For years, mobile has been a key part of marketing dialogue and the industry-standard for many advertisements. However, innovation runs rampant in world of mobile and there are certain aspects of mobile that should get more attention by brands and advertisers. This year, the star of the show is clearly mobile video.
Time spent on mobile has continued to increase, and more than 75 percent of video viewing is mobile. But what does that mean for marketers?
It’s time to think seriously about incorporating video into their marketing and advertising efforts. Beyond just incorporating them, it may make sense for video to be an element in all of them. However, many simply don’t have the time or resources to be spending on video creation – and that can be a major roadblock on the quest for video.
Luckily, with advancements in technology and a changing definition of video, marketers increasingly have easier access points to video creation – options that not only help them stick to a reasonable budget but also help them adopt video rapidly.
Here are the top five do’s and don’ts for marketers to keep in mind to make that happen:
Don’t adhere to strict definitions
One of the great things about video today is that its entire definition is changing. It’s not just for long-form TV ads and 30-second pre-roll videos. Stemming from social ad formats (like Stories, Carousel, Canvas), stringing together multiple still images into a slideshow or a rotation can be just as interactive as produced video. Additionally, visuals like cinemagraphs and boomerang clips also create the desired effect of video in that they grab consumers’ attention as they move. A moving advertisement will always have a better shot at engaging the human eye.
Do keep it real
Video doesn’t have to be a big production anymore. As a society, we have become more relaxed in everything from the way we dress to the way we interact with others – video’s no different. When it comes to advertising on social networks, ads can’t be so blatant as to stick out like a sore thumb against user-generated content. A highly produced video ad will probably do that. That has its time and place, but brands should bring in real content like behind-the-scenes footage that show how a product is made or a simple product demo filmed with a smartphone. Throw the script aside and keep it real.
Don’t drag it out
With consumer attention spans waning, a 30-second video advertisement will do no brand any favors. Marketers need to keep their video short and snackable to ensure their message doesn’t fall on deaf ears. It’s not like consumers haven’t been telling us this. The most vied for consumer demographic – Millennials – say they resonate better with brands that push out short-form video over brands that adhere to typical long-form content.
Don’t get your hands too dirty
As in…get rid of the manual labor. With today’s technology, there is no need to scrape together elements for a video by hand. There exist automated templates for video, where marketers simply drop in imagery into template to quickly design creatives for an ad. Marketers can also simply give automated technology access to their product catalogues, so that key imagery – like best-sellers, best product deals – automatically populate into pre-templated video advertisements.
Do play around
Without the long review and creative cycles of TV advertisements in years past, automation enables marketers to do way more testing and be more agile and responsive in their campaigns. Testing can be simple and marketers should consider testing only one element at a time, measuring performance of advertising by looking at brand sentiment, comments and even conversations. Testing also allows marketers to key into real-time events, seasons, holidays, trends…basically, anything they want. The best-performing video ads will always be the ones that have the most relevancy to consumers.
Today, video doesn’t have to be done with a large and expensive production crew. Every brand, no matter the size, can play in the video advertising space – particularly on social formats, like Instagram Stories, which allow for more fluidity in advertisements. eCommerce and retail is a crowded ecosystem, and if brands want to break through the noise and engage customers they can’t get away with still ads. Luckily, all brands now have the power to move away from them for good.
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