How to turn video into sales: SMX West recap

Cory Henke, Variable Media, presents on video advertising at SMX West 2018.

Video advertising budgets have been growing as ad formats and inventory have evolved. In a session called Unleashing the Power of Online Video Ads at SMX West in San Jose, CA, three speakers shared their expertise in creating messaging that connects with audiences and how to reach them through effective targeting.

Calling the first 30-seconds of TrueView YouTube’s ads the most valuable impressions on the web, Cory Henke, founder of Variable Media, stressed the need to qualify the audience–get people who aren’t interested to skip the ad and keep those who are engaged with creative hooks. He then underlined the need to plan and strategize a click type and funnel strategy.

Looking more broadly at Facebook and YouTube, Henke discussed the importance of understanding the distinct behavior differences of users on Facebook versus YouTube when developing and optimizing creatives.

Cory Henke compares YouTube and Facebook video advertising.

Here is Cory Henke’s presentation:

[pullquote]”What if all the media spend that you wasted on low-performing creative was returned back to your budget? How much would that add up to?,” producer, creative director and founder of Noble Digital, Allen Martinez, put to the audience.[/pullquote]

Martinez said the biggest downfall of most companies when it comes to video is a gap between strategy and creative teams — and teamwork. He then laid out a very convincing argument for companies to flop their resource and budgeting thinking to give proper consideration to creative and the exponential benefits of engaging creative teams that can execute strategically.

“Why are ‘media spend’ budgets always so CLEAR, yet ‘creative asset’ budgets are rarely documented,” Martinez asked.

He took the marketers in the audience through the creative process and discussed how and what kinds of data he uses to inform video creative and develop videos that “create intent”.

Jon Kagan, Director of Search and Biddable Media at MARC USA, compared YouTube’s skippable TrueView advertising to television, pointing the cost efficiencies of YouTube including its biddable pay-only-when-played model, the ease of flighting targeted campaigns and tracking performance. However, Kagan said, YouTube is not a replacement for TV just yet in terms of reach and ability to drive brand search.

Here is Jon Kagan’s full presentation: