Looking for a new way to get your message into the world? Native video ads are becoming increasingly popular and can be just the thing to generate brand recognition. Not only are they an effective means of communication, but they can be produced relatively quickly and easily these days.
We've all seen those native video advertisements that pop up before other videos in our streams — they can be intrusive, but when used right, they're a great way to get your message in front of people. The challenging part is crafting them, so they work.
Don't worry, though — if you want to create an effective native video ad campaign, this blog post has your back with lots of ready-to-use tips and tricks. Whether you're just starting out or already an old hat at it, now's the time to leverage native video advertising for your business success.
So, break out the popcorn 'cause it's time to get creative!
What is Native Video Advertising?
Native video ads are raising the bar for businesses looking to engage with their target audiences in creative, meaningful ways. Instead of relying on standalone videos or traditional display ads, these cleverly-crafted marketing pieces seamlessly blend into existing content — like scrolling news feeds and articles — so customers can enjoy an uninterrupted user experience while still connecting directly with your message.
In addition, native video advertising is far more than just great visuals — they're also optimized to fit any kind of device. This clever tailoring ensures the message reaches its audience with maximum impact and minimal annoyance, resulting in a smooth user experience that's sure to delight!
Native video advertising offers brands unbeatable visibility thanks to their blend of cool tech, stylish design, and remarkable functionality. With this winning combination of features all rolled into one powerful package, you can look forward to seeing your brand name appear front and center!
All in all, native video ads are an effective way for companies to take advantage of digital marketing's power to attract attention without coming across as intrusive or annoying.
Types of Native Video Ads
As marketers, we often get blindsided by all the possibilities when it comes to native video ads. Between in-feed, pre-roll, outstream, and other formats, which one will work for your objective? Well — fear not. I'm here to help walk you through the basics of each type so you can navigate the world of native video advertising with ease and confidence!
In-Feed Video Ads
In-feed video ads are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways for brands to get their messages out to potential customers. Simply defined, in-feed video ads are short, attention-grabbing videos embedded into the feeds of social media platforms and content websites.
These native ads appear at the beginning or in the middle of a list: whether for search results or simply recommended content. They offer maximum visibility for marketers, as well as an interactive, engaging experience for viewers.
Pre-Roll Video Ads
Pre-roll video ads are short auto-play advertisements shown before the content of a streaming video or live stream. It might seem annoying, but pre-roll ads can provide useful information about products, services, and resources that can be beneficial for viewers.
Pre-Roll video ads are often skippable, so if your audience doesn't want to sit through them, they can simply click on the "Skip" or "Skid Ad" button. They are required to watch the first few seconds of the video, though, so it's up to you to make these crucial seconds count! The duration before skip buttons appear depends on the publishing website and the video ad platform you are using.
Mid-Stream / In-Stream Video Ads
Midstream or in-stream video ads are a type of video ad that runs right in the middle of the content you’re watching. They create an interruption that oftentimes asks you to watch and engage with their brand. They have to be timed and positioned just right, so minutes after you start watching, you see the brand and understand why it's there in the first place.
Midstream or in-stream native ad offers improved engagement from viewers since they don't sit outside the viewing experience as typical in-feed adverts do. And as viewers are forced to watch before they can continue watching the content, they have no choice but to learn about your product or service.
However, breaking someone's viewing pleasure can also have a negative impact, so make sure your video ad is entertaining, engaging, and, most importantly, relevant to the content it is interrupting.
Outstream Ads
Outstream video ads are the new cool kid on the marketing block. Unlike traditional forms of video advertisement, outstream video ads don't rely on pre-existing context or content to form impressions.
Instead, these ads appear in non-video environments, such as content-based websites and mobile apps that offer native advertising placements. However, thanks to their interactive and dynamic nature, outstream video ads still provide ample opportunities for brands to engage with potential customers – which is especially useful if you’re trying to reach a broader audience across different platforms.
Mastheads Ads
Masthead videos are the crème de la crème when it comes to digital advertisements. They appear at the top of a website page, forming a sort of “header” for the viewer before anything else is seen, a.k.a above the fold.
Unlike simple banner ads, masthead video ads have much more eye-catching potential due to their ability to play sound and show an image in motion. Whether you choose to make a captivating 30-second piece or an extra-long mini-movie, these advertisements stimulate senses and catch attention like no other ad can.
Effective Native Video Advertising Examples
Native video advertising has been a game-changer for online marketing; they grab attention without disrupting the user experience, making them hugely successful campaigns. With native videos that seamlessly integrate into content, advertisers are able to capture viewers' imaginations and hold their attention more easily than ever before!
