Not taking advantage of video ads yet? You’re missing out on a massive digital marketing opportunity. Video ads garner 1,200% more shares than image and text ads. Platforms like Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube all offer video ads. When using videos for your local business, it’s essential to understand video view rates.
How video view rates are calculated
The video rate calculation is a percentage of video views divided by impressions. In other words, Facebook, Google, and YouTube look at how often your video was eligible to show through impressions. The second component is how many people viewed the video. For example, if your video had 2,000 impressions and 10 views, your view rate would be 0.5%
Some platforms have slightly different video rate calculations. On LinkedIn, the view rate is calculated by the number of views divided by impressions, multiplied by 100. Be aware that the definition of a video view also varies by platform. For example, on Twitter, a video is considered viewed a user watches for two seconds or longer. Or when someone clicks to expand or unmute your video. Video view rates benchmarks vary by industry. If you aren’t pleased with your rate, there are steps you can take to improve it.
How to improve video view rates
1. Try new ads
Have you checked your ad quality? Poor ads won’t resonate with your core audience. Switching out creatives can garner attention. You may find that new messaging may resonate with your targeted audience more. Experimenting with different ad lengths could also help. Shorter ads may have a better view rate.
2. Reconsider your targeting
You had an ideal audience in mind. Your video rate could indicate that you’ve built the campaign around the wrong audience. It’s also possible that there is a missed opportunity for a new audience that would otherwise like to view your video. Reconsider your audience.
3. Experiment with bids
It’s possible your bids aren’t high enough. If bids are too low, you may not be competing with your competition well enough. By raising bids, you may be able to compete better and win crucial views.
4. Retargeting
You can reach customers who have shown an interest in your video before through remarketing. Link your Google ad account. From there you can create specialized customer lists based on people who watched the video in full. Retarget these people again with another ad.
5. Check your frequency
How often is your target audience seeing the ad? It’s possible your frequency is too high. If people are seeing your ads too frequently, they may get annoyed of your message. You don’t want the frequency to be so high that you’re pushing away potential leads.
Video View Rates: In summary
Video view rates are simple to calculate. Even if you aren’t thrilled with your video completion rate, there are steps you can take to fix it. Various A/B testing will allow you to adjust your ads, messaging, and audience. In the end, your video ads can help bring your small business marketing to the next level.
