The rise of videos in advertising and content marketing

At MintTwist we are a digital agency located in the heart of London, and we have excellent experience and knowledge within content marketing. As part of our service we help clients effectively market their brand and content, both of which we value as extremely important for companies.

We have noticed that over the past few years’ brands have had to dramatically change the way they advertise themselves. However, with the emergence of the Internet, mobile phones and social media they are finding more effective and innovative methods of targeting customers.

In fact, more and more marketers are now employing videos to grab the attention of individuals as it has become a powerful and emotive method of communication.

Why are videos being used in content marketing and advertising?

We previously mentioned that the world of advertising and content marketing has changed and will continue to change.

With the rise of mobile technology and smartphones people are now turning towards digital content, and more specifically video rather than traditional media, to gather information, brand awareness and entertainment and content.

Due to the popularity of videos and a change in consumer habits, brands are now focusing on them for advertisement of their company and products. This is because it provides them with a platform to connect and engage with customers like never before.

They are also using it to spread content which is important for any business as it can improve SEO, it actually shows customers what the company is about rather than telling them and it also adds value to the company, amongst other reasons. And at the moment video marketing is the content king.

In addition to this, the use of videos allows brands to convey themselves creatively and push their creative boundary beyond its limits.

The use of videos for content and advertising also increases current and creates new revenue streams for businesses as it creates new leads and drives more conversions.

Types of video advertising

There are several types of advertising methods associated with videos. We have outlined some of them below:

• In-stream video advertising

This method allows there to be content present within the video either before, during or after the customer has viewed it.

• Social media video advertising

This method goes beyond promoting your brand and content because social media permits more shareable content allowing for the audience to share, like and comment on the video. In turn, this makes the video content and advert more accessible to a wider range of customers who may not have been your original target audience.

In addition to this, brands and the audience are able to communicate with each other not only through the video content itself, but also through the comments. This creates an excellent method of communication and improves brand awareness and perceptions.

• Mobile video advertising

Just like social media apps, the use of mobile technology is on an upwards projection.

Since more and more people own mobile technology, it only makes sense that mobile video advertising over takes desktop video advertising. This is especially true when we live in a fast paced world and require relevant content whilst on the go.

A study carried out by Cisco indicates that video content has become the preferred method for mobile technology users.

Furthermore, the Mobile Marketing Association determined that over 50% of videos on mobile technology cannot be skipped. Therefore, this large audience has to view your video content and advert making them more likely to drive conversions and sales, and have an increased awareness of your brand.

• Rich media advertising

This method is used to engage and interact with customers. Rather than the traditional advertisement banner, rich media incorporates videos into the banner ad and encourages the customer to actively hover and scroll over sections of the advertisement. You can find out more information about rich media here.

• Sensory advertising

The use of sensory adverts is a relatively new method of advertising. It was most recently utilised by car manufacturer, Ford advertising the release of their Mustang in India. Ford created a sensory billboard which showcased a video of a Mustang.

The video was triggered by the audience who walked past the billboard and as the video rolled, different senses would be played with. For example, the billboard made use of hearing by playing engine noises as the video played, as well as wind and the release of artificial smoke.

You can watch the sensory video advert here.

Although this is a very extreme example of sensory advertising, more and more brands may look to using it for their video content and adverts. This is because it is an effective method of capturing an audience through directly interacting with them.

However, we think that this method is unlikely to become common place with every brand due to the costs of creation and implementation. Also this method can only be used effectively on large billboards.

Where should you use videos?

In recent years, sharing our lives on the Internet through social media has rocketed and has almost become second nature to us. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this is a common place to feature video content and ads.

Snapchat have recently allowed brands to buy advertising spaces worth $750,000 where they release short video adverts and content between Snapchat stories, as well as on the new Discover and Live tabs. Facebook also leads the way for video advertisement and content from brands, and is particularly useful because it allows for real time communication between brands and customers.

Brands can also use videos to advertise themselves as well as promoting their content on Pinterest. Last year Pinterest released cinematic pins which promotes content on DIYs, recipes and how-to videos, and at the beginning of this month they also launched promoted videos. Both of these videos automatically play as users scroll through the homepage. One unique feature offered by Pinterest is buy-able pins that can be incorporated into the video itself.

Furthermore, YouTube is an excellent place for video content as it targets more 18-49 year olds than prime time US TV. In fact, around 86% of American colleges and universities upload videos to their channels.

Our four tips to effectively use videos

• Call to Action

It is important that your videos include call to actions because it encourages the viewer to actively participate in click-through and drive more sales.

• Short Ads

We recommend that your videos should be short. This is because many studies have found that most people do not watch video ads longer than 10 seconds. It is also because most platforms that allow for video advertising and content does not allow for a very long time.

For example, on Snapchat brands can only advertise for between 3 – 10 seconds.

• Focus on mobile technology

Mobile technology is at the heart of the current generation and future generations to come. After all, more people are now owning smart phones and tablets. Therefore, it is important that you create videos that work optimally on mobile devices for a nice viewing.

• Keep it relevant

Since your videos should be short, you should keep the message of the video clear and relevant to your aim.

Keeping the content and advert relevant to your brand ensures that the video is specifically targeted to the audience and your brand. It is also more likely to retain the attention of the viewer if the message relates to the brand and product.

Conclusion

The rise and power of videos used in content marketing and advertising are only going to increase, particularly as consumer habits continue to change and we become a mobile-first society. Therefore, it is imperative that you get start using videos now.

Unlike more traditional advertising methods, videos encourage and empower brands to form stronger and more meaningful connections with customers. Through this, brands will find new revenue streams and a wider target audience.