The-Best-Time-For-Investing-in-OTT-Ads-02

Why Now Is The Best Time For Investing in OTT Ads?

Does this sound familiar – You have been contemplating taking a holiday and randomly see an ad for a cheap flight ticket while playing a game or you see great deals for a holiday resort while playing your favourite videos. These are all called OTT Ads that stand for Over The Top Advertisements.

 

These ads are displayed specifically on streaming platforms and are shown directly to the viewers thus eliminating all the middle points such as distributors between the advertiser and the end customer. Unlike traditional TV advertising that comes with a few limitations such as predetermined broadcast schedules, geographies etc, OTT ads provide a lot of flexibility. Any device that streams videos can be used for OTT ads including mobiles, computers, laptops, gaming consoles and streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, etc.

 

The ads are distributed according to the requirements of the brand. The advertising industry is seeing a steady shift where brands prefer investing in OTT ads compared to traditional TV ads. They are adopting advanced digital strategies that help them plan their digital marketing in a much more efficient manner.

 

OTT ads are designed and distributed in a strategic way. These kinds of ads will reach a smaller but more data-driven and targeted audience group. The targeting precision reduces resource wastage significantly. Not only can the OTT videos be completely leveraged as a complete funnel performance channel, but it has the capacity of engaging the customers and influencing consumer behaviour too by ensuring ad relevance.

 

One of the features is that most ads on OTT aren’t skippable thus almost forcing the viewer to watch the entire ad so it remains at ‘Top Of The Mind’ recall.

Tick These Boxes While Investing in OTT Ads

Platform adaptation: Remember that OTT ads will be viewed by your target audience across several platforms on various devices such as the laptop, TV, mobile phone, tabs etc. You will want to make sure that the ad doesn’t seem disproportionate on any device and is adapted for the best quality of viewership across all platforms.

Source: Appsflyer

Keeping it short and simple: It’s best to keep the ads short and straightforward. This practice is best when we have an ad that is not skippable. It’s important not to annoy our audience with really long ads. We risk losing the attention of the viewers. It’s ideal to wrap up the message of our video in a span of a maximum of 30 seconds.

Source: Balcom Agency

Relatability in ads: The overall feel and vibe of the video should resonate with your brand. A person whilst seeing the ad should be able to easily comprehend the message and be easily able to identify with the brand. Loss of interest is very common if the ads aren’t relatable to the target audience. At the end of the day, the audience should be able to link the ad to the brand.

Source: BankBound

Understand the audience demographics: Having knowledge about who your ideal target audience should be and all their details such as location, behaviour etc help narrow down on targeting options thus increasing the possibility of generating leads. Understanding the interest-based behaviour of people will also help you position your offerings in a way that will resonate with the audience.

Source: Neil Patel

Clear call to action: After watching an ad, there needs to be a clear direction for the audience with instructions on how they can engage with the ad. A button should be extremely visible with either a – Buy Now or Know More or any other message with reference to your offerings. If there is no clarity on what to do next after watching the ad, the audience is likely to forget to engage with the brand.

Source: ClearVoice

In conclusion, the OTT industry has erupted into the field of advertising and by the look of it, it is here to say. More people by the day are switching from traditional TV media and spending a lot of time exploring various streaming platforms. Successful execution of OTT ads can give you an added advantage over competitors and help target new audiences. This new phase of advertising can also assist you to work smarter and be impactful. OTT ads are transforming the paid media landscape and now is the best time to jump on the bandwagon. 

Blog-Creatives_consider_844-x-343

Things To Consider When Choosing The Right Digital Marketing Agency

It’s safe to say that the world we live in today has become a fairly digitalised world. Searching for and validating things on Google and understanding an organisation through its social media and website has become second to nature. Businesses of all sizes look forward to having a strong digital presence to increase brand awareness, gather leads and ultimately boost revenue generation. But as doing this in-house can be a costly and time-consuming affair, it has become economically wise to outsource the responsibilities to a professional digital marketing agency.

 

Given that there are so many aspects to digital marketing, it’s important to understand and have absolute clarity on your desired outcome. Every agency may not have expertise across all the verticals of digital marketing. Some are stronger in creating websites but may not be adept with SEO while the others will have a niche expertise in pay per click (PPC) advertising and social media strategies. The clarity in objective will help you narrow down to the perfect agency with the required expertise that will help you reach your goal.

 

Here are some of top attributes to look for while choosing a digital marketing agency:

Agency’s Approach to Digital Marketing

Source: PNGITEM

One of the first things to look for is how the agency perceives digital marketing as a concept. Spend some time having discussions with the agency and understand how much they have explored in the digital universe. Question the agency’s methodology and if they are able to present a rationale backed by legitimate resources and reports, you know you will be in good hands. It proves that they assess data before making decisions instead of blindly following trends. It is also important for the digital marketing agency to be well-versed with the technical side of things and stay up to date with the latest industry trends.

Estimated and Promised Results

Source: 3C Software

The kind of results that the agency estimates is a reflection of how well they understand the digital industry. Any agency offering instant results and promising immediate revenue generation and brand awareness is a major red flag since all forms of digital marketing are long term strategies. Realistically estimated outcomes may not be as attractive but you can be assured that they will be achieved via transparent methods that will always keep you in the loop. Too many variables impact the end result and not even the best digital marketing agency in the world can guarantee good and quick results. 

Digital Presence Evaluation

Source: VH

One of the first things to do while deciding on a digital marketing agency is study the digital presence of the agency. Experts know the value of clear communication, good design and a great UI experience. If you visit the website of an agency and find yourself confused as to where to proceed next and how to navigate, it’s probably not a good sign. If you are satisfied with the prima facie visit and have had a good experience on the website, check out if they have an active and attractive social media presence. If you like their digital presence, it is most likely that the quality of their work for your brand will also impress you.

Pricing Packages

Source: UpLabs

While budget plays a major role in selecting the right agency, it is important that it isn’t the only deciding factor. There are quite a few agencies that offer attractive packages at a very low price range. But it is important as an organisation for you to understand the way they function and if they will be able to offer qualitative service while keeping their cost low. Have a discussion with your agencies about the kind of time they will be investing and the resources that they will be utilising to reach a better understanding. Agencies quoting a premium pricing plan are bound to direct more resources towards your brand and churn out quality work. 

References and Reviews

Source: Experis

When selecting the right digital marketing agency, always make sure to go through all the testimonials, reviews on Google and other platforms. Unlike their website and social media platforms, where only the positive reviews are displayed, make sure you check their Google reviews. This can give you access to the negative reviews, if any, and help you understand what challenges the agency faces and where they struggle. One of the key aspects to watch out for is the complete absence of reviews altogether. It’s best to avoid an agency exhibiting no reviews as it shows a gap in understanding the field of digital marketing. 

In conclusion, it is vital to have many conversations with a potential agency to understand their style of functioning and build a certain level of trust and comfort. A digital presence is pivotal in driving sales today and an absence can cause you to lose out on a substantial amount of leads. Digital Marketing is an ever evolving game that takes a considerable amount of time and effort to show significant results. So choose your digital marketing partner wisely.