Your Guide to Creating the Best Video Ads

Video ads are one of the most powerful mediums in the current marketing landscape. 

According to Statista, around 85% of internet users in the US watch video content on a regular basis from their desktops and mobile devices. What’s more, the demand for video content is increasing. Hubspot tells us that 54% of consumers want to see more videos from the brands they support. 

The good news for today’s business owners is that there are a lot of easy ways to dive into the video landscape. You can create animated videos for your website, explanatory videos for your product pages, or even entertainment options for Instagram. 

There’s also Facebook to consider. 

Facebook video ads earn 500 million viewers every day. 

So, how do you create ads that work?

Evaluating the Benefits of Video Content

Video ads are the easiest way to capture the attention of your target audience and share valuable information with them in a consumable format. 

YouTube has more than a billion users, and 45% of people say that they watch at least an hour of video on Facebook or YouTube each week. On top of that, 87% of online marketers say that they’re already using video in their ad campaigns. 

Best Practices for Video Ads

The critical thing to remember here is that you can’t just post a video and be done. This kind of marketing requires a particular strategy. So, here are our best practices for video ad success. 

1. Hook the Viewer Instantly

When customers are scrolling through web pages or social media, they’re often on the move, looking for quick entertainment. That means that they won’t always want to stop for a video. If you want to connect with your customers and force them to pay attention, you need to hook them with something interesting, or surprising.

It’s best to instantly grab the viewer’s attention by doing something unexpected (for example, driving while reading). The lesson here? Make sure that you give your customers a reason to pay attention. 

2. Get Straight to the Point

People online today don’t want to deal with huge, confusing videos. They want access to quick and accessible information. With that in mind, keep it simple. For example, in a Facebook video posted by Jason Hornung, he highlights some of his top tips with Facebook video ads. The information is displayed in an easy-to-understand format, on a digital whiteboard. At the end of the video, the CTA ensures that customers know what to do next. 

Don’t make your customers wait to discover the value of your content, demonstrate it straight away. 

3. Get the Quality Right

These days, consumers are more accepting of low-quality videos thanks to the arrival of things like Facebook Live and Instagram. However, you still need to remember that your video is a demonstration of the quality of your brand. If your video content looks terrible, customers just won’t trust you. From the start, make sure that you get the quality right.

Make sure your videos are crisp and clear, just like a comercial on the TV. 

4. Show Off Your Personality

A video is a great opportunity to build a relationship with your audience by showing them what you stand for. Are you the kind of fun and playful company that’s going to make your audience laugh? Alternatively, are you a thought leader with in-depth insights into your field? Make sure your personality shines through. Facebook videos by Squatty Potty, for example, you get an instant insight into the kind of brand that you’re dealing with. 

Including social proof in the video ensures that the brand not only demonstrates it’s fun side, but it’s reliable nature too. 

5. Add Captions

Not everyone will want to turn the sound on when they’re listening to your video. Remember, some of your viewers are going to be checking out your content when they’re on the tube to work or sitting in the break room. If they don’t have headphones, they won’t want to disturb the people around them. With that in mind, make sure that you add captions to your video so you can get your message across, no matter what. 

6. Be Authentic

For the most part, your videos should look professional. However, if you’re doing a behind-the-scenes insight into your life, or showing off what’s going on in your company, you can go for something a little rawer. CEO of Mentorbox, Alex Mehr proves that videos don’t have to be staged to be successful. Showing off your human side can really help to develop a connection with your target audience. 

Think about how you can use your videos to show your customers what you stand for. 

7. Offer a Unique Benefit

We mentioned above that if you want to accomplish great things with your video ads, you need to make sure that you’re delivering value. Your audience needs a reason to stop what they’re doing and click on your content. What better way to convince them to do that than to promise some kind of unique benefit.

Make sure your video is instantly clear. Start the video by discussing the problems your customers are facing. This creates a feeling of affinity. 

