Videos have become an important tool in digital marketing. They are eye-catching, finger-stopping, and engaging. People are much more likely to stop and watch an engaging video ad on Facebook, Twitter, or in the sidebar of a webpage than they are to stop and read a link ad.
Building an effective video marketing campaign for your digital platforms is simple when you take the right steps. Video marketing requires more than just a campaign objective and flashy editing to make it successful. To help you build a successful video campaign, we have created a four-step guide of things to consider as you navigate the video ad creation process,
Build a Story
Of course, the goal of any digital marketing ad is to push sales. While it is important to have this objective with video ads, it is not what is going to make them successful. People like videos that tell a story. It is important to keep in mind that your video ad will be competing with social media stories and content from people’s network.
Because your video ad will appear alongside your target audience’s photo of their new puppy or video of their child saying their first word, your ad has to be equally as engaging. Video ads that work connect the viewer to the brand in an emotional and engaging way. The better you tell the story in the ad, the more likely the person watching the ad will take action.
Keep in mind that your story should be concise and cohesive. You don’t want it to be any shorter or longer than it requires to tell the story. Capture your audience with the first frame and keep them engaged from there.
The First Few Seconds Are Crucial
There is a lot of content on the internet. Digital marketers compete with not only their competitors but also viral videos of cats and stories and photos of their customers’ relatives and friends.
For this reason, you have to use the first few seconds of the video to capture the viewer’s attention and keep their attention. The viewer should be able to know what they story of your video is in the first 8 seconds. Those first 8 seconds also have to prove to the viewer that watching the whole video will be worth their time.
Get the Story Across With and Without Sound
Many video ads now autoplay with sound on, that is, unless the viewer’s phone is on silent. 85% of people browse social media and the web on their mobile devices with their device on silent mode. This means that video ads play without sound.
Because of this, your video ad needs to tell its story without sound. Using subtitles or making the video powerful without the need for any dialogue can help ensure your video’s story is getting across to those viewers watching it without sound.
While sound is an important part of video ads, today’s viewers need more than sound to capture their attention. Use powerful and impressive visuals or a text focused introduction to capture the attention of those viewers watching without sound.
End With a Call to Action
While how digital marketers create and use video ads is changing, the end goal of video ads is still the same. You want to end the video with a powerful call to action. People who have watched the video to the end have been captured by the story of the ad, now it is time to drive them to act.
Keep in mind that the CTA of a video ad doesn’t have to be getting the customer to click on your website or sign up for your newsletter. Video ads’ CTAs can also include the following: subscribing to your Youtube channel, following or liking your page, sharing the video with friends, commenting on the video, and going to other content.
Traditionally, the CTA would appear at the end of the video ad, but consider placing the CTA in the middle of the ad. By the middle of the ad, people have bought into the story and are more likely to act. It is always good practice to test where to place your CTA, so doing some A/B testing with where to place your CTA is a great way to figure out what works for you.
Creating video ads that work is an important part of a successful digital marketing strategy. If you would like to learn more about how to optimize your digital marketing and make it work better for you, check out the below book on Affiliate Marketing
Books by Michael Ezeanaka
Michael Ezeanaka 