Common mistakes with video ad serving (part 2)
There is a great feeling of relief that comes once you are happy with the current script for your upcoming video ad because it is an
interesting and convincing video script. However, there's still several pitfalls that you need to avoid and we will discuss them today.
Focusing too much on features
Yes, it is natural for advertisers to talk about their baby, which is the product and you certainly want to use video ads to show off the main features. However, having nothing but a list of features can be seen as off-putting and boring. Instead of putting together a rather dull list of features, find a creative way to show how a specific feature solves a common problem that will make it much more appealing to potential buyers. When they see the value or benefit that they get using your product, that is the easiest way to get them to open their wallets and buy. But before you can do that, you need to understand your target audience. Find out what they want, how they make a purchase decision and where is the best place to reach out and when is a good time. Understanding the potential customers helps you design an ad that is the starting point for a sales process that is optimized for your benefits and also the buyer’s experience.
Ignoring video metric reports
You might think that you are onto a winner with a solid and entertaining video ad. However, the buying public might not feel the same way. Without seeing the ad performance report, you are basically walking in the dark and guessing the direction. How do you know if the video ad reached its goals or not without using an
ad server to keep track of data and using the reports to make adjustments? Video metric reports are available for a reason, which is to show you what is and isn't working so you can improve. The
video ad server will track many different events, including errors, impressions, clicks, the number of people who viewed the whole ad or only half or even a quarter of the ad. If you see any ad serving errors, you should check for the error codes and fix them promptly. The goal is to have no video ad serving error because each error is an impression wasted. As for the other events, it is natural to see a drop in views after each quartile because you cannot expect all viewers to watch the whole ad. However, if a large number of viewers failed to make it to the end of the video then they are almost certainly not buying. Use these reports to look for patterns and make necessary changes before it is too late.
Using the same video for too long
We have all seen ads on TV that were fun at first, but quickly became annoying on repeated viewing. This is what can happen if you keep the same video up and running for too long. Viewers will learn to ignore and block the same ad over time.
Online ad serving is a dynamic environment that changes frequently. You cannot set it, forget it and yet expect a perfect campaign. Use the ad metrics to see when a video ad has run its course and is no longer effective. If click-thru rate, response rate or the number of Complete events are dropping significantly then it is the time to revisit, adjust and deliver something new and refreshing. One possible solution is to use your video ad server to rotate a number of different ad versions to maintain the freshness factor.
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