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In an already saturated online marketplace, those looking to promote their business may be able to take advantage of the future prospects of video advertising.
Over recent years, the world of advertising has seen an increasing shift towards the use of video in varying marketing contexts and, the current events and market shifts have only contributed to the success of the audio-visual format.
In an already saturated online marketplace, those looking to promote their business may be able to take advantage of the future prospects of video advertising.
Over recent years, the world of advertising has seen an increasing shift towards the use of video in varying marketing contexts and, the current events and market shifts have only contributed to the success of the audio-visual format.
Taking the coronavirus pandemic as a prime example – the lockdown restrictions and stay at home orders in place across the globe have catalysed our video content consumption. The likes of TikTok and Instagram Reels have been a real testament, with a huge influx of users, particularly on the former.
Video-based formats have been proven to be a far more entertaining and engaging way for people to consume content, and at a time where we have been desperate for some way to fill the gap while stuck inside, videos have provided the perfect form of escapism and connectivity.
We’ve seen a wide range of videos become popular on various channels. From DIY tutorials through to item demonstrations (which we would typically like to see in person and in a store), video content can appeal to even the most niche of groups.
While restrictions are slowly easing and some in-store experiences can resume, many consumers will have adjusted to the new normal, and this is particularly the case with online shopping and decision making.
This means that businesses must find ways to support their customers through their online shopping journey, nurturing them through every step of the way, including the awareness, research, and post-service stages, with their digital offerings.
Due to the continued development of online advertising tools, this is more viable than ever before. The social media features previously mentioned are a perfect example of this, as they can all be used for advertising purposes, as well as simply for fun.
Whether it’s branded videos posted to your own feed or promotional videos shared across the social media platform by other accounts, or even by utilising an influencer partnership, there are numerous ways to get your brand and products/services seen by utilising video content.
On a similar level, YouTube has been praised for years due to its cost-effective ways for businesses to earn greater digital reach through increased engagement and creativity. And, as the second largest search engines in the world, it’s easy to understand why advertising on the platform is so advantageous.
Moving forwards, we suspect there will be more room for the use of video content in traditional PPC advertising. For example, Bing is in the process of rolling out a video extension feature to its ad accounts, which will allow advertisers to include 6 – 120 second video clips to their search ads.
On desktop, these video ads will be shown as a thumbnail to the right-hand side of the copy and, when clicked, will play in an overlaying window. On mobile, the video will play in the frame with the ad copy visible just below.
These videos can not only secure greater real estate, but they can also help to make ads more engaging, especially as consumers’ attention spans are getting shorter. This can then enable businesses to provide even more information about their brand, their products, and services, beyond what is permitted in the actual copy of the ad.
For businesses looking to implement video strategy into their marketing activity, Bing can be the perfect platform to help you maximise your return on investment, which, in turn, can ensure you have the resource to produce such impactful pieces of content.
As well as making use of video to improve PPC efforts, Bing also seemingly prefers to prioritise the format more than other platforms. For example, if you search for known brand names like ASOS and Sainsbury’s into both Bing and Google, you’ll quickly see just how easily Bing has integrated branded and user generated video content.
For videos that are appropriately optimised, there is great potential to take up more space on search engine result pages. Furthermore, you can appeal to searchers in the awareness and research stages with further information, offering an enhanced brand experience through a more engaging form of content, thus, increasing your chances of earning a conversion.
When it comes to PPC and online advertising, incorporating video elements comes at no extra cost to a business. Luckily, clicks on video ads are charged at the exact same rate as CTA button clicks and website click throughs – much like traditional forms of advertising, only the initial click incurs a cost.
Therefore, users can perform two major actions on your ads: click once to watch the video and click again to go through to your website. While the user gets to immerse themselves in your brand for a longer period of time, there will be no additional price to pay.
Clearly, video advertising is becoming an increasingly intelligent and effective way to advertise and reach customers, and businesses now have more opportunities than ever to showcase their products in a more engaging way. If utilised correctly, businesses can break through the white noise of the saturated online marketplace.
This is only the beginning of what is possible for the advertising format, particularly when it comes to PPC in search.
As the retail environment slowly recovers from the disruption caused by COVID-19, and businesses invest more time in optimising their strategies to accommodate the change in user behaviours and preferences post-lockdown, the creative use of video will surely become a key tactic in online advertising.
Knowing where to start, especially if you’re new to the world of online advertising, can be daunting. Get in touch with the team at Diginius to find out how we can help you to leverage this increasingly popular form of advertising and maximise your ROI on your Bing PPC campaigns.
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Chester Yang is the Microsoft Program Manager at Diginius with a background in economics and quantitative research.
At Diginius, Chester focuses on nurturing partnerships with PPC agencies and integrating marketing and sales solutions.
