How to Run Google Display Network Ads in 2022 (for REALTORS): Step-by-Step Video Training

🚨Don’t do JUST Google Display Network ads!🚨

As far as online advertising goes, Google Display Network ads certainly aren’t the “be-all, end-all” — but they’re the perfect “in-between.”

What I mean is, if your entire online advertising strategy were to consist of nothing but Display Network ads, chances are, you’d be disappointed with the results. On the other hand, if you utilized Display Network to reinforce ALL your other marketing efforts—e.g. videos, social media, SEO, signage, postage, and so on—they’d work like magic!

• Display ads as your ONLY marketing? Don’t bother.

• Display ads as PART of your marketing? It’s like pouring gasoline⛽️ on fire🔥

The Google Display Network (GDN) is a group of over 2-million (more like 3-million) websites, videos, and apps where your “Display” ads can appear. Display ads (sometimes called “Banner ads”) are image-, text-, and/or video-based ads that crop up all over the Internet:  website side-columns, pop-up banners and bars, or located along the footers of mobile apps, for instance. And they come in myriad shapes and sizes:  square-shaped, tall-and-skinny, or wide-and-skinny, for example.

Today’s training video demonstrates how to create and run Google Display Network ads from start-to-finish! That said, the content focuses primarily on “how” to run the ads, not on “what” ads to run, necessarily. Good news is that part is simple! SHOW ME YOUR FACE 😇

End of day, GDN ads are about building brand awareness/consideration.

• Your voice 🗣

• Your mind 🧠

• Your heart ❤️

• Your face 😙

Sure, you could feature images/videos of properties. Unfortunately, though, most viewers won’t be paying close enough attention to consciously realize it’s your ad—so why even bother!? Logos and branded colors will absolutely go a long way—but there’s nothing as effective as images (or videos) of YOU!

(P.S. There’s a lot of psychology and neuroscience behind this: learn more HERE.)

“Oh, you’re that agent—I see you everywhere!” I promise, you’ll hear it again-and-again.

A Video's Success (or Failure) Boils-Down to the First 3 Seconds!

Want more video views⁉️ Ditch the intro.

Fact is, there’s simply no time for opening pleasantries! “Hi, I’m Jason Pantana — blah, blah blah.” In the time it’d take to even say the words,  would-be viewers will have scrolled away.

Statistically speaking, the success (or failure) of your next video boils down to its opening three seconds.

• Two-thirds of viewers who watch three seconds of a video will watch for at least 10 seconds

• Nearly half will watch for 30 seconds

Logo stings, intro graphics, and video bumpers are ALL break-points for viewers to bounce. While can they certainly help to promote your brand, they don’t belong at the beginning of a video before the viewer has committed to the content.

What’s more, just about every social 𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘮 out there—YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc.—is predicated on 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. If a video is able to sustain viewership, then naturally, a platform is incentivized to push that video out far and wide. It’ll rank better in searches, distribute through explore/discovery feeds, and get pushed to more of your followers.

Video-marketing is math 🧮

Google Ads Opens Up Customer List Retargeting to All Advertisers

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🚨Google News: you can upload your database into your Google Ads account and retarget your database with your Google Ads — as in, Google Search ads, Display Network ads, YouTube In-Stream ads, and more!

Historically, only Google advertisers who’d spent more than $50K USD were even eligible for the feature. However, due to new and emerging Internet Privacy rules/regs—and the subsequent significance of “first-party data” (i.e., email address, phone number, mailing address, etc.)—Google’s opened up the feature to ALL advertisers. Watch 👀 the video for a quick demo.

3 Ways to Repurpose Your Social Media Content

Fact is, making content is a HIGH-EFFORT activity:  researching topics, recording videos, writing captions, optimizing and distributing from platform-to-platform. There ain’t nothing easy about it -- but, on the other hand, there ain’t nothing like it either!

Today’s video is simple:  3 (easy) ideas for recycling/repurposing your content to extend the lifetime of every post, video, or graphic you publish!

