Here’s the biggest number: in March 2014, people viewed 29 billion online video ads. These numbers all come from a recent study by Pixability. They really convey the enormous size of YouTube’s reach. There are two approaches to using YouTube in your marketing, and they both involve producing your own video content.

First Approach

The first approach is to use SEO and your social media accounts to organically promote your videos. The second is to buy advertising views from YouTube. These approaches are certainly not mutually exclusive, and in fact they complement each other well.

If you’re going to take the organic route, it is important to consider YouTube channels. Your YouTube One Channel will let you really emphasize your brand with icons and artwork, and the channel can help you give your video pages a consistent look. Most importantly, your channel is something that viewers can subscribe to. It’s a way to let each video reach more people, and it lets people interact with you.

One great example of a company using YouTube well is Blendtec. Blendtec sells blenders, and they have put up many videos over the last few years that show what happens to different objects when they’re put in a blender. It’s a great idea that also puts their product front and center. Check out one of their videos here:

You’ll notice they encourage people to send them ideas about what to blend through Facebook. This is a great way to interact with people through social media. BSG can help you make the right videos for your company, whether you have an idea yourself or if you just think it’s a great way to reach potential business.

Buying Advertisements

If you’re looking buy advertisements on YouTube, there are a few options to consider. You’ve undoubtedly noticed the ads that run before videos on YouTube. Those ads usually have the option to skip to the video after 5 seconds.

What might surprise you is that advertisers do not pay for views when the viewer skips the ad, but instead pay only if the viewer watches 30 seconds of the ad (or the entire ad if it is shorter than 30 seconds).

Another good option is in-display video ads. These ads appear at the top of the recommended video list to the right of the playing video. These ads have the benefit of being displayed in a visible place, and they can be targeted to people who make relevant searches or who fit into a desired demographic. This time, you are charged when people view the video itself, and people who actively click on the video view the whole video at very high rates.

There are a few other options for advertising on YouTube worth considering. You can have your video display when relevant searches are made. You can also target your ads to appear on specific popular channels if you think they may be the right fit for your videos.

Advertising with videos on YouTube gives your business the opportunity to really engage with people. Americans are spending a tremendous amount of time on YouTube. You can tailor your advertising to likely buyers more easily than ever before. BSG has the videographers to both shoot and edit great content, and their social media managers can help you really interact with your customers.