Dv360 Youtube Campaign Types For A Full Funnel Strategy
Management Summary
YouTube can be part of any part of the marketing funnel. In this blog article we give you an overview of the different campaign types, their ad formats, and where they fit into a full funnel strategy.
YouTube campaign types for a full-funnel strategy
On YouTube it is possible to use any video uploaded to the platform itself as an advertising medium. But the length of the advertising material makes a big difference – not only in what information and messages can be included in the video, but also in the options in which they can be set up as campaigns.
The difference between bumper ads that run for 5-6 seconds and longer videos is already well known – especially because videos can be skipped after 5 seconds. But there is also the option on YouTube, for example, to play 15-second commercials in such a way that they cannot be skipped.
Before we introduce the different types of campaigns on YouTube, here are some terms related to commercials and their display on the platform:
In-stream: Advertising materials are played in the video player itself – before, during or after the YouTube video.
In feed: These ads appear in YouTube Search Results and next to the video content in the suggested videos feed. However, this video does not play by itself – instead it is a thumbnail (= preview of the next videos at the end of the actual video) with text.
For in-feed commercials, you also need a headline (max. 100 characters) and two descriptions (max. 35 characters each).Ad Sequence: There is the possibility on YouTube to use ad sequencing to play targeted videos to the user in a self-determined order (e.g. 15s -> 6s, 6s -> 15s -> 6s and much more). In this way, a narrative can be built across several commercials, which increases the user’s interest in the story. Since several videos are shown in a row, the frequency capping is somewhat more limited and can no longer be changed after the campaign has been created.
Here is an overview of which onesCampaign typesthere is, velvetAdvertising materialsPossibilities:
Brand Awareness & Reach
The goal of this campaign type, as the name suggests, is to efficiently generate reach. The bidding here is based on the CPM (Cost per Mille) – and over the duration of the campaign the campaign optimizes to a favorable CPM.
For Brand Awareness & Reach has three options for playing out the commercials: skippable, non-skippable and as an ad sequence.
- At the optionSkippableCommercials are played in-stream videos. Either as bumper ads if the videos are up to 6 seconds long, or if longer they can be skipped from the 5th second.
- Non-skippableVideos can be up to 15 seconds long and are also played in-stream.
- Finally, there is the option of story tellingAd Sequence. If Ad Sequence is under Brand Awareness & Reach is selected, CPM is automatically and unchangeably selected as the target for the bid strategy.
Best Practice: The algorithm of the campaign type plays a combination of different spot lengths (15s + 6s) and is very suitable for reaching a large number of unique users (=high reach) with a favorable CPM.
Product & brand consideration
In these campaigns, the focus is on the brand and the message. Therefore, they aim to ensure that the commercials are seen in their entirety by users – the optimization therefore lies in CPCV (cost per completed view).
There are 2 types of advertising to choose from: individual in-stream or in-feed videos or multiple videos as an ad sequence.
- In-stream or in-feedAdvertising materials that are played out in a skippable manner can be set up in a line item. A maximum CPCV can also be set here, depending on what YouTube decides.
- Ad SequenceVideos under Product and brand consideration target low CPCV. Otherwise, the Ad Sequence has no differences in setup to the Brand Awareness & Reach out.
Best Practice: Product and brand consideration campaigns are ideal for increasing the completion rate of a campaign and ideally reducing the CPCV. This increases brand awareness and more complex products can be explained in a video that is understandable to the user.
Website conversions
The goal of the Website Conversions campaign type is to optimize for the selected conversions and thereby also reduce the CPA. With this type it is also possible to change the bidding strategy – slightly. There are options between “Maximize Conversions” and “Target CPA”.
It is recommended to stick with “Maximize Conversions” – especially since it is important at the beginning of a campaign to give the algorithm as few restrictions as possible so that it can learn from all the data. However, if there is a hard CPA limit, it is still possible to set it.
The advertising medium used for this is, in contrast to all other advertising medium formats, not static. Because it adapts to the page of the playout – therefore not only a video but also several texts – such as headline and long headline – are required in the set-up.
Best Practice: This campaign type is located at the bottom of the funnel and can be used to generate onsite conversions (such as 20sGoals, button clicks, purchases,…).
Conclusion:
YouTube campaigns are not only suitable for awareness goals – with the right settings, they can also have a high-performance effect in the lower funnel. The selection of the campaign type is crucial because this is the only way the algorithm can demonstrate its full capabilities.
