How to Make More Effective Video Ad Content

It would have been hard to believe that making effective video ad content could become more important to any small business or organization in 2020. Yet as we continue to grapple with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced so many into self-isolation for most of the day, we have seen the tremendous difference in media and screen time for the average consumer. Some research suggests a 16% total increase on average daily device use, translating to almost an hour per day per person or 5.6 million hours per day across the country.

Effective Video Ad Content

Obviously, if you’re here you recognize the importance of making content that will reach this attentive audience. The question you should be asking yourself is, “how can I make the best, the most effective video ad content?” In such a vast sea of noise, it is more imperative than ever for you to be creating content that not only represents your business or organization in the best possible way but also stands out from the crowd. In that spirit, we have put our years of video and digital marketing experience to the task and come up with these great tips to consider when planning your next video ad to successfully capture your audience and motivate them to action!

Focus on the target

The first thing on your mind when you begin drafting plans for your next video ad or campaign has got to be a specific analysis of your target audience. It is no longer best to create broadly appealing ad media. Unlike the early days of broadcast advertising, digital media can be targeted to detailed breakdowns of a consumer’s habits, interests, and needs. Take advantage of this and create ads that are specialized and focused on the individuals or businesses that you think are most likely going to be receptive to the campaign you are launching.

Additionally, be sure to consider the situation in which your target audience is being reached by your ad. Nothing kills a person’s interest in an ad quite like being jarringly taken out of whatever they are already watching to see your tonally asynchronous video for a completely unrelated product. Thinking of your audience as specifically and thoroughly as possible is the lynchpin to the rest of your ad strategy.

Start Strong

The data tells us that one of the most surefire ways to increase the effectiveness of your video or digital ad is to capture your audience’s attention in the first five seconds. While that may seem like common sense, it’s actually even simpler than that when you consider the reason: the skip button! By every metric (brand recall, clicks, conversions, etc), ads that successfully made use of that critical time and prevented the skip were by far more effective.

The best way to do this will unfortunately be quite different for every ad, but there are a few common methods. You can introduce a story, ask a relevant question, or excite with immediate intrigue. Another great way is the use of talent, particularly a celebrity or noteworthy figure. Using any or all of these techniques is a must in order to hook your audience immediately and get them to stick around for the entirety of your video ad.

Timing Is Everything

While the first five seconds may be critical, that does not discount the timing of the rest of the video ad. Useful here is to know from past experience how far viewers are making it in your video ads so that you can construct future videos with this in mind (industry averages typically suggest a length of around 30 seconds). Even if you need more time to completely breakdown your product or message, placing key details or actionable information here can still potentially capitalize on that viewer. If you can harness the behavior of your consumer, you can take a problem and create a new opportunity for success.

Create Multiple Versions

You may think this entails extra work for no reason, but that could not be further from the truth. Video editing and digital publishing technology innovations continue to make it easier and easier to re-package the same fundamental elements in similar but unique videos that can be utilized for different purposes. This can even turn a single shoot’s material into a full campaign of videos that are alike but specifically for different platforms like social media, landing pages, broadcast, and more!

Employ A Call-To-Action (CTA)

Since the beginning of digital advertising, many have hailed the benefits of drafting succinct, motivating calls-to-action and this is still true in today’s world of video ad content. A well-placed CTA or smartly targeted keyphrase can be the game-changer in turning an interested viewer into a sale or conversion.

However, there are even more ways than ever to creatively incorporate these kinds of strategies. A CTA doesn’t have to be limited to just be the words you say or the link you send your audience too. Try utilizing more shareable content and embedding CTA overlays on your video to increase the performance of your video ad content. Moderation is of course still recommended here as creating ads that are too cluttered or bogged down by links and buttons are just as big of a turn-off.

Test and Alter

Once your ad or campaign is off and running, the job still isn’t over. You absolutely must continue to analyze the data you receive from your campaign to understand how you are being effective and how you aren’t. Are people finishing the ad? Are customers leaving the site immediately after clicking? Are they looking but not buying? You can even take these metrics and use them to alter your video packages right away. If something isn’t working, change it. Digital ads make it so easy to subtly alter campaigns as you go to improve them based on new data.

To that end, what should be clear from these tips to both first-timers and experienced video ad creators alike is that the most important thing to consider when creating effective video ad content is the numbers. The only thing that can tell you whether or not any video marketing strategy is working for you is to understand why you are doing it and how it will translate to clicks, shares, conversions, actions, or whatever metric you have to evaluate the end success of your campaign. This is the true key to evaluating the effectiveness of any video or digital ad.

If you think you don’t have the skills, time, or resources to actualize these strategies and optimize your next video ad or digital marketing campaign, don’t fear! Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can bring our years of success in video marketing to any stage of your next video ad project.