QUICK SUMMARY:
Video ad agencies use video content to enhance product, service, or brand visibility. This guide helps develop impactful video campaigns that capture audience interest, elevate brand awareness, and increase sales. Covering critical video advertising techniques, we're sharing details to improve strategies for targeting and optimizing video ads, helping agencies track and boost the success of their client’s video ads marketing campaigns.
Capturing your audience's attention has become a game of seconds. That's where video marketing comes in, providing an unmatched ability to engage and captivate viewers.
With the power to build brand awareness, increase conversions, and drive sales, it's no wonder that video ads have become an indispensable tool for any marketing strategy.
But with so many options available, it can be overwhelming for agencies to determine which video marketing tools and advertising techniques will deliver the best results.
This guide is designed to help your agency create high quality video content, promote it to your clients’ target audiences effectively, and track their campaign success in a scalable way. 🪄
In this guide, we’ll cover:
Part I: Staying On Top of Today’s Video Advertising Trends
Part II: Applying Video Advertising To Your Client Campaigns
What Is Video Advertising, And Why Should Your Agency Care?
Video advertising is the practice of using videos to promote a product, service, or brand to a target audience. With the rise of online video consumption and the decline of traditional television viewing, video advertising has become an increasingly important part of marketing strategies to reach customers where they are on any size screen–whether on their phones, laptops, tablets, or, yes, TVs.
Video ads are like a commercial on steroids–allowing your clients to showcase their unique selling points in a way that captures the attention of their ideal customers. What sets video advertising apart from other forms of advertising is its ability to tell a story, evoke emotions, and leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Whether it's a funny skit, a heartwarming story, or an educational explainer video, video ads have the power to entertain, educate, and inspire.
Video Advertising vs. Video Marketing: What’s the Difference?
In contrast to video advertising, video marketing is a broader term encompassing the use of video content across multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, and website content.
While video advertising focuses on driving conversions and increasing sales (the hard sells), video marketing is more versatile. It can fulfill a range of objectives that are not necessarily tied to a client's bottom line.
Video Advertising Goals | Video Marketing Goals |
|---|---|
Video Advertising Goals Reach a broader audience | Video Marketing Goals Educate the target audience |
Video Advertising Goals Promote products or services | Video Marketing Goals Build brand awareness |
Video Advertising Goals Drive conversions | Video Marketing Goals Establish trust |
Video Advertising Goals Increase sales | Video Marketing Goals Gain credibility |
Many of the articles you’ll find focus on video marketing as a whole. This article tackles video advertising explicitly. We'll dive deep into the latest trends and statistics in video advertising to equip you with the insights you need to create impactful and effective campaigns for your clients. Whether you're looking to reach a wider audience, drive conversions, or promote products or services, video advertising is a powerful tool that can take your clients' businesses to the next level.
Let's get started!
The State of Video Advertising Today
There’s never a dull moment in the world of video advertising. With consumers glued to their screens and brands fighting tooth and nail for their attention, staying ahead of the game is a constant battle. At the same time, consumers are spending more time watching videos on various platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram Reels, making it an ideal channel for agencies to connect target audiences with their clients’ brands.
There’s never been a better time to create and distribute high-quality video content. Video ads capture viewers' attention and drive engagement, making them an essential component of many PPC marketing tactics.
Plus, targeting options allow marketing agencies to slice and dice the marketplace based on the user demographic, interests, and content they are consuming. At least, for now.
As video consumption continues to soar and technology keeps improving–like the emergence of new AR and VR–it’s changing how agencies approach video ads, offering exciting new opportunities to engage and delight audiences. While the future state of video advertising may be uncertain due to changes in privacy regulations, it is still a powerful and effective marketing tool that will likely remain an essential part of your clients’ marketing strategies for years to come.
To harness the potential of video advertising, agencies need robust video editing software that enables them to create captivating and impactful content. With the ability to edit and enhance videos, add effects, optimize for different platforms, and analyze performance metrics, this software empowers agencies to deliver compelling video campaigns that resonate with target audiences and drive conversions, ensuring their clients stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
6 Video Advertising Statistics To Know In 2023
To keep up with the trends of video advertising, agencies need to be on the lookout for the latest trends and get creative in their approach to capture the attention of over-stimulated internet users (that regularly see between 4000 to 10,000 ads in a day!)
Here are some of the latest video ad stats to convince your clients it’s a worthwhile addition to their marketing strategy:
1. US digital video ad spending is growing and is expected to reach 134.5 billion USD by 2026, a 50% increase from 2022.
2. Mobile video ad spending is expected to nearly triple by 2026: growing from 38.8 billion USD in 2021 to 100.9 billion in 2026.
3. U.S. adults spend 149 minutes on average per day watching digital videos. Forecasts show that digital video consumption will surpass TV viewing time by 2026.
4. By 2025, TikTok is projected to approach the milestone of 1 billion users. However, talks of a potential TikTok ban in countries such as Britain, Canada, and New Zealand could affect these numbers.
TikTok has experienced an impressive rise to global prominence and has quickly become a major player in global video advertising. Its worldwide user base has more than doubled between 2019 and 2021.
5. TikTok's social buyer penetration is rapidly increasing in the U.S., outperforming Pinterest. It is expected to match that of Facebook and surpass Instagram’s social buyer growth in 2023.
