Why You Should Be Using Video Advertising

In recent years, video has become one of the most effective means of advertising. Especially now that social distancing has become our new norm, it’s important to stay connected to your audience in a way that’s personal and relatable. Whether your ideal customer is scrolling through news sites for the latest COVID-19 updates, watching a bread-making tutorial on YouTube, or checking out their friends’ latest Facebook updates, you can be there to reach them with your message.

COVID-19 aside, video advertising can add a lot of value to your campaigns and create strong brand recognition for your audience.

Here are five reasons you need to be using video advertising.

1. Video Lets You Expand Your Message

You’ve heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that’s the case, what about a video? According to a study by Dr. James McQuivey, a video is worth 1.8 million words. If a one-minute video is 18,000 times more effective than a single image…well, that’s pretty effective. If you could take up the same ad space with something that’s that much more impactful than a single image ad, why not try it?

The trick is to make sure your video is as engaging as possible from the beginning. The human attention span is said to be about 8 seconds (less than that of a goldfish), which means that’s how long you have to capture your audience’s interest. This may not seem like a lot, but if your video is crafted properly and creatively, this is plenty of time to introduce your product and encourage your audience to keep watching. When it comes to video, the opportunities to captivate are endless.

2. Video Can Appeal To Emotion & Tell A Story

When you look at a picture, you’re relying on your sense of sight. When you listen to music, you’re relying on your ability to hear. One of the biggest benefits of video is that you can appeal to multiple senses at once. If done correctly, this can result in an emotional response from your audience.

The right combination of visuals, spoken word, and music can help you tell the story of your brand. It can tell your audience how to use your product or service and, more importantly, why. You can (and should) make this personal to your ideal audience; this will give you a much better chance of resonating with them emotionally.

Note: While appealing to multiple senses through video is effective, it’s also important to cater to those with sensory disabilities. For example, including accurate subtitles in your video ad will ensure that it’s accessible to those with hearing loss.

3. Video Results in More Sales

The studies are endless, but they all come to the same conclusion –video equals more sales. In fact, 85% of millennials said that they’ve made a purchase after watching a marketing video according to marketing charts online. The reason is simple, and it relates back to the idea of video appealing to emotion. If people can see a product – what it looks like, how it works – then they’ll understand why they should buy it. It’s the next best thing to physically going to a store and trying out a product. The same goes for services – if a customer can get a virtual tour of a facility or an explanation of a software from the comfort of their home, they’ll be much more likely to pull the trigger.

4. Video Isn’t Limited To One Platform

When we talk about video advertising, we’re not just talking about YouTube ads. We’re also talking about Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, news sites, connected TV…pretty much anywhere your audience is using the internet, you can be there to serve them video ads.

If you have video content that you’re planning to use on one platform, you can repurpose it for multiple platforms to create an all-encompassing strategy. That way, the people who see your ads before YouTube videos are also seeing your ads as they scroll through Facebook and during their favorite TV shows. Better yet, you can utilize multiple platforms to guide your audience down the funnel by showing them different content at different points of engagement.

5. Video Gives You Better Insight Into Your Audience

Most advertising platforms offer insightful analytics about your ads. For text and image ads, this generally includes metrics like clicks, impressions, average cost, and frequency. If you have tracking on your website, you can also see how people engaged with your site content after clicking on your ad.

With video, that’s just the beginning. As we’ve discussed, video tells a story, and therefore, you can see how your audience reacts to that story. If your ad is resulting in tons of impressions but a low overall click-through rate, this might be a sign that your video isn’t effectively capturing audience attention. If the first five seconds of your video capture attention but there’s a huge drop-off at the ten-second mark, you’ll be able to see that and adjust your creative accordingly.

When it comes down to it, you know your brand’s story better than anyone else. At Brawn Media, we want to work with you to turn your unique story into a full-fledged video marketing strategy. Don’t know your unique story? We can help with that, too. Contact us today to get started.