YouTube Ads vs Facebook Ads! Which advertising platform should you go with?
Before that, know what are Facebook and YouTube Ads.
Placing ads on social media sites and other popular channels is a great way to attract customers and make your business visible. Facebook and YouTube are the options you should use to get customers through advertising. But which one to choose is the biggest confusion. We are going to clarify everything here in this post. While YouTube has a higher view rate and video completion rate, Facebook is always ahead for higher engagement.
Since the past few years, the web world has been in an uproar with all the conversations about how Facebook outperforms YouTube when it comes to video engagement and advertising. But what is surprising is that even though there is a lot of fuss about Facebook, the video giant Google has more than a billion users.
What are YouTube Ads?
Even now, people watch millions of hours of videos every day, and also the total number of hours of videos they watch each month has increased by almost 50%. Furthermore, YouTube remains the second largest search engine giant globally after Google.
Before entering the matter, we will leave a few pieces of data that reflect the potential of YouTube as an advertising tool for all of us. These data are collected on its official website and can be openly consulted:
- YouTube has more than a billion users every day. Those users watch a billion hours of videos, billions of views.
- YouTube reaches far more people between 18 and 34 and 18 and 49 than any cable TV network in the United States.
More than half of YouTube views come from mobile devices. The ads that we will see on YouTube can only be implemented in those videos that have previously enabled earning. The types of ads that you can find on YouTube are the following:
Display Ads
YouTube Display Ads do not appear on mobile devices, only on computers, and their location is to the right of the video that we are playing and just above the suggestions or the playlist. Just like the image below:
Skippable Ads
This type of ad is one that you can skip once 5 seconds of playback have passed. But as a potential future advertiser, when does YouTube charge you?
YouTube will charge you when the following occurs:
- The user watches 30 seconds of the video.
- The user watches the entire video.
If the ad lasts 30 seconds, the user must see it in its entirety for YouTube to charge us.
Ads that cannot be skipped
Some ads cannot be skipped, like the one we see below this paragraph. For an ad to be non-skippable, it must have a maximum duration of 30 seconds. In this case, the box that appears will tell us that the video will play after the ad instead of “You can skip this ad in X seconds.”
Bumper Ads
They are also non-skippable ads, but with the difference that these have a duration of 6 seconds. However, they can also appear before, during, and after the visualization of a video that we see. YouTube charges these ads using a CPM (per thousand impressions) payment system. An example of a Bumper video is the following:
In Search
These types of ads appear based on the user’s search terms. It works the same as AdWords for the Google Search Network, as promoted videos will appear at the top of search results on YouTube when the user clicks on the ad and decides to see it. When does YouTube charge us?
Masthead Ads
These ads are commonly called Masthead and are banners that appear on the YouTube homepage, whether we enter from a computer or access the mobile app or YouTube mobile page (m.youtube.com).
We can differentiate between the mastheads that will be static (an image as we see below) or dynamic (a video) that will be played automatically when accessing the YouTube page or application. In the case of static ones, we can only see them by accessing YouTube from our computers.
What are Facebook Ads?
Advertising on Facebook is an amazing advertising system that uses a giant social network and advanced technology to serve ads. It enables companies to create attractive, well-designed ads and tailor them to a specific audience at a low cost.
According to Statista, in the first quarter of 2020, eight million companies were actively advertising on Facebook. Last year, advertising brought Facebook $69 billion, while all other activities generated less than $2 billion.
Let’s look at some facts to understand why it pays to advertise on Facebook.
Image Ads
This first format is the most basic and used by everyone. It allows you to include an image below the publication’s text, followed by a URL, title, and subtitle, and then a call to attention (CTA). It is an ad with a clickable link, which helps promote a website, landing page, or blog post.
These ads are allowed to be placed in the news (feeds), the right column of the social network, instant articles, Instagram (feeds and stories), Messenger inbox, or as a native and interstitial banner of the Audience Network application. The following are the format specifications:
- Recommended image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Title: 25 characters
- Less than 20% text in the image
- Subtitle: 30 characters
- Ad description: 125 characters
Video ads
Video format ads are more used to show details of products or services and tell a story, among others. On Facebook, the message will play without sound. If you feature voice, captions on Facebook ensure it is legible all the way through. Also, when the video is finished, viewers can watch it again or click on a CTA to advance to your website or campaign landing page.
It is allowed to place these ads in the news ( feed ), Facebook stories, in the right column of the social network, in-stream videos, Instagram ( feeds and stories), Messenger inbox, as a native and interstitial banner of the Audience Network app, and recommended videos. The following are the format specifications:
- Supported aspect ratios: 16: 9 to 9:16
- Video file size: up to 4GB
- Maximum duration: 240 minutes
- Vertical videos with an aspect ratio higher than 2: 3
- Title: 25 characters
Carousel or sequence ads
It is a format designed to display various products or promotions and assign each one its link. Its location is supported in the news (feeds), in the right column of the social network, Instagram (feeds and stories), Messenger inbox, and as a native and interstitial banner of the Audience Network application. The following are the format specifications:
- Image size: 1080 x 1080 pixels or 600 x 600 pixels
- Number of images: maximum ten
- Maximum image file size: 30 MB
- Vertical videos with an aspect ratio higher than 2: 3
- Title: 40 characters
- Text: 125 characters
Story Ads
Story ads can be used through pictures or videos. To do this, it is important to ensure that you use eye-catching designs and clear messages. Regarding this format, the specification to consider is that the ad’s size will always be 1080 by 1920 pixels, both on Instagram and Facebook. Due to the great reception of Facebook and Instagram stories, this type of format is ideal for generating a more authentic and attractive interaction with users.