6. According to a recent survey, 76% of consumers have made a purchase after seeing a product featured in a brand's social media post.
Is Video Always a Good Fit for Advertising Agencies?
Video is the most high-impact way to share your message! In one short video, you can share more information more effectively and creatively, driving significantly more engagement than any text or static visual.
Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager at Digital Freak - Melbourne
As video consumption skyrockets, the competition among brands is heating up. And agencies need to differentiate themselves by creating diverse and innovative video advertising campaigns to stand out. Using video in your ads enhances four key aspects of your campaigns.
Why Your Clients Need Video Ads
Boosts engagement by being naturally more engaging and attention-grabbing than their static text or image counterparts.
Improves audience targeting with personalized content that speaks to their ideal customers using demographic and behavioral data on various platforms.
Boosts brand awareness by helping new or lesser-known brands visually showcase their products or services in one shot.
Improves funnel marketing with engaging content targeted to different aspects of the pipeline, like nurturing leads for retargeting campaigns using real-life testimonials and native video ads that build trust.
Let’s dive into what’s happening in the video ad scene these days.
9 Digital Video Advertising Trends To Watch Out For
Stay ahead of the curve! Get on board with some of these trends, and propose a new idea during your next strategy meeting. Because being a first-mover gives your agency a competitive edge and makes your clients stand out.
1. The Long and Short of It: Focus On Vertical, Short-form Video Ads
As YouTube Shorts, IG Reels, and TikTok take over the majority of audiences, one thing is certain: your video ads need to be vertical and under ten minutes. However, most platforms like Facebook recommend keeping it under 15 seconds.
With the average user spending 3 hours and 28 minutes on their mobile devices each day, vertical ads simply provide a better viewing experience on mobile.
For one, it’s the best way to capture attention. By completely taking over the screen for a few key seconds, you focus the viewer’s attention on one thing and one thing only. And two, it’s the preferred form of native advertising, blending in with Facebook or Instagram Stories. Think about it. This is probably the easiest trend to implement straight away.
We love using vertical videos because it works for consumers - we're all on our mobiles all the time, and social shopping is on the rise. This format provides the easiest and most detailed viewing!
Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager at Digital Freak - Melbourne
2. From Clip to Door: Shoppable Videos Are In Demand
eCommerce marketers, rejoice! Shoppable video ads are here to stay. Your clients’ audiences are making more and more purchases directly within the video content–with clickable links, brands can showcase their products in a more interactive way and reduces the number of steps to making a final purchase. You like it? You buy it. And then you keep scrolling thru your social media feed.
Source: GhostRetail
Apart from using the usual suspects–like Instagram–to promote your eCommerce clients’ products and services, there are dozens of other platforms you’ve probably never even heard of that are entering the shoppable video market, like GhostRetail, Tolstoy, Instasell, and Social Chat that are gaining traction. Is that enough to make you consider adding your eCommerce services to the next level?
3. Forget Your Grandma’s TV Commercials: CTV Ads Are the Next Big Thing
Think TV advertising was reserved for only the biggest-ticket clients at the price point of high-budget Super Bowl ads? Think again. CTV ad costs can range from a few cents to several dollars per thousand impressions (CPM). Want a 30-second ad spot? That could cost between $10 to $30.
CTV advertising allows you to track important metrics such as impressions, video completion rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This helps you optimize your ad campaigns in real-time, creating targeted content based on the context of the show. The only tricky thing is that they’re not clickable, so your attribution will be harder to track.
CTV advertising goes hand-in-hand with programmatic advertising, which is why it’s the next trend on the list.
4. The Secret Sauce to Hitting Your Marketing Targets: Programmatic Advertising
Programmatic advertising already accounts for 90% of digital display ad spending.
Programmatic advertising is basically a marketer’s dream: it hits the right people at the right time by automating your ad placements with precise targeting. It’s precision advertising in the digital video advertising space.
Using data and algorithms to automate the ad-buying process, programmatic makes it more efficient and cost-effective for agencies–and their clients. Perhaps better yet, it allows you to do all of this at scale: by automating the buying and selling of digital ads, you can buy ad inventory in real-time to deliver ads to viewers within milliseconds. 🚀 Say whaaaat!
Integrate your clients’ programmatic data from platforms like Simpli.fi or Stackadapt for easy analysis. Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days!
5. Capturing Eyeball Real-estate: Interactive Video 360 Ads
360-degree video allows viewers to interact with video content by exploring the video from different angles, shifting their perspectives. And there’s no better way to double your engagement rates than creating an immersive video-ad-meets-immersive viewing experience.
This type of video ad is particularly effective for travel companies to give a virtual tour of a destination or hotel. Likewise, fashion brands showcase new clothing lines dynamically and interactively, encouraging clicks.
Sure, you might need to invest more in your filming equipment–or your video contractor–but the final effect is eye-capturing and can differentiate your agency’s PPC services from the rest. Do I hear an upsell opportunity?
6. AI: Making It Personal
Personalization is the bee's knees in digital video advertising these days. Most people are likely to click through a digital ad that aligns with their interests. And increasingly so, as seen in the figure below compared to two years ago:
Agencies are tapping into the brainpower of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make their targeting even more on point. Why? Because AI algorithms can spot patterns and analyze data like nobody's business, giving advertisers the goods they need to create the most effective ads possible.
