Google Ads YouTube Ads, the time is now! With Charlotte Sheridan (episode 133)

by April Buencamino-dy

Charlotte Sheridan is the founder of The Small Biz Expert a digital marketing agency based in London handling both Google and Facebook Ads.

Charlotte Sheridan The Small Biz Expert Google Ads

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Getting Into the World of Google Ads

Prior to starting her own agency, The Small Biz Expert, Charlotte worked on Google Ads for a small business. She learned by watching YouTube videos and searching on Google, but eventually underwent some formal training. 

She says, though, that even when you know everything, in theory, your skills will really come from getting into the thick of things, or in this case, advertising.

Right now, she works with over 200 clients on their Google Ads as well as social media ads.

YouTube Ads Targeting Tips

YouTube is a great discovery platform, Charlotte says. You can put out not just ads but also informational content and user-generated content in professional-looking videos that are meant to work as ads.

If you know your audience and you know who you’re targeting, there are different types of ads you can place on YouTube. You can go with video ads, text ads, or static ads, depending on who you’re targeting based on your market segments.

You can also target based on placement, such as placing your ads on Taylor Swift’s latest release. So for Charlotte, YouTube is a platform where you can blend your targeting methods, which isn’t available on other platforms.

YouTube Ads Placement Tips

There are different placements on YouTube, so you can create your ads depending on where you intend to place them.

If you’re doing a skippable ad, make sure you’re putting something in that four-second mark that’s going to keep your audience watching.

If you’re doing sequential ads, make sure you have enough of a hook for your audience to take notice and watch all the ads in the series.

Do remember that a lot of YouTube ads are meant to interrupt so make them relevant and interesting.

YouTube Ads Format Tips

There are two types of YouTube ad formats you can start with:

  • TrueView ads, which can be skippable or non-skippable and shown on somebody else’s video
  • Discovery ads, which are shown on your feed alongside other organic videos

Charlotte says there are other placements available like text and image ads, but in general, it’s best to start with either of these two.

Most Common YouTube Mistakes to Avoid

For Charlotte, the most common mistake you must avoid with any video ad is placing it on a platform it’s not meant for.

So regardless of the platform, make sure that the video ad you create is intended for that particular space to make it perform and work well.

Insider Tips

If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with Google Ads – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?

Charlotte’s advice is to study the platform first before investing in it.

Learn from Google’s resources, third-party resources, and YouTube videos as well.

Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve Google Ads performance?

Optimise your ads by continuously testing them.

Look at every part of your funnel and work your way backward from where conversion happens.

If someone listening wants to learn more about Google Ads is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?

Charlotte recommends videos about YouTube on YouTube itself and Google’s training video on the platform as well.

Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in Google Ads?

There will be more investments in all of those channels that do exceptionally well at the top of the funnel, such as YouTube and TikTok. They’re worth going into and testing for your business.

Interview Links

Charlotte on Social media:

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