10 Tips on how to create a video advertisement

In the 6th edition of our Teezily Post, we made it a point to emphasize  on the importance of Video advertising, especially on Facebook (https://issuu.com/angelicateezily/docs/teezilypost_febrmarch). Video advertising is one of the best ways to promote  your products. According to data from Hubspot, 64% of consumers are more likely to buy the product online after watching a video. So make use of this power. But how do you create a video advertisement? What do you need to keep in mind when it comes to T-shirt marketing? We have gathered 10 tips in this article on how to create your first own video ad.

 

1. Create a story

Start by brainstorming your ideas. Look at your products. What is your Design about? What comes to your mind when you look at it? What is the message you want to communicate ? Gather all your ideas in a mind map. Visualizing your ideas may help you find a story for your advertising. If necessary, write a script. It may help to bring your idea to life.

 

2. Pay attention to your target country/culture

Make sure that your ideas suit your target audience’s culture. Marketing experts pay a lot of attention to the culture when creating advertisements. If you want to get background information on behaviors in different cultures, it can be quite useful to check the website of Geert Hofstede. The perception of content varies from culture to culture. What you consider to be funny, may not be considered funny in your target culture. Some cultures prefer text and information about the product, while others expect the ad to create a specific feeling. So be sure you know your target group and its culture, to bring the most out of your video advertising.

 

3. Keep it brief

According to research 5% of viewers will stop watching a video after 60 seconds and 60% by 2 minutes. So if you are looking to attract the customers’ attention with your video ad, keep it short. A good 30 seconds will give you enough time to present your products and will be short enough so that your customers don’t skip it. It’s a win-win situation.

 

4. Engage audience in the first 5 seconds

Engaging your audience in the beginning of the video, or better in the first 5 seconds, is probably the most important task for you while creating the video ad. You have to interest your audience and make them want to keep watching. One of the best ways to convince your audience that you’re worth their time, is by allowing them to identify with your Design. Create an engaging story, that lets the audience picture themselves with your product. Also think about engaging music. Research states, that humorous music works best, but it needs to suit your Design. If this isn’t the case, try an emotional or suspenseful sound. Another way to catch the audience’s attention is to emphasize on the limited availability of your product.

While the beginning of the story needs to grab the audience’s attention, don’t give them everything yet. Create a little suspense. This is not easy and will require a wise choice of images and language. But it can be worth it in the end.

 

5. Use clear language

The use of the right language is very important when conveying your message. Try to avoid technical language. These terms often don’t connect with the audience you are trying to target. Make use of clear language to ensure that the audience understands your product and its value. Try using clear slogans as “limited edition”, “only available here”, “don’t miss this opportunity”, or “You’re a… fan? So this product is for you” to emphasize the speciality of your product.

 

6. Find the perfect audio and footage for your needs

Finding the right music is not as difficult as it may seem. There are a lot of places you can find the music and sound effects that suit your idea. Here are a couple of libraries to consider:

 

 

Apart from music, you also need to think about the footage for your video. If you have a good quality camera, you can shoot your own footage for the video. If you don’t feel comfortable making the video yourself, there are also amazing stock video sites. We suggest you to take a look at www.placeit.net, a site with amazing T-Shirt mock-ups & video templates.

 

If you are looking for more general video footage or pictures for your videos, you can try the following sites:

 

  • Videvo: free stock video footage
  • Pixabay: free images and videos stock video footage
  • Pexels : free stock photos

 

On top of these sites, you can also find many public domains with possible footage for your advertising that are not subject to copyright, like www.Pond5.com and www.Archive.org

 

7. Find the right editing program 

The right editing program depends on whether you want to edit the video on your phone or a computer. In case you prefer editing on your phone, you can try the following apps:

 

  • Power Director (Android)
  • iMovie (Apple)
  • Splice by Gopro

 

If you prefer editing on a computer, here are a few programs for you to consider:

 

  • IMovie: With the Apple movie-maker you can import images, video and audio to create professional-looking movies
  • Windows Movie Maker: free editing tool with various features.
  • Quik by Gopro: easy usage to create quick videos or slideshows
  • Lumen 5: free tool that converts your advertising text into a video. You can even add call to actions!
  • Da Vinci Resolve: Free video editing software for professional looking videos

 

8.  Choose the right thumbnail

Never underestimate the influence of a thumbnail for your video. The thumbnails is the first thing the audience sees and can influence the choice of watching you video or not. It is therefore the “cover” of your video. Make sure you create an eye-catching and interesting thumbnail that gives the audience a hint about the content of your video, like a preview of the Design you are selling.

 

9. Figure out where and when you want to upload it

Once you have created your video, think about where you want to upload the video and when. Make sure the platform and time suit your marketing strategy. Probably the most common platform to upload your video in the T-Shirt business is Facebook. Facebook gives you the ability to add call-to-actions like “shop now” or “discover more”. This option will automatically appear when you upload your video! But publishing your video on Facebook is not the only option for you. Think about adding the ad to your client emails. According to research, video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rate. You can also integrate a product video on the landing page of your own shop or your FB page to increase conversion. There are many options for your advertising video.

 

10. Analyze and experiment

Once your video is live, what’s left to do is wait, observe, analyze and modify. On Facebook you can use the insights to analyze your audience engagement. Examine the data carefully and use it to improve your ads. Experiment with your ads, try different lengths, music, footage, words etc. and find out what works best for you. It may take some time but remember, no one is born a master.