When you’re investing your marketing dollars in ad campaigns, it’s a tough pill to swallow when those campaigns aren’t performing well. Maybe it’s your audience or your website experience, or it could even be the ads themselves. If your ads need a little refresh or if you’ve only utilized static imagery in the past, then it’s about time you dive into the world of video ads!
If you’re new to creating video, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ll walk you through all the necessary steps for how to create a good video advertisement. Additionally, we’ll focus on digital video advertising best practices as well as common mistakes to avoid. By the end of this article, we’re sure you’ll have all the info you need to start creating your own highly effective video ads.
Know Your Goals
If you’re wondering how to make a good video ad, then there are a couple of questions to answer before you get started on your video production. The most important is what are you looking to accomplish? What are your goals?
The answer can vary depending on your product, industry, and target market, but mainly you’ll fall into one of the following categories:
- Awarness: you want people to become aware of your company and the product(s) you offer
- Consideration: you know that consumers are looking for a product like yours and you want to show why you’re better than the competition
- Conversion: you know the consumer is ready to make a purchase and you want to direct them to your site to complete that purchase
Once you’ve got an idea of which category your video will fall into, you can more effectively plan what needs to be included in your video. Having clear goals will lead to a defined vision and ultimately a successful execution, so make sure you’re taking the necessary time to establish these goals.
Cater To Your Audience
Another thing that the most effective video ads focus on is catering to a specific audience. Just like your ad campaigns are targeted towards a specific audience, your videos should also be specifically tailored to address the needs and questions of that audience.
So how do you do this effectively and efficiently? One of the best ways is through on-screen copy and a voiceover script. You can often repurpose shots for different audiences and just slightly tweak the messaging. This can be a great way to get the most out of your video footage while being really tailored to your audience.
Bookend Important Info
Capturing the viewer’s attention right away is essential. You want to make sure that you’re not only getting the user interested in what you have to say, but you also want to ensure they don’t skip your ad. In the first 5 seconds of your video, make sure the user knows who you are or what your product is as well as something to pique their interest.
In addition to capturing the attention of the user within the first 5 seconds, you also want to make sure that the user is leaving the video recalling that information. In other words, end the video with that important info too. We like to call this the bookend tactic – start with important info, elaborate on that info, provide more details, and then end with more important info.
Utilize User Generated Content
Another common tactic on the list of digital video advertising best practices is utilizing user-generated content (UGC). A user testimonial, whether professionally filmed or user-generated, is an incredible tool to advertise your product. Users tend to trust their peers much more than they trust a company talking about their own product.
When it comes to UGC, there are a couple of important things to keep in mind. Don’t choose a testimonial that is overly positive. It can speak highly of your product, certainly, but you also want to ensure it sounds believable. Additionally, as mentioned above, you should be tailoring your video to your target audience, so be sure to choose a testimonial that the specific audience will relate to.
Always Include a Call to Action
Your video ad is useless if it doesn’t cause a user to take an action. We repeat, your video ad is USELESS if it doesn’t cause a user to take an action! Now you may be wondering about awareness video ads. Those videos are focused on making users aware of your product and really have nothing to do with making a purchase. Even with awareness videos, you want the user to recall your product/brand at a later date, so while the action may be delayed, it is still important.
Most videos include a call to action (CTA) that is either sending the user to the website, making a phone call, or visiting a physical store location. You can get creative with your CTA, but in general, those are the CTAs that users are used to seeing and likely will be looking for.
Production Quality Matters
The last, but certainly not least, thing to consider when creating effective video ads is the production quality. If the video footage is not clear or users can’t hear the audio, then that can often reflect poorly on your product. Make sure to invest in high-quality video production services so that you can showcase your product in the best possible light.
Now that you’ve got a handle on the most effective ways to create video ad content, it’s time to step up your video game! Follow all these steps above and you’ll be sure to have a series of effective video ads on your hands. If you need help in any step of the video production process, give us a call at 831-824-9660 today!