• ♻️ Repost your Reels (occasionally).

• ➗ Edit down long-form video into snippets.

• 😎 Make ❝quote-cards❞ or graphics out of cool things you say.

The algorithms governing social media feeds burn 🔥 through content in mere hours (days at best), and then—poof—it’s over. What’s more, your followers don’t read every caption word-for-word or watch every second of every video you put out. In addition, a sizable chunk of your followers probably weren’t your followers six months or a year ago—and I’m willing to bet most didn’t go back and forage through your old posts when they subscribed. My point is:  your content bears repeating!

Go look through my feed at past posts, for instance. You might notice that there’s somewhat of overlap under way.

• Most of my “Tweet screenshot” posts, for instance, started out as part of some other post’s caption

• I published a Reel last week that got more likes/engagement its second go-around than it did when I first uploaded three months ago 🤷🏻‍♂️

Truth is, none of us are publishing enough content—not even close! But that doesn’t mean you’re not actually producing enough 😉. See the difference⁇ Slice, dice, and start repurposing your posts, friends :D

The Future of Instagram (and Social Media Altogether) is VIDEO!

By now you’ve probably heard the message:  “INSTAGRAM IS NO LONGER (JUST) A SQUARE PHOTO-SHARING 📸 APP.” Algorithmic priority has adjusted (and will continue) to favor:

• Creators (i.e., producers of engaging content; influencers)

• Video Content (i.e., short or long runtimes, horizontal and/or vertical aspect ratios)

Put ‘em together and it reads like this:  𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚐𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚖𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍.

And it isn’t just Instagram! Case in point, the very reason for Instagram to have made this pronouncement was due to the competitive pressures it felt from TikTok and YouTube — both of which, obviously, run on nothing but video.

My point is:  everything that can be video, will be video!

For example, just look at the impact of video on other popular marketing channels, such as email and blogging/SEO:

• 📧 Video can increase open rates by 19% and click rates by 65% while reducing unsubscribe rates by 26%. (Campaign Monitor)

• 🔎 Video is 50x more likely to get organic ranking than plain text results. (ImpactPlus)

• 🎥 Video is the #1 form of media used in content strategy, overtaking blogs and infographics. (HubSpot)

• 🔗 Posts with videos earn more backlinks and see a 157% boost in search traffic (Search Engine People)

Pure and simple—if video isn’t the centerpiece of ALL your marketing activities—candidly, your marketing is out of focus.

How to Stop Over-Thinking Your Social Media Content (for Realtors and Entrepreneurs)

I love ❤️ this quote:

You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

I’ll bet there’s a good chance you’re overthinking your social media content—worried over what others might think of you based on what you post (or don’t post). But the thing is, no one (aside from Internet trolls) is paying that close of attention, friends!

• “I can’t make videos like that!—who do I think I am?”

• “What if this post falls flat and doesn’t get any engagement?” 

• “Will this make me look too ‘silly’ or too ‘salesy’?”

My advice:  STOP RIGHT NOW! It’s far better to over-index on content than to over-think it.

I’m not saying to behave like a robot 🤖 or act disingenuously on social, but, the fact is, you’re life isn’t lived on the inside an app. It doesn’t deserve that much mental space (IMO). Social media may be a representation of the “real you,” but it surely isn’t the genuine article.

Question:  if you weren’t overthinking your content, what would you post (or, perhaps, repost)⁉️ It’s go time, friends👊

4 Ways to Grow Your Email List (For Realtors)

The Internet is changing (rapidly) — for instance, new privacy regulations are coming into operation practically every day (e.g. Apple’s iOS 14.5 , Google’s Privacy Sandbox, etc.). And, because of that, running targeted or retargeted ad campaigns (e.g. Facebook, Google, and more) to reach customers is now and will become increasingly more restrictive.