7. From the People, for the People: User-generated Content in Video Ads
Speaking of personalization, user-generated ads (USGs) are becoming increasingly common in digital video advertising. Not only do they allow agencies to showcase real-life experiences with their clients’ products or services, but they also build trust and credibility with their audiences.
User-generated video ads are so naturally relatable that viewers feel like they're chatting with a friend over coffee. Plus, they can answer any questions a potential customer may have, giving viewers the confidence they need to make a purchase decision. So, let those video testimonials work their magic and watch the trust in your client’s brand soar!
8. Broadening Creative Opportunities: Live Streaming Leverages The Anti-filter Movement
Live streaming is taking the digital world by storm, and brands are hopping on the bandwagon to flaunt their products and services, woo new audiences, and engage with loyal fans in real time.
These video ads are like the opening act to a thrilling live show–they play during natural breaks in the content or before the main event, grabbing viewers' attention and setting the stage for an unforgettable experience. Ads on live streaming can play before, during, or after the live stream, and platforms like YouTube offer display ads and overlay ads that run next to or over the content.
Agency Tip: Ensure that your ads are relevant, engaging, and seamlessly integrated into the live stream. Otherwise, they can feel disruptive. If such ads are too frequent or poorly executed, you risk frustrating viewers.
While IG is killing shoppable IG live to focus on ads instead, other live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube offer various options for video ad placement, including pre-roll ads, mid-roll ads, and post-roll ads, allowing your clients to monetize from live streaming.
9. Experiential Digital Marketing: Interactive Video Ads Are Memorable
Interactive video ads create an immersive and memorable experience for viewers so agencies can conjure up higher engagement rates and better conversion rates. How do you make video ads interactive? Here are some examples:
Augmented Reality (AR) Ads: Use technology to overlay digital content onto the real world, allowing viewers to interact with the product in a virtual environment similar to Video 360.
Gamified Ads: Incorporate game-like elements such as quizzes, puzzles, or challenges.
Choose Your Own Adventure Ads: Allow viewers to choose their own path throughout the video.
Interactive Storytelling Ads: These ads use a narrative structure to engage viewers and allow them to interact with the story in a meaningful way.
Interactive video ads are like a well-crafted magic trick: they grab viewers’ attention, keep them engaged, and leave them with a lasting impression. Why? Because they’re fun!
4 Examples of Trending Video Ads & Why They Work
Let’s look at different types of real-life examples taken from the trends above to inspire your next winning video ad campaign.
1. An Eye-capturing Product Spotlight To Show Your USP Like Never Before
Image: IG @Chantelle_Paris
Why It Works: Let's talk about the power of short-form, vertical videos. Case in point: this Parisian lingerie brand knows how to strut its stuff in style. With an ad that looks like something straight out of an artist’s book, this eye-catching masterpiece demonstrates the lingerie's strength and durability like no other. And if that's not enough to get your attention, viewers can click the Learn More button to shop or save items they like from the brand, giving them ample opportunities to swoon over the collection and help boost brand awareness.
2. Impulse Buy Took On a Whole New Meaning: Shop Directly From the Episode You’re Streaming
Image: Bravo TV’s "The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce”
Why It Works: Gone are the days of wondering where your favorite character's dress came from. Thanks to modern technology, viewers can now satisfy their fashion cravings with just a tap of their fingertips. Say hello to direct conversions and goodbye to the endless search for that perfect outfit! While CTV ads aren’t clickable, streaming in-video ads certainly are.
3. Forget You’re Watching an Ad When You’re In It With Video 360
Jumeirah Inside – 360° YouTube Video
Why It Works: Hold on to your hats! This interactive 360-degree video takes viewers on a wild ride in a two-seater gyrocopter with a see-through roof. Click on the live-cam-like button on the top left to soak up breathtaking views of Dubai from every angle. With so much excitement and adventure, you'll be so immersed in the experience that you won't even realize you're watching an ad. You might even catch yourself browsing flights to Dubai before you know it. (That’s the point!)
3. Taking Testimonials to the Next Level With User-generated Content (USG)
Source: Ilia Beauty
Why It Works: Who needs fancy actors or models when you can have real people share their love for your client's brand? Send out a contest to your clients' audience and ask them to spill the beans on their product experience.
You'll get direct voice-of-customer input that's as authentic as it gets. And who knows? You might even stumble upon some unexpected insights and creative ways to showcase what makes their product truly unique. So let's give a shout-out to real people and their honest opinions–they're the real stars of the show!
4. Bringing the Fun Into Advertising With Interactive Video Ads
Why It Works: Burger King cooked up a sizzling strategy to flame-grill their competition in Brazil. They added a fiery feature to their app that lets users scan any rival ad and set it ablaze in augmented reality. The goal? To have a blast toasting Burger King's competition while scoring a free Whopper using the blazing feature.
Best Practices for Video Ads Marketing
Before you dive headfirst into the exciting new possibilities that video advertising can offer your clients, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make the most of your campaigns.
💥Showcase Benefits and Solutions, but Keep It Short and Sweet.
YouTube video ads that are under 10 seconds have the most view completions, with decent completion rates until 30 seconds in length.
