10¹⁰
2017

Before technology rapidly expanded, the only forms of advertisements were in print, such as newspapers, magazines and posters. Now advertisements can be done online through multiple images and texts.

In today’s online marketplace, users are bombarded by advertisements daily. There are various platforms that show customers different forms of ads. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram tend to gear towards image ads that are complemented with text. Other platforms such as Twitter is either image or text focused.

AdWords uses a correlations between images and words (specific keywords to be exact) so that in most cases, a search with a specific key word will provide more leads in terms of clicks.

But what about video? With advertisements being transitioned from print to online, it only makes sense to consider something other than text and images, which is video. This form of advertising used to be the least thought of method of marketing, but in reality, it is one of the best ways to get a message across. Online platforms where video is available, such as YouTube, is becoming the go to place for everything. Nowadays, users will go to videos to look at product reviews, tutorials, entertainment and more! In this fast paced world of technology and content, video ads are the perfect way to capture the attention of users through motion pictures, texts and sounds.

Some of the benefits that come with using video as a main source of advertising are:

Builds Better Awareness
Whether your company wants to increase leads, build brand awareness or get a specific message across, video advertising can do it all. YouTube has grown to create a large community of potential customers.

With all forms of advertising, there needs to be an audience to make it viable for increasing revenue. Since there is a lot of information being seen online every day via text and images, video is a different form of advertisement. All it takes is a split second to grab a user’s attention when a video they are watching starts to play. That split second can be ingrained within a potential customer’s mind and by the end of the video, turn into a new sale. Within the first five seconds of your video ad, showcase what message your company is trying to get across, especially since it has been reported that the attention span of users has decreased over the past years.

Finds the Right Message
As a company, it is beneficial to know the specific customer base that you are looking for. Your video ads can be activated with a low Cost per View (CPV) and can be effective with the right message. While nothing online is guaranteed, usually video ads succeed when two specific elements are present:

• A clear message of what the company wants the user to do, shown within the first five seconds of the video. You want to be able to capture the interest of your audience – whether it is by offering them a discount, or a prompt to watch the rest of the video or to visit your company site’s landing page.
• Appeal to the visual and auditory senses. Use clear and high quality images, whether they are animated or real world graphics. These images should reflect your brand and push your message to the water. Also, if your ads have music or a voice-over, it must not be too overpowering.

A Small Price for Great Potential
A great benefit of video advertisements is that they don’t need to be overly invested in for the potential of seeing larger gains. There are different levels of video advertising, which can end up costing thousands of dollars. However, there are many cost effective ways for your company to create a short video for advertising. Once you begin with a professionally constructed video(s) to advertise on YouTube, it is simple to start with a small budget and grow from there based on your success. Your company will pay on a Cost per View (CPV) basis, instead of a cost per click, and it will usually amount to around $0.04. The users that are fully engaged will click to your website and that will be constituted as a click. That click in essence is free, as your budget is being spent on a per view platform, not a pay per click. In this case, companies are in a win-win situation as the costs are low, the potential is high and the clicks are free.