Using video in marketing campaigns is important. Whether it’s hyper-short, short or long-form content, marketers look to engage their audience, delivering maximum ROI. Videos offer a fresh alternative to image messaging, with more dynamic and interactive content. Therefore, given all the info available about the benefits of video, you’d assume all marketers implement it as part of their strategy. However this isn’t the case! According to Aberdeen Group, two-fifths of marketers currently use video strategy. Given the apparent lack of confidence, resources or skill in its usage, we’ll discuss how to use them in campaign strategy.
Using appropriate video content
Aberdeen Group suggest:
“Marketers who use video are growing company revenue 49% faster than those who don’t”
Apparently, marketers already drive better results with videos. However hyper-short, targeted content succeeds in a mix of multiple media as opposed to on its own; bolstering ad campaigns. Short and long-form content do better as they retain storytelling value; offering a narrative to improve audience engagement. Careful though, content that’s too long can disengage the audience. The recommended length for max video engagement is 6-30 secs; 10 secs suggested as peak!
Furthermore, Millennials and Gen Z are veering from TV and traditional marketing techniques. Instead, they consume social videos through subscriptions on YouTube and Twitch. Therefore, ad videos are imperative for younger engagement; auto-playing content is now a key feature for platforms like Instagram’s IGTV and Facebook.
Assessing video ad performance
Almost three-fifths of videos are seen on mobile screens, therefore it’s important that they fit and look good on a phone screen. Comparatively, audio isn’t the be all and end all. It’s suggested 85% of ads on socials are watched on mute; sound should enhance the content and not be relied upon to tell the story.
Useful metrics to assess the success of an ad are the number and lengths of views. Ensure these measurements align with campaign objectives; this is essential. These may vary from awareness to overall sales. Short and long-form videos act as an effective focal point at the heart of an ad campaign. On the other hand, hyper-short content can be part of a wider ad strategy.
The type of video, its length and desired goal will depend heavily on the strategic objectives outlined by a campaign. It’s important for all marketers to consider the platform, audience and viewing length; implementing videos into an effective marketing strategy.
