YouTube has become an incredibly powerful advertising platform, reaching billions of users worldwide. For a beginner, the process of running YouTube ads can seem complex, but with a structured approach, you can create a successful campaign. Here is a step-by-step tutorial for running YouTube ads in 2024.

Step 1: Set Up Your Google Ads Account and Link Your YouTube Channel
Since YouTube is owned by Google, all YouTube advertising is managed through Google Ads.

Create a Google Ads Account: If you don't already have one, go to the Google Ads website and create a new account. You can use your existing Google account to sign up.

Link Your YouTube Channel: This is a crucial step. In your Google Ads dashboard, go to "Tools & Settings" and find the "Linked accounts" or "Data Manager" section. Link your YouTube channel to your Google Ads account. This allows you to track views, use your channel's viewers for targeting, and show ads on your videos.

Upload Your Video Ad: Your video ad must be uploaded to your YouTube channel before you can use it in a campaign. You can set the video's visibility to "Unlisted" if you don't want it to be public on your channel.

Step 2: Choose Your Campaign Goal and Ad Format
Your campaign goal will determine the best ad format and bidding strategy for you.

Awareness and consideration: This goal is for increasing brand visibility and getting people to think about your brand.

Ad Formats: Skippable in-stream ads and Bumper ads are great for this. Bumper ads, which are short, 6-second, non-skippable ads, are particularly effective for creating a memorable brand message.

Sales, Leads, or Website Traffic: This goal is for driving conversions and direct actions.

Ad Format: Video action campaigns, which include a prominent call-to-action (CTA) button, are the most effective for this objective.

Product and brand consideration (now under Awareness and consideration): This goal helps to drive people to consider your product or service.

For beginners, starting with a "Custom video campaign" is a great way to learn, as it allows you to choose your own ad format and bidding strategy.

Step 3: Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy
Set a Budget: You can choose a daily budget or a campaign total budget. A daily budget is a good starting point for beginners, as it gives you more control over your daily spending.

Choose a Bidding Strategy: This tells Google how to spend your budget.

Maximum CPV (Cost Per View): With this strategy, you set the maximum amount you're willing to pay for a single video view. You only pay if a viewer watches your ad for 30 seconds or more, or engages with it (e.g., clicks a CTA).

Target CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions): This is ideal for brand awareness campaigns where you want to maximize reach. You set a target for how much you're willing to pay for every 1,000 views or impressions.

Step 4: Define Your Targeting Options
This is where you tell Google who you want to show your ads to. YouTube's targeting options are powerful because they use Google's vast data.

Audience Targeting:

Demographics: Target viewers based on age, gender, parental status, and household income.

Audience Segments: This is a powerful feature that lets you target based on people's interests, passions, and what they are actively researching. You can use Google's predefined segments or create custom segments.

Your Data Segments (Remarketing): You can target people who have already interacted with your brand, such as website visitors or people who have watched your other YouTube videos.

Content Targeting:

Keywords: Show your ads on videos with titles, tags, or descriptions that contain specific keywords.

Topics: Place your ads on videos related to a certain topic (e.g., "baking," "digital marketing").

Placements: This is one of the most effective targeting methods. You can choose to place your ad on specific YouTube channels, videos, or websites that are relevant to your audience. This is a great way to target your competitors' audience.

Step 5: Create and Launch Your Ad
Add Your Video Ad: Paste the URL of the video you uploaded to your YouTube channel.

Craft Your Ad Text: Write a compelling headline and description. The headline should be catchy and a call to action.

Include a Call to Action (CTA): This is essential for driving results. The CTA button should be clear and concise (e.g., "Shop Now," "Learn More").

Review and Launch: Double-check all your settings—budget, targeting, ad copy, and video. Once you are confident, click "Create Campaign."

By following these steps, a beginner can successfully launch a YouTube ad campaign, test different strategies, and start driving real results for their business.