Throughout the different touchpoints of the customer journey map, users consume a wide variety of online content that conditions their final purchase decision. Blog posts, infographics, reviews, posts by influencers on social networks, reviews, and videos; above all, several videos.
YouTube helps brands to be one step ahead of users in solving their queries and satisfying their needs during the different phases of the buyer’s journey. It is a very important video marketing channel during the TOFU phase, but also the ideal tool for capturing conversions thanks to a very effective ad format: TrueView for Action.
What are TrueView for Action campaigns on YouTube?
TrueView for Action is an in-stream video ad format that can be displayed on YouTube and Google’s video partner websites. It plays before (pre-roll), during (mid-roll) or after (post-roll) the content that the user is watching, giving the user the opportunity to skip it after five seconds.
The goal of TrueView for Action campaigns, as explained by Google, is to get a reaction from the user; either as a visit to the advertiser’s website or by filling out a form.
For a TrueView for Action ad on YouTube, it is advisable to choose short videos, lasting around 30 seconds that are able to convey the essence of the message during the first five.
Patricia Lozano, Audio, Video & Connected TV Senior Consultant at Labelium Spain
How does the TrueView for Action format work?
TrueView for Action campaigns on YouTube can be configured to meet two purposes: website traffic or sales opportunities. In terms of the bidding strategy, the options are to maximize conversions or adjust to a target CPA. Depending on which one is chosen, Google will select, through machine learning and focusing on achieving one or the other result, to whom and when to show these advertising videos.
What are the benefits of TrueView for Action for the digital strategy?
TrueView for Action is one of the most effective advertising formats on YouTube.
TrueView for Action is essential in a video marketing strategy that is geared towards the lower funnel. These are highly relevant, unobtrusive yet eye-catching ads: they provide the user the little incentive they need to ask for more information or seriously consider purchasing a product or service, since we approach them when they are among audiences we know are closest to a decision.
Patricia Lozano, Audio, Video & Connected TV Senior Consultant at Labelium Spain
TrueView for Action advertising exceeds average conversion rates for other campaigns. As evidenced in this Sephora success story in partnership with Labelium, product sales increased by 7.5% and beauty services by 16% after launching a YouTube ad campaign that included the TrueView for Action format.
It also provides excellent results in terms of brand awareness metrics. In a study carried by Ipsos for Google, the participants were divided into two groups and tested using two different sets of audiovisual content. The first group consumed only conventional TV pieces, while the second group combined traditional TV with TrueView ads. The brand awareness reported by interviewees who watched a mix of TV and TrueView was 38% higher than those who were exposed to TV only. Brand recall was also better (+31%), as well as the inclination to recommend the product or service to other users (+71%).
One of the great strengths of TrueView for Action is the flexibility of the campaign optimization, supported by powerful tools such as Brand Lift, which allows the real effectiveness of an active campaign to be measured by collecting direct feedback from users themselves and cross-checking it alongside their Google and YouTube search behavior.
With Brand Lift, it is possible to monitor the evolution of brand awareness, interest and perception of the brand, the recall of the ad or the purchase intention after seeing it. Moreover, the most updated version of this tool, Brand Lift Study 2.0, provides real-time results, which allows for the optimization of campaigns on the go based on the data obtained.
Audience segmentation for the TrueView for Action format
The key to a successful TrueView for Action campaign is accurate audience segmentation.
The audiences that best respond to this video ad format are custom audiences of two types: Custom Affinity and Custom Intent. In the first case, users are selected if they have interests that are somehow connected to the product or brand; in the second case, the purchase intention is taken into account according to the keywords they use in their searches on Google and YouTube.
These personalized audiences allow us to target a very specific niche and therefore potentially interested in our brand, which is why TrueView for Action campaigns work particularly well when targeted.
Complementarily, within TrueView for Action it is also possible to work with other types of audiences. If branding objectives are being pursued, it is interesting to target like-minded audiences according to vital events. Meanwhile, to maximize conversions and reduce CPA, it is convenient to select in-market audiences; and remarketing with users who have previously interacted with the brand and with similar user lists.
This extreme accuracy in defining audiences means that TrueView for Action campaigns provide very positive metrics in terms of the rate and total volume of conversions.
In conclusion, TrueView for Action has proved to be a crucial part of an online marketing strategy, especially in the BOFU phase, due to its great power to move and persuade the user into action.
