective video advertising across a range of mediums.  However, advertising needs to be targeted and contantly reviewed and adjusted for your audience.  We always say to all of our advertising customers: "TV advertising is 100% effective if you have an unlimited budget!"...but who has these kind of pockets these days? Perhaps just a couple of the world's biggest brands.  We need to work intelligently and youtube presents a super-cost-effective method to test your message and evaluate your audience's response.  

Just looking at the recent post-superbowl competition to vote for the best ad is an incredible demonstration of the power of effective frequency and cross-media advertising. If you visit the voting page in Youtube you will be able to view the various ads that played at the relevant time during the Super-bowl broadcast- then you are asked to vote for your favourite. If you can, go and undertake this process now and then come back to continue to read.

What is interesting is while all of these ads were presented to you, it is likely that you clicked upon brands that interested you or caught your eye. You self-selected, opted in to the advertising. You probably browsed a few ads in there but without question, you have exposed yourself to brands that you have an interest in for one reason or another.

It sounds like we are selling for youtube here- we kind of are- they have created a medium to advertise in that is like no other. It may not have the blunderbuss approach of a wide-ranging TV campaign but it certainly delivers results. It is so cost-effective, we can't say this enough.  Once you have your content- a base advert that you can modify simply with voice and slightly changed messages- it can drive huge traffic to your site for a few hundred pounds, not the thousands required for even local TV advertising.  Our experience working with our clients has given us a chance to deliver campaigns with intelligent and engaging video but with targeted and results-driven components and they are so cheap, we can run multiple campaigns simultaneously with different audiences- evaluating all of the time. Youtube ads are an art in themselves- you actually only have between 2-5 seconds to get your audience to make a decision. They will have the option to skip BUT if you present something that is interesting, engaging, surprising or entertaining then you can dramatically increase your statistical impact.

We do still believe in the more traditional methods of delivery- using TV, Online and public space media but if you havent tried Youtube yet, you will not be disappointed. Targeted, cost-effective, high-impact advertising at a budget ANY business can afford.  Really, any business can afford this- just trying it out is so inexpensive.  It is a great testing ground for ads before taking them to TV and the analytics offered by google are superb.  

We'd love you to try a Youtube campaign. You can even do it without us- make your own short and get it out there (see our post on simple, creative film promos). But, if you want to make a real impact, have your campaign managed by professionals with experience of content creation and online advertising management, then we'd love to hear from you.

 

Part of our Youtube campaign for the NHS is above. Over a very short timeframe, results have driven key demographics to the website via targeted youtube advertising. This was not about creating millions of views- it was about bringing the right people to the right message and encouraging them to engage with the campaign. This youtube advertising campaign is due to expand throughout 2014 and is a very cost-effective method for delivering a specific audience.