A Quick Guide to Pre-Roll Advertisement
In today’s digital world, still sleeping on the internet’s power to get your business off the ground is nearly equal to losing.
There are a thousand ways to take advantage of the internet for your maximum brand’s exposure.
Social media marketing, email marketing, SEO campaigns, video marketing, you name it.
In that matter, video marketing is probably one of the most popular campaigns that many businesses rely on. The stats keep staggering each year, and there’s yet a sign of slowing down.
In this post, we’re going to get more in-depth about pre-roll advertisements as in the video marketing landscape.
Let’s geek out!
What Are Pre-Roll Advertisements?
If you’ve been on social media for a while, you must’ve seen an ad that plays automatically right after you click the video you want to watch, haven’t you?
That’s what you called a pre-roll advertisement.
If you’re still no wiser, here is a more “official” definition:
A pre-roll ad is a promotional video that appears before the user has selected to play before the video. They are, on average, 15, 30, and 60 seconds long in duration. It can be skippable and not skippable.
The skippable pre-roll ads allow the users to skip the ads after 5 seconds watching it.
Meanwhile, the non-skippable ones make viewers have to wait until the ad ends before they get to watch a chosen video.
Why Do You Need to Use Them In Campaigns?
Some marketers tapping into pre-roll advertisements campaigns aren’t just because it is a trend, but also because it’s a powerful way to grab viewers’ attention.
That’s to say, adding the pre-roll advertisement to your overall marketing campaigns allows you to expand your reach so you can appeal to broader target audiences.
Another good news is that the pre-roll ads are 3.5 times less likely to be considered “interruptive” than in-stream and mid-roll ads.
That’s not all.
Here are some promising benefits you’ll get from incorporating pre-roll ads to your business marketing:
#1. Boost Your Brand’s Online Visibility
Pre-roll ads must be played for at least a few seconds before the viewer can skip the ad and watch the selected video.
So, even if the viewers skip your ads and just watched one second of it, they are at least aware of your brand — know the name, the products, and the service you offer.
Even the skippable pre-roll ads can help you increase ad recall, brand awareness, and purchase intent.
It’s safe to say that pre-roll ads are a powerful way to get more people to know and recall your brand.
#2. Tackle the Fierce Competition
It’s getting louder out there in the video marketing landscape. It means the competition is heating up.
With an engaging pre-roll ad, you’d be able to bring your advertisement game to another level, leaving your competitors behind.
While your competitors are fighting tooth and nail to get the audiences’ attention, you can seamlessly stay ahead of the competition by showcasing your brand in the pre-roll ads.
#3. Immediate Responses
Another great thing you’ll get in using pre-roll advertisements is that it allows you to track how well the ads are performing.
You can estimate the campaign’s immediate success based on views, clicks, subscriptions, purchases, or downloads.
Having a solid grasp on the performance will make it’ll much easier for you to know what needs to improve or cut down a little.
#4. Improve Viewers’ Interaction
Most people see pre-roll ads on social media that embrace videos as high-performing content on the platforms.
They have a choice to click on the ad and follow the link.
In this case, you can engage and convince them to click on your CTA by choosing several categories and video options and making the ad as highly interactive as possible.
Each social media platform has its own feature and guides for pre-roll advertising. Some of them (such as YouTube) allow you to create two-question surveys, add some animation and graphics, or other additional video layers to make the ad more clickable.
Best Platforms to Put Pre-roll Advertisement
As mentioned before, pre-roll ads are commonly seen in social media. Therefore, social media has become a mainstay for such ads.
Here are some popular social media platforms you should consider using to put your pre-roll advertisements:
1) YouTube
On top of the list, we have YouTube — of course. This world’s second-largest search engine is such a primary place to create an attention-grabber pre-roll ad.
Using Google AdWords, you can seamlessly put your commercial on this platform. One of the biggest benefits of using this popular platform is that you can appeal to a bigger crowd.
2) Vimeo
Vimeo is another best place that is worth considering when it comes to pre-roll advertising.
One thing to bear in mind, though, Vimeo doesn’t support pre-roll ads. However, by signing up for Vimeo Pro or Vimeo Business, you may use a third-party video player and embed it to make it as pre-roll ads.
3) Facebook
Other than those two giants of video-sharing platforms, Facebook is another promising platform for your pre-roll ads’ placement.
Before selected video content on hundreds of publisher sites, your pre-roll may appear in users’ news feeds.
Creating Stunning Pre-Roll Ads: The Best Practices
Even considered less interruptive, pre-roll can be misused to annoy viewers and undermine your branding.
Therefore, you need to understand the know-how to create catchy, watchable pre-roll ads.
- Keep It Short. Remember, your viewers click on the selected video because they want to watch it. To make the pre-roll ads much less interruptive, it’s always better to keep it shorts.
- Start With a Strong Intro. You have only a few seconds to convince that your pre-roll ad is watch-watching for the viewers. So, make sure you highlight their pain points from the get-go.
- Make It Entertaining. The viewers keep watching your pre-roll after getting hooked from a string intro is the quality of the content. It’s crucial to pick a relevant, exciting topic for your target audience.
- Include CTA. Give the viewers a clear direction where they should go and do after watching the ads. You can direct them to your website, social media profiles, landing pages, etc.
- Consider Using Explainer Videos. If you’re looking for an affordable, stunning type of videos for your pre-roll ads, try to consider explainer videos. It uses animation and can simplify your brand’s information to engage the viewers much more effectively.
That’s been a quick walkthrough of pre-roll advertisements. You can see any further details at Why You Should Take Advantage of Pre-Roll Advertisements.
Do you have a memorable, funny pre-roll ad that you’ve seen on social media? Let me know in the comment below!