Advertising platforms like Facebook and Google, for instance, have historically relied on what are known as third-party cookies to accurately deliver targeted/retargeted ads to designated audiences. Now that’s all changing—third-party cookies are getting the boot 🥾

Backstory:  when you installed your Facebook Pixel and/or Google’s Global Site Tag on your website, for instance—in so doing, you permitted Facebook and Google to plant “cookies” (third-party cookies, technically) on the web browsers of your site’s visitors. Those cookies were/are used to track the actions and behaviors of the folks surfing your site and could/can then be made into target audiences for your ad campaigns. Impressive, right?! 

In effect, however, every Pixeled-and-Tagged website here, there, or anywhere has become somewhat of a spy network for these platforms, observing Internet-users’ patterns, interests, and so forth. (Sort of like how, in The Dark Knight movie, Batman turned everybody’s cell phones into a sonar system to track down the Joker 🤡) It’s all big data!

As privacy restrictions intensify—and, as a result of that, as ad-targeting becomes less and less effective—it’ll be all the more critical to build your email list! (What’s more, it’ll be equally as important to develop useful/valuable email content to send out.)

Email marketing is (way) underrated! Many marketers believe it's purely a direct sales channel—but it's more than that. In 2022, consider distributing a once-a-week email in which you share ALL your content (i.e., blogs, videos, social posts, and so forth).

Here are FOUR ideas to grow your email list in 2022:

1. Postcard QR-codes:  On every mailer you send out, consider adding an email opt-in call-to-action (CTA) adjacent to a scannable QR-code. Link the code to an entry page on your website whereby visitors can subscribe to your email list.

2. Website Pop-Ups & Banners:  Optimize your website with pop-up boxes, banners, and/or promo-bars to offer visitors a free subscription to your weekly email.

   Heads-up:  improper use of pop-ups, for instance, can damage your site's SEO. (I’ve added details in my blog — just tap my LINK-IN-BIO.)

   For example, Google penalizes websites in which pop-ups cover a page’s main content immediately after the page loads. So be sure to program your pop-ups to appear, for instance, on a delay, on the second page viewed, or when a users demonstrates exit-intent.

   In addition, Google notes that fullscreen pop-ups that block a desired page’s content and/or that require the viewer to dismiss prior to accessing the page’s content can also damage your site’s SEO. The solution for this is the same as before: program your pop-ups to only show on, for instance, the second page viewed or upon exit-intent.

   From a search-engine POV, Google’s only looking at the page that’d be listed in the search results—not other pages on the same website to which visitors may navigate next. Those, for all intents and purposes, are fair game for pop-ups.

3. Social Media Link-in-Bio: The use of a "LINK-IN-BIO" tool, such as Liinks.co, Linktree, or LinkFolio, is popular (and useful) on social sites like Instagram. Insert important CTAs to drive visitors to your various links—for instance, a podcast, a blog, or, you guessed it—your email subscriber form!

4. Facebook Advertising: In your FB Ads Manager, run either link-click (redirects to a URL) or lead-form campaigns to capture emails and grow your list. Target your market area, retarget your website traffic, and/or retarget your Facebook-Page and Instagram followers.

Bottom line: the Internet, in many ways, is changing. As privacy ramps up, make email marketing in 2022 a top business priority!

#NeverStopMarketing: Marketing today begets business tomorrow!

Success doesn’t happen overnight — and neither do slumps. Fact is, marketing today begets business tomorrow. If you stop marketing, for instance—give it a good 60 to 90 days—and your pipeline/production will assuredly wither.

“Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” (Ralph Ransom)

Every act of marketing — e.g. content across social, blogs, ads, mailers, events, etc. — propels your business onwards and upwards.

It’s nearly 2022 and now’s the time to invest in a stellar start to the year! Keep going strong 💪 and #NeverStopMarketing

Video Marketing Mindset for 2022 (for Realtors and Entrepreneurs)

In Seth Godin’s new book, The Practice, (which was just released) he talks about refining/learning your skills by showing up consistently to do the work. When it comes to video marketing, for instance, (or any other craft)—practice makes progress (not perfection).

