Telling is selling.
The better you tell your story, the higher your sales.
And what can be a better media format than video to tell your story well?
Audiovisual impacts more and lasts longer in the human brain. Hence Video Ads are in.
Video marketing smoothens the corridor to connect audiences in a standalone personified way. Video marketing is used to promote the uniqueness of brands, present how-to guides, share customer testimonials, and live streaming. Using sound, light, motion, and emotions tend to accelerate ads into a different level of communication and connection. But every ad is not powerful enough to hold customers’ attention. So how to create ads which your target audience will be glued to? How to prioritize your message among thousands of distractions? Or simply how will you buy your customer’s time?
Here are 7 tips for creating the best video ads.
1. Focus On One Main Message
Talk of what makes your brand unique and what resonates with your audience the most. This thing should be the core message of your video. For example, if you are selling markers that can be easily refilled, build your message around this excellent feature.
2. Call out your Audience
Five, four, three, two, one. What keeps people watching after the first five seconds? The “skip” button after a few seconds reminds advertisers to create more engaging stories that not only grab their audience’s attention but hold it, too.
You have only a few seconds to hook a potential viewer. They’re often scrolling their timeline, and the video starts silently in the background, so the first scene must be dynamic and eye-catching. You must make the first few seconds count. This short window will determine whether a viewer will continue watching the ad, hit the “Skip Ad’ button, or continue scrolling.
Nespresso’s video ad was created for their limited-edition ice brew, which is one of the best-animated ads examples of a perfect summer commercial. The first seconds of this video give us the feeling that summer is just around the corner. The combination used in this video is perfect for promoting an icy summer beverage.
3. Timing your video ad
Short but sweet is the way to go. According to Extreme Reach, at the end of 2019, 66% of online video ads were 30 seconds or lower. You should keep your ad as short as possible. Though going up to 30 seconds is not bad either. Short-form video advertising is a tried and tested digital marketing strategy that many businesses have found success with.
Here’s an example of one short ad that can be a pack of punch:
4. Personalize your Videos
Long gone are the days when businesses could focus solely on their products. Customers no longer only care about making a transaction anymore; they want to feel appreciated.
Making personalized video ads in your marketing will help your brand’s message resonate with your viewers. Personalized content is an excellent way to get closer to your audience as it can help you get rid of the guise of a cold, corporate entity.
Cadbury has made personalization one of the core strategies of its campaigns. A personalized gift pack with the receiver’s name printed on it is just one example of their personalized marketing strategy. It creates a sense of occasion and shows the customers that the brand cares and wants to help them add value to their special moments.
5. Make your video ads relevant
How can you ensure people pay attention to your ads?
The answer is: that it’s about making your ads relevant to both the viewer and the moment. Research finds that relevant video ads get three times the attention of an average video ad.
Understanding your audience’s intent and being able to respond to that intent is becoming table stakes. As brands experiment with multi-part stories told to the same viewer over time in various cuts of creativity, nailing the right sequence could be the difference between someone tuning out and paying attention.
6. What’s so unique
Your video should tell viewers why they must be interested in your brand. Tell viewers what’s so special about your brand and how is it different from another brand. What is it that will attract the customers to choose your brand? It’s important to include your brand’s unique features while filming your online video ad.
Everlane is an American clothing brand that focuses on selling sustainable and ethical products. The video shows how that one product can do multiple things and makes the wearer unstoppable. The closing frame is a black background with 2 lines about what makes this product so great.
7. Include a Call to Action
Directing your viewers to a clear next step is the key to strategic video marketing. Ultimately, the goal of any marketing campaign is to guide your audience in the buyer’s journey so they eventually make a purchase. You can add the call to action in your advertisement through graphics and text.
Ideally, the CTA should be included at the end of the video.
HealthCare Recruiters decided to create a funny and joyful video explaining what the services are. This is a great call-to-action video example.
Whether your goal is to increase sales or brand recognition, you’ll find video marketing to be an effective strategy. Keep these tips in mind as you plan and create an online video ad strategy for your business.
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