Google Ads Video Campaigns: Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners in 2024

Google Ads Video campaigns let advertisers show their videos on different Google platforms. These campaigns are great for increasing brand awareness, but many advertisers struggle to make their video ads profitable. In this article, we'll walk you through the simple steps to set up and run your own video ad campaigns.

 

What is a Google Ads Video Campaign?

A Google Ads Video campaign lets businesses promote their products or services with video ads on platforms like YouTube and other websites. These campaigns help reach a specific audience and grab their attention with engaging video content.

 

Video ads can include commercials, product demos, customer reviews, or storytelling to share a brand's message in a powerful way.

 

 

Benefits of Google Ads Video Campaigns

Google Ads Video campaigns are used for different goals in digital advertising. Mega Digital has highlighted the main benefits of using Google Video campaigns, based on experience with long-term clients running video ads:

• Wide reach: These campaigns let you reach a large audience on platforms like YouTube and partner websites, which have millions of users worldwide.

 

• Product promotion: You can showcase important features and benefits of your products or services. By displaying your videos, you can spark interest and get potential customers to consider your offerings.

 

• Targeted advertising: Google Ads Video campaigns offer advanced targeting options, allowing you to reach specific demographics, interests, or locations. This ensures your ads reach the right audience.

 

• Integration with Google tools: These campaigns easily connect with other Google marketing tools, helping you create coordinated strategies and consistent messaging across multiple platforms.

Types of Video campaigns Google Ads

Google Ads offers several types of Video campaigns, each designed to meet different advertising goals. Here are the main types:

Skippable In-stream Ads: These ads play before, during, or after videos on YouTube and other partner sites. Viewers can skip the ad after 5 seconds, and you only pay when viewers watch 30 seconds, the entire video, or interact with the ad.

Non-skippable In-stream Ads: These are shorter ads (up to 15 seconds) that viewers must watch before they can view their content. Ideal for brand awareness and reaching a wider audience.

In-feed Video Ads: These ads appear in places like the YouTube search results, the YouTube homepage, or alongside related videos. Viewers can click on the thumbnail to watch the video. Great for driving engagement and clicks.

Bumper Ads: Bumper ads are non-skippable and only 6 seconds long, designed to deliver quick, memorable messages. They are perfect for boosting brand awareness and reach.

Outstream Ads: These video ads play on mobile devices outside of YouTube, such as on partner websites or apps. They auto-play with sound off and are designed to reach more viewers across the web.

Masthead Ads: A premium ad format that appears at the top of YouTube’s homepage. It's perfect for reaching a large audience quickly, but it’s usually reserved for bigger campaigns and brands.

Video Ad Sequencing: This type allows you to show a series of videos in a specific order to tell a story or reinforce a message over time, keeping the audience engaged throughout the campaign.

Each type serves different marketing objectives, from boosting brand awareness to driving engagement and conversions

 

>>> Read More: Step-by-Step Guide: How to Link YouTube Channel with Google Ads

Steps to set up a Google Ads Video campaign

Have you decided the type of Google Ads Video campaign you want to run? Now, let’s go over how to set it up.

 

Step 1: Log In

• Sign in to your Google Ads account, or create new account if you are new. Switch to “Expert mode” for more options,
• Click the blue “+ New Campaign” button to start a new campaign.

 

Step 2: Select Campaign Goals

Choose objective that fits what you want to achieve with your Video campaign. For video ads, common goals are boosting brand awareness, encouraging people to consider your product, or driving traffic to your website.

 

You can choose “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance” if you want your Google Ads Video campaigns to achieve different results than the typical goals.

There are several types of Google Ads, so make sure to select “Video” as your campaign type. This will ensure that your campaign is optimized specifically for video ads.

Next, choose a campaign subtype based on your goals and the format of your video ad.

Step 3: Setup the Campaign

Campaign Name: Choose a clear and descriptive name for your campaign to help you identify it easily later.

Bidding Strategy and Budget:

Daily Budget: Select how you want to manage your budget:

• Standard Delivery: This spreads your budget evenly throughout the day.
• Accelerated Delivery: This uses your budget faster, showing your ads more frequently.

 

Campaign Total Budget: Set the start and end dates for your campaign. This will ensure that your campaign automatically stops once the end date is reached. You can also decide to spend more on certain days if you want to maximize clicks or conversions.

 

The most common strategy for Google Ads Video campaigns is maximum CPV (Cost Per View). This means you decide the highest amount you’re willing to pay for each view of your video ad. You should also set a daily budget to control how much you want to spend each day on your campaign.

 

Note: With CPV bidding, you can bid not only for views but also for interactions, like when someone clicks on your call-to-action (CTA) overlay. To count as a view, a user must watch your ad for 30 seconds (or the entire ad if it’s shorter than 30 seconds) or interact with it.

 

You can set a maximum CPV, which is the most you will pay for your ads. However, you might end up paying less, depending on factors like your Quality Score, Ad Rank, and your competitors' Quality Scores. The final amount you pay is known as your actual CPV.

Step 4: Add Additional Settings

Network Selection: Choose where you want your video ads to appear. The main option is YouTube, where your ads can show before, during, or after other videos. You can also select the Google Display Network to reach more people by showing your video ads on websites and apps that partner with Google.

Location: In the “Locations” section, you can add a city, region, country, or even a specific address. As you type, Google Ads will suggest locations that match. You can pick from these suggestions or click “Advanced search” for more options. You can also refine your location targeting by choosing options like targeting a specific radius (e.g., within 10 miles of a certain place) or specific demographics in that area.