Let's take a look at some of the best examples of native video ads. Keep in mind that while these are big brands, you can find inspiration in how these companies use videos to propel their businesses forward.
Monday.com
Monday.com has revolutionized the way remote teams manage their jobs and communication with their innovative tool suite. To get their message out to more potential customers, they recently launched a series of video advertisements that showcased how this solution makes managing remote teams easy and seamless.
These ads have been successful in raising awareness of the company and its platform, which has contributed significantly to Monday.com's growth since its launch. With sleek animations, catchy music, and helpful information, they've created videos that spice up their product offerings while helping out prospective customers at the same time.
Here's one of their native video advertisements:
AirBnB
Airbnb recently hit the jackpot when connecting property owners with people looking for short-term rental options! It all started with the introduction of video ads featuring the properties available on their platform. This was a genius move that not only allowed potential customers to get a true feel for the space before committing but it created an immersive experience that got the travel bug really going.
Those little videos were enough to skyrocket Airbnb's customer base — capturing travelers who had been searching for just the right kind of place without luck until then. As this innovative idea spread, more potential renters began spreading their wings and experiencing new places — all thanks to these video ads!
Here's an example of an AirBnB video ad:
McDonald's
What better way to appeal to burger fans and potential customers than with an impressive and eye-catching video ad?
Not only does the company show a brilliant display of its signature products, but it also attracts customers to take advantage of the offer by downloading its app or ordering for delivery. McDonald's has long been promoting its products through TV commercials, so shifting to online video ads is nothing new for the company. After all, you must go where your customers are, don't you?
Here's an excellent example of McDonald's cheeseburger ad:
Oreo
Oreo is a master at capturing its viewer's attention with native video advertising. Its strategies are so effective that it's able to stop users in their tracks and have them focus solely on the product.
One example of this is a campaign with the iconic Oreo colors, along with animated cookies popping and spinning into the ad. It has become a creative way for Oreo to reach its intended demographic without being static, drawing them in for long-term commitment.
The clever use of colors gives the ad life, making it both entertaining and effective. It captures the audience's attention and prevents them from skipping the ad. By taking risks and using innovation, Oreo is always aware of what media consumers want and how to provide it in an eye-catching way.
This particular ad campaign demonstrates how Oreo continues to stay current in its marketing tactics, keeping customers engaged and interested no matter what the product or promotion may be.
GoPro
GoPro is a standard to behold when it comes to quintessential native ads. Their most recent ad, as showcased on Youtube, is no exception.
As viewers scroll past random videos and content, this prominent native video ad instantly grasps attention with its astonishing visuals. Perfectly filmed in 4K resolution, and that classic slow-motion feature lets the product speak for itself — no further convincing needed!
With quality and realistic visuals along with an exciting subscription campaign — GoPro takes the phrase ‘seeing is believing’ to a whole new level!
All of the brands that we listed above prove that getting creative with native video ads can go a long way in gaining viewer engagement.
Benefits of Using Native Video Ads
Native video advertising offers a fantastic way to get your message across in an engaging and shareable format. As more of the internet shifts to mobile, video native ads provide a great opportunity to reach people where they are consuming content — on their phones.
Here are some benefits of using native video advertising that your business may enjoy:
Better Reach
Native video ads can give you major reach since video is the most-consumed content online as of today! You can advertise to them while allowing users to continue enjoying the content they already love. What's even better, video ads are powered by data and insights — that means they can be tailored to certain audiences so that what they see resonates with them.
One key thing to remember is that you should make full use of the targeting filters to make sure only suitable audiences see your ad and that your video is relevant to the viewer based on his preferences, interests, and previous viewing activity.
More Engagement
Video ads are quickly becoming a popular option for advertisers looking to engage an audience or prompt them to act in a specific way. Aside from watching the video, users can install the promoted app, click to share the video (if it is trendy, share-worthy, and has the attributes of becoming a viral video), subscriber to a service, and more.
Attention-grabbing
When it comes to creating ads, many marketers take a one-size-fits-all approach. And while it may indeed be easier to stick with tried-and-tested banner ad conventions, sometimes this can produce bland and forgettable content that does not capture the attention of viewers.
However, native video ads offer exciting opportunities for exploring creative possibilities on your chosen platform and reviving an audience’s interest.
Native ads are designed in such a way that they can easily blend in with the content of the website or platform where they appear, making them much more inviting than traditional ads. Put the qualities of video and native ads together, and your ad will surely pack a punch!
So if you're looking for a way to liven up your digital marketing strategy, it might be time to try native videos.
