Google AdWords launched in 2000, just two years after the search engine. It functions as a pay-per-click marketing strategy targeting digital consumers. In 2018, the platform was rebranded as Google Ads.

While the Google market runs rife with potential leads, its popularity makes it a competitive atmosphere. At the end of 2019, ads on the platform were being viewed by 90% of the internet population. Google Ads may be deluged with business owners making their mark, but there are avenues yet to be conquered. Video is a perfect example of an untapped resource with plenty of potential for growth.

Here are five tips for a successful campaign through Google ads:

Make an ad people want to see

Rather than designing an ad your consumers don’t mind pausing a video for, design an ad they want to watch from start to finish. Consider your target audience and the videos they’re attracted to. The key to a successful video ad is making your audience forget it’s an ad. A unique way to showcase a brand and reduce its appearance as an ad is turning it into something interactive.

Show real consumer opinions

Nine out of ten consumers read reviews before purchasing a product or service. It’s become second nature to see what others are saying before trying something for ourselves. As a marketer, you can profit from this fact by including real customer opinions in your video ad.

Keep it short and sweet

This is an especially helpful tip for ads running in the middle of another video. You’re taking the consumer’s attention off the original link they clicked on. Keeping your content short and sweet improves the chances that a viewer will let it run to completion. As a guide, you should try and keep your ads to between 12 and 20 seconds long.

Research before you write

Understanding what your target demographic wants to see is crucial to a successful video ad campaigns. Research which ads on YouTube are doing well within your industry and what types of videos they feature in.

You can also ask your audience outright what kind of ads they’d like to see and where. Use a poll in your social media feed or send out an incentivized email survey to gather intel.

Draw inspiration from past content

You’ve done your research; you know your audience. You probably have plenty of content already posted to blogs and social media feeds to prove it. Rather than trying to create brand-new ads from scratch, draw on the inspiration of past content. Repurposing your own content to form something new as a video is a brilliant way to give your audience something you already know was a hit.