💥Optimize for Mobile and Include Closed Captioning to Display the Audio Portion of Your Video Ad.
Keep in mind that viewers watch 85% of Facebook videos without sound, while 60% of Instagram Stories are watched with the sound on.
💥Tell a Story, but Keep Branding Consistent.
You want to build an emotional connection with the viewer to help increase the chances of them taking action. But you’re also looking for brand awareness as well as conversions.
💥Improve SEO and Visibility.
Test different variations of the video to see what works best. This could include variations in length, messaging, music, or visual elements.
💥Measure and Track Your Results.
Use analytics tools to track the performance of your video ads, including metrics such as views, engagement, and conversion rates. Use this data to refine your video marketing strategy and improve future campaigns. And with the help of a client reporting platform, you should easily be able to communicate your success to clients.
House all your clients’ paid advertising KPIs under one roof. Connect data from Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, TikTok Ads, and more into one visual dashboard. Flip it into a client-ready report in minutes!
PART II. Applying Video Advertising To Your Client Campaigns
Now that we’ve covered the world of video ads that are trending today, let’s look at how to apply video advertising to your clients’ marketing strategies–from A to Z:
How Do I Create a Video Ad Marketing Strategy?
Just like any marketing strategy for your clients, creating a video advertising strategy will guide you to success. So let’s map out what you need to do when tackling a new video ad strategy for your clients.
1. Set Goals Based on the Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
What should the video ad achieve? Is it to increase conversions or drive new leads? Mapping out the customer journey helps your team develop a comprehensive approach.
Video allows for a multi-touch and top to bottom client funnel interaction depending on its application and platform distribution method whilst driving more engagement, brand interaction, and shareability.
Narelle, Head Of Product and Partnerships at Thinkify Digital
The Awareness Stage ✨👀
With the broadest audience target, your viewer is aware of their problem–even if it’s just a nagging “something isn’t quite right” feeling–but hasn’t yet decided how to resolve it. Your job is to attract them like bees to honey and introduce your client’s brand to a brand new set of eyes.
We're visual creatures - we absorb every element of a video in seconds to create a complete picture of what a product is, what the company values, how the product works, and whether it's what we're looking for or not. Video is the ultimate first impression of a product, brand, or concept!
Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager at Digital Freak - Melbourne
Campaign metrics at this stage should look at brand lift, so use social listening tools to watch for mentions and branded hashtags. You should also see an increase in website traffic if the campaign is successful, and you can easily track this in a Google Analytics dashboard for each of your clients:
Track all your clients’ key metrics–automatically. Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days.
Ads at this stage include:
Brand Awareness Ads: Create a memorable impression and make the brand recognizable to potential customers.
How-to Videos: Help users solve a common problem as a way of building trust. These are especially useful for products or services that are new or unfamiliar to the audience.
Product Teasers: Create excitement and anticipation for something that is about to be launched by giving viewers a sneak peek of what's coming.
The Consideration Stage 🤔💭
Here, your audience is already considering solutions to their problem. They’re in full research mode, so you’ll need to really showcase how your client’s brand is better than the competition and hook them.
Campaign objectives at this stage include: Traffic, Engagement, Video Views, Lead Generation, Messages, and App Installs. So your video ads should increase link clicks or engagement metrics such as Comments.
Effective video ads can be:
Benefits-focussed Ads: What makes your client’s brand unique? How do their products or services resolve their problems?
Educational Ads: What are ways the viewers can use the product/service to fix their problems?
The Decision Stage 🎯😊
The audience now knows that the brand exists. You now need to make the close by building trust. Showcase testimonials and prove why your client is the right choice. (Videos at this stage are especially useful for retargeting campaigns.)
Here you’re really tracking conversions. Whether that’s a purchase or submitting a form, consider what is a success at this stage, and optimize for that.
This could include:
Trust-building Video Ads: This is also where you want to show your social proof, including testimonials, customer-generated content, and other tactics that build trust.
Nurture Videos: Retargeting video ads to those viewers who aren’t ready to buy just yet. Here you might want to encourage people to submit their email addresses to get a special offer or free resources related to their problem and enter your email nurture stream.
2. Identify the Target Audience
Once you’ve identified the stage of the buyer’s journey your video ad will be placed in, you need to define your intended viewer. If you don’t present the video to the right people, it just won’t work.
So you’ll need to develop your client’s ideal customer profile (ICP) or buyer persona. Hopefully, you and your clients already know everything you need to know about their ideal customers, so this should be a walk in the park. But it’s important to keep this top of mind when moving on to the next steps. More specifically, you need to know:
Who this product or service you’re marketing is actually intended for
Where they fall in the funnel
Where they hang out–aka what platforms will they see your video ad on?
3. Craft Your Message With the Right Storytelling Tactics
This part will require the most creative ideation. Crafting an effective video ad concept involves:
Scripting
Storyboarding
Production
Editing
Agency Tip: Keep the logistical and creative requirements in mind when planning out your message delivery, and ensure they align with your client’s budget.
Decide which storytelling technique will speak directly to your client’s ICP. Will you identify a pain point by showing a conflict in the video? Showcase a protagonist with a clear goal? Or simply show the solution to a problem that the product or service resolves?
