Each month, more than one billion YouTube visitors watch over six billion hours of video content. Within this group lies a target group that’s perfectly suited to your business, whether you sell handbags, baguettes, or something in-between. In this piece, we’ll show you how to capture your portion of this audience by geo-targeting and maximizing YouTube video ads.

Step 1: Create A Killer Video Ad

No matter where you place your ad or how often it hits the target, the content must be compelling enough to move the needle. For tips on creating great videos, visit TheWire’s blog on Creating Great Pre-Roll, where you’ll find plenty of tips and inspiration.

Step 2: Set Up Your Video Ad Campaign

Before you can geo-target, you need to set up your YouTube video ad campaign. Believe it or not, most businesses can do this – and begin running video ads – in the time it takes to hold a weekly staff meeting. Tips on setting up your campaign can be found here.

Step 3: Define Target

As you set up your campaign, YouTube will ask you to define your audience. You can be as broad or specific as you wish, however, the more criteria you choose, the fewer views you’re likely to receive. For example, if you target a specific age, channel, and key word, your ad will only appear when these three criteria are met. So, at this point it’s smart to define your audience in the broadest sense possible.

Step 4: Enrich Your Effort

In addition to targeting options, you can choose a variety of tactics that can make your video ad experience more robust. These include display ads, such as banners that run in tandem with your ad and annotations to your video that let you include texts, links or hotspots that engage viewers more thoroughly.

Step 5: Consider The Savings

When you target your online video, you control costs by determining how much you want to spend per view and how long you’d like your campaign to run. A typical video ad can cost a few cents per view, which is defined as thirty seconds of run time or the entirety of the ad, whichever comes first. So even if your views are in the thousands, the hit to your marketing budget could be nominal.

Step 6: Measure Your Success

Once you’ve launched your video campaign, it’s time to monitor effectiveness. Your account can track views, clicks, costs, and budget details. The analytics tab in your YouTube account can tell you even more about your viewers. For instance, if you’re running several videos it can tell you which ones your customers are watching and how long they’ve stayed tuned in.

Today’s small businesses can maximize their ad dollars by targeting videos through YouTube. If your business hasn’t considered doing so, chances are your competitors are, which makes now the perfect time to beat them to it.

Editor’s Note: Cable ONE Advertising can help you navigate the changing word of advertising. Our award-winning producers can create a highly-effective commercial or pre-roll video for your business at an affordable rate. Then we can help you create a media plan that best fits your business' needs by targeting your customers on multiple screens – at home and on the go, using multi-media products. Contact us today!