How Marketers Are Tackling The Pros And Cons Of Video Ads

Pros and cons of video ads

When it comes to content marketing, video ads are an important part of the picture. More and more video content is being watched than ever. In fact, in the US alone, 85% of all internet users have watched content monthly on their devices.

You want to know how to use video advertising. Also, you need to understand what consumers are looking for. Here some things that digital marketers are taking into consideration as they create and employ digital video ads.

Brand Awareness

A recent study from the CMO Council and ViralGians has provided some insight. It looks at how video ads are fitting into the wider content strategies of companies. Video’s main use in the customer journey is to promote brand awareness along its various stages.

However, many marketers have said that they also use video as an acquisition tool that drives direct sales.

A Sound Investment

This report is based on a survey of over 200 North-America based senior marketing leaders. Amongst them, 70% are actively investing in digital video advertising. In addition, another 9% are planning to start within the coming year.

So, the vast majority are currently investing in video advertising. And, if they are not, they plan to soon.

Over 2/3 of those surveyed think that their investments will grow by more than 10% this year. Almost 90% believe that they will see that amount of growth in the next 3 years.

Why Measuring The Direct Success Of Video Campaigns Is Tricky

It seems that marketers are using different metrics to measure the success of video campaigns. When judging the success of a video campaign, respondents said that they largely use engagement metrics. These include things like:

  • Click-through rate
  • Social media shareability
  • Engagement with the brand after viewing

Most did not cite direct-sales at all when it came to judging campaign effectiveness.

An Interesting Disconnect

Within video advertising, marketers seem to define engagement as success. This is different from how success is usually measured in the field. Marketers still largely define their own success based on sales.

However, video ads seem to depend on a wide variety of metrics. While sales matter, of course, marketers do not seem to put them at the forefront. 63% say that their success is defined by campaign-specific metrics such as clicks and views. In addition, 61% are defined by brand strength and recognition. This is the key goal for video ad campaigns.

Why Has This Happened?

For now, getting sales-based metrics from video ads is difficult. Things may evolve in the future. However, getting such data is difficult for most brands to achieve.

At present, the most widely available types of video campaign insight for marketers are viewing longevity and call-to-action metrics. These include click-through rates. Right now, less than half of marketers can report sales metrics and conversion rates from their video ad campaigns.

Lead generation is almost always a goal. However, only a small percentage of marketers can get direct insights into return metrics. These would include metrics like cost per lead and cost per acquisition.

The Impact Of Video Ads

This type of ad has some challenges for marketers. However, it is not going anywhere. In fact, the demand for video content is increasing. Over half of consumers say that they want more video content. They want it from brands and businesses that they support.

It is thought that people are more likely to pay attention to video content. However, they will skip parts of written or audio content. Video is a great way to grab the attention of an audience. Video is also a definitive consumer favorite, according to research by Animoto.

While this type of content is not the easiest for marketers to gauge the success of, it is ultimately the content that consumers want to engage with. But, what do consumers expect from these video ads?

Consumer Expectations

Of course, you should leverage video. However, this is not so cut and dry. On top of creating video content, you want to create video content that resonates with consumers. You want to draw them into your brand.

Take a look at our video creation tips blog post for inspiration!

Three-quarters of global adult shoppers say that they have made a purchase after seeing a video for a product. Here are some things to keep in mind when making video ads of your own.

Consumers Want Personalization

The CMO Council conducted a survey of 2,000 English speaking consumers. It explored an interesting relationship between consumers and personalization.

Their research shows that many consumers want more personalized experiences from businesses and brands. However, at the same time, they are not as open to the methods through which brands would learn about them. A collection of studies show that people want brands to personalize their experience. However, they don’t always want to share the information necessary for them to accomplish this.

According to CMO research, 48% want video content that reflects products or services they are personally interested in. Another 43% say that online videos are more useful if they are interactive. In addition, one-third say that including recommendations for what action they could take next would be helpful.

Other sources also show that consumer demand for personalized content is bigger than ever. Epsilon found that about 80% of consumers are more likely to make purchases when a brand caters to them like that. Ultimately, it seems that consumers want fewer, but more personalized ads.

But They Are Protective Of Their Data

Research seems to show that if you ask consumers if they want a more personalized ad experience, they say yes. However, they want to have this without the data collection tools that allow brands to give them this experience.

The network security firm RSA found that only 17% of internet users surveyed in the US and Europe think it is ethical to track their online activity in order to personalize ads. Only 25% thought it was ethical to alter news feeds or recommend products based on browsing history.

The bottom line is that consumers want personalization. They feel that a brand understands them better if its imaging reflects their lifestyle. However, many think the methods used to create this personal experience are suspicious.

Many brands want to balance content, personalization, and metrics when it comes to their video ads. This can be difficult.

SEE ALSO: What Types of Data Are Marketers Using For Personalization – And What’s Their Impact on ROI?

Final Thoughts

Final thoughts on video ads

When it comes to using video ads as a part of your advertising strategy, there are many things to consider. Marketers are utilizing them in different ways to achieve different goals. They are also measuring their success in unique ways.

You want to figure out what people want from their ads. Also, you want to know how you can best leverage them. This is key to creating effective campaigns. Video ads will likely only become more influential and personalized in the future.

Technology and consumer ideas will change. Marketers must be responsive in order to tackle these shifts. Ultimately, video ads will play a powerful role in the future of digital marketing. It’s already started.

In which ways do you think video ad campaigns will become personalized in the future? Comment below…

Written by
Juntae DeLane

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