Video Advertising Strategy: Video Production for Mobile Audiences
If you’re a frequent Internet user, you’re probably very familiar with video advertising - regardless of which platforms you prefer, video ads are everywhere. However, upon a closer look you’ll notice that the same video ad can be served in a variety of ways on different channels. Furthermore, each media channel has its own selection of video ad formats, adding to the number of options available for digital advertisers to choose from.
While the easiest option is to upload a promotional video to your channel(s) of choice and pay for the highest number of impressions within your budget, creating a video ad with a specific platform’s audience in mind will produce a more cost-effective and powerful advertising campaign for your business. In this week’s blog, we’ll dive into the components that make a successful video ad for mobile audiences.
Before you start creating your mobile-optimized video ads, it is critical to evaluate your target audience profile. Using tools such as Google Analytics and social media Insights can help you assess how many of your site visits and social media interactions are through mobile devices. If your data shows that the majority of your audience across all channels consists of desktop users, it’ll likely be more effective to stick to your standard video ad production. If your analysis shows a significant ratio of mobile users, the next step is to narrow down your mobile-optimized video ad strategy is to determine, which media channel (or channels) has the most mobile engagement in proportion to your overall traffic. For example, if your YouTube channel has the highest number of mobile users, but your Facebook page has triple the amount of traffic overall, your video ad for mobile audiences will likely perform better on Facebook.
Depending on the platform, your video ad might need to follow certain formatting and size limits. However, our best practices for mobile-optimized video advertising are universally applicable.
Know your audience: Pay attention to which channels are most popular for your mobile users, not just the ones with the most traffic overall.
Hook the audience in the first 5-15 seconds: Most video advertisements targeting mobile users are native, and can easily be scrolled past, so start with your attention-grabber!
Be consistent with your brand: Especially when creating multiple versions of your video ad, be sure to follow your brand’s style guide and include similar motifs to improve brand recall.
Opt for filming vertically to create a mobile-friendly square or portrait mode video: Typically promotional videos are filmed in landscape mode, which makes it difficult to view on most mobile devices.
Don’t rely on sound or narration: Many mobile users scroll their feed without sound on, so optimize your video for mobile by focusing on visuals - and use closed captioning!
Tell a story, not another sales pitch: The most effective video ads for mobile audiences provide value (entertainment or educational) to the viewer in an easily digestible format. You’re not just selling a product, you’re sharing a message.
To learn more about specific platform video advertising requirements, check out the following links: