With as many as 2.53 billion viewers globally, YouTube has the power to be a significant force for advertising good, allowing for fresh and exciting content created within a video ad format that’s more traditionally seen on television. Unlike with television, however, YouTube viewers typically have the autonomy to click off. As such, success here is more dependent than ever on quality ads that truly capture audiences. 

The question is, what current trends could help your YouTube ads stand out, and secure sales, over the countless companies already making their mark on this platform?

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Technique #1: Silent advertisements

The use of silent ads on YouTube has been so prevalent of late that it’s become a hot topic of debate amongst Reddit users, many of whom believe that this is either an oversight or a case of marketers reusing already silent ads from platforms like Facebook. In reality, though, while the former argument could apply, many brands are also making use of silent YouTube for one reason – they make consumers look. 

This can be especially useful for marketing on a platform where, often users will simply have music or videos running on autoplay in the background. While they may let an ad run without even looking or listening, a sudden silence automatically makes people look up, and, when they do, they’ll see your brand banner, and your messaging, especially if you use eye-catching, typography that says everything an ad with audio would.

Technique #2: Lingering end cards

For many of the same reasons, lingering end cards are becoming an increasingly popular technique for YouTube ads. Again, this creates a silence that can cause otherwise distracted viewers to look, but end cards can also be a great way to help your brand stick in viewer’s minds. Especially if they’re designed by an expert in-house team or an advertising and marketing agency with experience in exactly what makes a great logo, what social links need to feature, and what kind of end-card content is going to secure click-throughs to your website.

Plus, with clicks coming directly to your website from cards like these, you’ll be able to more easily monitor where traffic is coming from, and at what point in the end-card display those clicks are happening.

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Technique #3: Influencer appearances

Influencers like Zoella have largely formed YouTube’s success, and having these self-made stars, or lesser-known YouTubers like them, on your ads can significantly elevate your brand, and the power of your products. After all, in many cases, it’s content like this that users have come to the platform to see. Using recognizable YouTube names to do an ‘unboxing’ style ad, or something similar, can tap right into this audience’s areas of interest, as well as creating a more trusting, personal recommendation vibe that could increase your click-throughs. 

YouTube ads might seem like a brand-new marketing art, but they needn’t overwhelm you. Just put YouTube ad trends like these into action, and sit back to enjoy easily trackable, fun, and interactive marketing on a whole new level.