Congratulations. You’re about to get your hands on some of the BILLIONS of dollars that brands spend on video advertising each year. But, just sitting & waiting for the cash to flow in may not result in the profits you’re dreaming of.
Don’t worry with these 4 tips we’ve got you covered. Follow these steps to make sure you don’t miss out on your slice of the video advertising honeypot.
Most ad networks work on a Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) model. The more eyeballs your video’s advert gets, the more money you’ll see rolling in. Your focus as a publisher has got to be on growing those video views. You’ll unlock so much more ad revenue if you do.
But how?
1. Newsjack
Take advantage of all the big events that are happening in your industry. Create video content around those dates so that anybody looking for information can find and consume yours.
Futbol Sites is Latin America’s largest network of football (soccer for our US friends) websites. During the World Cup, Futbol Sites saw their traffic increase by a whopping 300% (full story here). The team were able to monetize all of that extra traffic, with brands such as Ford, Gatorade & Pringles all paying to advertise on their videos.
2. Video SEO
You need to make sure that anybody searching for your content can find it. If someone types into a search engine “World Cup highlights” (for example), and Futbol Sites videos don’t appear in the results, they’ve lost a big opportunity to drive traffic to their site.
First, create and submit a video sitemap. This tells search engines what the video is about, and where on your site it is embedded. It means that when someone is searching for your video Google can return the relevant page on your website. For more information on how to create a video sitemap check out the page here.
I also recommend creating a video transcript for your video. Speechpad is an inexpensive way to do this (trust me, it’ll save you hours!). Pop your transcript on the page next to the video. It’s a quick way to get lots of keyword rich copy onto your site.
Using these techniques Moneyweek, the UK’s largest financial publisher, managed to grow their organic site visits 136%! Just think of all the extra ad revenue that comes with such soaring growth. You can read the full story behind their meteoric rise here.
3. Reliable Video Playback
You need to make sure that all your hard work in driving extra visits to your site pays off. It won’t if your videos – and their adverts – don’t play. Check that your online video platform gives you the following:
Global CDN
This will ensure that wherever in the world your viewers are located, videos will stream incredibly quickly.
Adaptive Streaming
Not all Internet connections were created equal. Some are super speedy, while others are a little more sluggish (think 3G on your Smart Phone). Adaptive streaming will ensure that no matter what device or connection speed, your viewers always get the best possible video playback (plus you’ll save yourself some bandwidth too!) Those on fast connections will see full HD videos, while those on slow connections will get a lower definition BUT their videos will load quickly. It’s win win.
Mobile Video Playback
CISCO predict that nearly 3/4 of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by 2019. If your videos don’t play on mobile you’re missing out on a massive audience.
4. Video Page Template
When someone hits your site, don’t make them hunt to find the video. Place it above the fold, nice and big. Video advertising can be a huge revenue driver for your site, so make sure visitors can’t miss it!
You also need to tempt the visitor to hit play – if nobody actually watches the ad then you won’t get paid (remember ad networks pay out on a CPM basis). Make sure the thumbnail image you use is engaging. Techniques we have found work well are:
– Spark viewers curiosity with a question
– Use human faces
– Make it colorful
Of course different things will work well for different audiences so you’ll need to test this a little to check you’re seeing results. Use vzaar’s VPI (video playability index) to gauge how playable your videos are – a low score will indicate you need to try out a different thumbnail or move your video into a more obvious place on your page.
Make every view count! Learn how to unlock video advertising revenues for your business.