I don’t think need to convince you of the benefits of video marketing with a list of compelling stats or anything. You already know them! That being said, there are far too many real estate pros and business owners who have yet to realize those benefits. The reasons are:

1. Avoidance. For one reason or another, they simply haven’t started.

2. They’re “dabblers.” They’ll make a video here-or-there but there’s no real plan/strategy.

3. They’re perfectionists—and it’s repressive. For instance, they’ll go film videos, dislike the results, and then trash the files.

With most disciplines, though, you can practice “the thing” all your life—however, until you actually do “the thing,” the practice will only ever get you so far. Video is like that; it’s an iterative process. You can watch-back your own tapes, for instance, but until you actually post them and elicit real feedback, you’re potential for growth and advancement will be severely limited.

For example, Glennda Baker just launched a new video series this week, dubbed, “Realtor Reacts.” (Sidebar:  it’s hilarious 😂) She shared with me, though, that her videographer told her—just before posting the video—that had she attempted the same video a year ago, she probably wouldn’t have been able to pull it off (at least not to the same degree). However, because she’s been in “the practice” of filming and publishing videos like a champ, her skills have matured (big-time!). Glennda said:  PRACTICE PRODUCES PROFICIENCY.

Bottom line—keep doing the work—over and again. If you’re displeased with your last video, don’t waste it—instead, post it and put that desire/energy to correct and refine into the next video. As you continue to, quote-unquote, “feed” the platforms (Insta, TikTok, YouTube, et al.) more and more content, their algorithms will learn who you are, and, by extension, who you’re for. It’s like Tom Ferry says:  “Your vibe attracts your tribe.”

And remember:  the RESULTS are in the REPETITION.

Brand like you've been in business for 20+ years!

Several years ago a couple of my cousins launched a successful roofing franchise in my hometown. At the outset, they were told to brand like they’d been there for 20 years. So they invested in signage, postcards, TV/radio, wrapped vehicles, and more. They absolutely went ALL-IN and it flippin’ worked—they took the market by storm!

Now, I’m not advising you should go and max out your credit cards for the sake of billboards or car-wrapping your Corolla 🚗 (Not that they did.) My point is:  GET THE WORD OUT!

“Oh, you’re that agent—I see you everywhere!” That’s the magic✨phrase! — it means you’re on the consideration set of buyers and sellers in your marketplace.

My Advice:

• Explore just about EVERY advertising product Google offers:  display network, search, local, YouTube, and more!

• Over-index on social:  Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. (And pay-to-promote 📣 your content locally.)

• Go VIDEO-FIRST! Short-form to long-form, low-grade to pro-grade—just make videos!

• Start list-building and redouble your email-marketing efforts.

• Commence operation “Love ❤️ on Your Database!” — i.e., past clients, sphere of influence, leads, et al. (And have a serious look at your “gifting” strategy!)

• Embrace physical marketing:  mailers, signage, and more.

• Re-invest in your event(s) action-plan:  client get-togethers, neighborhood block-parties, open houses, and more.

Whether you’re road-tested or a rookie, in a city or the burbs:  be a BIG FISH 🐋 no matter the size of the pond & brand like you own the place!

Remember:  the market belongs to those who market!

How to Sell and Never Look Salesy: Content Marketing Strategy for Real Estate Agents

Stop overthinking your content! For example, IMO, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with market updates, pro tips, or Q&A videos that explain/illuminate the facts about real estate.

For instance, I’ve always liked what Jay Baer said: “Make your marketing so useful, people would pay you for it!” Just go look and see what top-producers like @krysbenyamein, @tayadicarlo, or @movemetotx are posting!

You DON’T have to…

• Dance to trending audio

• Hire a $$$$ videographer

• Farm-out your content creation

• Be somebody you’re not

… in order to build an effective agent-brand on social.

After all, the quote-unquote, “product you sell” is your expertise — and the means by which you impart that expertise. My advice: be the knowledge broker!

