Hook Viewers with Killer Video Ads

A Beginner’s Guide

Video ads have become an increasingly popular and effective marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. As video platforms like YouTube and social media have grown, video ads provide a dynamic way for brands to reach and connect with their target audience. 

Unlike static ads, video allows businesses to showcase their personality and make an emotional appeal. Videos can tell a story and convey the company’s voice and values in an authentic way. They allow brands to demonstrate their products/services in action and highlight features and benefits. Video is also more engaging than text or images alone.

With improving video technology and lower production costs, video ads have become accessible for small businesses as well. Studies show video is more memorable and drives higher conversion rates compared to other ad formats. As consumers increasingly watch video content online, video ads enable brands to grab their attention where they already spend time. 

Choose Video Style 

The style of your video ad can significantly impact how well it resonates with your target audience. Consider these main options:

Live Action

Live-action video features real people and settings. This style tends to feel the most realistic and relatable. Live action is a great choice when you want to showcase real employees, customers, or products. The production value of live-action video can range from professional to more homemade and authentic.

Animation

Animated video includes illustrated or computer-generated graphics. This flexibility allows you to personify products or concepts. Animation works well for explaining complex ideas or demonstrating how something works. It also provides more control over characters and settings. However, some viewers may see animation as less credible or targeted.

Screen Captures 

Screen capture video records activity on a computer or mobile screen. This style can effectively demonstrate software or apps. It is usually fairly easy and cost-effective to produce. But screen captures may come across as less polished or engaging than other styles. Consider combining screen capture footage with other styles.

Hybrid Approach

Don’t limit yourself to just one video style. Many effective video ads combine multiple styles such as live action with animation or screen captures. Match different styles to your specific message and audience. For example, use animation to personify a product mascot that interacts with live actors. Or blend B-roll footage with screen captures.

The most important aspect is choosing a video style tailored to your audience’s expectations and preferences. Test different formats and assess reactions. An informed style choice can make your video ad memorable and impactful.

Script Your Video

When scripting your video ad, it’s important to keep things simple, natural, and conversational. Avoid overly salty language or complicated concepts. Focus on communicating your key brand messaging and emphasizing the benefits your product or service offers your target audience. 

-Keep sentences short and easy to understand. Write as you talk.

-Focus on explaining one key idea or benefit per scene or section. Don’t overload viewers with too much information.

-Use natural dialog and everyday language. Avoid jargon or overly complex words. 

-Highlight real-life examples and stories that resonate with your audience. Help them see themselves using your product.

-Close with a clear and motivating call to action. Tell viewers what you want them to do next.

-Read your script aloud. Make sure it sounds natural. Refine awkward phrases.

-Time your script. It should fit comfortably within your final video length. 

-Leave room for customization based on your visuals. Tweak phrasing to match what is shown on screen.

With a simple, benefit-focused script, you’ll communicate your key messages effectively. Keep polishing until the dialog feels natural and conveys your branding seamlessly.

Film The Video

Invest in high-quality equipment and production when filming your video ad. High production value lends an air of professionalism and authority that helps build trust with viewers. 

Use a high-quality camera and lenses suited for video. Make sure the camera can record at the resolution and frame rate you require for the final video. Steady cams, sliders, and gimbals help achieve smooth camera movements and motion.

Pay close attention to lighting to achieve a polished, professional look. Use soft, diffused lighting and avoid harsh shadows or blown-out highlights. Position lights to evenly illuminate faces and products. Add reflectors or fill lights as needed. 

Keep the background simple, clean, and appropriate to your brand image. Avoid cluttered backgrounds that distract. A basic solid color backdrop often works best for commercials. Green screens allow inserting custom backgrounds in post-production.

Clearly capture audio with Lavalier microphones or shotgun mics. Avoid relying just on built-in camera mics. Record room tone to aid audio editing. Use an external audio recorder for best quality if not recording directly to the camera. 

Maintaining consistency throughout the video shoot simplifies editing. Use the same camera angles, positions, lighting, wardrobe, and backdrop across scenes. Slate each shot with a clapperboard to help sync audio and video in the post.

Edit The Footage 

After filming all the scenes and shots for your video ad, it’s time to edit everything together into a cohesive video. The editing process is crucial for creating a polished, professional ad. Here are some tips for effectively editing your footage:

-Review all your footage and take notes on the best shots and clips to use. You may have multiple takes of the same scene – pick the best ones.  

-Arrange your clips in order to build your story from beginning to end. Think about the flow and pacing.

-Trim clips to remove excess footage and get right to the action. Every second counts in a short video ad so cut any fat.

-Cut between clips fluidly. Use quick cuts between scenes to keep up the pace. But use transitions like dissolves and fades to smoothly stitch shots together.  

-Incorporate b-roll footage- supplemental shots of products, environments, and people – to support the main action and create visual interest.

-Add motion graphics, text, and logos to highlight important information, brand your video, and enhance the visuals. 

-Add a soundtrack. A subtle background music with great lyrics to bring the video to life.

-Adjust audio levels so any voiceover, dialogue, or music is clearly audible.

-Keep it short and captivating. Use an AI tool like AI Video to generate videos using AI avatars.

With tight editing,  seamless cuts between clips and with the help of video tools like Video GPT, you can create professional video ads that effectively communicate your brand and messaging.

Add Captions 

Adding captions to your video ads enhances accessibility for deaf/hard-of-hearing viewers. It also boosts SEO and viewability when your ad is played without sound on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Captions make your video content more inclusive by enabling those with hearing impairments to fully understand the audio. Be sure to caption not just spoken dialog, but also sound effects and music cues that are relevant to the message. 

You’ll need to create a transcript of the video’s audio, time the captions to match the script and overlay the text synced to the video. 

Keyword-rich captions also help search engines better understand your video content. Include important and relevant terms in the caption text to improve rankings and visibility. 

Finally, captions aid viewability when videos auto-play silently on social media. Viewers are more likely to stay engaged and watch longer when captions explain the gist of the video. Consider creating captions even for square or vertical videos intended just for mobile devices.

Key Takeaway

To conclude, creating killer video ads requires careful planning, understanding your audience, and crafting compelling narratives. Creating a killer video ad takes time and experimentation. Regularly analyze the performance of your ads, listen to viewer feedback, and adapt your strategy accordingly. With practice and persistence, you can create engaging video ads that effectively hook viewers and drive results.

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