The other day I was about to watch a YouTube video on how to migrate blogs. Before the video loaded an ad popped up. You know the kind that you have to sit through 5 seconds before you can skip it.
I’ve always appreciated YouTube’s efforts to monetize, but never have I bothered to sit through an ad that I have the option to skip.
This time it was different.
This ad grabbed my attention straight of the bat.
Quick side note, the attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. The average attention span of an internet user is 8 seconds.
Chew on that for a second. Just a second, any longer and I fear you’ll lose interest 😉
Just as with copywriting, the “hook” is the most important aspect. That opening sentence has to be HUGE. Otherwise you’re going to lose your audience in the blink of an eye. The same goes for videos.
And in the case of this video, it was the guy not wearing his shirt that caught my attention!
And not for the reason that you may be thinking right now… (Mind out of the gutter please guys)
No, because I’m into fitness. Do you recall my previous post on New Year’s Resolutions? Getting six pack abs has been on my list for the past 6 years.
So this video was tailor-made for me. It was targeted. And I was that target.
Now I’ve always believed that in order to create good, solid content, you should always aim to produce content that is empowering, entertaining and/or educational. This ad ticked all the boxes.
It was funny, yet I got value from it. And by the end of it I felt empowered to jump back on that six-pack ab train I’d so easily fallen off in the past.
And the thing that makes it so powerful is that it can go viral. I forwarded the video to a friend. And I’m writing a blog post on it… well, right now.
The ad is promoting Mike Chang’s Six Pack Shortcuts.
In my personal opinion he’s getting tremendous value from his ad campaign because now he’s getting referrals from people like me, who have nothing to gain by sharing it, but are doing so all the same. Because the content is that good.
Let’s face it.
People are more likely to buy from someone they know and trust, than some random face (or more often than not, faceless) online voice.
Mike is receiving the one of the most powerful forms of marketing.
Word-of-mouth from a trusted source.
Recommendations from friends, family… Enhanced by the power of technology. Remember I sent the video through email to a friend. I’m writing a blog post about it to you guys. Who knows where it could potentially go from here. Shared on Facebook? Parodied on YouTube? And we’re talking about an ad here, don’t forget.
And the best part of receiving this effective and powerful word-of-mouth marketing is that Mike didn’t have to pay a dime for it.
So the lesson of the day is to plan your video ad.
Just as with content, it’s all about quality over quantity, the same rings true for ads. These are what will bring in your traffic. How do you expect to get clicks if you’re not even able to get noticed?
I’ve said this before, videos provide a much higher perceived value. But don’t just bang out videos for the sake of filling up space. One great well thought out video is worth so much more than 20 empty ones of no value.
Mike’s video ad is a great example of incorporating content of value into a sales message.
So here are the pointers to remember when creating a good video ad:
- You have mere seconds to grab your audience’s attention so make the opening spectacular
- Aim to entertain, educate and/or empower your audience
- When all else fails, add a muscular, half-naked, somewhat attractive man
Ok, the last one is supposed to be a joke. Just checking that you’re still with me 🙂
