Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, video advertising is more prevalent than ever before. One recent study found that a whopping 66% of consumers say short-form videos are the most engaging type of ad content on social media.
But anyone who has dabbled in this ad format knows that compared to a static ad, videos require a lot more time, effort, and investment. A captivating video ad that successfully drives conversions requires creativity, strategy, and production on multiple fronts: the script, the transitions, editing, special effects, music, voiceovers, and more.
Creating an A+ video ad that drives results is no easy feat — so why not maximize its impact by finding opportunities to use the content in other ways? Here are three creative ideas for repurposing videos for other ad formats and campaigns.
1. Use b-roll for social media ads
B-roll footage is evergreen content that helps you establish mood, context, or visual interest, which you can repurpose for social media ads, whether it’s a Facebook video carousel, an animated Instagram Story, or even a GIF-style Pinterest video ad. (Fun fact: Here at Power Marketing, we’ve found that motion ads perform up to 33% better than static images on average.)
The key to using b-roll effectively is ensuring the footage is consistent with your brand and conveys a message (such as a product benefit or a brand value). This means you should never just splice together random clips that, without the right context, feel more like stock footage — your social media ad should communicate what you have to offer and why your audience should choose you over your competitors.
To transform your b-roll into a visually appealing and engaging social media ad, you can use effects like text overlays or voiceovers — and don’t forget to add captions for those who scroll with audio off.
2. Add videos to your email campaigns
Given the deprecation of third-party cookies, email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for leveraging your first-party data to build a following, drive loyalty, and encourage conversions.
That said, the average office worker receives a staggering 120 emails a day, meaning that to stand out from the crowd, you not only need a catchy subject line, but you also need compelling enough content within your email to drive a desired action.
Enter your repurposed video ad: whether you embed an actual video or a gif, both can break up heavy text, catch attention, and make your email more engaging.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when using repurposed video ads in email marketing campaigns:
Match the video to the purpose of the email. If it’s to encourage subscribers to make a purchase, use footage showing off the product you’re promoting. If it’s to drive brand awareness, make sure the video captures your brand features.
Explore different formatting options. If you want your customers to click through and visit another page on your website or watch more content from your brand on, say, YouTube, embedding your video can drive traffic to these other owned channels.
3. Use your video content for video banner ads
Broadcast and streaming TV ads are such powerful video marketing channels that it’s easy to forget about banner ads. But video banner ads can play a valuable role in any campaign, especially when you’re using them to reinforce your brand with your target audience that’s already seen your messaging.
Consider slicing up your longer ad for a series of shorter video banner ads. Because auto-played banner ads are typically silent, you might overlay additional text or graphics on your video to capture attention and offer your audience new reasons to pause and consider converting.
As always, when creating video display ads for multichannel programmatic campaigns, make sure to take versioning into consideration. Resizing your creative is a must if you want to take advantage of different ad inventories.
Repurposing video content for new ads is just the first step of any successful marketing campaign. For top-notch results, you’ll also need to ace your targeting, budgeting, and attribution. With more than 25 years of experience, Power Marketing is here to help you with every element of your video advertising campaign, from initial strategy to reporting and optimization.