The only social media formula worth knowing is that CONTENT = CONTRIBUTION.

3 (Easy) Tactics for More Instagram Engagement (for REALTORS)

Engagement is everything! Fact is, if your Instagram posts/stories fail to generate reactions (e.g. likes, comments, views, and so forth), from IG’s perspective, your content simply isn’t worth distributing.

Ouch! Frankly, you work entirely too hard on your content for it to end up shelved like that.

So here are 3 tactics to implement to fan the fire 🔥 of engagement on Instagram.

1. ASK FOR IT! In your post caption try adding a call-to-action, like: “If this post hits home, please share it to your Stories.” Don’t muddle your caption with multiple asks — pick one per post: save this post, like this video, comment below, tag or share w/ a friend.

2. It’s important to time ⏱ your posts as the bulk of your followers are logging in for the day. Instagram monitors and predicts when its users “use the app.” The trick is, you want to publish just before the crest point—i.e., just as the the majority of your followers are logging in for the day. It’s kind of like riding a wave🏄. If you jump too late, you’ll miss the wave and have to wait for the next one. If you jump too soon, the wave will crash over you 🌊. In other words, by the time your audience would’ve logged in to engage with your post, IG might’ve already called it a bad job, due to lackluster levels of engagement. Remember, more engagement (especially when it comes quickly after you publish) incentivizes Instagram to distribute your content to a broader audience.

3. You wanna try and keep people parked on your content as long as possible. Try beefing up the substance of your captions so viewers will wanna read. Try adding subtitles/captions to your videos so, if the sound is off, for instance, viewers will continue watching nonetheless. Try posting more carousel posts whereby viewers can swipe through multiple images or videos. Point is, if your content causes a viewer to stop scrolling, that’s a win for Instagram, which means, your post is gonna get the love!

What are your best ideas for sparking engagement?

Content is Contribution: The difference between canned posts on social and content that builds an audience

CONTENT = CONTRIBUTION.

Canned posts published for the purpose of filling space won’t move the needle forward. Content for its own sake is, in my opinion, meaningless.

On the other hand—when you’re willing to share your best professional advice (videos, blogs, emails, and more)—you’re giving your audience real value. My recommendation: resolve to be the knowledge-broker.

Some worry over whether their competition might rip them off or steal their “secret sauce.” It’s unlikely—because, the thing is: no one does 𝘆𝗼𝘂 better than 𝙮𝙤𝙪. So be generous!

I like how Jim Rohn put it: “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have.”

Question: “What do you sell?” I suspect many would answer that they sell homes 🏡.

Nope! As an agent, certainly, you help folks buy and sell homes—but that’s not what consumers, quote-unquote, “buy from you.” What they “buy from you” is, in a manner of speaking, your real estate expertise—and the means by which you impart that expertise.

Agents are often (unfairly) characterized as salesy. Thing is, though, when your content is contribution —every time you post to social, send an email, or publish a video that confers V-A-L-U-E, in effect, you’re selling -- only, no one will ever call you salesy. Instead, they’ll just 📲 call you!

Real Estate Marketing Channels Whereby the Leads Call You (the Agent)!

What’s a lead (in real estate)⁉️ Simple definition:  a person w/ some measure of intent to buy, sell, or lease real estate who’s given you (the agent) permission to contact them about it.

In•Tent: resolved or determined to do (something); intention or purpose. Every lead has it!—some a bunch, some a little.

For instance, someone enters a search on Google:  “𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚢.” Immediately, your PPC ad ranks at the top of the results page, they click the link, the page loads, and then it forces a registration in order to continue. Congrats, you just captured a lead 🎊

But here’s the challenge with that:  they’re looking for homes, not agents. You have a lead who, presumably, wants to view properties for sale. However, based on the available intelle, whether or not they’re planning to involve an agent (you, in particular) is presently unclear. So… get ready to deploy your followup and lead-nurture campaigns because the “game of chase” has begun.

