Pre-roll ads, or in-stream advertising, are a method of advertising through Google AdWords. If you’ve ever watched a video on YouTube, you’ve probably seen the ads before. They pop up before your video and play for five seconds before you can skip them. Pre-roll ads can be interruptive and irritating for the viewers if used incorrectly. However, providing intriguing or helpful content within the ad can result in more customers and better business.

Why use this method over others?

Pre-roll ads offer some of the best online digital marketing opportunities for businesses of varying sizes because they haven’t been overrun by competition and offer quick results. People of all ages and characteristics use YouTube as a means for education, business, and entertainment, so reaching out to the correct customers is achieved relatively easier than other methods of advertising. Additionally, studies and polls indicate that customers feel more inclined to become a customer if the ad is in a video format.

Targeting Options for YouTube Pre-Roll:

Pay attention to your customers’ interests, characteristics, and psyches – what videos would they be watching and how does your product relate? Here are some options to consider:

– Language
– Demographics (Population)
– Geography
– Topics
– Interests

You’re probably aware of the first three, but the last two are more specific to Pre-Roll ads. Videos that people are currently watching are put into a category called a topic. Interests will be shown to the people according to the topics of the videos they watch. Select the right topics by asking yourself: is my target audience likely to watch videos within this subcategory?

Creating a quality video to attract customers:

Targeting the correct audience can be fairly simple for most businesses, but creating a good video that reels customers in can be a more difficult task. In order for your ad to really work, you’ll need to create a video that immediately grabs the customer’s attention. There are numerous animating services you can take advantage of, including PowToon, GoAnimate, and Promoshin. These low-cost services provide easy-to-use, high-quality videos that you can use to stand out in the Pre-roll world.