And…….Action!
Now more than ever is a great time for businesses to consider the benefits on video advertising. Videos are quickly taking over the digital advertising industry and now Instagram is taking a leap forward by extending the length of video ads on their platform from 30 to 60 seconds.
So, what’s the big deal about 30 extra seconds? Well… a lot actually. Facebook, who owns Instagram, is looking to capitalize on the growth of digital video ads, by giving marketers more options when it comes to the videos they can produce.
Allowing for longer video ads is an attempt by Instagram to absorb the shift form television commercial spots to digital marketing on popular social platforms. Otherwise, limiting the time length of video ads could discourage businesses to create videos specifically for Instagram. Now, creates more options for marketers to develop content for multiple digital distribution.
Instagram hopes that giving businesses the extra time that a 60-second video will influence marketers to invest in advertising on an already popular social platform.
Video Advertising on Social Media
While Instagram is one of today’s most popular social media platforms, it’s accompanied by others like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter that have all taken steps to optimize their Video Advertising capabilities. Each social platform has its own unique take on the Video Advertising they allow and while marketers have to follow specific guidelines for each platform, utilizing videos on social media delivers distinct advertising advantages for today’s businesses.
Techcrunch.com explains how different social platforms approach Video Advertising in different ways:
“Facebook lets companies run video ads that are as long as they want, but only as full-fledged videos. YouTube has its skippable pre-rolls. Twitter lets brands sponsor the delivery of high-quality content from other publishers, like ads before sports highlights. Snapchat has short interstitial video ads in Discover as well as sponsored clips inserted into Live Stories.”
All of them are trying to figure out how to maximize value for advertisers while minimizing the interruption to their users.”
Just like pictures get people’s attention more than text copy, videos capture an individual’s attention for a longer time. Social media platforms offer audience targeting capabilities for their advertisements that allow businesses to show their videos to the right people, when they are most open to watching their ads.
Video Advertising Best Practices
Now that you know all about how you can use videos to promote your business on social media, we want to make sure that you know some tips and tricks to make sure your ads stand out in the crowd. Let’s go over some best practices in creating the best Video Advertisements.
#1 Define your target audience
Television commercials are seen by anyone watching that particular program and the time of the advertisement. This means that each commercial has to appeal to a large audience otherwise it will go unnoticed by those who might be interested in the advertisement. Digital videos, on the other hand, have the potential to be placed in many different platforms in front of extremely specific audiences. Because of this when developing content for your Video Advertising, it should be created with a specific audience in mind.
Take your time to figure out exactly who your video is speaking to. Ask yourself, “Who am I trying to reach?” or “Who will be the most willing to engage with my product or service?” These people are the ones who are going to interact with your video. Spend your money marketing to them.
#2 Get to the point
Even though Instagram extended its ad length, there’s a reason they didn’t let their ads run for two or three minutes. The point is that when it comes to advertisement, you only have a few seconds to capture their attention. Once you have their attention, then you can expand on your business and provide more details, but for now, get your message out in front.
#3 Make it visually appealing
Take the time to create a good quality video. If you have the budget, use the proper equipment and hire the professionals who know how to display your company. Even if you don’t have the budget and have to be the director, writer, and cameraman, plan out your videos ahead of time in order to minimize unneeded action and deliver a clear message.
Tip: Don’t rely on sound to attract views. In platforms like Facebook and Instagram, videos that auto-play while people scroll past them do so without sound. Think about what you can do to grab their attention that highlights moving parts and vibrant colors.
#4 Keep testing
Marketers rely on testing to create highly effective advertisements. Don’t think that just because you’re producing Video Advertisements, you don’t have to test. Create different versions of your video for each target audience, then implement a split test schedule to clearly monitor the best performing video.
Experiment with the first five seconds of your video. Like I mentioned above, getting to the point right away is important, but how you get there is important as well. Record different versions of the beginning of your video to see which one attracts the more viewers.
That’s all for today
Video Advertising is in a unique stage of its life as society continues to shift from traditional to digital advertising. While it’s already extremely valuable to businesses, Video Advertising is continuing to evolve the meet the demands of today’s marketers through platforms like Instagram.
Businesses are looking for the best ways to reach their customers. And what their finding is that they can no longer wait for people to find them. Instead, they’re utilizing tools like Video Advertising on social media to meet their customers where they spend most of their time. Start speaking to your customers in a way they will want to listen. Capture their attention with video advertising and deliver a power message they can’t ignore.
If you’d like to learn more about Video Advertising or any other digital advertising tactic, make sure and contact us today and we’ll put together a personalized digital plan that meets your advertising objective and budget.
