Why Video Ad Viewability Matters
Video ad viewability refers to whether an ad is seen by users, rather than just served on a page. If an ad isn’t visible, it won’t have the opportunity to drive engagement, enhance brand recall, or lead to conversions.
For advertisers, improving viewability ensures that a message is seen by the right people, leading to higher ad recall and conversion rates. For publishers, on the other hand, increasing viewability means higher demand for inventory, driving up CPMs and maximizing revenue opportunities.
Key Strategies for Improving Video Ad Viewability
1. Contextual Targeting: Aligning Ads with Relevant Content
When an ad is contextually relevant to the consumed content, viewers are more likely to engage with it, resulting in higher viewability and recall.
Contextual targeting ensures that ads are served on videos that resonate with the viewer’s interests. This boosts the chances of engagement, as users are more likely to pay attention to an ad that complements what they’re already watching.
To improve contextual targeting, you can leverage tools that analyze content at a deeper level. Technologies like Deep Contextual™ analyze video content through natural language processing and computer vision and show your ads in relevant and engaging environments.
Best Practices for Contextual Targeting
- Target content categories that align with your audience’s interests.
- Take advantage of AI-powered insights to match ads to the content seamlessly.
- Use real-time data to adjust ad placements based on current viewer preferences.
2. Real-Time Viewability Tracking
Tracking real-time data helps you find out if an ad is being displayed in a viewable position on the screen when it is served. Therefore, you can make immediate adjustments to placements to ensure your ad is visible and engaging to the user. Real-time insights can also help pinpoint the highest-performing inventory, allowing you to optimize your ad strategy for better results.
Key Benefits of Real-Time Viewability
- Track performance: Understand which videos are delivering the most viewable impressions.
- Optimize placements: Adjust ad positions to maximize visibility and engagement.
- Improve ROI: Focus on high-performing inventory for better campaign results.
3. Maximize Content Completion Rates
The longer a viewer watches a video, the higher the chances they will engage with the ad and remember the brand. Content completion rates are an important factor in video ad viewability. Videos that are watched to completion drive better ad recall and brand favorability.
To boost content completion, focus on targeting videos with higher engagement. Look for videos that hold viewers’ attention for a longer period, as they are more likely to generate higher viewability and engagement for your ads. Additionally, optimize video ads to be short, compelling, and relevant to the content to encourage full viewing.
Tips for Improving Content Completion
- Prioritize videos with strong engagement and longer watch times.
- Create concise and impactful ads that align with the video content.
- Video ads need to be well-integrated into the content experience for seamless viewing.
4. Brand Safety: Protecting Your Brand and Improving Engagement
Ads placed on inappropriate content can damage a brand’s reputation and decrease the overall effectiveness of a campaign. For advertisers, showing ads on safe content protects the brand and improves the chances of engagement with the target audience.
That being said, use solutions that go beyond page-level safety and analyze the content of the video itself. By analyzing the video for sensitive or inappropriate content, you can ensure that your ads appear only on content that aligns with your brand’s values.
Brand Safety Best Practices
- Use solutions that offer content-level brand safety.
- Ensure that all video content goes through advanced safety checks before ads are served.
- Focus on premium video inventory that adheres to strict safety standards.
5. Use Analytics for Continuous Optimization
Knowing which videos are delivering the highest viewability rates and engagement helps you optimize ad placements and adjust your strategy for better results.
Detailed reporting on viewability rates, completion rates, and engagement levels allows you to continuously refine your ad campaigns.
Key Metrics to Track
- Viewability Rate: The percentage of the video ad that the audience sees.
- Completion Rate: The percentage of viewers who watch the video ad to completion.
- Engagement: How viewers interact with the ad, including clicks and social shares.
Wrapping Up
Strategies like contextual targeting, real-time viewability tracking, and content completion optimization can significantly improve video ad performance.
At the same time, using the right tools to support these strategies can make a huge difference. Advanced solutions for contextual targeting, real-time viewability, and brand safety will optimize your ad placements and deliver higher engagement and better results.
If you want to learn more about how JWP Connatix can support your video ad strategies, book a meeting with our sales team.