Let’s take a look at the four elements that make a winning video ad and where your key messages come in:
Ideal Customer: This is the protagonist of your video ad. Their goals, needs, and values must align with your Ideal Customer Profile.
Pain Point: This is where you represent your ideal customer’s central conflict or problem.
Journey: Your job here is to introduce the product or service you’re marketing that resolves the pain point.
Solution: Every great story needs a resolution. You need to show how what you’re selling resolves the ideal customer’s problem.
4. Video Ad Placement: Select the Right Platforms
It’s always easiest to reach your audience where they are. So where will you run your client’s video ads to get the most impact? This step will clarify the following steps of your ad campaign execution.
You’ll need to hone in on the:
Platform and medium for the video ads (i.e., Online, TV, specific Social Media platform)
Timing and frequency of the ads
Geo-targeting settings
Length of the video ads–the ideal times differ based on each platform
5. Execution: What Type of Video Will Work for the Ad?
Refine the concept for your video ad so your production team can bring it to life and refine it specifically to the platform(s) selected.
Consider the key elements of a video ad as they appear differently on each platform:
An attention-grabbing hook
Clear message
Call to action
Branding and logos
6. Launch the Video Ad Campaign
How will you launch your video ad campaign? Will you create different ad sequences? What is your PPC budget? You’ll need to actively monitor progress and adjust accordingly.
7. Assess Your Video Ad Success
It all comes full circle when you’ve launched your video ad campaign, tweaked it, let it run, and now have to report results to your clients. The metrics you track (i.e., views, conversion rates, engagement?) should be related back to your client’s original goals–the video ad campaigns’ raison-d’être. (More on the video ad metrics later).
Get each client’s Google Ads video data in an interactive dashboard template. Flip it into a client report in minutes! Try AgencyAnalytics free for 14 days!
20 Video Marketing Tools To Elevate Your Video Marketing
You don’t need a huge budget to create and edit your videos in-house. Let’s outline the top five video marketing tools in each category for agencies:
Video Editing Software
Adobe Premiere Pro: This video editing software offers a wide range of features and tools for video editing and post-production. It is widely used in the film and television industry. This is useful if your agency has an in-house production company.
Final Cut Pro X: A powerful video editing software for Mac users that is popular in the video production industry, it offers advanced editing features, such as a magnetic timeline, multi-cam editing, and color correction tools.
Davinci Resolve: This video editing software offers advanced color correction, audio post-production, and visual effects tools. It is widely used in the film and television industry.
iMovie: A beginner-friendly video editing software that is pre-installed on Mac devices. It offers basic video editing features and is a good option for simple video projects.
HitFilm Express: A free video editing software that offers advanced features and tools, such as visual effects, color correction, and audio mixing. It is a popular choice for indie filmmakers and YouTubers.
Filmora: Offers a user-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop feature and a range of built-in templates and presets that can be used to create intros, outros, and other video elements. These templates and presets can be customized with your clients’ footage, text, and graphics and is ideal for beginner and intermediate users.
Animation Tools
Adobe After Effects: This animation and compositing software that is widely used in the film, TV, and advertising industries. It offers a range of powerful animation tools and allows for complex visual effects and motion graphics.
Toon Boom Harmony: A popular animation software that is used for 2D animation. It is often used in the creation of animated TV shows and movies and offers a range of features for drawing, rigging, and animation.
Blender: A free, open-source 3D animation software that is used for creating a wide range of animation projects. It offers a range of features, including modeling, sculpting, and animation tools.
Powtoon: A cloud-based video animation tool that is designed for creating animated videos for business and education. It offers a range of templates and assets that can be customized for different projects.
Vyond: Used for creating animated videos for business and education. It offers a range of templates and assets that can be customized for different projects and also allows for voiceover recording and lip-syncing.
Video Marketing Automation Tools
Vidyard: Vidyard's focus on personalized video messaging, advanced analytics, and easy integration with other marketing tools makes it a popular choice for businesses looking to incorporate video into their marketing strategy.
Brightcove: Provides a scalable platform to find streaming partners for video ads, promote video ads across each stage of the customer journey, and identify monetization options that are right for each video content.
Wistia: A video marketing platform that offers a range of features for hosting, sharing, and analyzing video content. It offers tools for lead generation, video analytics, and integrations with other marketing tools and is especially useful for agencies to create and manage videos, generate leads, and measure video performance.
TwentyThree: The platform provides real-time insights into viewer engagement, conversion rates, and other metrics, allowing businesses to adjust their video marketing strategies as needed.
BombBomb: Allows you to create, send, and track personalized video emails. Features include a video recorder, customizable templates, contact management, and analytics to help improve engagement and conversion rates. BombBomb is popular among sales teams, real estate agents, and other professionals who prioritize building strong relationships with their clients through video communication.
Interactive Video Tools
Brightcove: This platform offers interactive video creation, editing, and publishing tools, including features like branching paths, quizzes, surveys, and calls-to-action.
Kaltura’s Interactive Video Paths: This video platform allows users to create immersive, personalized experiences with features such as shoppable videos, branching paths, and user-generated content integration.
Playable: Playable's interactive video platform offers features such as personalized video ads, shoppable videos, and email video marketing tools.
Ceros: While not exclusively a video tool, Ceros offers a powerful interactive content creation platform that allows users to create engaging video experiences, such as product tours and interactive documentaries.
