Craft beer, cider, kombucha, and specialty coffee are all part of the beverage industry. But we all know this industry is very crowded and creative. With so many brands, it is hard to make ads that really work. One way to make ads better is to target the audience on digital platforms. Using a YouTube exclusion list, for example, can really help make video ads more efficient because you avoid your ads placing in front of the wrong audience. In other words, your ads are not wasted on people who will never buy the product.
The Challenge of Digital Advertising for Beverage Brands
Beverage brands have a difficult time with advertising. For example, alcohol companies have to follow rules about who they can advertise to. They can only advertise to people who are old enough to drink, primarily. Premium brands have a tricky time finding people who really care about quality and are willing to try new things. If they run ads that are not targeted, they will waste money on people who’re not interested.
YouTube is a place for beverage brands to advertise. Video is a way to show the story and experience of a product. YouTube is so big, however, that if brands do not target their ads carefully, they might end up showing their ads to the wrong people.
What Is a YouTube Exclusion List, and Why Does It Matter?
An exclusion list is a tool that helps advertisers choose where their ads should not appear. This is very useful for beverage brands. They can exclude content that’s not relevant to their audience or that might hurt their brand, such as children’s content.
Using an exclusion list means that a craft brewery’s video will not appear before content that’s not relevant to their target market. This leads to results like more people watching the whole video and interacting with the brand.
Building an Effective Exclusion Strategy
Making an exclusion list is not something you do once and forget about. It is something you have to keep working on. Start by excluding content that’s clearly not right for your brand or audience. Then look at how your ads are doing and see where you are wasting money. If you find channels or content that are not working, add them to your exclusion list.
Many brands also make exclusion lists to keep their brand safe. They avoid content that might be controversial or hurt their reputation. This is especially important for brands that care about values. Thankfully, you’ll also find services that have pre-built exclusion lists that you simply plug into your campaign.
Pairing Exclusions with Positive Targeting
Exclusion lists work best when you also use targeting. This means you define who your ideal viewer is and what they like. You can use YouTube’s placement targeting to put your ads on channels and content that fit with your brand. When you combine exclusion lists with targeting, you get a system that is much more efficient.
Measuring the Impact of Better Targeting
The way to know if your targeting is working is to look at the data. Brands that use targeting, including exclusion lists, usually see better results. They get more people watching their videos and their ads cost less. They also see more people visiting their website, using their store locator, and buying their products online.
In any market, brands need to be smart about their marketing. They need to eliminate waste and use tools like YouTube exclusion lists to control who sees their ads. For breweries and beverage brands, mastering these tools is not optional, it is necessary!