 

Language: Choose the language you want your Google Ads Video campaigns to be shown in, based on your target audience's preferred language

 

Related Videos in Google Ads Video Campaigns

When creating a Google Ads Video campaign, you have the option to display related videos alongside your ads. This feature can enhance viewer engagement and provide additional value to your audience. Here’s what you need to know about incorporating related videos into your campaign:

 

Definition: Related videos are additional video content that appears next to or below your ad on platforms like YouTube. These videos are selected based on their relevance to the viewer's interests or the content being watched.

 

Benefits:

• Increased Engagement: Showing related videos can keep viewers on your content longer, increasing the likelihood of them interacting with your brand.
• Improved Brand Awareness: By featuring related content, you can enhance brand recall and recognition, especially if the additional videos align well with your message.
• Cross-Promotion: If you have other videos that showcase your products, services, or brand story, linking them as related videos can drive more traffic to your entire video library.

 

Best Practices:

Select Relevant Content: Ensure that the related videos are closely tied to your ad’s theme or subject matter to maintain viewer interest.

 

Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on how related videos impact viewer engagement and conversions. Use metrics to adjust your strategy as needed.

 

Test Different Combinations: Experiment with different related videos to see which combinations yield the best results in terms of viewer engagement and click-through rates.

 

Incorporating related videos into your Google Ads Video campaigns can enhance the viewing experience and improve your overall advertising effectiveness. By strategically selecting and promoting additional content, you can create a more cohesive and engaging campaign that resonates with your audience.

 

Multi-Format Ads

Increase Your Views with Multi-Format Video Ads

Using multi-format video ads can help you gain more visibility. You can get up to 40% more views, 40% more consideration lift, and 25% more search lift by showing your ads in different formats.

 

Your video ads can appear as:

• Skippable in-stream ads: Ads that viewers can skip after a few seconds.
• In-feed video ads: Ads that show up in the YouTube feed alongside other videos.
• Shorts ads: Quick, vertical video ads that appear in YouTube Shorts.

 

For these ads, your bidding strategy will focus on target CPV (cost per view). Note that Shorts ads can only be used with multi-format video ads.

 

Device and Ad Schedule Settings

Device: In this step, Google will suggest devices where your ads can be displayed. If your goal is to drive conversions, we recommend excluding TV screens.

 

Ad Schedule: Next, you’ll set the times you want your video ads to run. You can choose specific days of the week if you only want your ads to appear at certain times. Adjust the settings to match your needs.

Step 5: Create ad groups

Ad Group Name: Choose a name for your ad group that reflects the theme or target audience of your Google Video campaign. This will help you organize and identify your campaigns easily.

 

Demographics: Specify the age, gender, parental status, and household income of your target audience. This ensures that your ads reach users who fit your ideal customer profile.

 

Audience Segments: Select your audience based on interest groups, life events, market events, and remarketing groups. Interest groups allow you to be specific about who you want to target, and you can even combine different groups.

 

Keywords: Include words or phrases that will help match your ads with relevant search terms. This helps your ads appear when users search for those terms.

 

Topics: Carefully categorize your video ads into the appropriate topics. This will help potential audiences find and engage with your Google Ads Video campaigns.

 

Placements: Decide where you want your ads to be shown. If there are specific YouTube channels or videos where you'd like your ads to appear, you can enter them here!

 

Step 6: Create a Video Ads

Final Steps to Complete Your Google Ads Video Campaign

YouTube Account: Make sure you have an active YouTube account with video content. If you don’t have any videos yet, upload your video and check that it meets the format and length requirements set by Google Ads.

 

Set a Bid for Your Ad Group: Choose how much you want to spend for this ad group.

 

Ad Format: Select the type of video ad format you want to use based on your campaign goals.

 

Enter URLs:

• Landing Page URL: Input the link to the page where you want viewers to go after clicking your ad.
• Display URL: This is the URL that will be shown to viewers in the ad.

 

Call to Action (CTA): Write a compelling CTA that encourages people to visit your landing page.

 

Headline: Enter a headline for your ad. It’s best if the headline is relevant to both your landing page and the ad itself.

 

Tracking Template (Optional): Click on "Ad URL options" to add a tracking template if you want to track ad performance.

 

Companion Banner: Add an image or a group of images that will show alongside your video ad.

 

Campaign Name: Give your Google Ads Video campaign a name.

 

Create Campaign: After you’ve filled everything out, click “Create campaign,” and you’re all set!

Step 7: Track Performance

After you create your ads, it may take a few days for them to start running. Keep an eye on your account to see when your ad gets approved.

 

Once your ads are live, you can use Google Analytics to track their performance and see how your audience is responding. Here are some key metrics to monitor:

 

Impressions: This counts how many times people see your video. You can track:

• Thumbnail Impressions: How many times people see your video’s thumbnail.
• Video Impressions: How many times people watch your ad for 30 seconds or less.

 

Views: This counts when someone watches your in-stream ad for 30 seconds or more.

 

Clicks: This shows the number of times people click on your ad, giving you insight into how engaging it is.

 

Videos Played To: This metric indicates how well viewers are watching your video. You can see how many viewers watched 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of your ad

 

Conclusion

Implementing best practices for Google Video ads is essential for creating engaging and effective campaigns that resonate with your target audience. By understanding your audience, crafting high-quality content, and utilizing strong calls to action, you can significantly improve viewer engagement and drive desired outcomes.

 

Moreover, optimizing for various platforms, testing different ad formats, and leveraging analytics allows you to refine your strategies over time. Incorporating companion banners and remarketing efforts further enhances visibility and encourages conversions.

 

Ultimately, consistency in branding and careful ad timing ensures that your message reaches viewers when they are most receptive. By continually monitoring performance and adapting your approach, you can maximize the impact of your Google Video ads and achieve your marketing goals effectively