Do Consumers Actually Engage with InStream Ads? [new data]

In 2020, video has overtaken blogging and infographics as a strategy most popular content marketing.

As users increasingly turn to video content for entertainment and education, most social networks Media platforms have focused more on expanding their visual and video capabilities, and the average social media user now sees videos in the form of live feeds, stories or newsfeed messages on a daily basis.

Consumer preference for video over other media is only expected to grow. Although the generalion Y watches more videos regularly than Generation X and Generation Boomer, the consumer age group is pale compared to Generation Z .

As a marketer, you are probably already knowing just how effective the combination of video and marketing tactics can be.

At this point, we've seen millions of brands build brand awareness by going online on Facebook and LinkedIn . We've also seen brands reporting increased traffic thanks to video-based Instagram stories with links to the top.

As video marketing looks like a winning tactic in 2020, you might be wondering, "What about ad-based video advertising?" "

If posting a marketing video on social media or on your website can lead you to gain traffic or increase awareness of your maHowever, running an ad that encourages people to click on your store can provide both of these benefits - plus a more direct path to revenue.

When you're interested in paid video promotion, one of the most common offers you'll hear about, especially if you're planning on doing some promotion Social Media Advertising - is an InStream Advertising .

An InStream is a brand-created promotion that runs before or during a video on a streaming platform, such as YouTube . In addition to appearing in popular videos, these ads may also appear in stories or live broadcasts on platforms such as Facebook .

To give you an idea of ​​what an InStream ad looks like, here is a screenshot of an Olay app adarue before a YouTube video I recently watched:

There are a handful of the benefits of InStream advertising. The first is that your video can be targeted to audiences similar to your brand's or it can be placed in videos that match your ad's keyword. With these types of targeting options, you can present your ad to viewers who match your demographics or your audience's interests . Since these viewers may have similar buying interests and motivations as your customers, a well-targeted InStream ad can ultimately increase the chances of buying.

Another advantage of InStream Ads is that these videos don't have to be incredibly long or detailed. Depending on the platform you are using you can often run ads as well.urtes that five seconds . limited time to grab the viewer's attention, it also means they'll have to produce less content than for a long-running marketing video.

Besides the length and targeting capabilities, the last and most obvious advantage of InStream Ads is their potential for ROI. Even in 2016, shortly before Facebook launched its InStream ads offering , a Google study found that YouTube ads - which are typically InStream - have generated higher returns than TV ads.

Sounds awesome, doesn't it?

While the above benefits might allow you to invest in InStream Ads, there are a few things you still need to look out for and keep in mind.

Even though InStream ads are shorter and can be spoon-fed your audience with ad targeting tools, your content will need toalways convince those viewers to click on the ad link and buy your brand's product. This in itself can be a major challenge for video advertisers.

How Consumers Respond to InStream Video Ads

If successful InStream ads are possible, there are still important users. the behavioral barriers that you will want to keep in mind when trying to create a winning promotion. To help you determine some of the biggest hurdles you might encounter, I surveyed 400 consumers on how they interact with InStream ads.

Do consumers actually click on InStream ads?

Many InStream ads include a call-to-action that you can click or tap to visit a brand's website or online store.

But, do people actually click onr these CTAs?

To determine how often people clicked InStream video ads, I first asked the group of polls: "How often do you click InStream video ads that appear before or during a video? "

When you consider that InStream video ads are sent to target audiences and demographics, rather than a wide range of users, you might think that people regularly click on this type of ad to find out more. However, the outlook was pretty bleak for InStream ads in this particular survey:

Data source

While 42% of people say they " hardly ever "click on InStream video ads, 22% say they 'they click on an ad "once a week. "Seuls 22% click two to three ads per week, while the remaining 15% say they do not watch videos online.

When planning your entry video delivery strategy, remember that the above results only come from a small pool of consumers. Had we asked this question of a particular demographic or a group of users on a specific platform, the numbers might have been different.

While you should continue to research the pros and cons of InStream Ads, you should always keep the above results in mind. This data speaks to the age-old theory that people either completely avoid ads or mentally exclude them, regardless of their format or type.

