By Maverick Steffen | Daily Marketing Advice

YouTube is the world’s largest video platform, with over 2 billion monthly active users and over 500 hours of video uploaded every minute. YouTube is also a powerful advertising platform, with over 70% of viewers saying that they bought from a brand after seeing it on YouTube. YouTube advertising can help you reach your target audience, increase your brand awareness, generate leads, and drive sales. However, YouTube advertising is not easy. It requires a lot of planning, creativity, and optimization to succeed. How can you excel in YouTube advertising and create videos that stand out and resonate with your viewers? In this article, I will share with you some tips and strategies to help you excel in YouTube advertising, based on the concept of the 12 Rules for Life.

What are the 12 Rules for Life?

The 12 Rules for Life is a book written by Dr. Jordan Peterson, a renowned psychologist, author, and speaker. The book is a collection of 12 principles that can help people live a more meaningful and fulfilling life, based on his clinical experience, scientific research, and personal insights. The 12 rules are:

• Stand up straight with your shoulders back
• Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
• Make friends with people who want the best for you
• Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
• Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
• Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
• Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
• Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie
• Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t
• Be precise in your speech
• Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
• Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

How to apply the 12 Rules for Life to YouTube advertising?

The 12 Rules for Life can be a useful framework to help you excel in YouTube advertising, as they can help you create videos that are relevant, engaging, and persuasive. Here are some ways to apply the 12 Rules for Life to YouTube advertising:

Rule 1: Stand up straight with your shoulders back

This rule is about having confidence, courage, and competence. It is about presenting yourself and your brand in a positive and professional manner. It is also about being assertive, not aggressive, and being respectful, not arrogant.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Have a clear and compelling value proposition. You need to communicate what your brand stands for, what problem you solve, and what benefit you offer to your viewers. You need to show why your brand is unique, credible, and trustworthy.
• Have a strong and consistent visual identity. You need to use high-quality images, videos, and graphics that reflect your brand personality, tone, and style. You need to use colors, fonts, and logos that are consistent with your brand identity and guidelines.
• Have a confident and friendly voice. You need to use a clear, concise, and conversational language that speaks to your viewers. You need to use a tone that is appropriate for your brand, audience, and message. You need to avoid jargon, slang, and filler words.

Rule 2: Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping

This rule is about having compassion, empathy, and responsibility. It is about caring for yourself and your viewers. It is also about providing value, support, and guidance to your viewers.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Understand your audience. You need to research your target market, their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and preferences. You need to create buyer personas that represent your ideal customers. You need to segment your audience based on their needs, interests, and goals.
• Address your audience’s pain points. You need to identify the challenges, frustrations, and fears that your audience faces. You need to show how your product or service can help them overcome their pain points. You need to use emotional triggers that appeal to your audience’s desires, aspirations, and values.
• Provide your audience with solutions. You need to demonstrate how your product or service works, what features and benefits it offers, and how it differs from your competitors. You need to use testimonials, case studies, and social proof to validate your claims. You need to use clear and compelling calls to action to guide your audience to the next step.

Rule 3: Make friends with people who want the best for you

This rule is about having relationships, connections, and collaborations. It is about building trust, loyalty, and advocacy with your viewers. It is also about leveraging the power of social media, influencers, and communities to amplify your reach and impact.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Engage with your viewers. You need to encourage your viewers to like, comment, share, and subscribe to your videos. You need to respond to their feedback, questions, and suggestions. You need to create a dialogue and a rapport with your viewers.
• Collaborate with influencers. You need to identify and partner with influencers who have a large and loyal following in your niche. You need to create authentic and relevant content that showcases your brand and your influencer’s expertise. You need to offer value and incentives to your influencer and their audience.
• Join and create communities. You need to join and participate in online communities that are related to your niche, such as forums, groups, and blogs. You need to share your content, insights, and opinions with the community members. You need to create your own community around your brand, such as a fan club, a loyalty program, or a referral program.

