A Complete Guide to Video Advertising

Here at Video Supply we are big believes in the importance of having a video marketing strategy — a way to sync up your video creation efforts with your marketing objectives and your overall business goals.

Think of this guide as your getting started strategy when it comes to advertising with video.

Paid Advertising

Video advertising is a powerful way to promote your business and its products. But it's not just for TV commercials or expensive-to-create content—you can use videos anywhere from sponsored posts on Facebook to search ads on Google Display Network.

Video ads are everywhere: they're on your phone, in your inbox, popping up on websites you already love, and even when you're watching YouTube videos.

They're also incredibly effective at getting people excited about what you have to offer. But if you don't know where to start when it comes time to create an ad campaign, here's what we recommend:

1. ‍Define Your Goals
2. Create a Clear Call-to-Action
3. Keep It Short and Sweet
4. Find the Right Platforms for Your Content

It's possible, but highly unlikely. Even major, already well-established companies like Coca-Cola and Nike have to put money behind their video ads if they want them to be seen.

Whether you've got an amazing product video introducing your latest innovation, or an immersive, interactive video ad with 3D elements—you'll want to back your ad with at least a few dollars of daily spend in order to measure its effectiveness and help accomplish your brand goals.

Search Ads

Search ads are a great way to get your video in front of the right people at a low cost.

You can't run video ads directly on Google, Yahoo, or Bing, but you can run text ads that lead to your video's landing page. You can spread your video's reach for a fraction of the cost of running ads on other platforms.

The highly customizable and very specific keyword targeting also means your visitors will land on your page with high intent and in a more purchase-ready state of mind.

YouTube Ads

You've probably heard of YouTube, but did you know it's not just a hosting service? It's also the second-largest search engine and one of the biggest video advertising networks in the world.

This makes sense when you think about it. More than 500 million hours of video are watched every day on YouTube, which means that if you're looking for a place to host your videos, or want to reach an audience with them, this is where you should be.

But there's more: YouTube offers a number of different ad units that perfectly align with any video goal you might have. Following a few best practices on YouTube, you can pick the right ad unit for your campaign and reach your audience at the right time.

3 Types of YouTube Ads

There are a lot of different types of ads on YouTube, but they all work in the same way: They're designed to get your audience to interact with your brand.

Here are some of the most common types of ads you'll see on YouTube:

1. TrueView Reach ads drive brand awareness by targeting people who haven't interacted with your channel before. These ads have high reach and low cost-per-action (CPA).

2. TrueView Discovery ads encourage viewers to watch more videos within your channel. They can show up as pre-rolls or mid-rolls during a video, or as banner ads outside of YouTube videos. The more engagement they receive, the higher they rank in search results and the more likely they are to be recommended to new viewers.

3. TrueView Action ads help users take action by driving traffic directly from a video ad to your website or app page—and that means converting views into customers!

Watch an example: How to promote your online course with video marketing

Facebook Ads

If you’re looking to reach a wider audience, Facebook is a great place to start. The platform has tons of different types of video ads, and with a total audience of over two billion users, it’s almost required if you want to reach your target audience.

Facebook offers In-Feed video ads that users see natively as they scroll their Newsfeed and In-Stream video ads that play during other video content. Both stand out, though In-Feed ads can be a bit easier to ignore if your video isn’t immediately captivating or attention-grabbing.

Instagram Ads

Instagram video ads are highly engaging and highly visible ad units that reach a younger demographic than Facebook does. They're an excellent option for consumer brands aimed at visual consumption—industries like makeup, fashion, food, fitness, home and garden, and more.

Instagram personalized video ads are owned by Facebook and operate under the same ads manager platform as Facebook video ads. What this means for you is that it's incredibly easy to set up your campaign, even if you haven't done it before!

Here's how it works:

1. Create an Instagram account (if you don't have one)
2. Go to your Facebook Ads Manager account
3. Click "Create" in the upper right corner of your screen and then select "Instagram" on the left side of the page that appears next
4. Select "Video" from the drop-down menu on the right side of your screen (you'll also see options for carousel ads)
5. Choose whether or not you want to include an offer with your video (we recommend including one if possible).

LinkedIn Ads

If you’re looking for a place to get started with video advertising, LinkedIn might be your best bet.

It’s an underutilized platform, which means it’s not as saturated as platforms like Facebook or Instagram. That also means there are less competitors in the space, so your ads will have a better chance of standing out.

LinkedIn ads are perfect for reaching a more professional audience—specifically B2B businesses and agencies—so if you’re looking to attract new customers or introduce your brand to a new audience, this could be just the platform you need.

Twitter Ads

Twitter video advertising is a great way to get your brand’s voice out there. With video, you can be personal and make a bigger impression than with just text alone.

The best part about Twitter video ads is that they last longer than organically posted tweets do—and you get to choose the users who see them! That means you’re reaching an audience that’s more engaged, which makes them more likely to take action after seeing your ad.

As you set up your campaigns, you’ll see plenty of campaign goal options, which drive the structure of your ad. The two that relate directly to video marketing include Promoted Video Views, perfect for spreading brand awareness, and In-Stream Video Views, which can help boost your view count by borrowing equity from bigger, more well-known brands.