Brand Awareness Campaigns
Brand awareness campaigns are aimed at increasing advertiser brand visibility and when it comes to video campaigns they are usually a marketers’ greatest asset. They prioritize high viewability rates, extensive reach, impressive completion rates, and favorable ROI. While video campaigns can definitely be effective for performance marketing, their main target is effectively connecting with specific audiences. Marketers use this as top-of-the-funnel marketing, to create demand that they’ll want to use other methods to collect later on down the line. Publishers should always keep in mind their marketers' wants and needs when measuring the success of their direct sales deals. Publishers looking to get the most out of their video content should always think about the following key performance indicators (KPIs) that pertain to these campaigns.
KPIs to Keep in Mind
Viewability
The proper placement of the video player on web pages ensures maximum visibility, which is crucial for effective video advertising. Strategic positioning, coupled with high-quality content, keep users engaged and the video player in sight. Also worth noting is that short-form videos capture the most attention, with two-thirds of consumers paying more attention to them than long-form videos.
Completion Rates
Completion rates reflect the percentage of viewers who watch the entire video, and higher completion rates are achieved when shorter videos captivate and hold viewers' attention. Implementing floating or sticky video units that follow users as they scroll can dramatically boost completion rates, ensuring continuous engagement all the way through. Contextual matching can also help increase completion rates.
The Right Audience
In video advertising, knowing your audience is akin to having a compass that guides you in the right direction. Signaling, or effective communication of audience characteristics to buyers, is crucial. By collecting audience information and leveraging first-party data, publishers can create robust contextual plans that capture the right people's attention at the right time. To boost video conversions, create resonating content that aligns with your target audience. Leverage customer personas, gather feedback, and utilize social media, email, and your website to understand their preferences. Tailor your videos accordingly for increased engagement and KPIs.
Scale and Quality
Many top-tier publishers boast premium video content, but producing high-quality videos for every page can pose limitations. Consumers express their desire for more video content from businesses and brands they purchase from, with 91% of consumers stating they want to see more video content from brands. While maintaining quality is essential, publishers can strike a balance between quantity and quality by utilizing partnership solutions that offer technology alongside a great content library. Using a video player to run your existing content on more of your pages, when relevant, will also give you significant reach capabilities, maximizing your content’s exposure. These units provide engaging video experiences that seamlessly integrate into the page, satisfying advertisers' needs for an attentive and captivated audience.
Direct Sales = Premium Experience
Direct sales provide exclusive access and advantages in video advertising, enabling publishers to increase revenue and efficiency. By going direct, publishers enjoy higher prices and enhanced operations, resulting in less waste, lower carbon emissions, and reduced fraud. Buyers may gain a 'first look' advantage, leading to more views and engagement.
In a recent survey, 6.2% of digital video advertising buyers planned to purchase more than 81% of their ads directly, showcasing a rising preference for buyer-to-publisher transactions. These survey results shed light on the dynamic nature of digital video advertising and the varied strategies advertisers are embracing.
Secure Your Place
As the video advertising industry evolves, direct sales, open marketplace (OMP), and private marketplace (PMP) models have emerged at the forefront. All methods of creating deals have their place in the industry, and what makes a publisher successful is using the best combination that works for them. Publishers who master the power of direct sales are poised for triumph, establishing stronger connections with advertisers, generating higher revenue, and delivering exceptional video ad experiences. With factors like supply path optimization (SPO), carbon emissions, and the deprecation of third-party cookies shaping the industry's exclusive direction, embracing the potential of direct sales in video advertising secures your place at the forefront.
