How To Use Video Ads To Increase Your Marketing Exposure

If you’re hoping to gain more marketing exposure and accelerate your revenue in 2021, we have two words for you: video ads. Video in marketing is definitely not new, but its efficacy is hard to beat and its dominance is growing as rapidly as a weed doused in Miracle Gro. But while blog posts and other forms of content marketing are widely embraced, many business owners are still hesitant about investing in video, perhaps because they think it’s more difficult or costly to produce. Our take? It’s worth it. Here are some video marketing tips to help you get started.

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Start With Strategy

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This is what we recommend with any and every marketing initiative, so we’d be remiss not to reiterate the importance of beginning with strategy. Before you start planning your first video ad, map out the goals you’re trying to achieve. Are you aiming for increased brand awareness, customer acquisition, revenue growth? Who do you want to see your video ads, and which platforms make the most sense based on that? What Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will you use to measure your success? Make sure to think through these factors and have them clearly defined before beginning your video adventure.

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Embrace Best Practices

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Next, take the time to understand what makes video so powerful today. You can’t simply take a written blog post and have someone read it on camera, and expect the video to make a splash. Video ads are at their best when they’re centered on storytelling. They also tend to get more views when they’re short (we’re talking a minute or less) and make more of an impact when they’re not super salesy. There are a wide variety of types of video ads you could try, including tutorials, product reviews, educational videos, demonstrations or even commercials (so long as they tell a story and aren’t overly promotional). It can be helpful to experiment with different video formats and test them to see which yields the best results. Whichever you plan to go with, remember that many people nowadays watch video ads on their phones or laptops when they’re commuting or at work. So your video must make sense and be compelling, with or without the sound on. Finally, you can certainly shoot video ads on your smartphone or see if anyone in your office has nice equipment. But agencies and experts really have the right tools and insights to make videos pop, so if you have the budget to work with someone experienced, it pays to do so.

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Follow The Particulars Of Each Platform

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Lastly, every social media platform has its own requirements, preferred sizes, aspect ratios, specs and parameters for video ads. Remember to plan for different videos based on which platform your ads will ultimately end up on. Here are just a few specifics:

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• YouTube video ads can come in many forms, including skippable, non-skippable, mid-roll or bumper videos. Check out this blog post we wrote that walks you through the different types and benefits of each.

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• Facebook video ads are available in a variety of formats. This is a plus because of the possibilities but also requires you to optimize your videos for those different formats, which can create extra challenges.

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• Instagram offers multiple types of video ads, including stories, carousel and in-feed.

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• Twitter was created to be mobile first, so vertical video ads and video captured on a mobile device can be a great way to go.

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Whichever platform(s) you choose to pursue for video advertising, make sure you understand the specs and requirements. Here’s a helpful resource that breaks them down in detail. When you begin exploring using video to increase marketing exposure, start with strategy, be mindful of best practices and tailor each ad to the exact channel and audience it will reach.

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Video ads that are thoughtfully created in this way can engage target buyers and be a major boon in your marketing efforts. Want help from an expert with video ads? Give us a ring!