Video Ads Can Catapult Sales

Best Practices for Wildly Successful Video Ads

I recently admitted that I had a problem. I can’t stop watching video ads, and even worse, buying from them. I’m a sucker for a compelling video ad.

But the good news is that it’s not just me. Forty-five percent of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week (Hubspot). In fact, a third of online activity is spent watching video. According to Digital Marketer, Facebook alone receives over 4 BILLION video views a day.

The majority of marketing professionals say that video has the best ROI of any type of online content, and the stats back that up.

• Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined. (Brightcove)
• Video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engine result pages. (Brightcove)
• Video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more. (Visually)
• Shoppers that view videos are almost twice as likely to buy than non-viewers. (Adobe)

So, if you haven’t tested the waters of video ads yet, it’s time to jump in.

7 Best Practices for Captivating Video Ads

1. Target your audience. Before you start brainstorming clever video ideas, make sure you know exactly who your buyer persona is, and how your product or service solves a problem for them. Focus on helping your buyer, not just promoting your product.


2. Invest in production. Sure, you can make a video on your phone, but don’t. Just like any advertising, this video needs to represent your brand and that means it should be done professionally. You also need to ensure your video plays well on any device and loads quickly.
3. Focus on the first 10 seconds. Facebook video ads start to auto-play when a user scrolls through their feed, so the first few seconds of your video are critical to making someone stop, click and watch the whole thing. Make sure you grab the user’s attention right away.

Here’s a popular Squatty Potty ad that not only took some production, but definitely made people stop and watch.

4. Sound should be secondary. 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, so you can’t count on people hearing the narration or music to understand your message (Digiday). Include captioning with your video (Facebook can do this for you automatically), on-screen text and visuals that speak for themselves.
5. Tell a good story. Make sure your video contains all the elements of a good story and keeps the viewer engaged until the end. You want your video to be memorable, sharable and actionable.

Check out this popular ad for the Purple Mattress and how it retells a classic story.

6. Include compelling ad copy. When you post your video, surround it with some strong, short copy to help pitch the video. You can also link to your website or product page here as well.
7. Have a strong call to action. Include a clear call to action in the copy, the video itself and even as a button in your ad. Whether you want someone to buy a product, download a resource or sign up for a class, make it easy and obvious for your users to do so.

Need help producing great video ads, managing your ad campaigns and tracking the results? We’d love to help. Let’s Talk.

Diane Callihan

With more than 20 years of experience writing for some of the country’s top brands, Diane helped to shape Roger West’s content strategy, lead generation, and PR efforts as Director of Marketing. She currently serves as President of Callihan Content Creation.