Google has introduced that it will be bringing lead form extensions to Youtube. This will allow advertisers to capture leads while consumers are watching Youtube videos. 

What is being implemented?

Advertisers will now be allowed to capture leads on Youtube and Discovery campaigns thanks to Google introducing lead form extensions. 

Lead capture is the process of saving customer information in order to attempt converting the lead into a paying customer. Lead form extensions were implemented by Google last year in search campaigns. 

These lead forms are used on Youtube once a consumer has expressed interest in an ad, which will then expand into a conversion form allowing them to fill in their details without having to leave the screen they are on. 

If the consumer happens to be logged into their Google account, the lead form can be automatically filled out with just a few clicks and it can be easily submitted. 

“With new lead form extensions in Google Ads, you can now show a lead form directly in your ad, giving people an easy way to share information as they search, discover and watch relevant content. This seamless flow can help you find high-quality leads in a more efficient way.”

– Kim Spalding Director of Product Management, Small Business Ads

Jeep was the first company to test out the lead form extension on Youtube. The company reportedly saw a ten times increase in their completed leads. Jeep further goes on to mention that across all ad platforms, the lead form extension had proven to be the most cost-effective way to generate leads. 

Below is an example of the Jeep lead form extension that users could fill out in booking a test drive. 

As you can see from the Jeep lead form extension, the user does not have to leave Youtube and with just a hop and a skip, the form is submitted. 

How do lead form extensions work?

Advertisers are able to collect leads directly from ads by using lead forms, instead of sending users to a separate landing page. 

Leads forms can be added into various campaigns, such as:

• Lead ads can be added to existing campaigns on search ads as extensions
• Lead forms can be added to video campaigns during the campaign creation process as well as from the setting menu of the campaign. 

For lead forms in video campaigns, advertisers have the choice to select which type of leads they would like to capture. The options are:

• More volume – this means to reach a maximum amount of people 
• Higher intent – this means to reach people more likely to have an interest in the product/service you offer

Once advertisers have decided on which type of leads you would like to capture, they now need to decide which pieces of information they would need to gather from users. 

There are many types of information advertisers can ask for, including and not limited to the user’s:

• Name
• Phone number
• Email
• City
• Zip/Postal code
• State/Province
• Country
• The company they work for
• Job title
• Work email
• Work phone number

Apart from the standard set of questions, there are more specific questions. For example, if you are a property company, there are questions specific to home buyers such as what their spending budget is, the areas they are looking into etc. If these options are not sufficient for what you require from a user, you are able to write your own questions.

Once the questions for the lead form is done and implemented, its now time to start getting in leads. When the leads are captured, they can be downloaded as a CSV file. However, it is only possible to download leads from the last 30 days, which means it would need to be regularly checked for newly captured leads. 

As if Google has not surprised us enough, they will be rolling out lead form extensions on display ads later this year. This means Google is making it possible for advertisers to collect leads from nearly every corner of the web. 

A survey was conducted on a range of American customers and the results showed that they appreciate having many different ways of communicating with businesses, such as lead forms.

“Consumers now prefer to use more varied methods to communicate with a business. In fact, our research from March shows that one in three shoppers would rather buy from a company that provides a wide range of ways to reach them—like web forms and calls.”

– Kim Spalding Director of Product Management, Small Business Ads

Why do we care?

With the introduction of lead form extensions on YouTube videos and Discovery campaigns, it is safe to say that Google has finally made a breakthrough with lead forms in ads having previously tested contact form extensions in 2010 and cost-per-lead-ads in 2011. The aim of lead forms is for helping small business, in particular, to capture and act on more leads from their digital campaigns. 

If this interests you, check out the 9 Valuable Google Ads Features To Use in 2020.

Tags: digital marketing, Google ads, lead capturing, YouTube