Video is becoming a bigger priority for marketers as engaging creative is combined with insights to deliver cost-effective results.
With marketers turning their heads to video, the latest statistics from the IAB reveal spend on mobile video ads more than doubled (up 103%) to £693 million in 2016 – making it the fastest growing ad format. This isn’t due to slow down – online video advertising is growing almost as quickly as social media at 18% a year and by 2019 is forecast by Zenith to total $35.4 billion globally.
There have been a number of technological advances that have led to mobile video gaining the popularity it has today. For example, the arrival of 4G has enabled video to be delivered into the palms of our hands just about anywhere. The government has already embarked on the journey to 5G and this is only likely to increase mobile video consumption.
Advances in video allow digital professionals to bring their brands to life with evocative, engaging imagery and shareable content. Combine this with the ability to deliver it directly to individual smartphones and it is clear why 61% currently use video as a marketing tool. With this number set to increase, brands need to set their sights on creating truly personalised video campaigns that engage audiences, before they ‘unfollow’ and install their ad blocker.
We are working on a whole host of campaigns for the likes of Honda, 20th Century Fox, L’Oréal and Santander, and based on our expertise and experience, these are the most important insights from some of the most successful social media campaigns our clients are running:
Joy and surprise
Research has found that keeping a viewer’s attention depends largely on two emotions; joy and surprise. To maximise engagement it’s important to generate at least one of these responses early on.
Personalise early
If we look at how long a video should be, Twitter allows 140-second videos and Facebook 45 minutes, but realistically a video that is 30 seconds or less, often closer to 15 seconds, will drive the best engagement. Ensuring the personalisation of content takes place within the first 2-3 seconds of the video will hook and captivate the audience, ensuring they are more likely to continue viewing as well as engage with the brand. After all, according to Forrester, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words!
Intent-driven
The promotion of personalised video content to an audience is best received when the content is relevant and if the customer has already expressed an interest in the brand. A consumer’s intent can be found via publically available data, whether it is a keyword on a social platform or data capture following a purchase. The result will be excellent share rates, positive responses from the recipients and increased organic reach and sentiment.
Ultimately, video is here to stay; experts believe that by 2020, mobile video will account for 75% of all mobile data traffic (IAB). In recent years marketers have been advised to take a mobile first approach, but technology and consumer demands are evolving and brands now need to take a mobile video first approach. Video needs to be considered and treated as its own unique format, meaning it isn’t always as easy as taking a pre-existing piece of video content and embedding someone’s name into it.