Programmatic video. It is becoming more and more popular as people continue to subscribe to streaming services and watch videos online.
Of course, with this video comes video ads. Because of this, programmatic advertising was valued at over $136 billion in 2021.
So, with these types of video ads potentially worth a lot of money and getting a lot of views, one needs to figure out how to master them.
Something that you may want to think about is how long to make your video ad. What are your options for video ad length? What ad length would go best with certain video marketing campaigns?
This is your guide.
What Is Programmatic Video Advertising?
Programmatic video advertising is when you create a video advertisement to be played at a certain point in a video stream. These can be shown as clips on any social media platform, from YouTube to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
However, they are not just limited to those platforms. They can be used on videos on any type of the website plus be used with streaming services such as Hulu that have subscription plans that include advertisements.
How Do You Get Ad Time?
The next thing that you need to address is going about getting advertising time. There are a few ways that you can do this.
One way that you can do this is by using demand-side platforms (DSPs). This allows you to buy ad space from a range of publishers rather than buying all of your ad space with one publisher.
That can save you time negotiating with certain publishers and could possibly expose you to different audiences.
The next thing that you can do is work with a company or agency that specializes in programmatic advertising. There, you can go over your advertising strategy and you can get a consultation on what ad space you should be targeting.
Along with this, you have to understand that sometimes, bidding for ad space happens in real-time. This means that you need to be ready to act at any moment and claim your advertising space.
Types of Video Ads
Now, you need to select what type of video ad you are going to go with. This will help you determine the strategic placement of your ad and give you a better idea of how long your ad should be.
Pre-Roll
This is likely the type of video ad that you see the most option. That is because this is the advertisement that plays before a video begins.
So, if you are watching a show on Hulu or a video on YouTube and see an ad play before your content, this is the type of video ad that it is.
You have a few options for video length here. The general recommendation is to go with a length between 15 and 30 seconds. That length can allow you to have your full ad played with fewer chances of it being skipped.
That is because if it goes longer than 30 seconds, viewers start to get more opportunities to skip it on certain platforms. You want to avoid this as a business because 65% of people will skip a video ad as soon as they get the chance.
Mid-Roll
The next ad that you could see in a video is called a mid-roll video. This is the type of advertisement that shows up in the middle of your video or in the middle of a show that you are watching.
Say you are watching a clip, and all of a sudden, it starts to play an advertisement. This is the time when a mid-roll video comes in.
Generally, these videos are kept in the same range, between 15 and 30 seconds. It gives chances for more businesses to get ad space by keeping these videos short, plus people want to get back to their content as fast as possible.
Post-Roll
Another type of video that you could see is the advertisement that shows up at the very end of the video. This one is called a post-roll video.
It can be more difficult for advertisers to get their viewers to stick around for these videos than the other two. This is because, by the end of the video, viewers lose the incentive to stick through the advertisement with no more content from their clip to watch.
So, there may be more pressure for you to create compelling content with this roll slot than in the other two slots.
You can go two ways with this roll for length. You can either keep it short and sweet within 15 seconds or less to increase your chances of people staying around to view it. Or, you can try to create your own compelling content and have it last a few minutes after the content video to get people to stick around.
Both of these options have their pros and cons. The main con is that fewer people may stick around to watch this one, while the main pro could be more flexible ad content in this slot.
Get Help With Your Video Ads
These are all of the options that you have when it comes to programmatic video advertising. You need to think about how long you want your video to be, where you want your video to be displayed, and where in the content you want your video to show up.
Do you feel overwhelmed about coming up with a marketing strategy for this? Message us with your questions today.
