Unfortunately, no one has yet invented a robot that sets up YouTube video marketing ads for you. The process may sound somewhat complicated at first because the YouTube ad system is powerful, but it’s fairly easy to start your first campaign. To set up a new YouTube ad, follow these steps:
Log in to your YouTube channel by using the Sign In link.
Go to YouTube Ads and click the Get Started with AdWords for Video button.
Select your time zone and your preferred currency, and then click the Continue button.
Enter a name for your campaign in the Campaign Name field.
On the confirmation page that appears, click the Sign In to Your AdWords Account link.
Enter the username and password for your YouTube account again.
Now you’re entering the AdWords for Video system, where you can set up your campaign.
Enter the amount of your daily budget in the Budget field.
It’s the amount you’re willing to spend per day on your ads. You can increase or decrease the budget at any time. Start with a small amount, such as $50, and increase it gradually as you start seeing the results you want.
Click the Select Video button.
Enter the name of your YouTube channel.
YouTube shows you a list of your videos.
Select the video that you want to use as an ad.
Your YouTube ad may be the first thing that people see about your company, so use a video that’s short, catchy, and to the point.
Write your ad text.
This short bit of text appears next to the video thumbnail in your ads. You can write one headline with a maximum length of 25 characters, and you can write two lines of description text with 35 characters apiece.
Attach a catchy title, and tell people why they should watch this video.
Choose the thumbnail you want to use.
Enter your website address in the Display URL field.
If you want to direct viewers to a particular page other than your website’s home page, enter a web address in the Destination URL field.
Click the Save and Continue button to create your ad.
Now you need to tell YouTube where to show your ad. This target selection is a targeting group.
Create a new targeting group by first giving the target group a name in the Name field.
Choose a maximum cost per view (CPV) amount.
This amount is the maximum you’re willing to pay every time a viewer watches your video. A good amount to start with is 80 cents. You can optimize the amount later.
For in-search and in-display ads, you pay only if people click a Promoted Video ad, not for the ad simply showing up. In the case of in-stream ads, you’re charged only when the viewer watches at least 30 seconds of your video ad. For in-slate ads, you pay only when someone actively chooses to view your ad. This pay per view method makes YouTube ads highly cost-effective.
Enter three or four of the most important keywords in the Search for Targeting Suggestions field, and click the Get Targeting Suggestions button.
Click the Expand link next to each suggestion and click the Add button next to each keyword or placement you want to add.
If you want to refine your targets further, click the Add YouTube Search Keywords and Add Targets button in the sidebar on the right to add additional keywords and placements.
Click the Save and Enable Targeting button to start your campaign.
If this is the first time you buy ads on Google or YouTube, you’re asked for your billing information.
You can set up multiple targeting groups for your ads to optimize your results. For example, you can set up one target group only for search keywords, another one for topics, and a third one for specific channel placements.
