Online Video Ads – Good or Bad?

The popularity of online video has skyrocketed, with Americans who have high speed internet leading the pack in terms of consumption; Nielsen estimates that in December 2009, around 137 million viewers of online video in the United States viewed an average of 193 video minutes each. This is nudging advertisers toward onine video advertising and away from standard TV ads.

On the way out? Time will tell…

The targeted nature and extensive research done on online consumers makes online advertising as effective as television. Most online video-ad platforms also enable multiple methods of pinpointing customers in the target demographic or locale.

Banner ads, interactive ads and spoofs can be used to grab customers attention and boost response rates. The flexibility of online applications allows for many more scenarios than channel surfing.

So, should you have video ads on your site? The returns can be high, but you have to be sure not to alienate your visitors! If they have a slow computer, the video ad may dramatically slow performance, freeze heir screen, or even crash heir browser application. However, if you feel most of your visitors will not have thsi problem, look for ads to display that have a strong ROI and are presented properly. Some things to look for in a potential advertising partner include:

A strong call to action. The video format allows immediate calls-to-action, so ads should include a clickable link to the advertisers’ website, with code that tracks all clicks as originating from your webpage in order for you to get credit.

Interactive ads or apps increase the power of marketing videos. Interactive video ads measure viewers’ responses by tracking their real-time interactions, and can be Flash based or allow interaction in the player itself.

Ads should be targeted to your audience. If the people visiting your site are looking for baby skin care products, they may not be interested in denture cream.

TV spots are still very a important advertising medium for local and national businesses. However, with more and more people spending their viewing time online, the advantages of snagging good advertising partners for your site should not be overlooked.

Just attempt to get the best ads you can for your demographic, and find ones that load fast and don’t take too much power to run – your visitors will leave your site rather than stay if annoying online videos ruin their visit. Make sure there is a way for visitors to quickly shut down or mute the ad if it proves annoying.