Nick BuchheitIn our fast-paced world, the battle for attention is tougher than ever. To capture your viewer’s attention and gain the ability to convey to them that you have the solution to their problems requires exciting and engaging content. That’s why we’ve made this article, where we will share why we believe advertising video production is one of the best ways to turn your prospects into paying customers.
What Is Advertising Video Production?
Advertising videos are short 45 to 90 second videos with the goal of communicating a message about a product or a service to the potential customer, which is generally done with the intention to sell something. These videos are usually hosted online and displayed on a company’s website or social media accounts such as Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
5 Benefits of Advertising Video Production
Video Is Very Memorable
Many studies have shown that video is by far the most superior form of content regarding memorability, which improves conversion rates. Video is also very attention-grabbing, and because a well-made advertising video is exciting and contains concise and densely packed information, the viewer is unlikely to stop watching.
Engages Your Audience
Video is perhaps the most engaging content medium out there, which is especially important in advertising. People often prefer video over other media, such as audio or texts, and are more likely to act on the message delivered by the advertising video. This higher engagement can do wonders for your business by leveraging it with a clear call-to-action.
Boosts Traffic
Search engines, and Google in particular, love video content. This is because search engines view videos as concise and easily understandable. Also, because of the previously mentioned engaging qualities, your viewers will stay on the website longer, improving overall SEO.
Conveys and Converts
Advertising video done right feels authentic, which helps you build trust with the viewer. When you’ve gained the viewer’s trust, they’re more open to the message you’re trying to deliver. Now, when they hear your message and get ready to act on it, you’re able to convert them into a customer.
Makes Your Product or Service Easy to Understand
One of the most challenging aspects of selling a product or service isn’t explaining the problem but rather that you have the solution for it. Video is the most efficient way to quickly and understandably explain your solution and break down any complex aspects in a fun and exciting manner. This is especially valuable for abstract industries such as finance and software.
Related reading: Advertising Video Production to Grow Your Business
Different Types of Advertising Video Productions
There are many types of advertising videos, and they each serve a different purpose. Here is a list of some of the most common ones to gain inspiration from:
- Internet commercials.
- Promotional videos.
- Topical videos.
- Testimonial videos.
- Comparison videos.
- Demo Videos.
- Tutorial videos.
- Image videos.
- Performance videos.
Different Styles of Advertising Video Productions
The style is one of the crucial things to establish early on when creating an advertising video. Although there are many different styles, two fundamentally different ones are primarily used: animated videos and live-action videos.
Animated Advertising Videos
Animated advertising videos are very popular, and that’s for a reason. Animated videos can have a variety of styles depending on your wants and needs, including 3d animation, 2d animation, motion graphics, and more. One of the biggest selling points for choosing an animated advertising video is the ease of which they can be updated.
With an animated video, you can easily update a small part whenever your company changes a product or offering. On the other hand, with a live-action video, you might have to reshoot the entire film, which will take more time and be more costly. Animated advertising videos are perfect for breaking down abstract and complex products like software.
Live-Action Advertising Videos
Live-action advertising videos also have their strengths. Live-action enables you to establish a deeper and more personal connection with your viewer. This is because you can easily have an approachable identity, such as the head of your company, that the viewer can resonate with. Live-action advertising videos are often an excellent choice, but we recommend going with the animated route if the video contains complex products or subjects.
Advertising Video Production: Best Practises
A Clear Target Audience
The target audience lays the foundation for the advertising video. Here, you need to have a clear idea of what your target prospect likes to shape the advertising video around that. The target audience heavily influences the script, which needs to be worded to resonate with the audience. If the viewer can’t relate to the video, they will be disengaged and stop watching.
The Right Tone of Voice
Nailing the right tonality is essential to capture and keep your audience’s attention. Once again, it’s all about resonating with your target persona and meeting them where they are by using the same language. However, you should always keep your brand’s general tone of voice. Sometimes the tonality may need to be adjusted depending on the platform it will be used on, as all platforms have different lingo and features.
An Uncomplicated Message
The first part of any advertising video production is figuring out the exact message you want to deliver. The script is built around the message, and needs to be concise and direct about what your viewer should take away from watching the video. Remember, it’s when watching the video that your viewer is most engaged. Don’t disappoint them by leaving them confused.
Leverage Storytelling
Using intriguing storytelling is crucial to connect with your viewers on an emotional level and reap all the benefits from your advertising video. When done correctly, storytelling lets you capture the viewer’s attention and keep them around for the entire video. To do storytelling well, you need to package the information in a way that is easy to receive and understand.
An Exciting and Recurring Theme
Don’t think about your advertising video as just a standalone product, but rather a campaign of multiple ads whose story develops over time. Doing this will help you build a theme that, if used multiple times, will build a powerful and deep connection to your audience.