Now, I’m not saying that “game” isn’t worth playing. This is, after all, sales. Nevertheless, is there an alternative (or supplement) to it? In my opinion:  YES.

Starting now and going forward, begin to integrate marketing channels that position you as the agent-of-choice, the knowledge-broker, the hyperlocal expert, or whatever descriptive term you fancy. For example:

1. Commence “operation love ❤️ on your database” to garner repeat and referral business. Your DATABASE is probably your best source of business and it warrants your attention.

2. Go all in on Google My Business:  reviews, photos, optimizations, and more!
   **Just Google-Search “Jason Pantana Google My Business” and you’ll find a bunch of extra videos and blogs on that topic**

3. Build-up your SEO:  blogs, YouTube videos, etc. Prospective customers will find your value-add content and reach out proactively.

4. Setup Google Local Services Ads! The phone just rings ☎️

5. Make stellar social content and drive conversations to your DMs.

6. Start (or redouble) Geographic-Farming:  mailers, signage, events, etc.

Bottom line (IMO):  Lead Attraction is greater than Lead Capture.

Is Your Social “Sending to Voicemail?”

Is your social media, quote-unquote, “sending viewers to voicemail?” Let me explain…

When you make a call, for instance—if you get someone’s voicemail—typically, there’s no mistaking that it’s just a voicemail message. Once or twice, you may mistakenly think the person picked up and carry on as if they had. However, you’ll quickly realize you’re just chatting w/ a machine 🤖... nobody’s listening or responding.

Metaphorically speaking, A LOT of social accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more) are basically voicemails; no one is actually “picking up,” so to speak. Canned posts, published for the sake of filling space. Zero engagement or interaction with others’ content. Unread comments and DMs; no one’s actively listening or responding.

To be fair… lots of business owners/operators feel pressure to consistently produce more and more content and, frankly, they’re overworked. To me, though, it’s quality over quantity. So my point is, if social media is to be a part of your marketing mix going forward, then it must be made a priority—an activity worthy of your personalized attention.

Rank Top-of-Page in YouTube Search: The "Queue-Jumper" Campaign

Here’s how to ensure your next video ranks in the top position of YouTube’s search results. I call it, the “Queue-Jumper”—as in, “cutting the line” to outrank competing videos that might normally show above yours in a given YouTube search.

For example, imagine making a video titled, “Pros and cons of moving to _____,” for instance. Odds are, a bunch of other related videos with more SEO-juice than yours are probably holding the top-ranked positions in the search results. And the trouble is, if your video doesn’t rank on the first page of results, then, for all intents and purposes, it’s invisible.

Now, before continuing on, this is a tactic intended for a fully-optimized video uploaded to your channel from which you’re expecting (or hoping for) strong organic performance — as in, lots of views for an extended period of time. And by optimized, I mean (at minimum) (A) keywords in the title, (B) tags to support those keywords, and (C) a super-clickable thumbnail.

I’ve said it before:  YouTube is a search engine; not a social network. So—YouTube 101—the fundamental objective is to identify the search terms and phrases used by would-be customers and to then make videos to supply their searches. It’s a simple concept.

To conduct YouTube keyword research, try using a tool like TubeBuddy, MorningFa.me, or vidIQ, for instance.

**Sidebar:  I’ve compiled a list of 15 Search-Ready Real Estate Videos Titles for YouTube. Click HERE to download.**

Unfortunately, as I said before, ranking is easier said than done — especially when you’re up against more established creators. And if your video isn’t near the top of the search results, it’ll flounder and struggle to get views—which is, of course, the entire point.

Despite all that, however—if you want to elude the algorithm—then consider running a YouTube Video Discovery ad. Here are step-by-step instructions:

1. Visit ads.google.com to get started.

2. Click to begin a “New Campaign.”

3. Choose a goal—whatever you want.

4. Under “Campaign Type,” select “Video.”

5. Tap “Next” to continue.

6. Name your Campaign and disable all network placements except for YouTube Search Results.

7. Set your bid, budget, and start/end dates for your ad.

8. Navigate to the “Keywords” box. Enter the keywords (i.e., the search phrases) you want your video to rank on!
   **Heads up: this is the main ingredient of the tactic!**

9. Finally, copy-and-paste the link (from YouTube) to your designated video and press GO!

Presto! Rank top-of-page, get views, and build your brand — with YouTube video discovery ads!

