A great benchmark to keep in mind for YouTube ads is 15 seconds. On an episode of Honest Ecommerce, Brendan Hughes of Optily made the point that successful brands can get an in-market consumer to watch 15 seconds of a video for a very low cost. The goal here isn't to get a direct sale from that first view. Instead, it’s about how you can build audiences very cost effectively. This is the first step in a two-part strategy that takes full advantage of YouTube's targeting capabilities.
So, how do you find these 'in-market consumers' in the first place? This is where YouTube's connection to Google search becomes so powerful. Brett Curry talks about this constantly, and on one episode he stressed that the best place to start is with what he calls a custom intent audience. As he points out, Google sees all of a user's search behavior. You can build an audience of people based on what they're actively searching for on Google, and then show your ads to that same group on YouTube.
This creates a potent one-two punch. First, you create a short, engaging video ad. Your campaign's goal is simply to get views from a highly specific custom intent audience, like people who recently searched Google for 'organic dog food for sensitive stomachs.' You aren't pushing for a click or a purchase just yet. You're just building a new audience within Google Ads composed of people who watched your video for at least 15 seconds.
Once you have that audience, you launch a second campaign. This is where you retarget those specific viewers with a different ad, maybe one with a special offer or a clear call to action. They've already demonstrated search intent by looking for your keywords, and they've shown interest by watching your first video. They are now a much warmer lead, and this is where you can effectively ask for the sale.
While affinity audiences have their place for broad awareness, using custom intent audiences gets you in front of people based on what they want right now. It shifts the focus from who they are to what their current search intent is, which is a far stronger signal for driving ecommerce sales.