How to create online video that cuts through

But just as we can’t all write Shakespearen sonnets, not every video ad is born equal. There are more successful campaigns than others.

For example, in the case of one business measured by Analytic Partners, its highest performing online video creative drove a +680% higher ROI than its lowest performing creative. Clearly, highly engaging videos will yield vastly better results than poorly conceived videos.

So we resolved to find out the common DNA that all high quality social videos shared. For marketers, reducing the gap between engaging and forgettable social video can mean the difference between a successful campaign and a bust.

The recipe for social video success

For all media channels, there are many different elements that can be optimised to improve effectiveness. Across a wide-ranging research project for Facebook, Analytic Partners grouped these elements into two categories.

The first covers executional aspects - in essence, how the media is executed. Elements that fall into this category can include targeting, formats and duration. The second category is creative quality - which is simply the quality of the creative that was used.

These findings spurred Facebook to commission The Lab to create an effectiveness scorecard to help advertisers master the most fundamental components of online video.

There are 11 best practice principles in the framework with seven of these considered ‘Best Practice’ and four considered ‘Highly Recommended’. If you want your social video to work harder, these are the core principles for success.

Best Practice

1. Frame for Mobile- In Australia, 14 million people access Facebook every day[1]. That’s why online video creatives need to be built for mobile. This means using a vertical 4:5 format on the Facebook platform and a square format on Instagram.
2. Make it for Sound Off- Given that online video content will start playing on Facebook with the sound off, it must be able to be viewed, understood and enjoyed without needing any sound.
3. Showcase the Product or Service - It is important that any creative features the product or service that is the main subject of the creative.
4. Have a Single Message Focus - Communicating a single, clear message in the creative is key for an effective online video ad.
5. Showcase The Brand at the start - Our scrolling habit means that the start of the ads is the part that is most frequently viewed. For this reason, the creative branding and message needs to be near the start of the video.
6. Get Straight to the Point - Having the creative’s clear message up front makes it easier for consumers to understand the purpose of the creative.
7. Use Movement & Fast Edits Initially - Having movement or fast edits upfront can capture consumers’ attention and make it more likely for them to continue watching the rest of the video.

Highly Recommended

1. Brevity is clarity - Consumers viewing Facebook content on a mobile device are likely to scroll. As a result, online video creative that is more succinct in its message and shorter in length is more likely to be effective than a longer creative.
2. Flip the Storytelling Arc- Ads on traditional media channels frequently follow a traditional storytelling arc with a slow start, a peak in the middle, and a resolution. Online video ads should start off with a bang to capture attention and then allow the story to conclude afterwards.
3. Use Consistent Twists and Surprises - Including more peaks in the story via twists and surprises can hold consumers’ attention and make them more likely to watch to the end.
4. Make a Visual Impact - To continue capturing consumers’ attention, include bright colours and close ups of any details or features. On a smaller screen this can more effectively show the target product or service.

Bringing it all together

In an advertising environment where every dollar counts, improving your marketing’s effectiveness and making each channel work harder is essential.

In order to achieve this, using the creative effectiveness scorecard and adopting a test and learn approach can help determine what will best suit your brand.

The rewards are certainly there for those that get it right. An Analytic Partners case study revealed that when an FMCG advertiser optimised its creative and execution, it saw a +42% increase in its Facebook return on investment.

As industry know-how continues to expand, social online video results will inevitably improve - but this won’t happen overnight. Currently, the advantage rests with those that move first.

You can download the full Social Video Effectiveness report, collated by Analytic Partners and The Lab here.

1. Facebook data. Q4 2020. (Statbook)