As a child, Brett Curry was fascinated by TV commercials. Now the proprietor of OMG Commerce, an ecommerce advertising company, he says YouTube adverts are comparable. “A superb TV advert usually makes a great YouTube advert,” he instructed me.
I requested for particulars. What’s a great YouTube advert technique for ecommerce? How a lot ought to an advertiser spend? Which merchandise work one of the best?
Brett addressed these questions and extra in our latest dialog. Our total audio is embedded beneath. The transcript is edited for size and readability.
Eric Bandholz: Give us a rundown of what you do.
Brett Curry: I’m the founding father of OMG Commerce, a advertising company. We’re a group of about 50, specializing in serving to ecommerce manufacturers develop profitably. Meaning buying clients at an appropriate value and rising income and margin. I launched the enterprise in 2010.
Our group consists of strategists and channel specialists. Now we have a full Amazon division with model managers and advert consultants. On the direct-to-consumer aspect, we focus totally on Google and YouTube with assist for Meta. Strategists oversee efficiency throughout channels, guaranteeing information flows between platforms comparable to Amazon and Google to drive smarter choices and sustainable development.
I’m a long-time advertising fanatic. As a child, I used to be fascinated by TV commercials — particularly infomercials just like the Ginsu knives. I even tried to persuade my dad and mom to purchase a set. That early curiosity led me to a advertising diploma, and I began an company proper out of school. I like serving to manufacturers promote their merchandise by telling nice tales and profitably connecting with the precise viewers.
Bandholz: What causes client-agency relationships to fail?
Curry: The duty falls on each the shopper and the company, although the higher weight is on us because the company. Purchasers rent businesses to ship outcomes. When relationships break down, it’s virtually at all times as a result of poor communication or misaligned expectations.
Purchasers are generally quietly pissed off however don’t specific it, hoping issues enhance. Different instances, our group will make suggestions repeatedly, and the shopper dismisses them. That alerts both that the thought isn’t stable, or we’re not presenting it clearly or with information.
One other widespread difficulty is when businesses obsess over platform-specific metrics comparable to return on advert spend or value per click on, whereas model house owners wish to know, “Is that this making me cash?” They care about enterprise outcomes, not whether or not we used YouTube or Meta.
I reminded my group this week that if I’m a enterprise proprietor spending cash on advertising, I wish to understand how a lot I’ll make from the funding, not the click-through price or platform ROAS — actual return. We’ll miss the mark if we don’t align our metrics with shopper objectives.
Bandholz: How does an ecommerce model efficiently promote on YouTube?
Curry: YouTube blends one of the best of search, TV, and digital video. It’s the second-largest search engine and the most-streamed app on linked TVs — greater than Netflix and Hulu.
Many core advertising rules apply. A superb TV advert usually makes a great YouTube advert, although YouTube has nuances. It’s extra advanced and tougher to measure than different platforms. Meta could be easier for manufacturers simply beginning with video, however YouTube is very incremental — it brings in new clients when achieved proper.
Success on YouTube depends upon three elements: artistic, viewers, and measurement. You want compelling artistic, exact concentrating on, and a stable plan for monitoring outcomes. We explored YouTube early as a result of I discovered it enjoyable and promising. We’ve developed a method over time that works.
I’ve at all times leaned towards direct response. Even in brand-building campaigns, I need a clear name to motion — whether or not that’s sending folks to Amazon, Walmart, or a web site. YouTube requires a special artistic strategy relying on the viewer’s machine — cellular, desktop, or more and more, linked TV, which now accounts for over half of YouTube views.
We’ve discovered CTV particularly efficient. We lately gained a Google Company Excellence Award for an eight-week YouTube marketing campaign driving Arctic coolers and tumblers into Walmart shops. CTV was the top-performing channel.
As for advert construction, 60 to 90 seconds is the candy spot, however as much as 3 minutes can carry out for conversion-focused campaigns. Not like Meta or TikTok, YouTube adverts should do all of the work — hook the viewer, overcome objections, present the product, supply social proof, and shut with a call-to-action.
Voiceover is essential. Excessive manufacturing worth helps, however mixing in user-generated content material or influencer clips can increase relatability. Simply don’t assume what works on Meta will translate on to YouTube, although your greatest Meta advert may present a wonderful hook for YouTube.
Bandholz: What’s an optimum spend for every YouTube advert?
Curry: When testing, the objective is to spend sufficient to get significant information with out going overboard. Sometimes, we suggest $100 to $1,000 a day. Should you’re okay studying slowly, spend on the decrease finish. However $500 to $1,000 per day is good for faster insights. The primary couple of weeks are normally tough — conversions are available in slowly, particularly since YouTube is extra view-based than click-based.
We observe each micro and buy conversions to raised feed the algorithm. Often, by the top of the primary month, we’ve recognized mixtures of artistic, viewers, and bidding that present promise.
Certainly one of our favourite concentrating on strategies is Customized Intent. As a result of Google owns YouTube, you possibly can goal folks primarily based on what they’ve searched on Google. So, for Beardbrand, your organization, it’s not simply beard-related key phrases — you may also goal searches that sign a high-spending D2C buyer.
Over time, patterns emerge. You’ll uncover which audiences and creatives carry out, and by month three, you’ll doubtless have readability in your winners and might confidently scale from there.
Eric Bandholz: What forms of merchandise and worth factors carry out greatest on YouTube?
Brett Curry: YouTube works greatest for visually demonstrable merchandise with a novel hook. Assume wrinkle-free gown shirts made from athletic material, titanium sun shades that open bottles — something that makes somebody cease and watch. A fantastic story or differentiator is vital.
When it comes to pricing, YouTube tends to favor merchandise with buyer acquisition prices between $50 and $150. A value-per-acquisition objective beneath $50 is probably not viable on YouTube — until you’ve got a killer front-end supply backed by robust upsells or continuity. For instance, an intro supply underneath $30 can work if you happen to make up for the revenue on the backend.
For merchandise priced beneath $30, comparable to our shopper Native Deodorant, YouTube can nonetheless work, particularly if you happen to’re aiming for mass distribution. Native used YouTube to construct traction, then scaled into retail like CVS and Walmart, and now they’re all over the place. You can too drive low CPAs with natural YouTube content material amplified by adverts, however that takes time to construct. In any other case, search-based platforms on Google or Amazon may match higher for sub-$30 merchandise with tighter margins.
Bandholz: The place can folks join with you?
Curry: OmgCommerce.com. I’m @BrettCurry on X and @TheBrettCurry on LinkedIn. My podcast is Ecommerce Evolution.