Alright, now that you’re equipped with your video tools, let’s discuss video advertising techniques and the platforms to promote them.
Let’s Talk Technique: What Agencies Can Do With Video Ads
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, creating compelling video content is only one part of the equation. Once you have your video content ready, the next step is to promote it effectively to ensure that it reaches your target audience.
One way to do this is by leveraging various advertising techniques to help your video content stand out in a crowded online marketplace. In this regard, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as Google Ads, offer powerful advertising tools that can help agencies target specific audiences and drive engagement with their videos.
9 Different Types of Video Ads
There are several types of video ads agencies can use to reach their target audiences.
1. In-stream Ads
In-stream video ads play within the main video content, like during a YouTube video or Facebook Watch. These include:
Pre-roll Ads, Mid-roll Ads, and Post-roll Ads: Pre-roll ads play before the live stream starts, while mid-roll ads play during natural breaks in the content–or can be added manually during a live stream. Post-roll ads play after the stream has ended.
Skippable Ads allow the viewer to skip the ad after a few seconds, giving them the option to continue watching the main content.
Non-skippable Ads do not allow the viewer to skip the ad and must be watched in full before the main content resumes.
We don't have a preference for pre-roll or mid-roll, but we do find the best ROI comes from in-stream. We utilize non-skippable ads for brand awareness campaigns and prefer skippable ads for boosting conversions.
Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager at Digital Freak - Melbourne
2. Out-stream Ads
These are video ads that play outside of video content. They appear within news articles or on a website's sidebar.
3. Native Ads
Native ads blend in with the surrounding content and appear to be a part of the website or platform they are on.
Image Source: Brightstart
In the example above, the video in the article takes the viewer to a landing page answering the question in the video ad.
4. Social Media Ads
Specifically designed for social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, social media ads can take on various formats.
5. Interactive Ads
As visited earlier, interactive video ads allow the viewer to interact with the ad by clicking on various elements or choosing different paths through the ad.
6. Non-linear Ads
Non-linear video ads are interactive ads that can be overlaid on top of the main video content without interrupting the viewer's experience.
These ads can include banner ads, pop-up ads, or other types of display ads that appear within the video player or around it. Like in the example above, non-linear ads can be either static or dynamic and can be customized to target specific viewers based on their behavior or interests. In this case, Target doesn’t need any text–their logo says it all.
7. Rewarded Ads
A rewarded video ad is a type of video ad that offers viewers an incentive in exchange for watching the ad in full. The incentive can be anything from in-game currency, access to premium content, or exclusive discounts. This type of ad is popular in mobile gaming apps, where users can choose to watch a rewarded ad to continue playing or to gain other benefits.
8. Shoppable Video Ads
A shoppable video ad is a type of video ad that allows viewers to interact with the product being advertised and make a purchase directly from the ad. The ad may include links or buttons that take viewers to an e-commerce website where they can purchase the product or service being advertised. Shoppable video ads are popular in the fashion and beauty industries, where viewers can see a product being used and then purchase it directly from the ad.
9. Video Search Ads
A video search ad appears in SERPs within video platforms like YouTube when a user searches for a particular keyword or phrase. These ads can be video thumbnails or in-text ads that link to a video ad. Video search ads can be targeted based on search queries and keywords, making them an effective way to reach audiences who are actively searching for a particular product or service.
Top Video Advertising Platforms Today
As we have seen, video ads come in different shapes and sizes. Additionally, standalone video ads can exist, such as those that materialize on social media or in search outcomes.
From television to online streaming services, social media, and other websites, video ads can be showcased on various different platforms.
Let’s discuss the most popular platforms for video ads & tips to optimize them:
1. YouTube
YouTube is ranked as the world's second most popular website, just behind Google. This video-sharing platform has become one of the most popular video platforms, offering a range of advertising options for YouTube videos, including live stream monetization options, as well as in-stream ads and display ads that appear next to the video player.
YouTube Video Ad Formats
Skippable in-stream ads can be skipped by viewers after 5 seconds without being charged, but after 30 seconds or the length of the full video, you will be charged along with any click-throughs.
Non-skippable in-stream ads cannot be skipped and are charged on a CPM basis for a maximum of 15 seconds. Bumper ads are 6 seconds long and charged on a CPM basis.
In-feed video ads show on search results and watch pages and are charged for clicks. Outstream ads are mobile-only and charged on a viewable CPM basis.
Masthead ads are purchased directly from a Google sales representative on a CPM basis.
📈Specs
YouTube’s user base is an estimated 1.1 billion users, and the number of users is continually increasing
The average audience is 18-34 years old
India had the largest YouTube audience, with approximately 467 million users, followed by the United States with around 246 million viewers, Brazil with 142 million, and the United Kingdom with around 57.1 million internet users engaging with the platform.
💰Average Costs
Cost-per-view: $0.05-$0.30 per view
CPM: $5-$20 per 1000 impressions (so 100,000 viewers would cost about $2000)
💡Optimization Tips
Use YouTube marketing to product your clients’ product-led or sales-led businesses by touching each phase in the funnel.
A full-funnel YouTube strategy drives 10% higher ROI compared to awareness advertising alone. Combine both awareness and action YouTube ad formats as part of a full-funnel strategy to see higher ROI (compared to just using either one in isolation).
