Advertising is essential to the growth of any business, and mobile phone video advertising should be your top priority.

With all the new privacy updates and restrictions that have made advertising so expensive for business owners, a switch to smarter mobile video advertising can save a suffering business.

In fact video ads cost about 90% less than image ads, but you have to get it right if you want to reap the rewards.

This guide will give you all the info you need to start making the most of this extremely powerful tool.

Why you need to advertise on mobile

If saving 90% on your ad costs isn't a good enough reason, consider this:

Your customers are flooded with information on social media, and images simply don't stand out.

Many people simply scroll past anything that isn't a video. After all, videos are easier to enjoy and more emotionally compelling than images or text posts.

72% of consumers say they prefer a video instead of text ads. So, by running text and image-based ads, you're ignoring the biggest portion of your target market.

On top of that, the majority of people only use their phones to search the internet, not a desktop computer, so your video must be optimized for mobile advertising if you're going to gain the most customers possible.

Now that you know why mobile phone video advertising is so important, let's look at how to achieve the best results.

How to make videos for mobile advertising the right way

When creating your video mobile advertising campaign, consider these key elements:

  • Captioning that is easy to read, since many smartphone users keep their media on silent.
  • Eye-catching video that shows a variety of footage, rather than a long, boring take of the same thing.
  • Authentic, "realistic" video and user-generated content — as opposed to gimmicky sales videos.

Consumers today prefer doing research, rather than being coerced or pushed into buying something. They want to feel as though they made the decision to purchase your products or services on their own.

User-generated content, or videos that feel like real customers talking about their experience, is much more powerful than a corporate-feeling ad.

Now, let's look at some of the biggest and most common mistakes that people make when creating their mobile video advertising campaigns.

Biggest mistakes to avoid

Mistake #1: Hiring an influencer.

Hiring an influencer for your video may seem like a good idea, but the fact is that 96% of people do not trust influencers.

Instead, customers prefer "real people."

There may be some exceptions, like if you're working with an influencer who's very popular within your industry, but hiring someone simply because they're "internet famous" is not a good strategy.

Mistake #2: Not sizing your video appropriately.

When working on a video on your computer, it's easy to forget that the video on your big screen will be shrunken down to the size of your hand when it actually gets in front of the customer.

That's why it's important to work with a small window and be sure that your captioning is still legible.

You'll also want to check that all the important footage is still clear and easy to see.

Mistake #3: Treating mobile video advertising like a magic bullet.

Yes, mobile video ads perform better and cost less than image-based ads, but that doesn't mean you can slap together any old video and make sales.

You still need to follow the normal advertising best practices, such as split-testing, focusing on benefits, and knowing your audience.

Don't skimp on your video, either. While you don't have to hire a million-dollar influencer to get results, you also can't expect a cheaply made video to convince people that your business is trustworthy.

Final takeaways

Like all forms of advertising, mobile video advertising is all about putting yourself in the customer's shoes.

What do you like when seeing a video ad? What turns you off?

Simple steps, like adding captioning and making sure your video is the right size, can drastically improve your results.

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