Planning to make a video ad or other video asset? 3 things to consider

Planning to make a video ad or other video asset? 3 things to consider

In fact, creating a video ad tends to be a lot more expensive than creating, say, a text or display ad, so the upfront risks of video advertising are even higher than they are in many other online marketing channels. The goal is to get people to connect with the ad and your business, so metrics like video views or watch time are good measures of success. Your understanding of what you want your target audience to experience and how that experience should change them will form the foundation for your video script, so it’s important to take your time and really think through what you want your ad to achieve. If you want your video ad to achieve your goals, you need to create content that grabs your target audience’s attention. How will I make my video? This is important, because what you have available to work with will have a huge impact on what sort of a video ad you can create. Depending on what equipment you have on hand and what sorts of shots your script calls for, you may need to rent or buy additional equipment, like a camera, tripod, gimbal, slider, video editing software and more. So, if you don’t have ready access to the right equipment or skills (and can’t afford to hire someone else who does), you’ll need to account for that in your script. But, unlike other types of online ads, creating a video ad is a fairly involved and often expensive process, so it’s important to take your time and make sure you create the right ad the first time. How will I make my video?

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Video advertising is all the rage these days, but, as with any online advertising channel, you can’t just make an ad, run it on YouTube and expect the sales to start pouring in.

All great ads start with a great advertising strategy. Video advertising is no exception.

In fact, creating a video ad tends to be a lot more expensive than creating, say, a text or display ad, so the upfront risks of video advertising are even higher than they are in many other online marketing channels. Of course, the rewards can often be greater, too, as long as you take your time and make sure you create the right video ad.

After all, can you really afford to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars in a video ad that doesn’t produce good results?

Fortunately, if you’re thinking about making video ads, there are a few simple questions you can ask yourself that will save you from making some basic, but common, mistakes in the ad-creation process. Let’s take a look.

What am I trying to achieve?

Video views… watch time… clicks… conversions… sales… depending on your business and what you’re hoping to achieve, you could have any number of goals for your video ad. For example, if you’re trying to build awareness for the raw power of your blender, you’ll probably create a very different video ad than if you’re trying to get people to adopt puppies.

Here are a couple of things to consider when trying to figure out what you want to achieve with your video ad.

Where in the funnel is my target audience?

In general, upper-funnel videos that are intended to build brand awareness and/or loyalty should be designed to grab and hold people’s attention. The goal is to get people to connect with the ad and your business, so metrics like video views or watch time are good measures of success.

Upper-funnel video ads typically work best when they are fast-paced and engaging. Your content should make your audience eager to see what will happen next all the way through to the end.

Lower-funnel videos are typically designed to get people to buy or convert. You might run this type of ad as part of a remarketing campaign or use them to advertise to a very targeted audience. For these types of videos, the most important metrics are usually conversions or sales.

Unlike upper-funnel video ads, lower-funnel video ads don’t need to be fast-paced and ultra-engaging (though that is always good). Your goal is to get people to buy or convert, so it’s best to quickly establish that what you’re advertising is awesome and then encourage them to buy or convert by overcoming whatever objections they may have.

How should my audience be different after they watch my ad?

Regardless of what you want to achieve with your ads or how you plan to measure their success, it’s important to think about how you want your ad to affect your target audience. More than almost any other type of marketing, videos allow you to give people an experience.

The wrong experience will make people click “Skip.” The right experience will change them in some way.

The key here is to identify what impression you want to make on your target audience. Do you want them to feel like your business is funny and personable? Or do you want them to be excited to make a purchase? Eager to call you? Angry? Happy? Inspired?

Your understanding of what you want your target audience to experience and how that experience should change them will form the foundation for your video script, so it’s…

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