Don’t ignore the SEO value of YouTube videos. If your agency has created a video that is performing really well, optimize it so that it can be found organically as well.
Use a YouTube Analytics report to showcase the positive impact of your your client's video campaigns. Try it free for 14 days in AgencyAnalytics.
2. Facebook
Facebook is the world's third most popular website, behind Google and YouTube. It offers various video advertising options, including in-stream ads, as well as in-feed video ads that appear in the user's newsfeed. Facebook also allows for the creation of video content that can be used for advertising purposes.
Facebook Video Ad Formats
In-stream ads can range from 5 seconds to 10 minutes in length, though Facebook recommends a 15-second maximum for both skippable and non-skippable video ads.
Stories ads make your client’s brand part of their Story feed
Carousel ads showcase up to 10 images or videos within a single ad unit, with each card having its own link.
Collection ads let users browse and buy products directly from the ad unit.
Slideshow ads are created from a series of still images or existing video clips and are often used in areas with slow internet connections.
Instant Experience ads are full-screen ads that provide an interactive experience to users, such as a 360-degree video or a product catalog.
Sponsored Mentions are ads where influencers or celebrities endorse your product or brand in a video post on their own Facebook page.
Playable ads are a new format that lets users try out a game or app before downloading it.
Augmented Reality ads use augmented reality technology to provide an interactive and immersive experience to users.
Live ads appear during a Facebook Live video broadcast.
Mid-roll ads are video ads that play during a longer video, such as a live stream, after the viewer has been watching for at least 60 seconds.
📈Specs
Facebook champions almost 3 billion monthly active users
The average audience is 25-34 years old
There are nearly 315 million Facebook users in India alone, making it the leading country in terms of Facebook audience size. There are several other markets with more than 100 million Facebook users each: The United States (175 million), Indonesia (119.9 million), and Brazil (109.05 million).
💰Average Costs
Views: $0.01-$0.03 per view
CPC: $0.94 per click
CPM: $12.07 per 1,000 impressions
CPL: $5.83 per lead
💡Optimization Tips
Focus on mobile-first video ads as most users view Facebook on their mobile devices–if you’d like to promote one or multiple products, Facebook’s mobile-first creation tools recommend 6-second video ad lengths, and for showing product benefits and discovery, a max of 15 seconds.
Many Facebook users watch videos with the sound off, so include captions or subtitles to ensure your message gets across.
Take advantage of the wide range of targeting options Facebook ads offer. Use audience insights for retargeting campaigns and Lookalike audiences to find users similar to your client’s best customers.
Use a Facebook Ads dashboard or customizable Facebook Ads report template for each client to streamline your data analysis. Try it free for 14 days in AgencyAnalytics.
3. TikTok
TikTok has rapidly become one of the most popular social media platforms. While they were late on the ads train, and the platform has many wrinkles that still need to be ironed out, there’s no denying TikTok’s potential reach is vast. Ads include in-feed ads that appear in the user's feed and sponsored content created by influencers on the platform. They are also testing a feature allowing users to purchase products directly from the app.
We see the best results from videos on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube! TikTok is a great platform for video marketing, no question - but it's not always a good fit for every business.
Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager at Digital Freak - Melbourne
TikTok Video Ad Formats
In-Feed ads appear in the For You feed and can be up to 60 seconds long.
Brand Takeover ads are full-screen ads that appear when users first open the app. They can be images, videos, or GIFs.
TopView ads are full-screen video ads that appear when users first open the app. They can be up to 60 seconds long.
Aside from the video ad formats themselves, there are many other ways to use TikTok’s video-first nature to promote your clients–by letting the users incorporate into their own videos, including:
Branded Hashtag Challenges are sponsored campaigns that encourage users to create and share content using a specific hashtag.
Branded Effects are custom augmented reality effects that can be used by TikTok users in their own videos.
Branded AR Content is an ad that uses augmented reality technology to provide an interactive and immersive experience to users.
Branded Music is a sponsored song or sound that can be used by TikTok users in their own videos.
Branded Filters are custom filters that can be used by TikTok users in their own videos.
Influencer marketing ads are when brands collaborate with TikTok influencers to create sponsored content.
📈Specs
TikTok has 834.3 million monthly users
The majority of TikTok users are between the ages of 18-24
The United States has the largest TikTok audience, with 113 million users, followed by Indonesia (110 million users) and Brazil (82 million users).
💰Average Costs
Brand takeovers: $50,000 minimum per day (guaranteeing 5 million impressions)
In-feed ads: $10 per 1,000 impressions (minimum spend: $500)
Hashtag challenge: upwards of $150,000 for the entire campaign
Branded filters/lenses: $80,000 a day
💡Optimization Tips
Customize your ad placement by content category–including DIY, beauty, fitness, and entertainment. Following trends and doing social listening is necessary for this fast-moving, in-the-know crowd.
Don’t be fooled by the seeming one-and-done nature of TikTok videos–users want to see what fun content brands will put out next, so plan out a series of ads that tell a story to keep your audience in suspense and engaged.
On TikTok, it’s more about the soft sell than the hard sell. Use social proof, and make use of trends to entertain the audience.
Read more on How to Run TikTok Ads.