8. Focus on One Idea

Videos can be a great way to share complicated information. However, when you’re posting your video ads on Facebook, it’s worth remembering that your audience probably doesn’t have a lot of time. With that in mind, it’s best to focus on a single idea or lesson that you want to get across.

In your videos make sure you clearly have one specific idea in mind. That means that your audience can get in-depth on that topic, without losing their attention. 

9. Prove Yourself

Don’t just tell people what you can do when you post a Facebook ad. Video is a visual medium, and it’s the perfect way for you to show exactly what your product can accomplish. The Purple mattress company launched a video advertisement with the “raw egg test.” Their video shows how the mattress cradles the human body without causing discomfort to any pressure points. 

The Goldilocks story connects to the customer on an emotional level, At the same time, the content within the video obviously demonstrates the benefits of the product. 

10. Use the Right CTA

Finally, remember that like any other advertisement, your video ads are just one part of your conversion strategy. You also need to gently nudge your customers towards the next step in their journey. This means using a call to action. Tell your customers what they need to do next, such as visiting your website to check out a case study or looking at your product page. 

You can include links and buttons on your Facebook ads to help drive conversions. Don’t leave your audience wondering, “what now?” 

How to Get The Most ROI from Video Ads

Once you know the best practices for creating your video ads, you can begin to look into ways of improving your ROI. While the right solution for this will depend on you, some of the best things you can do include:

1. Thinking Beyond One Platform

Facebook video ads are great, but what if you expanded what you do on that social media channel into other environments? Perhaps you could post your videos on Instagram to reach a wider audience, or experiment with opportunities on YouTube. 

While expanding your video ads to various digital platforms is a great strategy, don’t overlook the potential of traditional platforms like cable TV. In fact, with the cost savings provided by buying remnant ad space, cable TV advertising can be more viable and affordable than ever.

To achieve the best results with this tactic, make sure that you tailor your video to the platform that you’re working on. Facebook and Instagram users have different expectations when it comes to video solutions. Remember, Facebook and Instagram are often more visual in their videos, while LinkedIn might be more likely to host videos with one-on-one interviews and speaker sessions. 

2. Connect Emotionally

While some videos go viral because they’re incredibly informative and packed with unique information, most achieve blazing hot status because of their emotional impact. If you can tell a story that connects with your customer on a deeper level, then you can improve your chances of them sharing that video. When creating videos, start with engagement first. 

Visual storytelling can help to enhance the way that people think about your product and your brand. For instance, the Yeti brand for outdoor solutions used a 20-minute video to tell a story that helps customers to better understand the unique personality of the brand. 

3. Don’t Forget About Mobile Users

A significant amount of video consumption happens on mobile devices these days. According to eMarketer, around 75% of the world views video via mobile. That means that if you want your video ads to be successful, you can’t forget about offering clients on mobile a great experience. 

One good way to make sure that your videos perform well on mobile is to ensure that they’re not too long. Short snippets of video are more likely to attract customers on the go than full-length movies. Additionally, it’s worth considering vertical video too. According to surveys, vertical videos are watched up to 9 times more often than horizontal ones. 

Another top tip – make sure that you turn captions on for your videos. Most social video ads are watched without sound. That means you need to ensure that your content can either be understood in silence or use captions instead. 

Trends in Video Ads: Top Trends to Watch in 2020 

So far, we’ve discussed some of the best practices you can embrace if you’re heading into the world of video ads and visual content. However, it’s also worth noting that we’re living in a world where expectations and customers are constantly changing. 

This year, we’re entering a new decade of video marketing. There’s no doubt that the years ahead will bring new opportunities and challenges for all companies to face. With that in mind, here are some of the trends you might need to prepare yourself for. 

1. Ads getting shorter

Video is an incredibly popular way of connecting with your target audience. As businesses continue to discover just how fantastic video can be, ads are getting shorter, aiming to capture diminishing attention spans. If you want to succeed in this new marketplace, you’ll need to learn how to get valuable points across in a matter of seconds, not minutes. 

