The challenge with traditional paid advertising is that you have to push your message to everyone, even though your target audience might be limited to a very select group. This has been true of TV, radio and newspaper advertising to name a few. There is the opportunity for some targeting within traditional advertising such as by what types of programing they have in common, but because it’s done on such a large scale, you really can’t get down to the level of knowing what your target audience is specifically interested in or may need. You also don’t know if they saw your add on television or if your marketing efforts were subjected to the fast forward button. For years Google has offered pay per click advertising and it can be a very effective way to reach your target. Using that same idea YouTube has created a way for brands to be more targeted and to help spend their advertising dollars more strategically.

TrueView ads, which include YouTube ads with the “skip ad” option, are a cost-effective, low-risk way for companies to reach their target audience. Your goal as an advertiser is to create something that they won’t want to skip.

In addition, TrueView ads can be directed to specific audiences through topic targeting (having the ad play on topic-specific channels) and interest targeting (having the ad play for viewers whose video-watching history relates to the ad’s content). Then, companies can target future marketing toward this specific demographic in what is called video remarketing.

Ultimately, TrueView ads offer several benefits. Unlike with traditional advertising methods, dollars are not wasted on people who are not interested in, or receptive to, the company’s message. Rather than haphazardly disseminating seeds on a large plot of land, hoping for a few of them to grow, marketers can focus on cultivating their seeds on the most fertile segments.

There are three different types of TrueView ads:

– In-stream ads that precede a YouTube video and can be skipped at any time after the first five seconds
– In-display ads that appear on YouTube under “Suggested and Recommended Videos” and on Google Display Network
– In-search ads that appear in YouTube and Google video search results

For in-stream ads, the sponsor is charged per each viewer who watches at least 30 seconds. For in-display and in-search ads, the sponsor is charged per each viewer who clicks to watch the video.

These methods ensure that advertising dollars are worth the investment because the expense is directly related to the number of people who purposefully elect to view the full ad. Although the ad may not reach as many people, the viewers it does reach will be those who are most receptive to the message and will want to learn more about the company.

TrueView ads, combined with remarketing strategies, effectively direct marketing efforts – and dollars – towards consumers who are truly interested in the company’s products or services.