Reporting your campaign success has never been easier with this TikTok Ads reporting tool. Try it free for 14 days in AgencyAnalytics.
4. Instagram
Instagram offers various video advertising options, including in-stream ads that play before, during, or after a video, as well as in-feed video ads that appear in the user's feed. Instagram also allows for the creation of video content that can be used for advertising purposes.
Instagram Video Ad Formats
Feed Video ads appear in the main feed of Instagram and can be up to 60 seconds long.
Stories Video ads appear between user stories and can be up to 15 seconds long. They can be skipped after 5 seconds.
IGTV ads appear within the IGTV video player and can be up to 60 seconds long.
Reels Video ads appear between Reels and can be up to 30 seconds long.
Explore Video ads appear in the Explore section of Instagram and can be up to 60 seconds long.
Branded Content ads are video ads created by influencers or content creators but are paid for by a brand.
Carousel ads showcase up to 10 images or videos within a single ad unit, with each card having its own link.
Collection ads let users browse and buy products directly from the ad unit.
Augmented Reality ads use augmented reality technology to provide an interactive and immersive experience to users.
📈Specs
Instagram has over two billion monthly active users
There’s a pretty even breakdown between Gen Z (18-24 year-olds) Instagram users and their millennial counterparts (25-34 year-olds) at 31% and 30.3%, respectively
India, the US (144 million users), and Brazil are in the lead for audiences above 100 million
💰Average Costs
PPC: $0.20-$2 per click
CPM: $6.70 per thousand impressions
CPE (Cost per Engagement): $0.01-$0.05
💡Optimization Tips
Add captions or subtitles to make the content more accessible and keep the text simple and concise.
Create vertical versions of the video that are optimized for mobile viewing, and while having sound is optional, it’s recommended.
Run video ads in Instagram Feed, Explore, and Stories to get up to 2 minutes of video content out there–this lets you convey your client’s brand features and benefits, giving your more time with the audience.
An Instagram Ads reporting tool simplifies your data collection. Try it free for 14 days in AgencyAnalytics.
Pros & Cons of Each Platform for Video Advertising
So, which platform should you prioritize for your clients? It depends on their target audience, their budgets, and their goals. Here we’ve summarized some of the pros and cons of each platform for your video advertising.
Video Ad Platform | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
Video Ad Platform YouTube | Pros Video monetization options on live streams. Ability to spend as little or as much as you want,
| Cons Ads are intrusive to the viewer. Little control over the content your video ad appears with. |
Video Ad Platform | Pros Wide range of audience targeting options, cheap views, and can turn existing content you know performs well into video ads. | Cons Poor conversion rates and no auto-play on audio.
|
Video Ad Platform TikTok | Pros Customizing ad placement by content category. Reaches the Gen-Z audience with a combined disposable income of $360bn.
| Cons Content creation exhaustion runs high. High price tag and $500 minimum. Limited targeting and remarketing options. |
Video Ad Platform | Pros High engagement for organic and paid content. Ads are cheaper than on Facebook. | Cons No video monetization option on live streams. Algorithms change frequently. Need to adapt to the newest formats to boost reach. |
Measuring the Impact of Your Video Campaigns
It can be difficult to determine the success of video ad campaigns without proper tracking and measurement tools. For agencies, having these tools at scale is essential to continually optimize and track multiple client campaigns simultaneously.
Analyzing the Results: Key Video Advertising Metrics
Agencies ultimately need to measure the success of their video marketing campaigns and make data-driven decisions to maximize their clients’ return on investment. So what are the most important video advertising metrics to track?
Here are the top six video ad metrics:
Engagement
Conversion rate
Impressions (View count)
Follower/Subscriber growth
But how do you prove to your clients your return on ad spend (ROAS)? And ultimately, their ROI for all these video ad campaigns?
That’s where a robust client reporting platform comes in: housing all your clients’ key metrics under one roof and freeing up countless billable hours for your teams to focus on the creative aspect of marketing.
Put all your clients’ PPC metrics under one roof–without logging in and out of multiple platforms
Instantly combine over 80 platforms into a crisp marketing reporting dashboard that updates in real-time
Drag and drop the most important sections you want to showcase to clients
Have a historical view of your campaign results at your fingertips
Flip your client data into easy-to-read client reports in minutes
Because creating engaging and unique video ads is one thing you can’t automate.
Ready to take your agency's client reporting and ad creatives to the next level? With AgencyAnalytics, showcase the true bottom-line benefits your agency is bringing to your client’s business. Start your free 14-day trial!
The Future of Video Advertising
As the world becomes increasingly digital and video content continues dominating online platforms, video marketing tools and techniques have become a crucial part of any successful advertising strategy. In the future, we can expect to see even more advancements and innovations in this field, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and interactive video ads.
These tools and techniques will help your clients reach a wider audience and engage with them more meaningfully and positively. Agencies can remain competitive and deliver successful client campaigns by staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in video marketing.
Overall, the future of video marketing looks promising, and we can expect to see continued growth and evolution in the years to come. Is your agency keeping up to speed?
Written by
Melody Sinclair-Brooks brings nearly a decade of experience in marketing in the tech industry. Specializing in B2B messaging for startups and SaaS, she crafts campaigns that cut through the noise, leveraging customer insights and multichannel strategies for tangible growth.
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