Techniques like humor, shock, and action can all grab audience attention in those initial seconds and boost your chances of success. Just check out this video from Promo.com; for instance, it immediately uses comedy to capture interest. 

2. OTT advertising: 

Another trend worth noting for 2020 is the arrival of over the top advertising. This is a term used to describe content producers that deliver streaming media over the internet. 

Rather than just publishing your video ads on Facebook in the years to come, you might find more opportunities to reach your audience through things like Amazon video, Google Play, iTunes, and even Netflix. Make sure you keep your mind and eyes open to the potential of new platforms. 

3. Cinemagraphs

Cinemagraphs have gained a lot of steam in the last year or so. These quick, eye-catching videos are perfect for sharing on social media. Using high-end cameras and postproduction tools, cinemagraphs deliver an inspiring experience that audiences can’t find elsewhere. 

Cinemagraphs bridge the gap between photo-based advertisements and videos. Because they’re relatively easy to make, and often not too expensive, these advertising options could present a great stepping stone into the world of video marketing. Check out this example from Armani, for instance.

4. User-generated content

Another top trend in the video advertising world is the arrival of user-generated content. 

Even in a world ruled by social media and digital transformation, word-of-mouth marketing is still the best way to reach your audience and gain their trust. UGC is appealing because it’s authentic and raw. Today’s customers aren’t impressed by common pushy sales tactics. People want to feel an emotional connection to the brands they buy from. 

If you need evidence that UGC works, just look at Toyota. The company increased ad engagement by 440% using user-generated content. Give your advocates a chance to speak out on behalf of your brand. 

5. More personalized videos

Finally, the concept of personalization might not be new in the marketing world – but it’s extra important today. Around 72% of customers say that they’re more likely to engage with marketing messages that are personalized to their needs. Additionally, 60% of marketers consider personalization to be a crucial strategy for improving lead quality. 

Rather than serving the same one-size-fits-all content to everyone, think about how you can dynamically adjust your ads to suit different audiences. You could segment your customers and deliver different ads depending on if they’ve interacted with your brand before. You can even send unique video ads through email if you need help with segmenting. 

Top Resources for your Video Ads

You’re almost ready to rush off and start creating your own video ads. However, before you jump in head-first, it’s worth building a small folder of resources you can use to boost the quality of your content. To save you some valuable time, we’ve put together some useful resources to check out:

• Canva Design School: Canva’s design school provides useful information on how to make the most of all kinds of visual content, including videos. 
• Swipe-Worthy: This is an exclusive community for business owners and marketers to learn more about how to master marketing for their brand. 
• Facebook Ad Library: What better way to boost the quality of your videos than to learn from other companies? Facebook ad libraries show you what top brands are doing with their ads today. 
• Dribbble: Dribbble is a showcase website where you can check out the work of other skilled designers from around the world. 
• PhotoADKing: PhotoADKing is one of the best tools to create personalized video ads. It has a wide selection of pre-made templates to choose from. It is also very well known for creating flyer designs, posters, and other marketing materials.
• Inspiration Grid: This another inspirational website packed full of useful ideas from other designers who are creating online ads. 
• App previews and trailers: Checking out the app previews and trailers on the Apple app store is a great way to see what kind of videos are already capturing audience attention. 
• Motiongrapher: This is a good website to check out if you want to see work of the type of companies that have worked for brands like Spotify and Nike before. 
• Ads of the World: This site curates some of the top and trending ads from around the world and puts them into the same place – great for research. 
• Google’s resource page: Google has its own dedicated resource page for companies that want inspiration to make the most of the Google search. 
• YouTube: What better place to look for inspiration for your videos than on the front page of the internet for video? Search for the channels owned by your competitors for some great insights. 

Making the Most of Video Ads 

Video continues to be one of the most powerful resources in the marketing world. As companies search for emotive ways to connect with their audience, videos stand out as an incredible way to convey complex information in a simple format. 

With a little luck, the tips, guidance, trends, and resources above will give you everything you need to launch your own successful video ad campaign. 

What are your top tips for video success? Let us know in the comments below!