Video content is taking over the world. Recent reports show that YouTube accounts for 11.4% of worldwide downstream traffic by megabytes. And, its influence and prominence don’t stop there. It’s the channel that helps musicians get their first big break (see Justin Bieber, ) comedians launch their TV career (see Lily Singh, ) and unknown artists break every record imaginable (see Psy’s hit Gangnam Style.)
But, perhaps the thing that makes YouTube so alluring as a marketing strategy is that the competition is rather small. Brands have been slow to jump on the online video ads bandwagon, giving those who are willing to invest in this medium a big competitive advantage. And, if you are already used with creating and optimising Google Ads campaigns, then the whole process will feel like a piece of cake.
Let’s take a quick look at your options.
The YouTube Partner Program
Let’s get one thing straight from the start: not everyone with a YouTube channel is eligible for monetisation. First, you need to meet the platform’s criteria to access its resources and benefit from them.
Enter the YouTube Partner Program, a feature that allows you to profit when someone watches your video. However, not everyone can join the program. If your subscriber number is in the single digits, then you can’t expect YouTube to be interested in a partnership with you since there is no reliable source of revenue.
You must have at least 1.000 subscribers and attain 4.000 hours of video watch hours over the span of 12 months to become eligible for the partnership.
Once you become a partner, you gain access to multiple revenue streams:
- Revenue from various YouTube ads, such as display, overlay or video;
- Membership revenue from subscribers who pay a monthly fee in exchange for certain perks;
- Revenue from branded merchandise that is displayed on your watch pages;
- Revenue from the fans that choose to pay to have their messages highlighted in chat streams;
- Join YouTube Premium and ask for a subscription when people want to watch your YouTube content.
What Next?
If you meet YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines, then the next step you should take is to turn on the ads feature. Keep in mind, however, that although this feature is enabled it is not a guarantee that your ads will appear automatically on your videos. The process is very strict and the content will first be reviewed to ensure it meets all the criteria.
If you want to turn on ads for videos that you’ve already uploaded, then you need to go to studio.youtube.com after you’ve accessed your account. From there, select Videos and choose the content you want. Select Monetisation from the left menu and the type of ad you want to run.
If you want to turn on ads for multiple videos, then you need to go to the video manager and select the videos you would like to generate revenue for. Click on the Actions button and then on Monetise. Next, you will have to select the preferred ad formats and mention if your videos will contain any product placement. Select Monetise and you are done.
Can I Link My Google Advertising Account to My YouTube Channel?
YouTube advertising is an ecosystem in and of itself and it differs significantly from setting up a PPC or social media campaign. One strategy that can simplify this process considerably and start generating revenue is to link your Google AdSense account to your YouTube one.
Here’s how to do it.
Go to the Monetisation button from your YouTube account and choose the AdSense option. You will be redirected to Google AdSense sign up page where you will have to enter your login details. Provide the necessary personal details, such as name, address, and bank account information.
YouTube will determine how much you earn by looking at the cost per mile (CPM), meaning how much money an advertiser is willing to pay for 1.000 impressions of an ad. Be careful, though: video views don’t qualify as impressions. An impression is when a user watches the ad on one of your videos on YouTube until the end without skipping it.
You can also link your Google Ads account to your YouTube channel to increase the audience you are targeting. To do so, go to your AdWords account, select Tools and then Billing. Choose Linked Accounts from the Settings icon and select YouTube.
Once you are done with the setup process, you can create a video campaign.
One trick that you need to pay attention to and that could impact the results of your campaign is the goal. You can choose between Brand Awareness and Reach and Product and Brand Consideration. With the former, you can reach a lot of people with a small budget, but your ad won’t appear in the search results. With the latter, on the other hand, your ads will appear in YouTube search whenever consumers are looking for products or services.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is ever expanding. Just when you’re starting to feel like you’ve got the gist of one platform, a new one emerges. YouTube is an untapped market, waiting for brands and content creators to experiment with its potential.
It’s a rather challenging quest to embark on, we’ll give you that. But, with the right partners on your side, you can turn your YouTube channel into a well-oiled revenue stream. Here at Australian Internet Advertising, we know how to help you explore YouTube’s potential. Our approach is data-driven and we base every decision on facts and figures and after we’ve reviewed the stats in your YouTube analytics.
Give us a call and let’s discuss your needs.
