How to establish YouTube Advertising in 9 Steps

Online video is huge – 100 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute! And video viewing doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon.

If you're prepared to advertise on YouTube for the first time – with one of those ads that pop up before you watch your video – then this basics lead is for you.

Although there is a lot more complicated information that goes into getting the best ROI from YouTube ads, this nine-step guide is simply a beginner's guide on how to start building your YouTube presence.

1. Create a Google AdWords Account

Your first stop is Google AdWords. If you previously have an AdWords account, then go to adwords.google.com/video to create a new video ad campaign.

2. Link AdWords and YouTube

Make sure that Your AdWords and YouTube accounts are connected together. You can complete this step from the navigation menu by clicking “Linked YouTube accounts”.

3. General Settings

When choosing the general settings for your ad, set your preferred budget per day. It's better to start small and scale up as you get more recognizable with the account and what good objectives are.

The typical spend is around $.01 - $0.23. You won't pay Google unless the viewer watches your ads all the way through. There is also more customization that can be chosen for bidding for the advanced advertisers.

4. Set the Locations Where You Want Your Ad to Show Up

You can choose countries, regions, cities, ZIP codes, IP addresses, etc, going as broad or as exact as you would like. The more specific, the better qualified your viewers will be. If you're just trying to build brand awareness, then going a little broader might be helpful.

5. Upload Your Video

Next you will choose the video that you want to showcase and upload it to your account from YouTube. For more advice on how to format your video for the best success on search engines before you upload it, see "12 Valuable Tips for Video SEO Beginners".

6. Advanced Settings

In the “advanced settings” section, you can choose what days/time of the day you want your ads to show (if there is a exact time you want to showcase your ads because a prospect is more likely to be compelled by your product), and the start and end date for your new ads.

I would suggest shutting off your ads from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., and scheduling your ads to run more during your prospects’ lunch and play hours when they are more likely to be on YouTube.

7. Device Targeting

Getting more in depth with “device targeting”, you can choose exact devices you want to target, whether it be mobile, desktop, laptop, tablets, etc.  Get on the devices that you would be using to search for your product.

Are your consumers on their mobile phones? Are you advertising for a mobile app? Then go mobile.

8. Select Age, Gender, Topics & More

Here you can select age, gender, and get exact on what topics you want to show up for. The more specific you are the better results you will get.

The more you go in depth into what categories, interests, words, websites, and phrases you want to show up for, the better targeted your audience will get. So be as specific as potential!

9. Choosing Keywords

When looking for specific keywords to aim that your potential consumers will be searching for on YouTube, use the Google Keyword Tool to find applicable terms and get as specific as possible. These terms come from Google's search engine, not from YouTube, but they will still be useful in weeding out some of the keywords that could cause your ad to be viewed by the wrong person.

The longer the keyword, the more specific it is, and the more pertinent it will be to your business in capturing the right viewers.