5 Best Practices for Mobile Video Advertising in 2014

Here are a few interesting statistics to consider:

comScore reports that video ads make up 35.6% of all the online videos viewed at the start of 2014.

The report further indicates that users upload an equivalent of up to 100 hours of video every day, with more than 100 million users watching an online video each day.

Up to 10 percent of internet users globally access online videos using their mobile phones while 25 percent use tablets for long-form video content.

Overall, video ad spend is set to increase to $8.5 billion by 2016.

It is undeniable that online video is witnessing an exponential growth, with more than 70 percent of marketers planning to include video in their overall inbound matrix. In particular, mobile usage is playing an important role in driving large amounts of traffic toward brand video ads. In just a few short years, a large percentage of all online videos will be viewed from mobile devices.

Compared to search marketing, mobile video marketing is a completely different ball game requiring different rules. Let’s get straight into the best practices for mobile video advertising in a changing landscape:

Apply Video SEO For Increased Visibility

Did you know that it is easier to rank for video on the search engines than it is to rank a web page?

Creating a high quality, fun and compelling video is commendable. In fact, at a time when there are literally millions and millions of uploaded video content online, putting in time to create outstanding videos can help you stand out from the crowd. Even then, most marketers overlook the importance of video SEO and the impact it has on the campaign’s ROI.

Google does not always display all videos on the search engine pages. If a mobile user is looking for a brand video ad, he may not find a specific video ad straight on the search engines. However, Google does display several videos on the SERPs if the keywords are highly relevant.

Your SEO work should entail using metadata, including appropriate keywords that will allow your video to appear on the SERPs where it blends in with the rest of the results.

Embarking on a digital outreach program to obtain natural link-backs to your video ads is also an effective SEO tactic. Several digital marketing agencies offer video seeding services, a relatively new but potent video SEO strategy that makes use of different mediums including social networks to increase visibility for brand videos.

Place Your Users at the Heart of Video Content

Creating video ads that your users want to see seems obvious, yet it is a very essential aspect of any mobile video advertising strategy. Mobile users’ intentions when viewing online videos are quite varied.

It is important to collate demographic data about your target audience to help guide your video ad creation process. Factors such as age, gender, income, occupation and geographic location can have an impact on how your audience receives and engages with your mobile video content.

Utilize Video Ad Formats That Will Push Your Campaign Forward

Video ad trends are constantly changing and will continue to do so as consumer behaviour changes. For example, the 30-second pre-roll video was the most dominant video ad format until recently. Today, there is a boom in shorter video content such as those uploaded on Instagram or Twitter’s Vine. Depending on your campaign goals and your target audience, test different ad formats to assess how users respond to each campaign. In-stream videos could work perfectly for certain brands, while overlay or banner video ads could be the best option for others.

Different ad models for different mobile devices

Targeting users according to their preferred mobile device is at the core of mobile video advertising. Consumers use different devices for different purposes. For example, most smartphone users view shorter videos, while other users prefer tablets for long form videos. From a consumer’s view, smartphones have shorter dwell times compared to the tablets. The challenge for marketers is to create ad campaigns for different mobile devices to meet users’ needs.

Shifting to Suitable Mobile Video Ad Buying Options

The changing trends in how mobile video advertising is bought and sold will definitely impact on ROI. Cost per Mille (CPM) has so far been the prevailing ad-buying model for mobile campaigns. However, marketers are quickly realising that the quality of views brings better returns than the quantity. Cost Per View and Cost Per Engagement ad buying models are gaining more prominence in the mobile advertising space. Building your strategy around these new purchasing models can serve to boost engagement and provide more bang for the buck.

Undoubtedly, mobile video advertising is set to take over both the B2C and B2B marketing scene faster than other forms of online marketing. Early adopters will boost brand awareness and conversions at a time when the mobile advertising space is less crowded.

Are you ready for mobile video advertising?