Rule 4: Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today

This rule is about having growth, improvement, and optimization. It is about measuring your performance, learning from your mistakes, and celebrating your achievements. It is also about being realistic, humble, and grateful.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Set SMART goals. You need to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to align your goals with your business objectives and your audience’s expectations. You need to track and monitor your progress and results.
• Test and experiment. You need to test and experiment with different aspects of your YouTube advertising campaigns, such as the video content, format, length, title, description, thumbnail, keywords, tags, etc. You need to use data and analytics to measure and compare the performance of your experiments. You need to use the best practices and the latest trends to optimize your campaigns.
• Learn and improve. You need to learn from your successes and failures, your strengths and weaknesses, your opportunities and threats. You need to identify and implement the key takeaways and action points from your experiments. You need to continuously improve your YouTube advertising campaigns and your video skills.

Rule 5: Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them

This rule is about having discipline, boundaries, and rules. It is about setting and enforcing the standards and expectations for your viewers. It is also about being respectful, ethical, and compliant.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Follow the YouTube policies and guidelines. You need to follow the YouTube policies and guidelines for advertisers, such as the YouTube advertising policies, the YouTube community guidelines, the YouTube terms of service, etc. You need to avoid violating the policies and guidelines, such as using inappropriate, misleading, or deceptive content, spamming, scamming, or infringing on the rights of others.
• Respect the YouTube algorithm. You need to respect the YouTube algorithm, which is the system that determines how your videos are ranked, recommended, and monetized on YouTube. You need to optimize your videos for the YouTube algorithm, such as using relevant and popular keywords, tags, and hashtags, creating catchy and descriptive titles and thumbnails, increasing your watch time and retention rate, etc.
• Respect your viewers. You need to respect your viewers, who are the people who watch, engage, and support your videos. You need to create content that is relevant, valuable, and entertaining for your viewers. You need to avoid annoying, boring, or offending your viewers, such as using clickbait, pop-ups, or interruptions, creating low-quality or irrelevant content, or being rude or disrespectful.

Rule 6: Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world

This rule is about having order, clarity, and simplicity. It is about organizing and streamlining your YouTube advertising campaigns. It is also about being focused, consistent, and efficient.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Plan your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to plan your YouTube advertising campaigns, such as defining your goals, budget, audience, message, and strategy. You need to choose the right YouTube advertising format, such as skippable or non-skippable ads, bumper ads, discovery ads, or masthead ads. You need to create a content calendar and a schedule for your YouTube advertising campaigns.
• Optimize your YouTube channel. You need to optimize your YouTube channel, which is the home page of your brand on YouTube. You need to create a compelling and consistent channel name, logo, banner, description, and trailer. You need to organize your videos into playlists and sections. You need to link your website and social media accounts to your YouTube channel.
• Manage your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to manage your YouTube advertising campaigns, such as launching, monitoring, and adjusting your campaigns. You need to use the YouTube Studio and the Google Ads tools to manage your campaigns. You need to use the YouTube Analytics and the Google Ads

Rule 7: Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)

This rule is about having purpose, passion, and vision. It is about creating and sharing content that is meaningful and valuable for your viewers and yourself. It is also about being strategic, creative, and innovative.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Define your mission and vision. You need to define your mission and vision, which are the ultimate goals and aspirations of your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to align your mission and vision with your brand values and your audience’s needs. You need to communicate your mission and vision to your viewers and inspire them to join you.
• Create and share your story. You need to create and share your story, which is the narrative that connects your brand, your product or service, and your viewers. You need to use storytelling techniques, such as the hero’s journey, the three-act structure, or the STAR method, to craft your story. You need to use emotional, visual, and auditory elements to enhance your story.
• Experiment and innovate. You need to experiment and innovate, which are the processes of trying new and different things and finding better and smarter ways to do things. You need to use the design thinking approach, which consists of five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, to experiment and innovate. You need to use the lean startup methodology, which consists of three steps: build, measure, and learn, to experiment and innovate.

Rule 8: Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie

This rule is about having honesty, integrity, and transparency. It is about being truthful and authentic with your viewers and yourself. It is also about being accountable, responsible, and ethical.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Be truthful and authentic. You need to be truthful and authentic, which means that you say what you mean and you mean what you say. You need to avoid lying, exaggerating, or misleading your viewers. You need to be yourself and show your personality, values, and opinions.
• Be transparent and clear. You need to be transparent and clear, which means that you disclose and explain the relevant information and details to your viewers. You need to avoid hiding, omitting, or confusing your viewers. You need to use clear and simple language and visuals to convey your message.
• Be ethical and respectful. You need to be ethical and respectful, which means that you follow the moral and legal principles and standards that govern your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to avoid harming, exploiting, or offending your viewers. You need to respect the rights, privacy, and preferences of your viewers.

