With over 2 billion monthly active users, it’s no surprise that YouTube has become a popular platform for businesses to advertise their products. One of the most effective ways to do this is through YouTube Shopping Ads. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what they are, how they work, and how you can use them to promote your products.
Table of Contents
What is YouTube Shopping Ads?
YouTube Shopping Ads is a feature that allows eligible creators to promote their own products or other brands’ products across YouTube.
Through YouTube Shopping, creators can connect their store to YouTube to feature their own products in their content, tag products from other brands in their content, and check their Shopping analytics in YouTube Analytics to view the performance of tagged products.
How does YouTube Shopping ads work?
YouTube Shopping Ads work by allowing creators to tag products in their videos, Shorts, and live streams. People from specific areas can look at and purchase items all over YouTube. This includes your channel’s store, products in video descriptions, a product shelf under your content, using the Shopping button on your content, and even a pinned product in live streams.
If you want to sell your own stuff, like your merchandise, on YouTube, you need to make sure you meet the rules, link your store to YouTube, and tag products from your store to feature them in your content. To promote products from other brands in your content, you must fit the eligibility criteria, follow the tagging guidelines, and tag products in your content.
Why run Shopping ads on YouTube?
Wide reach
YouTube Shopping Ads is a powerful tool that allows creators and businesses to promote their products on one of the world’s largest video-sharing platforms. With YouTube Shopping Ads, you can reach over 2 billion monthly active users who search and watch millions of videos every day.
By tagging products in your videos, you can provide viewers with an easy way to learn more about your products and make a purchase.
Cost saving
YouTube Shopping Ads is an affordable way to capture a massive audience.
On average, they cost about one to two pennies per view. By using your existing data, you can build your customer list and optimize your other campaigns.
More conversions
According to Google, advertisers that add product feeds to their Video action campaigns achieve over 60% more conversions at a lower cost on average compared to video action campaigns without product feeds.
Specific audience targeting
YouTube Shopping Ads provide diverse targeting options, allowing you to reach particular or specialized audiences based on their demographics, interests, or the content they’re watching.
You can use demographic groups, interests, placements, and your data segments to target specific audiences aside from the typical demographics and interests data segments.
Additionally, you can also use Customer Match or Similar Segments to target similar audiences to those who have been to your site before.
Ideal for engagement, impression, and remarketing
It is common for users to click on a product and visit your website, but not necessarily make a purchase right away. It is rare for people to click on a product and immediately make a purchase decision.
However, this is not necessarily a bad thing because you are still getting traffic to your site and they can see all the good products you have to offer. If they leave your site without making a purchase, you can use remarketing ads to target them and encourage them to return to your site.
Is it possible to show Google Shopping Ads on YouTube?
Sure! It is possible to display Google Shopping ads on various platforms, including Google Shopping, Google Search, Google Images, and the Google Display Network (only for local catalog ads).
Starting in 2019, Google Shopping ads can also appear on Google Search Partner websites, such as YouTube. There are several ways your Shopping ads can be placed on YouTube, including through search partners and suggested products.
Requirements & recommendations
1. Create a Merchant Center’s product feed.
- Including a minimum of four products. For Video campaigns, consider adding more than four products for improved performance.
- Ensure images for each product meet ad display requirements (aspect ratios between .6 to 1.4), with only the primary image used in the ad.
- Products must comply with Shopping ads and personalized advertising policies.
Activate Shopping ads within your Merchant Center account.
2. Enable Shopping ads in Google Merchant Center.
3. Link Google Ads account to Merchant Center.
How to set up a YouTube Shopping campaign
Starting a new campaign with YouTube Shopping ads is simple, here are the steps:
Step 1: Connect your store to YouTube
- Sign in to your Google account.
- Go to the YouTube Studio.
- Navigate and click on the “Monetization” tab.
- Click on “Shopping” and follow the on-screen instructions to connect your store.
When you click on Connect store, a pop-up window will appear.
Choose Shopify and click on the ‘Continue’ button. This will establish a direct link between Shopify and your channel.
Select ‘Go to Shopify’ and Shopify will open in a new tab. Ensure that you are already logged in to your Shopify account.
Click on ‘Add app’ from this page to install the Google Channel app on your Shopify.
Click on ‘Add Sales Channel’ located at the top right corner. Then, choose ‘Connect Google account’ to link your Google account.
Sign in to the Google account that links to your YouTube channel. Then, complete all store requirements on the page.
Next, connect your Google Merchant account or create a new one if you don’t already have one. Finally, enter your phone information and verify your identity via text message.
After agreeing to the terms and conditions, proceed by choosing “Complete setup”.
Following this, synchronize your products with YouTube. Within the YouTube section, initiate the process by selecting “Get Started”. Ensure your channel fulfills the requirements before clicking “Continue”.
Subsequently, pick your YouTube channel from the dropdown menu. Review and accept YouTube’s shopping terms of service, then proceed by selecting “Complete setup”.
After approval, your products will be accessible in YouTube Studio, granting you the ability to choose the specific videos where you’d like your products to be displayed.
Step 2: Tag other brand’s products in your content
Did you know that you can also tag products from other brands in your content? Here’s how:
- Upload a video to YouTube.
- Click on the “Add an end screen” button.
- Click on “Add element”.
- Click on “Product”.
- Search for the product you want to tag & select it.
- Add the product details and click “Create”.
Step 3: Check your Shopping analytics in YouTube Analytics
- Sign in to your Google account.
- Go to the YouTube Studio.
- Click on the “Analytics” tab.
- Click on “Shopping” to view your Shopping analytics.
Best practices for your Shopping ads on YouTube
To create effective YouTube shopping ads, it is important to:
Create bright scenes and backgrounds
Create visually stunning and high-quality product videos that showcase the unique features and benefits of your products, creating an irresistible allure that entices viewers to click and make a purchase.
Use strategic targeting
Elevate the power of YouTube Ads’s targeting options to ensure your ads reach the right audience. Leverage demographics, interests, and viewing habits to maximize your ads’ impact, ensuring they resonate with viewers who are genuinely interested in your products.
Track and optimize
Keep an eye on how well your YouTube Shopping Ads are doing and make them work better by using what you learn from how they’re doing. Try out various ways of showing your ads, who you show them to, and how you bid to get the most out of your advertising.
Wrap up
YouTube Shopping Ads is a powerful tool that allows creators and businesses to promote their products on one of the world’s largest video-sharing platforms. By tagging products in your videos, you can increase your brand’s visibility, improve engagement, and drive sales. If you’re looking to promote your products on YouTube, YouTube Shopping Ads is definitely worth considering.
