You may think your 60-second explainer video turned digital ad is the best thing since dial-up Internet, but with an endless amount of content online, let’s be real – getting a user to stick around for even thirty seconds of a video ad is about as likely as getting a hipster to shave his lumberjack beard.
Whether you’re creating a pre-roll video ad for Youtube, or a mobile feed ad for Instagram or Facebook, users are ready to skip or scroll past your video ad as fast as their speedy little fingers will let them. This means that as digital advertisers, we have to be strategic in producing video ad content that delivers a powerful message in a condensed time frame.
How condensed? Research shows that the most successful digital video ads have a runtime of 15 seconds, with viewer dropoff beginning within the first few seconds of a video ad. It’s not all bad news, though.
While viewer attention spans may be decreasing, data shows that we are actually improving our ability to consume content incredibly quickly, especially on mobile platforms.
Facebook and Nielson research shows that people need only 1.7 seconds to digest mobile content, and that 47% of the value of a digital video ad takes place in the first 3 seconds.
So what does this mean for your digital video ad?
For starters, if your video doesn’t get to the good stuff until fifteen seconds in, there are pretty good odds that most people will never see it. Start your video ad with the best you’ve got to hook a user’s attention and deliver your message fast. This is not the time to save the best for last.
Have a hot celebrity or recognizable figure in your video? Great – put them at the beginning. Is there a super cute puppy in your video? Awesome – put it at the beginning. Have a hot celebrity holding a super cute puppy in your video? You are an advertising genius and you should be teaching us.
Strategically, don’t think about video ads as a way to explain every detail and nuance of your product or service – that’s an explainer video, and it belongs on your website. Video ads are your chance to have a brief connection with a user who is primed and ready to take action. Now get out there and create some amazing video content! No pressure. But seriously, that’s why we’re here to help.
At Free Radical, we like to flex our creative muscles and extensive video production background to create video ads that demand viewers’ attention and deliver a memorable message that converts. Hit us up for a free instant quote today to see how Free Radical can help your business grow with digital video advertising.