Video advertising for social networks has experienced a boom in the last decade. This boom is due to the launch of features and services that encourage the consumption of this format, such as Facebook Live, Instagram Stories or specific platforms such as Snapchat.
Did you know that 7 out of 10 consumers (71%) consider Facebook video ads to be relevant, according to a Promo survey? Users are increasingly receptive to video advertising for social networks, which has motivated advertisers to increase their investment in this format.
According to Cisco estimates, more than 80% of all Internet traffic will be monopolized by video by 2021. This demonstrates the excellent prospects for growth in the use of video in digital advertising. In the specific case of social networks, moreover, video marketing is indispensable.
Implementing live streaming, using vertical formats or optimizing appropriate metrics are some of the keys to improving video advertising for social networks. Want to discover them?
Design ads adapted to social networks
The video marketing used on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube is different from that used on television or other formats. It must have a certain duration and dimensions, according to the specifications of each social network, as will be seen in the following examples.
● On Facebook, the aspect ratio is 16:9 or 1:1, dimensions 1200×675 pixels (560 px wide on mobile phones) and a maximum weight of 4GB.
● In Instagram, the aspect ratio is similar to Facebook, but uses dimensions of 1080×1080 pixels and a maximum weight of 15-20MB.
● On Twitter, the dimensions are 530 x 265 pixels in the timeline, with a maximum weight of 15MB.
Attention to sound in your video for social networks
Did you know that the best video ads on social networks don’t need to be heard to be enjoyed? This is because advertisers understand that Twitter, Instagram and other platforms mute videos by default. As a result, most users consume this content without sound. The most advisable thing for brands is to produce videos that do not depend on sound or warn at the beginning that you must make a touch on the screen to activate it. Another alternative is to include subtitles that complement the sound.
Bet on vertical videos
There are many formats available on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram or Facebook, all of which are in great demand by brands. However, the growing popularity of vertical videos has surprised marketing specialists, and many companies are taking advantage of this boom.
Most users value the convenience of viewing content this way. In addition, according to Facebook research, this type of video is proving to have a better performance in the ROI of brands than other similar formats. Among the ideal platforms to exploit this format are YouTube Vertical Video Ads, Instagram Stories and Facebook.
Differentiate to arouse the interest of your audience
Brands like Denny’s use humor, others like McDonald’s prefer close and humane treatment, while Starbucks does its best to reinforce its multicultural spirit. Each company has a message, which can be reinforced through social networks. It doesn’t matter which one is yours: the indispensable thing is that it doesn’t leave the audience indifferent.
However, all brands seek to attract attention. Competition in this sense is brutal. That’s why it’s becoming more and more difficult to arouse the interest of users and push them to click on ‘I like’ or visit a certain website. In this sense, it is no coincidence that high-performance ads are the most interesting, while low-performance ads stand out for being boring and repetitive.
Among the best strategies to provoke a reaction in users can be listed below:
● Using humour in a respectful way towards all collectives
● Showing something unexpected, like a new product or a conceptual design of it.
● Use titles and videos with eye-catching colors and content (hard to miss).
Look at the right metrics
Although trial and error is essential to optimize a video marketing campaign, it is important to constantly measure the appropriate metrics and compare them with those of the previous exercise, to clearly see if the improvement exists or if a step has been taken backwards. But what are the best metrics to measure video marketing results? Let’s see:
● The time of reproduction, which helps to understand the interest of users for the content produced.
● The number of times it was viewed again, which provides an additional reference to the interest shown.
● The number of clicks or CTRs received in the video.
Bet on live streaming
Since Facebook Live was launched in August 2015, live streaming has increased its popularity among users, who are increasingly receptive to this type of trained. For advertisers, live streaming is a great way to surprise customers, improve engagement and make a better impact on social networks.
Include backstage content in your videos
Showing what’s going on behind the cameras is a perfect strategy for attracting users’ attention and preventing your ads from going unnoticed on your timeline. Regardless of your product or market niche, unveiling its creation process or presenting the professionals involved in its development allows you to humanize the brand and underline its culture and philosophy.
There are many examples of video ads on social networks that use this technique, as users love to take a look at the backstage of a brand.
Image credit : Andi