Rule 9: Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t

This rule is about having curiosity, openness, and humility. It is about listening to and learning from your viewers and others. It is also about being receptive, adaptable, and flexible.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Listen to and learn from your viewers. You need to listen to and learn from your viewers, who are the people who watch, engage, and support your videos. You need to solicit and collect their feedback, opinions, and suggestions. You need to analyze and understand their behavior, preferences, and needs.
• Listen to and learn from others. You need to listen to and learn from others, who are the people who have expertise, experience, or influence in your niche or industry. You need to seek and accept their advice, guidance, and support. You need to benchmark and emulate their best practices, strategies, and techniques.
• Be receptive and adaptable. You need to be receptive and adaptable, which means that you are willing and able to change and improve your YouTube advertising campaigns based on the feedback and insights that you receive from your viewers and others. You need to avoid being defensive, stubborn, or complacent. You need to embrace and implement the changes and improvements that are necessary and beneficial for your YouTube advertising campaigns.

Rule 10: Be precise in your speech

This rule is about having clarity, accuracy, and relevance. It is about using the right words and phrases to express your message and your brand. It is also about being concise, specific, and focused.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Use the right keywords and tags. You need to use the right keywords and tags, which are the words and phrases that describe your video content and your brand. You need to use keywords and tags that are relevant, popular, and specific to your niche and audience. You need to use keywords and tags that match the search intent and the YouTube algorithm of your viewers.
• Use the right titles and descriptions. You need to use the right titles and descriptions, which are the words and phrases that summarize your video content and your brand. You need to use titles and descriptions that are catchy, descriptive, and informative. You need to use titles and descriptions that capture the attention, interest, and curiosity of your viewers.
• Use the right calls to action. You need to use the right calls to action, which are the words and phrases that instruct your viewers to take a specific action after watching your video. You need to use calls to action that are clear, compelling, and urgent. You need to use calls to action that motivate your viewers to click, buy, subscribe, or share your video.

Rule 11: Do not bother children when they are skateboarding

This rule is about having fun, freedom, and creativity. It is about creating and sharing content that is entertaining and enjoyable for your viewers and yourself. It is also about being adventurous, playful, and spontaneous.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Create and share entertaining content. You need to create and share entertaining content, which is content that makes your viewers laugh, smile, or feel good. You need to use humor, wit, and sarcasm to make your content funny and amusing. You need to use stories, anecdotes, and examples to make your content relatable and personal.
• Create and share enjoyable content. You need to create and share enjoyable content, which is content that makes your viewers learn, think, or feel inspired. You need to use facts, statistics, and quotes to make your content informative and educational. You need to use insights, opinions, and perspectives to make your content thought-provoking and inspirational.
• Be adventurous and playful. You need to be adventurous and playful, which means that you are willing and able to try new and different things and have fun with your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to avoid being boring, predictable, or conventional. You need to experiment and innovate with your content, format, style, and tone.

Rule 12: Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street

This rule is about having gratitude, appreciation, and joy. It is about acknowledging and celebrating the small and simple things that make your YouTube advertising campaigns worthwhile. It is also about being positive, optimistic, and happy.

To apply this rule to YouTube advertising, you need to:

• Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements. You need to acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, which are the milestones and results that you accomplish with your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to measure and evaluate your performance and progress. You need to reward and congratulate yourself and your team.
• Appreciate and thank your viewers. You need to appreciate and thank your viewers, who are the people who watch, engage, and support your videos. You need to express your gratitude and appreciation to your viewers. You need to offer value and incentives to your viewers, such as discounts, giveaways, or shoutouts.
• Enjoy and love what you do. You need to enjoy and love what you do, which is creating and sharing videos that promote your brand and your product or service. You need to have fun and passion with your YouTube advertising campaigns. You need to have a positive and optimistic attitude and outlook.

Conclusion

YouTube advertising is a great way to promote your brand and your product or service, but you need to know how to excel in YouTube advertising and create videos that stand out and resonate with your viewers. By applying the 12 Rules for Life to YouTube advertising, you can create videos that are relevant, engaging, and persuasive. You can also connect with your viewers on a deeper level, and create a loyal and passionate following.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear from you and help you out. Thanks for reading and happy YouTube advertising!