Everything You Need to Know About YouTube TV

Sean Galli
Everything You Need to Know About YouTube TV

Cable is out. Streaming is in.

You’ve probably heard your Gen Z or Millennial kids say as much. It goes something like this. “Cable’s gotten too expensive, we’re gonna cancel and do more streaming.”

But this isn’t just a conversation over family dinner. It’s a nationwide trend.

There are 55.1 million American “cord cutters” as of 2022, and cable ratings are down 11 percent for the 18 to 49-year-old age group. In total, 69% of people use streaming services like YouTube TV. YouTube TV alone has over 3 million subscribers!

But why should YouTube TV matter to your friendly neighborhood credit union or community bank? Because it’s a marketer’s dream, that’s why.

Here’s everything you need to know about YouTube TV and how it benefits your marketing.

YouTube TV Forces Your Ads To Be Short

Your viewers aren’t the biggest fans of long commercials.

A 2020 study showed ads were most effective in the first five seconds. While longer ads took audiences on an emotional journey, they registered “diminishing returns.”

What does this mean? It means viewers liked the commercial less the longer it continued.

YouTube TV’s ads are short and avoid this pitfall. There are two non-skippable ad types:

  • In-Stream Ads: A maximum of 15 to 20 seconds. These ads are slightly shorter than normal 30-second TV commercials.
  • Bumper Ads: A maximum of six seconds. You’ll need a fun, memorable message to quickly make your mark!

No matter which ad type you choose, YouTube TV curbs the temptation to make long commercials your customers won’t enjoy.  

YouTube TV Has Powerful Analytics

Ok, so you’ve placed your YouTube TV ad after reading our advice. But how’s it doing?

You’ll have to check the data to find out! And luckily for your time-pressed marketing departments, it’s good data too.

You can look at:

  • How many views your ad received
  • Viewer engagement with your commercials (clicks, QR code scans, etc.)
  • Your viewers’ ages, locations and devices used

Use these detailed analytics to help monitor your progress and hone your future marketing strategy. Never blindly assume ads will work just because you shoved them on YouTube TV.

All great tools need great strategy to augment them.

YouTube TV Lets You Target the Right Viewers

Who’s your target audience? Sure, you want the younger crowd. After all, everyone does.

But maybe you aren’t only targeting younger audiences. Maybe your credit union serves teachers. Or city employees. Or military members.

YouTube TV lets you target a diverse viewership. “Topic targeting” focuses your ad campaign on relevant topics, like “travel.” Not only that, the platform also targets:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Life events (like marriage or moving)

Once again, don’t forget strategy!

First ask yourself, “What consumers do we want?” Then ask, “What topic or demographic best describes our consumers?” Accurately answering these questions will give you the best results.

For example, you find out your consumers are house-hunting Millennials. You may want to target their age (26 to 41), life events (marriage could spark a move) or favorite topics (“home design”) if you want their business.

Do you know what consumers your ads should target? Sign up for an On The Mark Strategies marketing assessment today to start clarifying your niche and see if YouTube TV could be a fit for your marketing department. With our help, your marketing can work smarter, not harder.

Sean Galli
Marketing Coordinator