Did you know that 64% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after watching video content?
Your video ads can go a long way in increasing sales and engagement for your business.
When purchasing video advertisements, you want to make sure your money is going as far as possible. Without optimizing your video ads, you could get lost in the fierce competition on social media.
Each social media platform has its own optimization strategies. Keep reading to find out how to best optimize your video advertisements for digital marketing.
Video Sizes & Orientation
Before filming your video, you want to check the platform to see what the required aspect ratio of videos is. You should also plan ahead to film in a vertical orientation (for mobile devices) or horizontally (for PC). In some cases, you might want to do both versions!
Depending on the social media platform, video sizes and orientation of the display vary.
For example, YouTube ads are primarily horizontal videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio. (Although YouTube Shorts now use vertical orientation.) Instagram Stories, Snapchat, and TikTok all use vertical videos with a 9:16 aspect ratio.
If you don’t fit the display properly, your video is going to be difficult to watch and appear low-quality. This causes you to lose viewers quickly.
Aspect Ratios for Each Social Media Platform
Here are the aspect ratios for each platform:
- 1:1 for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
- 2:3 for Pinterest
- 9:16 for Instagram Stories, Snapchat, & TikTok
- 16:9 for YouTube and Twitter
It’s best to keep this in mind before filming so you get the best shot for each frame. You can use a video cropping app on your phone to adjust your video to the exact aspect ratio.
You can also crop your video while editing or once it is uploaded onto the social media platform. It’s best to edit while in the aspect ratio so you don’t have to worry about any cropped visuals or words getting cut off.
Keep It High Quality
With today’s technological advancements, the smartphone in your pocket can record a high-quality video worthy of social media virality. But it is still possible to record a low-quality video using an advanced camera.
That’s because many factors can cause your video to be unwatchable. Luckily, minor adjustments can make a huge difference.
It’s important to be aware of things like lighting and background noise. These can instantly make or break the quality of your video. If viewers are having a hard time hearing the audio or are distracted by a dull background, they won’t waste their time on your video ad.
Short & Sweet
The length of your video is also important for video optimization.
When creating a video ad for your social media marketing strategy, you want to keep it between 15-30 seconds. If you don’t grab your audience within the first five seconds, then viewers may instantly skip it.
Facebook states that people spend an average of 1.7 seconds on any given content on their mobile devices.
Video entertainment on platforms like YouTube can last for an hour or longer. But paid advertisements should always remain short. Certain movie & video game trailers do very well with a length of over 30 seconds.
But it is rare for a video ad to capture someone’s attention for that long. In fact, 15 seconds is recommended by most social media apps. So keep it simple and make your video 15 seconds or under in length.
Include Captions
Including captions in your advertisements is a must for video content!
Recent data shows that 85% of viewers are watching Facebook videos on mute. Maybe because they are watching while in public or at work.
Either way, make sure your video advertisements include captions so your audience can read what your video is talking about.
Don’t worry, it’s worth the extra effort! Viewers watching on mute are just as likely to interact and click through on your ad.
Create an Engaging Thumbnail
Not all video ads pop up automatically before another piece of content. In some cases, video ads are shown as thumbnails on a person’s feed.
That’s why having an engaging thumbnail, especially on YouTube, is an important part of video advertising. Research to see what other thumbnails in your industry look like. Pay attention to videos that have a lot of views and subscribers.
Try not to copy other YouTubers but take what works and make it your own. Your thumbnail should be bright and eye-catching. Keep the words on your thumbnail to a minimum and make sure you can read it from far away.
Thumbnails work best when they have a teaser that makes you want to click to learn more or read the full title. As few as three words are enough to grab attention.
Test Different Versions
On some platforms, such as YouTube, your advertisement plays multiple times before or after other video content. To avoid viewers getting fatigued by your ad, record two to three versions.
This helps keep viewers engaged and also gives you a chance to test multiple strategies to see which ads perform the best. This can also increase the number of views and watch time.
Create a Clear Call to Action
When viewers are watching your content, they need to know exactly what you are asking them to do.
Is your video ad trying to grow your subscriber base? Should they sign up for a free guide? Or maybe you want them to make a purchase of some kind.
Don’t end your video without giving a Call to Action (CTA) on what to do next. If your viewer made it that far in your video, it means they are highly engaged and ready to take the next step. Don’t miss your opportunity!
Be direct and simple with your call to action. Provide a link to the next step of your funnel. Try different CTA’s to see which one is the most effective for your campaign.
Track Your Data & Act On It
Your digital marketing strategy should always include tracking and analyzing your data. You can’t assume to know what your audience wants to watch and what works best for your video ads.
Understanding what content engages users the best on each platform can only be done through constant research and study. Become familiar with your social media analytics and how different video ads are performing on each.
What worked in past video ad campaigns? At what point in the video did viewers stop watching? What parts of the video did people click on your ad?
Your analytics, insights and data can offer many different clues as to how to improve your social media marketing strategy. Not just for video ads but for all your social media posts.
Optimize Your Video Advertisements for Success
We hope you enjoyed these helpful tips on how to optimize your video advertisements for social media. Yet these are just the first steps to creating a successful digital marketing campaign for your business.
Want expert help on skyrocketing your video marketing campaigns? We’ve got you covered! Contact us today for a free consultation on video and other key social media marketing strategies.
