To maximize results, think about the time of year, day of the week and time of day you're running video ads
Online video has been a game changer in the advertising industry. Don't believe it? Check out this stat from comScore: In March, video ads topped the 8 billion mark. It's easy to understand the appeal of video ads, which allow brands to reach viewers on PCs and mobile devices and are often more engaging than email and banner ads. But as companies have started spending more of their time and money in this channel, simply producing product promos every now and again will no longer suffice.
To stand out from the crowd, you'll of course need fresh, engaging content. But you should also establish a smart timetable before setting up the tripod and pressing record.
Time of the season
Looking at the big picture, you need to make sure campaigns align with the yearly calendar. It's never too early to start thinking about the holiday shopping season, but your target audience probably won't be thinking about stuffing their stockings the week after St. Patty's Day.
Keeping your ads relevant to the season also helps you take advantage of search and social features. Columbus Day may not be circled on your corporate calendar, but it's a traditional day for sales, and a clever video that gets picked up by search engines and goes viral on Twitter could make it a very profitable holiday. To increase the odds of your holiday-themed video ad going viral, consider these two tips from Mashable:
- Aim for the funny bone: Mashable pointed out that holidays can be stressful, so viewers often appreciate a funny video ad that offers a diversion. The example Mashable offered was Muscle Milk's "Sexy Pilgrim" Thanksgiving ad, which earned more than 3.5 million views, thanks to shares over the web, blogs and social networks.
- Incentivize sharing: Many people are in touch with family and friends around holidays, so it's a great time to encourage sharing of video content. Mashable provided the example of a Gap campaign that motivated people to share videos on Facebook by donating $1 to charity whenever a user "liked" the ads.
Day of the week
Seasonal ad campaigns are a new concept, of course, but online video is allowing advertisers to take the concept of time-sensitive topics to a much deeper level. In fact, advanced analytics can already tell us what day of the week content is likely to get the strongest response.
According to the latest internal review from Longtail Video, those targeting desktop users will want to get their online videos out as early as possible during the week. Smartphone and tablet use sees a significant spike over the weekends, making mobile the preferred vehicle for content on those days.
Hour of the day
Thanks to data analysis, we even have insight into which devices are used most at different times of day. According to Longtail, smartphone-based consumption surges in the morning, desktop viewing kicks in after lunch, and tablets dominate the evening hours.
Have a multinational advertising strategy? Check out the Ooyala numbers reported by ReelSEO. The numbers show that video viewing in Europe and North America is highest in the evening, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. In Asia, the morning is primetime for video viewing, with a huge spike in Chinese viewership shortly after 8 a.m. Some Latin American countries such as Venezuela and the Dominican Republic see the highest percentage of viewers tuning in to online video around lunchtime.
Now that you have your timing down for online video campaigns, check out our slate of video ad solutions---and start shooting!
