11 Tips For Your Video Ads

Over 81% of businesses use videos as a marketing tool (Hubspot), video continues to be one of the most effective forms of marketing in 2019, with it expected to make up 82% of internet traffic by 2021, (Cisco). Some companies don’t see a use for video in their business, but there is always something you can create no matter what product or service you offer, 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video, (HubSpot).

This is my favourite example of the most shared video campaign in 2015 with a total of 6.4 million shares: “Friends Furever” - By Android.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=61&v=xbHszDDdle8[/embed]

I have gathered what I think are the most useful tips for your video creation in 2019.

1.) Know Your Audience

Before creating and brainstorming ideas for your video it's vital that you know your target audience. Make sure you consider these factors:

• Country and Location
• Language
• Age
• Gender
• Interests
• Needs and Desires
• Most used channels

2.) Consistently Brand Your Videos

It’s important to be consistent with digital branding, it helps customers recognise the company and it’s values. Adding branding to your videos is not difficult to do, this can be done by adding a logo, adding brand colours or using a brand slogan, this will help your audience easily recognise your content.

3.) Make The Video Topic Clear

Video is a powerful tool when done correctly, you must make sure you have a snappy introduction as you have 8 seconds before a viewer loses interest, create your first scene as ‘punchy’ and ‘straight to the point’ as possible in order to capture the audience's attention and make the video topic very clear.

4.) Don't Be Boring

There’s nothing worse than watching a video that is dull, plain and irrelevant. Try and make your content quirky and creative. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience, what would they like to see? Add some colour? Music? Animations?

5.) Tell Stories Using Video

Nobody likes a sales related video, there is nothing worse than someone constantly pushing a product in front of your screen. The best successes are usually when they are people focused. Here are some examples you could use:

• Tutorials for your product/service
• Case study videos
• Interviews
• Product Videos
• Live streams
• Video blogs (vlogs)
• Webinars
• Behind the scenes
• Personal/Team Involvement
• Share a Company Story
• Explaining/Showing Your Expertise

6.) Make It Mobile Friendly

75% of video views are on mobile devices,(eMarketer) so when considering the layout and set-up, ensure that the video is mobile friendly so it can be watched without a distorted view or bad quality scenes. If it is not then you will be missing out on views, engagement and possibly conversions as 92% of users watching a video on their mobile will share it with others! (Wordstream)

7.) Don't Be Afraid To Use Music

Most people watch videos without sounds but don’t be afraid to use music or background noise to add that extra effect for those that do. Another sound related tip, add subtitles to your video if applicable, this will encourage more video views as well as audience less likely to bounce off.

8.) Keep Them Short

Almost every viewer tunes out after 2 minutes, it’s best to keep your video shorter than that time and ensure you have a captivating beginning in order to keep the audience watching.

9.) Use Social Proof

Social proof helps people make decisions like if they are unsure or unsettled with a decision e.g. a purchase. You may want to create a video to re-market to those who may be stuck in that marketing funnel, look at using previous customer testimonials, or a case study video to best reach those people.

10.) Include a CTA

Using a CTA can help generate a click or a lead that will be of use to you and your business. You can add an overlay or a CTA button at the end of the video to direct them to complete an action on your website or page. Here are some examples you can use:

• Add a direct link to another page
• Subscribe to a newsletter link
• Connecting with you on other social media platforms
• Suggest another related video
• Offer a free trial
• Direct to another piece of content

11.) Monitor And Analyse Videos Performance

Ensure that every video you publish you are monitoring and analysing its performance. This will help you optimise your future videos. Report on things such as:

• Average watch time
• Bounce rate
• Number of views
• Look at engagement - comments/shares/reactions/clicks
• What percentage of viewers click on your CTA? (Call-to-action)

I hope you found some of the above useful, unfortunately, a lot of marketers say they don't have the time, resources or budget for video content, but I strongly recommend you add video into your 2019 Marketing Strategy.