A Strong Creative Concept
A strong creative concept with an exciting and engaging idea is a must in order to maximize your advertising video production ROI and create a truly great advertising video. The creative concept is built on a combination of the target audience and message. Creating a winning creative concept can be challenging, which is why partnering with an innovating video agency to create ads that convert, can be a great idea.
A Clear Call-to-Action
After your viewers have watched your video, they will feel excited and ready to act on the information given. That’s why you need a clear call-to-action that lets the viewer know exactly what they should do next. This comes back to the message of the advertising video, but it should always instill trust and inspire. For example, the CTA could provide a link to a website or a number to call.
Related reading: TV Commercial Production: Trends & Tactics in 2022
Pitfalls to Avoid in Advertising Video Production
Bad Planning
Before you even think about starting to shoot your advertising film, it’s crucial that you’ve planned it well. Otherwise, you risk getting a mediocre outcome that doesn’t convert well. Poor planning can also lead to a costly project due to a need for many revisions.
Poor Quality
Your advertising video will be your company’s outward face, and your viewer must get a positive perception of you. The video resembles your brand and tone of voice, which is why poor quality can be detrimental. An advertising video needs to be high-quality, exciting, and engaging in order to reach its full potential.
Not Having an Intriguing Hook
When a video pops up in someone’s feed or the website they’re visiting, you generally have about 10 seconds to capture their attention. That’s why you need a hook that that sparks the viewer’s interest. One common pitfall is to go over your solution in too much detail, so remember that your target audience most likely already has a relatively good understanding of the thing you’re selling.
Insufficient SEO Marketing
No matter how great your advertising video may be, it does no good if the viewer doesn’t see it. One valuable way to boost the SEO of your advertising video is to transcribe it and include powerful keywords that the search engines will pick up. This ensures that your video reaches its full potential and finds your target audience.
Unclear or Non-Existent Call-to-Action
You have just given your viewer free information about your product and service, and they will feel excited and ready to act. That’s why you must capitalize on this new-won trust by asking for a favor in return. The CTA could be a link to a website, a form to fill out, and more. Remember, it’s right after watching your video that the viewer is at their most engaged self.
Related reading: Commercial Video Production – A Complete Guide
3 Examples of Great Advertising Videos to Be Inspired By
In this article, we’ve established the need for a strong creative concept and well-executed advertising video. If you feel a little confused over what type of video would fit your brand the best, here are 3 excellent advertising videos to be inspired by:
Nike – Find Your Greatness
Nike is one of the world’s most recognizable brands and the best advertising video producers. This video was a part of a larger campaign that was all about resonating with ordinary people, and telling them that anyone can achieve greatness today. The style was a piece of classic Nike advertising, including bold yet visually simple live-action. The script is also flawlessly executed and moves the viewer and engages them to make a change.
Entrepreneurs Forever – Lonely
Covalent was brought in to create a few short promotional videos for Entrepreneurs Forever. The goal of these short advertising videos was to show why it’s a great choice for small business owners to work with Entrepreneurs Forever in order to grow their business. We achieved this through high-quality production combined with a concise and engaging script. Another critical success factor was the approachable identities used, which the target audience can easily resonate with.
Youtube Music – Open the World of Music
Youtube is another famous brand that does a great job producing high-quality advertising videos. In this video, they are able to showcase an entirely new service while keeping the information light and easy to understand. The visuals and audio work together in a way that keeps the viewer’s interest and undoubtedly creates engagement. To top it off, there’s a strong call-to-action at the end that tells you to download the new app.
Key Takeaways
- Advertising videos are short videos targeted at a specific audience to convey to them that you have the solution for their problems.
- Advertising videos have many benefits, such as a more engaged audience, improved SEO, increased conversions, and clarification around products and services.
- There are many different types of advertising videos depending on their purpose, and many styles are available, including animation and live-action.
- To make a successful advertising video, some best practices should generally be followed, such as having a clear target audience, engaging storytelling, and strong call-to-action.
- Advertising video production isn’t always easy and does come with some potential pitfalls, including bad planning and a poor hook.
- Many of the world’s most recognizable brands leverage advertising videos, and there are many excellent videos out there to gain inspiration from.
Partner With An Award-Winning Branded Video Content Agency
Hopefully, you now have a clear idea of what advertising videos are and which benefits they can bring to your business. Now you may be interested in creating an advertising video for your brand, but it’s very understandable if you feel slightly overwhelmed with all of the things that need to be done right. That’s where we come in.
Covalent is a Pittsburgh-based video production company, and we will happily help you create a successful advertising video that reaches its full potential and maximizes your ROI. Reach out to us so we can discuss how we can empower your brand.