Canvas Ads
They are a very interactive type of ad. It is ideal for presenting a product or telling a story combining images, videos, texts and buttons.
Your location is only supported on Facebook and Instagram feeds (on mobile devices). The following are the format specifications:
- Image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Text: 125 characters
- Title: 45 characters
Canvas has the following components: logo header, full-screen image, text block, external link buttons, image carousel, auto-play video, full-screen tilt-to-pan image, and product set.
Collection or catalog ads
They are a very interactive type of ad. It is ideal for presenting a product or telling a story combining images, videos, texts and buttons.
If you want to promote multiple products, this format is ideal. Up to 50 products can be displayed through images, videos, or slide shows. The ad offers a highly shopping-focused browsing experience and can be found on Facebook and Instagram feeds. The following are the format specifications:
- Image size: 1200 x 628 pixels
- Image ratio: 1: 1
- The amount of text should not exceed 20% of the image
- Title: 25 characters
- Description text: 90 characters
Messenger Ads
You can choose to have a Messenger Home ad that will appear in the Chats tab of the Messenger app. By clicking it, it will send the user to the destination that has been chosen as an advertiser (website, landing page, etc.). The brand can fully exploit this ad to start a conversation with potential customers.
Another type of ad for Messenger is sponsored posts. Users who have interacted with an ad before can be sent a sponsored message through the messaging app. You can also opt for the direct advertisement to send users to a Messenger conversation. It is usually displayed from a standard image. Have you used any advertisements for all those mentioned in this article? Tell us about your experience.
YouTube Ads vs. Facebook Ads
To reach their target audience, marketers have resorted to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter for tailored ads. The question then shifted from “what type of ad” to “what social media platform to employ,” the question then shifted.
With more than a billion active users every day, it’s hard to resist. Facebook has evolved from a simple social network to a critical marketing tool for many businesses. A lot of effort has been put into creating useful goods (like carousel ads) that look and operate great on mobile devices, unlike other online services.
Like no other social networking platform, Facebook lets you be as flexible and creative as you want. Featured videos are a great way to reach a wider audience than traditional forms of advertising.
In addition to the measurement capabilities, Facebook has an advantage over other social media sites. Thanks to tools like Facebook Insights, advertising on Facebook is easier than ever before, which gives businesses a comprehensive view of everything from ad impressions to audience demographics, reach, and engagement. Now all you have to do is learn how to interpret the figures.
Facebook is one of the most popular apps on mobile devices, making it an ideal platform for advertising. By marketing to your clients, you’ll be ahead of the game with an average of 1.04 billion daily users as of December 2015. According to a Nielsen Company analysis, Facebook remained the most popular app on smartphones in 2015. You can’t afford to be found on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets when more and more people use them to find what they’re looking for.
Among the many advantages of Facebook, its ads are a plus. Even the social media powerhouse has its drawbacks, including fraudulent followers, low or nonexistent ROI over time, and even unfavorable PR. However, it has been a major player in current web advertising.
More than one billion people watch hours of video material every day on YouTube, making it the second most popular social media platform in the world behind Facebook. You’ll be pleased to know that YouTube reaches a larger percentage of millennials (18-34-year-olds) than most cable or satellite providers. Consider advertising on the platform if you haven’t already.
In fact, with video advertising being the next big thing since 2012, it may be one of the best and most consistent investments you’ve ever made. It’s a growing trend that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon (yet). Why? Because seeing a 30-second video is more memorable than reading an entire blog post. Using video makes your target audience likely to identify you because of visual and audio stimulation synergy.
YouTube advertising also has a lot of leeway. Content can either be hosted on a separate channel or placed on top of existing films by marketers (also known as “pre-roll ads”). For YouTube lead generation ads, the goal isn’t to make a sale but rather to raise awareness of a company or even generate leads. Since these populations are already more open to your content, carefully positioned video advertising can attract site visitors over other promotional campaigns.
YouTube ads have the added benefit of being long-lasting. Videos will be the sole usable marketing content long after the general audience has learned the art of ad blockage. According to Cisco, the video will account for 69 percent of all online traffic in 2017. This is not a surprising number, given that videos remain one of our primary sources for information and entertainment even in today’s world. Is it possible for you to go a whole day without watching any videos?
There are some drawbacks to using YouTube marketing, like Facebook ads. Additionally, if consumers skip your ad more times than they view it, you face the danger of low or no return on your investment (ROI). You’d also need a more comprehensive set of metrics than the platform provides. For those willing to take on the extra work, though, YouTube Ads may be an option worth exploring.
Conclusion
Why are more and more advertisers putting their money into Facebook? Is it the finest platform for advertising?
The short answer is that it depends entirely on your company’s objectives. Instant Articles, Facebook’s new product, is a great fit because people of all ages and demographics can use it. It’s all about videos on YouTube, which is why it’s so popular. However, before making a final decision, keep these three things in mind:
Do you know where your ideal customers are spending their free time? They’re either on Facebook or YouTube.
- Do they prefer traditional ads or video advertisements?
- Are you ready to target a wider audience by customizing your ads?
After that, it’s time to analyze the data and put the findings to good use by putting new materials to the test. Repeat the process rather than limiting yourself to the already available options to acquire the desired outcome. An improved system could be launched in the coming years.
