How to Geo-Target a Video on YouTube

By Marie Cartwright

Promoted videos can help your business or organization gain more of a local following.
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Promoting a YouTube video is a common marketing strategy for businesses and performers. A promoted video can result in a much higher number of views than a non-promoted video. To target your video towards people in a specific geographic location, you need to have an active Google AdWords-supported video campaign. Setting up such a campaign requires some initial cost, but the resulting exposure can be well worth the investment.

Step 1

Sign up for a Google AdWords account. This requires a valid email address and a method of billing, such as a credit card or a bank account that supports direct transfer.

Step 2

Go to the YouTube Promoted Videos setup page and click "Sign into ads.youtube.com now."

Step 3

Upload your video. Write a detailed list of keywords and categories for targeted members. For example, if you are a musician trying to find a new audience, your keywords might include your style of music and the instruments you play. When the video has finished uploading, choose a thumbnail image to represent it in search results.

Step 4

Set your advertising budget. Your daily budget determines how many times your ads appear. There is no minimum amount to start a campaign, and this amount can be adjusted at any time. Google charges based on your local currency, and the charges reflect how many times the ad has been both viewed and clicked. As such, these charges vary from account to account.

Step 5

Set the language and location targets for your video within the "Targeting" section of your Promoted Videos account page. This section lets you choose any geographic area in which YouTube is available. You can narrow down your location to a major city, or have your video advertised all over the country. The scale of your campaign is up to you.

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