Simple (Value-Rich) DATABASE Calling Dialogue

National Association of Realtors tells us 67% of listings, roughly, come from repeat/referral business. Your database (i.e., past clients, sphere of influence, etc.) is, in all likelihood, your best source of business. My advice: prioritize those individuals in your everyday efforts!

4 YouTube (TrueView) Ads for Realtors to Run in 2021

YouTube is an ideal advertising platform. Here’s why:

1. It’s the second-most popular website on the planet 🌎—runner-up to its parent company, Google. What’s more, by extension, it’s also the second-most utilized search engine here, there, or anywhere.

2. Amongst video-streaming apps and sites, it holds the top-spot by a sizable margin in terms of total watch-time. You might’ve heard TikTok recently unseated it, which isn’t actually the case. TikTok is indeed number-one in terms average watch-time per user—however, YouTube has considerably more users.

3. YouTube is a more of a search-engine than a social-network. On social platforms, for instance, users are conditioned to scroll (mindlessly, on occasion). On YouTube, however, users are accustomed to search for content of a specific type or topic, which demonstrates intent. From an advertising and targeting standpoint, intent is everything!

Whether you’re looking to build-up brand-awareness, grow an audience, or generate leads, YouTube ads are a definite way to go!

Exploring Different Types of YouTube Ads

YouTube provides numerous different advertising products:  e.g. in-stream ads, in-feed ads, display, overlay, and more.

Some ad formats are created in Google Ads (formerly known as, AdWords) whereas others are placed on a reservation basis through a Google sales representative.

This video/article covers in-stream and in-feed video ads, dubbed, “TrueView” YouTube ads—which are made in Google Ads. 

The term, “TrueView,” refers to the length of time a viewer watches a specified video. For example, the viewer must watch the subject video ad for a minimum of 30 seconds. If the full video ad is less than 30 seconds long, the viewer must watch the video in its entirety. If they don’t, it’s not a TrueView, and thus, it doesn’t count against your ad-spend.

And remember, because it’s a video ad, your viewers aren’t just random people; they’re your target audience (based on your campaign settings).

There are two distinct types of “TrueView,” YouTube ads:

1. In-Stream: the, quote-unquote, “commercials” that play before, during, or after a video on YouTube. If you’re a frequent YouTube viewer, you might’ve noticed varying subtypes of in-stream ads.

   • Skippable - presents viewer with a “skip ad” option after five seconds elapses. Don’t forget, a TrueView requires a viewer to watch at least 30 seconds or the duration of a video ad or the advertiser isn’t charged.

   • Nonskippable - up-to 15-second videos in which the viewer has no option to skip. Every view would count as a TrueView seeing as how the viewer must watch from start-to-end.

   • Bumper - same as the nonskippable format but only up to six seconds long.

2. Video Discovery: when you see a promoted video in search results, recommended alongside related videos, or displayed on the Home Feed.

Considering YouTube’s Video-Discovery Algorithm

Before rushing into ad creation, keep in mind, a YouTube ad is simply a promotion of a natively uploaded video that lives on your Channel. That means the paid performance of the video and its organic performance are inextricably linked. In other words, an ad could potentially damage your video’s organic performance. Here’s how:

The YouTube algorithm runs off of two primary variables: A. Watch-Time and B. Click-Through Rate (CTR).

WATCH TIME:

Watch Time is what it sounds like:  the average amount of time viewers spend watching your video. The longer your video’s average watch-time, from YouTube’s POV, the greater its relevance to a designated topic—which means, increased distribution (e.g. search results, feeds, etc.).

