The days of video ads being a luxury for your digital marketing strategy are long gone. Whether you’re engaging in B2B or B2C marketing, video is frequently the best way to engage with your prospective audience and make an impression that leads to conversions.
In 2023, people watched an average of 17 hours of online videos per week (Hubspot). In fact, about a third of online activity is spent watching video. YouTube is the second most visited website on the internet and its users watch over one billion hours of video every day, which would take a single person 100,000 years to sit through (YouTube). Video views on Facebook hit a staggering figure of eight billion per day in 2015, and the figure has certainly increased since then (Business Insider).
Video Ad Statistics You Should Know
The majority of marketing professionals say that video has the best ROI of any type of online content, and the stats back that up:
- Videos can increase organic traffic by 157%, boost conversion rates by 80%, and improve brand recall by 95%. (Zight)
- Landing pages with explainer videos convert 86% better. (Yans)
- 80% of consumers believe a product video gives them more confidence when purchasing a product. (Wyzowl)
- LinkedIn users are 20 times more likely to share a video than other types of content. (LinkedIn)
So, if you haven’t tested the waters of video ads yet, it’s time to jump in.
10 Best Practices for Successful Video Ads
1: Target Your Audience
Before you start brainstorming clever video ideas, make sure you know exactly who your buyer persona is, and how your product or service solves a problem for them. Focus on helping your buyer, not just promoting your product.
2: Invest in Production
Sure, you can make a video on your phone, but that doesn’t mean you should. Just like any advertising, this video needs to represent your brand and that means it should be done professionally. You also need to ensure your video plays well on any device and loads quickly.
3: Focus on the First 10 Seconds
Facebook video ads start to auto-play when a user scrolls through their feed, so the first few seconds of your video are critical to making someone pause and watch the whole thing. Make sure you grab the user’s attention right away.
4: Sound Should be Secondary
Research has found that over 80% of people watch videos with the sound off, and the number jumps to over 90% for mobile viewers (Verizon). To ensure that you’re still getting your message across, be sure to include captioning with your video (Facebook and other platforms can do this for you automatically), on-screen text, and visuals that speak for themselves.
5: Tell a Good Story
Make sure your video contains all the elements of a good story and keeps the viewer engaged until the end. Your story should resonate emotionally with your audience, making your video not just a visual treat but a memorable journey that’s both shareable and actionable.
6: Include Compelling Ad Copy
When you post your video, surround it with some strong, short copy to help pitch the video. This copy should echo the core message of your video, while also providing a seamless transition to your call to action, be it a link to your website, a product page, or an invitation to engage with your content.
7: Have a Strong Call to Action
Include a clear call to action in the copy, the video itself and even as a button in your ad. Whether you want someone to buy a product, download a resource or sign up for a class, make it easy and obvious for your users to do so.
8: Leverage Social Proof
In the world of social media, seeing is believing. Use customer testimonials, influencer endorsements, or real-life case studies in your video. This not only builds trust but also humanizes your brand, making it relatable and credible.
9: Optimize for SEO
Let's not forget the power of search engine optimization. Use relevant keywords in your video's title, description, and tags. This can skyrocket your video's visibility not only on social platforms but also in search engine results, drawing in a broader audience.
10: Measure and Iterate
This is the age of data-driven marketing, so track your video's performance meticulously. Look at engagement metrics, click-through rates, and conversion stats. Use this insight to refine your approach and make your next video even more captivating. After all, what gets measured gets managed!
Start Making Video Ads that Convert
Creating video content that drives engagement and converts prospects into customers can be a time-consuming process for many businesses. That’s why working with an experienced video production partner and a digital marketing team that knows how to maximize the value of your content can give you the most bang for your budget.
The award-winning video team at Digital Brew specializes in making your video concepts a reality while the marketers at Roger West can ensure that you’re reaching the right audience at the right time to drive conversions and boost your revenue. If you’re ready to explore how incorporating video into your digital marketing strategy can take your business to a whole new level, let’s talk.
Diane Callihan
With more than 20 years of experience writing for some of the country’s top brands, Diane helped to shape Roger West’s content strategy, lead generation, and PR efforts as Director of Marketing. She currently serves as President of Callihan Content Creation.