Getting Started With B2B Video Ads on YouTube and Hulu TV 

If you’ve decided to add B2B TV ads into your marketing mix but you’re not sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place! Video is king right now, and diving into Hulu and YouTube is a strategic use of your resources. We’re going to dive into the ins and outs of B2B video ads. Let’s get started with some of the types of ad placements you can utilize on Hulu and YouTube:

Hulu

There are two ways to place advertisements with Hulu: Pre-roll which is a video ad that plays before the programming begins, and in-stream ads which play mid-program. From here, you can choose to run “regular” videos or interactive ones where your customer can engage with the video by clicking on the screen. 

YouTube

YouTube also has its fair share of video options. Advertisers can choose from skippable, non-skippable, and bumper videos ads, all of which play within the video player at varying lengths. Plus, YouTube offers Video Discovery ads, which allow your video to be placed at the top of a user’s search when they are browsing other relevant content (it’s similar to a Google Search Ad but for YouTube!).

Benefits of B2B Video Ads

Targeting

Hulu and YouTube provide advertisers with a massive potential audience. YouTube is the second most visited website next to Google, and a large majority of Hulu users are on the ad-supported level of the platform. This audience base is extraordinary and the ability to hone in and target your B2B audience is possible within both of these sites. You’re hitting the right person at the right time, regardless of if they’re watching at home or on the go. 

YouTube offers targeting options that include: demographic and interest-based selections, email list uploads (so you can specifically reach a set of contacts that you have in your CRM), and customer match, which finds new customers similar to your best-performing ones! Hulu takes a more streamlined approach to targeting. You can target based on demographic and geographic information–age, gender, interests, zip code–or by program genre. Both targeting strategies allow you to get your message in front of the right audience.

Video Tone

Let’s take the tone of the content surrounding your ad placement into consideration. If you place a slightly humorous ad in the middle of a somber movie, or on a network that is known for its tragic storytelling, your message won’t come across as strongly as if you were to have it play on a comedy network, for example. You want your brand’s messaging and persona to shine through, so proper placement is crucial in your B2B video ad spend. 

Engage With Your Audience

A well-produced video can hold a lot of weight with your audience. It’s more memorable and has the ability to convey a strong message. Investment in simple things like a good microphone or proper styling can take your B2B TV ad to the next level. Plus, video ads allow you more time with your audience, giving you more of a chance to hook them on your product or service. While other forms of advertising can limit you to a mere 30 characters, video gives you a platform to not only tell your customer what they’re missing, but to show them. 

Reuse Content

Video is critical for growth right now. In fact, 80% of marketers say video helps increase sales. However, creating great videos doesn’t happen overnight – it is time and labor-intensive. The beauty of video content is your ability to cut and recut to fit various formats and platforms. Who says you can’t take that video from your landing page, edit it, and utilize it for your B2B video ad? Definitely not us. Reuse and recycle your content! 

Advertising Breakdown

Like any robust advertising campaign, a B2B TV ad strategy has a lot of considerations. Let’s dive into them:

Budget

The days of a YouTube or Hulu ad eating away your budget are long gone. With the introduction of self-service platforms and the increasing reliance on streaming services, video ads are possible at nearly any budget. It is worth noting that, like many ad types, you pay by impressions (or views). If you’re just starting out, it may not be obvious how many impressions you may need to have a measurable impact, but it’s a good rule of thumb to ensure that you can afford to have multiple impressions per audience member to increase the chances of ad recall..

Campaign Cohesion 

Advertising should always be looked at holistically. Your B2B TV ads are only a piece of the puzzle. Creating a cohesive campaign with consistent branding and messaging is crucial. Though a different format, your video ads should have a similar look and feel to your other paid media. 

Now that you know the kinds of ads you can place, the benefits of B2B video ads, and a breakdown of things to consider, you should be able to get your TV ad campaign off the ground. Still feeling like you need help? Get in touch with us.