Video marketing has always been an incredibly effective way to promote your business. In fact, according to a recent study, 66% of marketers found an increase in their qualified yearly leads just from video ads. The best part is that anyone can get into video advertising, and with our 7 tips and tricks below, you will be able to make a killer ad in no time. 

1. Make the most out of the first 5 seconds 

In video production, the 5 second rule is crucial – attracting your target audience’s attention within the first 5 seconds of the video. This is especially important nowadays as our lives are so fast-paced that people’s attention spans have been gradually reducing. 

Recent finding shows that an average person’s attention span is 8… that’s even less than that of a goldfish! For this reason, making the first 5 seconds of your video eye catching and attention grabbing is key for a successful video ad. 

There are a number of things you can do to make the most out of these crucial seconds, such as asking a question, introducing a problem and finding a solution or saying something catchy. This way, viewers are more likely to stay and watch the whole of the ad. 

2. Don’t sell, educate

The best way to earn someone’s trust is for them to think you’re helping them. Instead of trying to directly sell to your audience, you should focus on educating  and solving a problem they have with your products or services. 

After all, when people search for things online, they usually look for a solution to a problem they have, and if your website shows up as their knight in shining armour, they’re much more likely to become a paying customer. 

3. Make it short but sweet

A typical video advertisement should last no longer than 30 seconds, with the optimal length of a video ad under 15 seconds. 

Short videos are ideal for social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat because users are usually scrolling quickly and their time is at a premium. These videos have higher retention rates, making it more likely to capture the viewer’s attention – and for longer.

It may be easier (and time saving) to shoot multiple short clips that can be combined later rather than one long video that has to be edited down. 

4. Get the lighting right 

Lighting is more important than you may think for a high-quality video ad as it alters the mood of the video and just like a spotlight on a stage, emphasises the most important thing on screen – the product or service you’re trying to sell. It also makes it look much more appealing to the audience. 

If you don’t have professional lighting, make sure your video is recorded during the day in front of a window. 

5. Personalise your video

Nowadays, businesses don’t need to solely focus on their products in their advertising, as customers no longer only care about making a transaction. They want to feel closer to the brand and appreciated by them. 

The best way to achieve this is by personalising your videos by including pictures of yourself, your staff, your customers and testimonials. If you can, show a customer using your product or service. 

A recent study shows that a whopping 92% of marketers are already using personalisation to skyrocket their engagement! 

5. Be wise with music 

Finally, once you’ve got your footage you’ll want to find and add relevant music. After all, video marketing is a multimedia environment, so the right music can make all the difference to your ad performance 

Fortunately, there are a huge variety of sites that allow you to buy royalty-free music to use in your ads, like Buffer or Mixkit.  

7. Close with a ‘call to action’

Last but not least, you want to make sure you close the video ad with a call to action (CTA). CTA’s are so important because the purpose of every video ad is to encourage users to act upon your message, and the CTA will prompt them to do so. 

Give your audience a reason to click from your video ad through to your business. You may choose to offer a coupon of special offer, or something as simple as your contact information. 

Written by Kate, on behalf of Buffoon Media.