Startup Grind Lansing

When it comes to creating advertisements, video has become a major way for brands, companies, and teams to communicate with their audience, or their target demographics. Video acts as a way for companies to communicate directly from a person or someone, to their target demographic. Video enables them to show the different results they’ve been able to produce, the different types of tasks they work on, and the different people involved in the process. Video allows you to display people in motion, and a variety of different slides or events within one creative. When it comes to creating an advertising video, there are a few different questions that can be worthwhile to consider.

How Long Is the Video Going to Be?

Depending on the platform the video is going to be published on, and advertised on, different video lengths can prove to be more effective than others. Certain platforms do better with longer form video advertisements, say 10-15 minutes, while others might be more effective in a 30-90 second video ad. A lot of it depends on what the consumer is going to be doing during the video advertisement. Are they going to be just scrolling by? Are they going to be viewing a longer form video? Depending on what the target customer or demographic is doing at the time viewing, can play a role in which length is going to be more effective. Additionally, the duration of the video plays into what the video is trying to do, and the goal of the video. Certain companies or videos might need length time, in order to explain the problem, explain the solution, and provide more information about the company and what it does.

What Is the Goal of the Video Advertisement?

Each video advertisement often has a particular goal or agenda you’re looking to achieve, whether it’s to generate more awareness, create more sales, or drive more leads, each video can have a different objective. Videos that are more brand focused, or targeted to creating brand awareness and exposure, take on a different feel than ones that are trying to generate sales. Brand exposure or awareness videos often explain what the company does, the type of products and services they offer, and more information about the company. Whereas direct sales video advertisements are more often about a specific problem, or a specific issue customers have, and a solution that you or the company sponsoring the video provides. Factoring in what the objective is for a video advertisement, can provide you with more a framework of what the script should be, the type of video to film, and in creating the best possible final product.

What Is the Script Going to Be?

Another important question to consider when it comes to creating a video advertisement, is what the script is going to be. The script is most often going to be what is said during the video, and what is communicated. Each script or copy can be different, working with the objective of the video advertisement. Certain scripts will be more effective in generating sales, while others will be more effective generating awareness and exposure. The script within a video advertisement plays an important role, because it’s what is communicated to the viewer or the target customer. That is how you’re able to speak and connect to the person viewing the video. The words, language, and sequences used in a video are how companies and brands communicate with their potential customers.

What Dimensions Is the Video Going to Be In?

Building off one of our previous points, the dimensions of a video also play an important role in the crafting of a video advertisement. The dimensions a video advertisement is going to be, determines the amount of screen you have to use, and the type of video that may be most effective. Depending on where the video is going to be published or used, different video dimensions may need to be used. Certain platforms may be more vertically oriented or portrait mode focused, while others may be horizontally oriented or in more of a landscape mode. Figuring out where the video is going to be published, and on which platform, can give you more information on the type of dimensions the video needs to be filmed in, and whether it’s going to be vertical or horizontal.

Is There Going to Be an Introduction?

Depending on the video advertisement used, there might be an introduction segment, where a particular issue or problem is communicated, a standard video roll or credit is used, or where the brand introduces themselves. The introduction within a video is important, because that’s one of the early times where potential customers are introduced to you, and is in the first few seconds of the video. Companies may be trying to make a point early on in the video, to get their videos to watch more, or to introduce themselves to the consumer. The introduction of a video often sets the tone, or the stage for the rest of the video.

Conclusion

Creating a video advertisement comes with a variety of questions to consider, and factors to evaluate. Whether it’s for an ecommerce company, a financial analyst company, or a marketing company, figuring out how long a particular video advertisement is going to be, sets the standard of how much content can be incorporated, the type of script they can use, and the length of the video. Clearly understanding what the goal of the video advertisement is, whether it’s to drive sales, create more awareness, or generate more leads, can give you a framework of what your video may be about, and it’s structure. The script within a video advertisement is often how a brand or company communicates with their target audience and is able to connect with their audience or viewer. The dimensions of a video determine the type of landscape the video is filmed in, whether it’s in portrait or landscape, influencing the type of content or structure that may be most effective. Figuring out if there is going to be an introduction within the video advertisement, can dictate the beginning of the video, and the first few seconds of it. All in all, when it comes to creating a video advertisement, there are a variety of different questions to consider, and factors to evaluate.

Howie Bick is the founder of theanalysthandbook.com. The Analyst Handbook is a collection of 16 guides created to help current and aspiring Analysts advance their careers. Prior to founding The Analyst Handbook, Howie was a financial analyst.

Starting out into the world of small business can be a daunting prospect. Without a degree in business management, which most of us do not have, we have to start from scratch with what we have available. However, it is a relief to know you are not alone. People across the globe are all starting small businesses. There is a massive boom. This means that many companies and software developers offer free marketing tools for small businesses online. Here is our comprehensive list of free marketing tools for your small business that you did not know you needed.

Sumo

Sumo is an online resource to help small businesses grow their websites. It has a free version and a paid version. The free one is well-rounded and full of tools that will help you boost your marketing. Visit here for a look at the pricing list and what you get for free.

It has a fully customizable design and can be shared to socials. It comes with visitor targeting to help you grow your site and you can send 10,000 emails per month. You can create welcome emails and email campaigns which help you market your business.

It also has eCommerce features, including discount codes and a whole section for analytics. It is worth giving a go no matter what your business for the email features alone.

Yoast WordPress Plug-In

The Yoast Plug-In is amazing and completely free. Use it in combination with your Word Press site to fully equip your business with all the SEO weapons you can. It comes with a whole repertoire of tools, including ‘indexables’, update reminders for pages, full control over your breadcrumbs, markers for sponsored links, one-word keyword optimization, access to free courses and so much more. It has a premium version available that comes with real-time support and much more SEO capability.

LogoCreator

Logo Creator is a great tool that is entirely free to use. You can create a professional and well-designed logo in minutes. Add your logo to the marketing you produce to create a professional look for your business. It will also help people remember who you are and feel as if they can trust you. Add it to your social pages, website and emails, plus it works as a free advert every time someone looks at your site.

Answer the Public

Answer the Public is a fun, free tool that is simple to use and does not require a sign-up. You type in keywords from your business that you want to market and it will search the internet to find out questions people are asking in relation to those keywords. This means you can extend your keywords and create marketing and content that is related to the most searched questions, propositions, comparisons, ‘alphabeticals’ and related words.

• For example, if you run a furniture shop and type in ‘furniture shop’. You will find it comes up with questions like:
  ‘That furniture shop’
• ‘Furniture shop in…’
• ‘Are furniture shops allowed to open?’
• ‘Furniture shop like IKEA’
• ‘Furniture shop near me’

These are all keywords and leading questions you can use that will help you climb Google rankings and get your marketing seen.

Utilizing free tools to market your small business can be a great way of saving your money for when it is needed. Remember to try out free trials and get a good feel for the tool before you decide to sign up. Once you have a few subscriptions in business, it can quickly mount up. Do not pay for something when you can get it for free elsewhere until you make enough profit to validate it!

Jenny has recently left a corporate gig to pursue her freelance writing career. She’s a passionate writer and covers topics in the finance, business, tech and advertising niches. If she’s not writing you can either find her reading, jogging or planning her next surfing adventure.