Although video advertising offers the benefit of audience targeting, you are going to be successful.

InStream ads and conversion linked to achats

Before panicking about the above results, there were some optimistic results in this survey. While the consumers I surveyed are less interested in clicking on InStream ads when they see them, they might still consider purchasing the promoted product.

When I asked: "Have you ever bought a product you learned from an InStream video ad? ", more than a third of respondents - that's 37 % - say "Yes. " Meanwhile, 52% say "No "

Data source

Of those who did not make a purchase related to an InStream ad, 39% simply selected" No " while 15% say, "No. I avoid InStream ads at all costs. " Meanwhile, 9% say they do not watch videos online "and therefore would not have the opportunity to see pubInStream Licenses or to make a related purchase.

While the percentage of people who haven't made a purchase after seeing an InStream ad is quite high, that's somewhat normal when you consider online attention span and the way these consumers also say that they usually don't click on InStream ads.

In contrast, the percentage of people who made a purchase after seeing an InStream ad is still over a third of the group we surveyed. This may indicate that your InStream ad could result in a purchase.

When do consumers click the "Skip " button?

When you look at the results above, you might be thinking to yourself, "Consumers don't click on my ad or buy my product, but they will continue to watch the content . - Isn 't it? "

The truth is that most types of online contentigne only have a few seconds to grab the consumer's attention. Video content is not exempt.

Like any video marketing strategy, you can't expect audiences to watch your content just because it's right in front of them. Video ads, which often feature an “ignore” button, can have an even smaller window than the average marketing video.

When asked: "When you have the option to ignore an InStream video ad that plays before or during your video, how long will you wait before you jump? " 37% say they "ignore an ad as soon as possible", while 20% say they click "ignore" in five seconds or less.

Data Source

The interest in jumping doesn't come as a shock. We all have. Sometimes we want simPlease watch the video we plan to broadcast and don't really care about the ads shown to us.

Although the above result is only from a small group of consumers, it does correspond to growing research which shows that global attention span is shrinking - especially online.

While the average consumer is Pay attention shouldn't scare you away from an InStream advertising strategy, you should definitely keep it in mind.

To be successful with InStream video ads, you will need to create content that grabs your viewer's attention as early as possible and is valuable enough to alleviate the annoyance of seeing an ad in its video.

In this example from the job search site Reed.co.uk. The ad immediately catches the eye with a video of meowing kittens. Then she kisses her pre-roll p placement calling YouTu viewersbe watching videos because they "are distracted from their work. " Towards the end of the ad, the site founder tells the viewer to click on the video, which will send them to the job site :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=8ErTZh9zEbg&feature=emb_title

How to launch a successful InStream ad

As you have seen, InStream advertising has some solid pros and cons. While the downsides shouldn't stop you from trying this marketing tactic, you should always keep them in mind in order to create a video that can avoid your audience's constant skipping. Here are some tips to keep in mind

Getting spectators into the action.

From what consumers have told us, you have between one and five seconds to capture your viewer's attention before they disintegrate or play your ad. You will rarely have more than 10 secondses to influence them.

So start your ad with an action-packed scene or concisely explain your product as quickly as possible. Don't take the time to get to the point - even if the ad platform you are using awards a 30-60 second video.

Ask yourself: "Is this content valuable to prospects? "

Viewers will ignore your ad because they just don't want to see an ad, or they are bored with your content and want to access their video. This is why it is important to create advertisements that entertain your viewer or educate them about a product or brand related topic that they will like.

Use examples as inspiration.

Fortunately, millions of brands have already tested InStream advertising. While this means that the ad pool can be competitive, it also means that there are many ads.effective tips that you can look at for inspiration.

The next time you watch a video that begins or features an InStream ad, watch the content. Note why you don't want or want to ignore the ad. If you plan to engage with the ad and press to learn more about a product, ask yourself: "How did this content convince me to click? "

If you don't feel like searching for ads on social platforms, we have plenty of content to help you out as well. Check out this rundown of Effective Small Business and Super Bowl Brand Short Ads .