CLICK-THROUGH RATE:

The Click-Through Rate means that when a prospective viewer is shown your video (in search results, as a recommended next video, or in YouTube’s browse features), YouTube monitors how often viewers click to watch. If they do, that signals YouTube to keep distributing your video far and wide. If they don’t click, then YouTube holds your video back, pure and simple.

Your video’s thumbnail (i.e., the preview image attached to the upload) and its title are the top influencing factors of its CTR.

**CLCK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE YOUTUBE ALGORITHM**

So think about this:  if you upload a video to your Channel and then run it, for instance, as a skippable in-stream ad—and then, as the campaign runs, its viewers hit the “Skip-Ad” button time-and-again—from an SEO standpoint, you’re literally tanking your video’s hopes of organic performance.

My thought is, if your video is time-bound—meaning, its content will become irrelevant or outdated quickly, then run it as an ad. On the other hand, if the video is considered timeless, then you may be better off to let it be and see what comes of it organically. 

(Step-by-Step) YouTube Ad-Campaigns for REALTORS®

Today’s video training demonstrates four (4) different YouTube ads, outlined below. Watch the video to for step-by-step instructions!

1. Just-Listed Video Ad Campaign

   • Description: upload your next listing video to YouTube to utilize as an ad. Include a clickable thumbnail.

   • Ad-Format: skippable in-stream

   • Audience-Targeting: homeowners + purchasing a home soon + in-market for residential properties, located in your defined geographic area.

2. Home Valuation Video Ad Campaign

   • Description: record and upload a video offering homeowners an instant home-price estimate; briefly speak of local market conditions and home-value appreciation.

   • Ad-Format: skippable in-stream

   • Audience-Targeting: homeowners located in your defined geographic area.

3. Local Market Update Video Ad Campaign

   • Description: upload/ a market video explaining nothing but the facts specific to your area’s housing market. Repeat process monthly.

   • Ad-Format: skippable in-stream

   • Audience-Targeting: homeowners located in your defined geographic area.

4. The “Queue-Jumper” Video Ad Campaign

   • Description: promote a video intended to perform organically (over time) to rank top-of-page in YouTube search results.

   • Ad-Format: video discovery; YouTube search results only (disable Video partners on the Display Network and YouTube Videos)

   • Audience-Targeting: keywords specific to your video’s topic.

Watch the video, get the training, and take advantage of YouTube ads to promote and grow your business!

Defining Your Agent-Brand!

It’s like @tomferry has been saying: “The A.O.T.F. (‘agent-of-the-future’) has a strong personal brand! -- and that brand is Y-O-U.

Every post, every video, and every campaign is a depiction of you. While clever messages and catchy tag-lines are all well and good, they’re no substitute for the real thing: you.

◾️Don’t 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 yourself.
◾️Don’t 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 yourself.
◾️Don’t 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳 yourself.

My advice: put your brand everywhere!

3 Ways to Rank in Instagram Search

3 Ways to Rank in Instagram Search 🔍

Instagram Search, located in IG’s Explore Feed, is how you find the content you’re looking for on Instagram.

Think of it like Google Search: you type in words/phrases and Insta’s Search algorithm tries to rank/list the most relevant results. For sake of clarity, the Search algorithm is totally different and distinct from the other algorithms that govern the feeds: Home, Explore, Stories, and Reels

Instagram Search is most frequently used to look up Instagram accounts and/or peruse hashtags. So, to improve your ranking, here’s what you need to prioritize:

1. Your Username: try to incorporate your real/business name, seeing as how that’s how most folks will attempt to look you up. Your account’s Display Name matters too.
2. Your Bio: embed keywords you want to rank on, such as terms relevant to your profession as well as the location where you do business.
3. Post Captions: be mindful of the words, phrases, and/or hashtags you want your post to rank on — and make sure they’re in the post caption (not its comments).

So there you go: three (3) ways to improve your Instagram “discoverability”—for your profile and posts—via Instagram Search.