Tips on Creating a Native Video Campaign
Creating native ads that appeal to your audience without disrupting the flow of their activities can be a delicate process. From ensuring an effective message and style to developing content and visuals that remain non-intrusive yet attractive, there's a lot to consider when crafting the perfect ad.
Advertisers should bear in mind that the goal is to create something visually vibrant and captivating while also challenging them to make sure it fits into its environment seamlessly.
Here are some tips that you may want to consider:
Decide on a platform or channel.
Creating effective native video ads starts with choosing the right platform. Different channels, no matter how big or small, have their own culture and expectations on content creation that should be taken into consideration.
For example, YouTube viewers are used to higher production values and an expected entertainment factor, while Instagram stories benefit from a more casual and authentic aesthetic.
Understanding the landscape of where you’re publishing your ad is key if you want it to resonate naturally with video and social media users.
Be Crafty.
Once you have found your platform, then comes the step that may scare most people away: crafting a creative concept for the native video ad.
Everyone loves visuals but… do not fear! Embrace it! Focus on producing entertaining content using minimal elements — colorful visuals, captivating music — to achieve maximum impact without being obnoxious. Get creative and test different platforms. Research video advertising trends before you start.
When it comes to native advertising, there's no golden ticket — you’ll never know what will work best until you try out different media combinations powered by A/B split testing. With testing there’s always learning and optimization that leads to better performance overall.
Narrate a compelling story.
The power of storytelling in a native ad is undeniable; if done well, it can be so much more effective than a hard-sell commercial. A good story sucks the viewer into the plot and keeps them engaged until the end. It should manage to convey your message without shouting out the details at them and make the viewer want to share it with their friends and peers.
Crafting a great piece of native video ad begins with research — what's going to stand out and capture the audience's attention? When crafting a narrative for your video ad, start off by brainstorming ideas and drawing up an outline that hones in on the key points. Keep each scene succinct while deftly weaving together every element of your story — visuals, music, characters, words — all need to contribute to creating an impactful experience for your viewers.
Last but not least, don't be afraid to experiment! Innovation often leads to exciting stories that have a lasting impression.
Know what triggers your audience.
It's important for brands to know what emotional triggers their audience will respond to when it comes to creating native video content. Things like colors and sounds can add to the mood of a video, while facial expressions and camera movement can also grab attention.
Choosing the right soundtrack or music score can also make all the difference in helping captivate your audience and make them stay engaged with your advertisement. Additionally, using creative storytelling and engaging voice-overs to bring the narrative together can go a long way in ensuring that you get those emotional responses from viewers.
While programmatic native video ads are more effective than other types of outbound strategies, crafting truly compelling content requires honing in on what appeals most to your target audience. Knowing what triggers their emotions is key for marketers looking to create unforgettable experiences that compel customers to take action.
Mobile viewers come first.
Planning a native video ad strategy around mobile viewers is crucial in today’s world, with mobile internet use increasing rapidly. Mobile viewers tend to respond better to native videos, particularly due to generational trends in online behavior and preferences.
This has led to the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, which are heavily reliant on video content. Even Facebook, which used to focus more on text-based content, has now switched its focus to videos.
To be effective and unobtrusive when targeting mobile audiences, consider making full use of available features, such as adding sound or interactive elements, as well as making sure the narrative is easily understood.
Start by creating short burst ads (ads lasting no longer than 15 seconds) that have an attention-grabbing headline at the start, followed by creative visuals and then a clear call-to-action.
Creating effective video ads doesn't have to be hard work. Just keep these few tips in mind, and you can be sure your ads will grab people's attention without becoming too obtrusive.
Ensure you keep track of how your native video ads are doing; gather feedback from viewers, check out the engagement rate, and most importantly — be educative and compelling, not pushy! Now put these tips into practice and start creating native videos like a boss!
All in All...
Native video ads are a creative, non-intrusive way to engage your target audience. Unlike other online advertising, such as pop-ups and banner ads, native video advertising takes the form of content that is seamlessly integrated into the page or platform in which it appears. You might not even recognize that it’s an ad at first glance!
To be successful, though, native video ads must be well-crafted and tailored to fit the context of the page or platform. This requires careful consideration and planning to ensure the ad is integrated without being disruptive. Additionally, you will want your native video ad to stand out from the rest by making sure you have an interesting concept that encourages action or engagement from your target audience.
Ultimately, using native video ads will give your marketing efforts a powerful boost and help you create meaningful relationships with prospects and customers alike.
If you need help in incorporating native video ads, or native advertising in general, into your marketing strategies, we can help! Send us a message, and Brax's expert advertising team will reach out to you in no time!
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