What audience behaviors or interests should we target with our YouTube ads?

When targeting audiences with your YouTube ads, it's essential to focus on specific behaviors and interests that align with your product or service. YouTube's targeting options allow you to tailor your ads to people based on how they interact with content, what they're interested in, and even how close they are to making a purchase. Here are key audience behaviors and interests you should consider targeting with your YouTube ads:

1. Interest-Based Targeting
YouTube allows you to target users based on their interests, which can help you reach people who are already engaged with content similar to what you offer. Here are some interest categories to target:

A. Affinity Audiences
Affinity audiences are people who have demonstrated a long-term interest in specific topics, lifestyles, or activities. These audiences are highly engaged with content that aligns with their passions or interests. For example:

Tech Enthusiasts: Target people who have shown interest in gadgets, technology, and software products.

Fashion Lovers: Reach people passionate about the latest trends, shopping, and fashion blogs.

Fitness and Wellness: Target users who are engaged with fitness content like workout videos, health tips, and wellness trends.

Travel Buffs: Target people who frequently watch travel vlogs, destination guides, and adventure content.

Home Improvement and DIY: Ideal for products related to home decor, renovation, and DIY projects.

B. In-Market Audiences
In-market audiences are users who are actively considering or searching for products or services similar to what you offer. These people are closer to making a purchase decision, making them a prime audience to target. For example:

Electronics: Target people actively researching new smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices.

Automotive: Reach users considering purchasing a car or car accessories.

Home Appliances: Target people looking to buy new appliances or upgrade their home tech.

Beauty Products: Reach users browsing makeup tutorials, skincare routines, or hair care products.

Food and Beverages: Perfect for brands in the food and drink sector, targeting those interested in recipes, food trends, or cooking tips.

2. Behavioral Targeting
Targeting based on past behavior on YouTube or across Google networks can help you reach people who are likely to convert. Here are a few options to consider:

A. Video Engagement
Viewers of Your Videos: Target people who have already watched your videos, but haven't taken action (such as subscribing or purchasing). This is a great way to re-engage them and nurture the relationship.

Engaged Viewers: Target people who have engaged with similar content to yours. This can include viewers who have interacted with competitor videos, or those who regularly watch content in your industry.

Video Interaction: Reach users who have interacted with your videos or channel (liked, shared, commented, etc.). These users have already shown a level of interest in your brand.

B. Website and App Visitors (Remarketing)
Website Visitors: Retarget people who have visited your website but did not complete a desired action (like making a purchase or filling out a form). This is a great way to remind potential customers about your brand and encourage them to return.

App Users: If you have a mobile app, you can retarget users who have interacted with it but have not made a purchase or completed a specific action within the app.

3. Demographic Targeting
This allows you to narrow down your audience based on key demographic factors. Some examples include:

A. Age and Gender
Age Groups: If your product or service is targeted to a specific age group, you can refine your audience based on age demographics. For example, targeting younger audiences (18-34) for trendy fashion or targeting older demographics (35-54) for financial products.

Gender: If your product is gender-specific (e.g., women's fashion, men's grooming products), targeting based on gender can help narrow your audience.

B. Parental Status
If your product is relevant to parents (e.g., toys, baby products, parenting tips), you can target parents with children in specific age groups.

C. Household Income
If your product targets higher-income earners (e.g., luxury goods, premium tech), you can target specific household income brackets.

4. Custom Audiences
Custom audiences let you build highly targeted groups based on specific criteria, such as:

A. Custom Affinity Audiences
Create Custom Segments: Build your own audience by targeting people who have shown interest in specific topics, keywords, or URLs related to your brand. For example, if you sell eco-friendly products, you can create an audience of users who are interested in environmental issues, sustainability, or green living.

B. Custom Intent Audiences
Target Intent-Driven Users: Reach people who have shown intent by searching for or interacting with content related to your product. For example, if you're selling online courses, you could target people who recently searched for terms like "learn photography" or "online learning courses."

5. Life Events and Major Milestones
Targeting people who are going through significant life events is an effective way to reach new audiences who might need products or services related to those events. Some examples include:

Moving Homes: Target people who are in the process of moving, as they may need furniture, home improvement products, or other household items.

Getting Married: If you're selling wedding-related products (e.g., rings, photography, venues), targeting people planning weddings can be highly effective.

Graduating: Target recent graduates with products related to career, education, or moving into new homes.

6. Geographic Targeting
Location-Based Targeting: Target audiences in specific locations, such as a particular country, region, or city. This is useful if you want to reach people who are geographically close to your business or if you offer region-specific products or services.

Local Interests: Target people based on regional interests or cultural trends that may be specific to a particular location.

7. Content Consumption Patterns
Video Content Categories: You can target users based on the categories of content they watch. For instance, if you are in the fashion industry, you might want to target viewers of fashion hauls, styling tips, or fashion shows.

Channel-Specific Targeting: Reach people who subscribe to or engage with YouTube channels in categories that align with your business, such as beauty channels for cosmetic products or tech channels for electronic gadgets.

8. Seasonal and Event-Based Interests
Target audiences based on time-sensitive behavior:

Holiday Shoppers: Reach consumers actively looking for gifts or promotions during the holiday season.

Special Sales Events: If you have a product launch, flash sale, or seasonal promotion, target people who have historically engaged with similar events, such as Black Friday or end-of-season sales.

Conclusion
To effectively reach your ideal audience with YouTube ads, you should consider a combination of interest-based, behavioral, demographic, and custom targeting. Identifying the right audience behaviors and interests ensures that your ads reach people who are not only likely to engage with your content but are also primed for conversion. By leveraging YouTube's various targeting options and testing different approaches, you can optimize your campaigns and ensure they resonate with the right users, driving both brand awareness and sales.