Out of all the possible forms of video advertising, advertising on Youtube is one of the most popular options. As the second largest search engine in the world with a user base almost one-third of the internet, it has the biggest reach unseen in any other platform, and that’s the tip of the iceberg if we’re considering just raw numbers. Here’s a look at other reasons why YouTube is amazing for animation advertisements.

For small companies needing brand recognition but unable to sponsor the cost of traditional advertising, digital advertising is king with its biggest cost to reach ratio. Video advertising in particular is a highly effective method, with viewers 1.8 times more likely to make a purchase compared to non-viewers.

However, the budget required for a live-action video that will look good runs counter to the reason a low-budget company would consider video advertising in the first place due to all the additional costs incurred by hiring manpower.

Animation comes in as a low-cost option that saves on both time and money. In the months needed to hire and to cast crews of people for filming just to create a quick 30-second advert, an animated ad would have been completed and ready for distribution with only a single team of animators. On top of all that, animated videos bring in better conversion rates, raising its value even further.

As a quick precursor, YouTube offers what’s called TrueView ads, where the ad is paid for after it has been seen. This is highly attractive to those who want to only pay for guaranteed views, making YouTube advertising as a whole very cost-effective. Here are the types of YouTube video ads you can choose from.

1) TrueView In-Stream Ads

In-Stream Ads are the most common kind of ads on YouTube. These are video ads that will play before, during, or at the end of other videos. Viewers usually are forced to watch at least 5 seconds of your video ad before being allowed to skip it. You will only be charged if the viewer opts to watch the video ad up to 30 seconds or the end of the video advert, whichever comes first.

Research has proven that these ads are just as effective as traditional per-impression adverts, but have the added bonus of empowering the viewer to skip ads if desired. In a day and age where the average person sees up to 5,000 ads per day, it is very easy to emotionally associate your brand with a sense of ill will, something that any company would like to avoid. Giving viewers the choice to skip ads after being given a brief preview of it is one of the best compromises there is in digital advertising.

2) TrueView Discovery Ads (formerly TrueView In-Display Ads)

Your video ads will appear as part of the search results, alongside other related content, or on YouTube’s homepage. These ads are normally presented as a thumbnail with some accompanying text, and are usually integrated with the site itself in some way or another. You will only be charged if the viewer opts to click on your video advert.

Ads shown are usually selected by the algorithm to be related to a viewer’s search results, and are presented in constant, clear sight of the viewer. With this algorithm, you can ensure your ads are targeted. The thumbnail alone can also function as a static advertisement without having to pay for it, and is good with impression-creation and brand recognition.

3) Bumper Ads

These videos are similar to In-Stream Ads, but the maximum length of these ads is 6 seconds. The viewer is unable to skip up until the end of your brief video advert. You will be charged once per 1,000 ads.

This is essentially the best ad format to use if the goal is to reach a broad audience with a short, memorable message, and combines static advertising methods (where the goal is impressions) with the advantages offered by video advertising. Although brief, they have a major impact, bringing with it significant ad recall.

With a billion hours of video being watched per day on the platform and internet video traffic making up 69% of the world’s internet traffic for consumers, YouTube as the second biggest search engine in the world dedicated wholly to videos and serving a third of the internet’s userbase is in prime position to capture this growing advertising avenue. In sheer numbers alone, this puts YouTube far ahead of other platforms such as LinkedIn or Twitter. It’s only true rival is Facebook. However, 85% of Facebook videos are watched silently, depriving advertisers of the ability to take advantage of the fact that ad recall is supported by sound.

An important point to note is that YouTube’s TrueView promise ensures that you only pay for ads that are viewed. With only one click per a thousand ads in a campaign, a small company leveraging on the effectiveness of video advertising in conjunction with the low cost of animated videos will find YouTube more cost-effective, as you only pay for guaranteed views.

In a nutshell, YouTube serves as a highly efficient platform for anyone that is looking to maximise their venture into video advertising, especially those that are already reducing costs with animated videos.