How to Create Effective Video Ads

We watch them every day. Sometimes deliberately, but often without realization. Video ads are constantly introducing us to new brands, products, and services on our smartphones, laptops, and mobile devices. And the influence of effective video ads on consumers will only strengthen as we move further into the 21st century.

As of 2022, research shows that the average person is estimated to spend around 100 minutes per day watching online videos – a number that’s also certainly going to only increase over time. Within those 100 minutes per day, the amount of brand awareness that’s subconsciously spread to consumers who would’ve never been aware of such brands is the reason why video ads are becoming an essential component to any successful digital marketing strategy.

But don’t take our word for it. Studies have also reported that 93% of brands say they’ve increased their clientele due to videos they post on their social media accounts, and just over 60% of companies say that video content is now a major part of their overall digital marketing campaign.

But while the market is apparent, and the demand for video content is even more blatant, how exactly does your company successfully connect with your target audience via video ads? The power of video advertising is strong, but it takes concise planning and professional execution to ensure its efficiency in spreading brand awareness.

Here are a few tips for creating effective video ads that will help engage with your preferred customers and enhance your online presence.

Find Your Motive

Unfortunately, you can’t simply start rolling on a camera, shoot some footage, slap your logo on your video, and call it a day. Yes, people are consuming hundreds of minutes of video content every day, but that doesn’t mean they’re not picky when it comes to what they choose to actually watch and consume.

Before you even approach the production end of your video ad, you need to ask yourself: “What’s the motive?”

To define the motive and intention of your video ad, ask yourself all of the following questions:

What problem does this solve for the audience?
What advantages does this video ad provide for the viewer?
Who is this video ad for? (Age, gender, interests, location, income, etc.)
How will this video reinforce my brand?
What do I want the viewer to take away from this video ad?

When you can solidify the purpose and intentions of the video ad, you can then move forward with accompanying that message with more production and aesthetic elements that will accentuate the video’s effectiveness.

Establish a Tone

The tone of your video ad is just as important, if not more than the motive. Due to the sheer volume of video content online, you need to immediately establish an energy, vibe, and mood within your video that will stock a viewer in their tracks and prompt them to wait a little longer before exiting your video.You should approach every video ad production and concept with the assumption that you only have a few seconds to capture and retain a viewer’s attention. With that notion in mind, you need to figure out what kind of tone will best resonate with your target audience.

This starts with sorting out what style of video ad you wish to create.

Product Demonstrations

If your goal is to sell products, a video ad makes it easier to demonstrate the features and benefits of a specific product.

How-To Videos

Video content can be a highly effective way to establish yourself as an expert within your industry. Use your video ad to educate your customers and highlight your expertise.

Customer Testimonials

One great way to build trust with prospective customers is to feature one or more of your current customers. Turn your happy customers into brand advocates by asking them to discuss how your products or services solved a problem for them.

“About Us” Videos

Video content that tells potential customers who you are and what you do can help you build brand awareness. Let your video content tell your story and show your personality.

Once you’ve determined what style of video ad you’re striving to create and produce, you can start to pick and choose the tonal elements you want to incorporate into your video. For example, is the video ad supposed to be funny? Or do you want striking, bold visuals to do the majority of the talking in your video? Are you going to utilize animation? Or should a narrator explain to the viewer why this advertisement is essential to their consumer needs? Answering these questions and more will unveil the tones and messages that best resonate with your target audience.

Timing Is Everything

Yes, we’ve established that people watch a ton of online videos in their day-to-day lives. But how much time do they actually commit to watching one video in particular? As previously mentioned, you only have a few seconds to capture a viewer’s attention and draw them to your brand, so your video ad needs to start out strong. Perhaps a bold statement that prompts the viewer to think, or ask them a question to bait them into staying for the answer. Enticing visuals will always intrigue audiences into staying for more as well.

Then there’s the overall length of your video ad. Keeping the short attention span of the audience in mind, it’s ideal to limit your video ads to 30 seconds or less. Any video ad that’s one minute or longer will automatically run the risk of losing viewers due to sheer length alone. An effective video ad can compact three acts (introduction or problem, solution, conclusion) into thirty seconds, efficiently laying out information that’s as digestible aesthetically as it is educationally.

Cater to Your Platforms

Perhaps the biggest mistake with most video ads is assuming the ad will be universally viewed or received amongst all the online channels and platforms it’s on. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram; All of these social media platforms have their own qualities and regulations to keep in mind.

It’s critical to optimize your video ads to play by each platform’s specifications and rules. For starters, what’s the aspect ratio going to be on your video ad (16:9 for full landscape, 1:1 for square, 4:5 for vertical, etc.)?

Is it going to be mobile-friendly? What target audience is your video ad for and what platform does that target audience prefer to consume video content?

These are the platform-related questions that truly determine its overall effectiveness once it’s published for general consumption.

Call Them to Action

A great video ad will capture the viewer’s attention, educate them on your company, products, or services, and reinforce your branding upon them. But an effective video ad? That should inform them how to take action, as well as compel them to take action after watching your video.

Through graphics, text, links, instructions, etc., your video ad needs to inform and influence viewers into either making a purchase with your company, enlisting your services, or contacting your business for more information.

You can also sweeten the deal by adding incentives in your calls to action, such as receiving exclusive discounts or offers when they provide their email address or follow your social media channels.

Effective Video Advertising With Triton Commerce

The worst thing your video ad can be is ineffective, which wastes the viewer’s time and will cost you significant time and money into producing such an ineffective video. At Triton Commerce, we provide custom video advertising strategies for businesses of all sizes and industries through the video marketing services of our sister company Atomic 8!

Atomic 8 specializes in producing video ads that will reinforce your brand to new audiences and generate more leads in the process. Curious to see where video advertising can take your company? Contact Atomic 8 for all your video marketing needs, and be sure to contact Triton Commerce to perfect your digital marketing strategies!