What is Pre Roll Video and How Can It Lift My Brand?

With that in mind, there’s no time to waste. Your brand and brand lift efforts could be benefiting from pre-roll also. Read on to learn more about what it is, what it entails, and how it can generate brand lift. 

WHAT IS PRE-ROLL VIDEO

Pre-roll videos are the short ads you see before you can access video content, and they often come in either 6-, 15-, or 30-second increments. Chances are you’re already familiar with this type of video content on YouTube and Facebook (the most common video platforms) and have already experienced pre-roll video ads inside and outside the professional environment. 

This is because videos and pre-roll are nearly everywhere nowadays. After all, it’s the best way to reach your target audience. In fact, Instapage reports that pre-roll video ads are especially effective across several metrics, including brand awareness, brand engagement, brand favorability, and purchase intent.

Not only did their research find that they are 3.5-times less likely to be considered ‘interruptive’ than out-stream and mid-roll ad formats, but they also revealed that they have nearly double the impact on ad recall too.

Likewise, viewers will especially enjoy pre-roll advertising in OTT/CTV campaigns that use AVOD. Not only are these types of subscribers more open to your advertisements right before they access their streaming content, but they’ll find your pre-roll efforts less interruptive and more memorable than mid-roll (ads during their video content) and out-stream (ads outside online video content). 

HOW TO IMPROVE BRAND LIFT WITH PRE-ROLL VIDEO

Brand lift is the direct impact that your video advertisements are having on buyers throughout their buyer journey, and the goal is always to improve brand lift. With pre-roll video, you can do just that and more.

The following elements will make a significant difference in this area when using pre-roll video.

MASTER YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Targeting and retargeting have to be mastered for your pre-roll ads to be received correctly. You must know exactly who your target audience is and create in-depth personas to tailor your content around them. After all, you can’t speak directly to consumers if you aren’t familiar with their behaviors, interests, wants, needs, and more. 

To help inspire your own unique set of buyer personas, check out the following HubSpot expert tips for creating them:

• Take a deep dive into your own contacts database to search through and evaluate patterns on how your customers like to consume your content and what kind of material resonates with them most. 
• Take advantage of form fields on your website to obtain persona information.
• Get feedback from your sales team about customers your brand serves best.
• Interview and survey customers to get a better idea of what they like about your product or service.

Data collection, in particular, is important to your persona, so make sure you’re also familiar with first, second, and third-party data collection before getting started.

OPTIMIZE FREQUENCY

Frequency refers to how many times your advertisement is shown to the reached population. Although it can fast-track the number of impressions with your brand and improve recall — it also can be expensive and overbearing. Frequency is important, but optimization of that frequency is much more important. 

Though less obtrusive than some forms of advertising, pre-roll videos can still create fatigue within your target audience, making it essential that you regularly optimize your OTT/CTV advertising content. After all, consumers are more likely to get bored, annoyed, and less appreciative of your creative work if they’ve seen it more times can they can count — while seeing a variety of new advertisements will keep it fresh and relevant. 

UTILIZE OMNICHANNEL TACTICS

A crucial difference between the 1880s and today is the number of channels available for advertisements and how often shoppers are exposed to them. Instead of paper-based ads, in-store advertisements, and word of mouth, today’s marketers can use:

• Physical advertising, such as billboards, signs, vehicle wraps, direct mail, and flyers
• Digital marketing, such as social media marketing, content marketing, TV and OTT/CTV advertising, radio, and more

If you adopt a “more is better” mentality with all of these channels available, you’ll quickly overwhelm your audience. They’ll experience ad fatigue, and you’ll very quickly run through your marketing budget with very little reach.

GRAB THEIR ATTENTION BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES

Let’s face it, there’s nothing more important than effectively reaching and connecting with your target audience — but doing that effectively is one of the biggest challenges marketers are facing. Now that consumers have established video as the superior type of content consumption, pre-roll is the weapon you need to overcome this challenge and lift your brand. Science backs it, and consumers support it. Working with experts like our team at Strategus will fast-track your success and help you grab consumer attention before someone else does. Contact us or follow our blog for more insight into optimizing your OTT/CTV advertising campaign and to learn more about what pre-roll video and a boost in brand lift can do for you and your business.