How Marketers Should Evaluate Video Advertising Platforms

As more people turn their eyes to online video, marketers are shifting their efforts to video advertising and many are finding results.

Online video ads experience a higher click-through rate than any other digital ad format. It’s no wonder online video advertising revenue is estimated to reach $5 billion in 2016—up from $2.8 billion in 2013.

In addition, marketers are shifting more and more of their advertising resources toward placing video ads programmatically, meaning that those interested in getting a slice of viewers’ attention are looking into leveraging video advertising software.

Business software review site G2 Crowd recently released its first Video Advertising Grid Report, which compares verified user reviews of seven of the top video advertising platforms.

Data in the report reveals a few trends common among marketers and what they are considering when evaluating video advertising platforms. Based on the data, we’ve highlighted five key areas where marketers should be focusing when evaluating video advertising software.

Campaign Performance And Reporting

In the end, it all comes down to the results. Investing in advertising technology is no light commitment, and marketers should know if their investments in these platforms are moving the needle. Campaign performance is a frequent talking point, and users’ opinions of their platforms hinge on whether or not these products are hitting their KPIs. When it comes down to it, as long as their platforms are performing well, reviewers indicate that they are willing to put up with other shortcomings.

Inventory Reach And Transparency

Not all video advertising platforms offer the same access to ad networks and ad exchanges. In turn, this can limit marketers and their access to ad inventory reach. It is important for marketers to be aware of which networks and exchanges their platforms are using to be sure they can reach their desired audiences.

Transparency is key to this process. With the online advertising industry currently overwhelmed with issues concerning bot traffic and brand safety, users need advertising platforms to provide insight into where their ads are running. They need to know who is seeing the ads in order for them to be confident their campaign results are accurate.

Ad Formats

Video ads come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, with users having the option to run in-stream ads such as pre-, mid-, and post-roll ads; linear or nonlinear ads; or in-banner or in-page ads. Marketers looking to invest in this type of software need to compare notes with their creative teams in order to take these formats into full consideration and decide which aligns best with their needs and budgets.

Cross-Channel Functionality

For most reviewers, video advertising is only one piece of the puzzle, and many of them rely on other digital advertising channels to form a comprehensive digital advertising strategy. Many video advertising solutions offer functionality for other channels as well. In addition to evaluating video advertising specifically, many reviewers comment on platforms’ capabilities across display, mobile, social, and search as well. If a cross-channel solution is needed, marketers should make sure platforms cover their desired channels or can smoothly integrate with other advertising technology that does.

Real-Time Bidding Capabilities

More and more ads online are being purchased through real-time bidding (RTB) using demand-side platforms (DSPs). While DSPs have traditionally been geared toward display ads, platforms are continually fleshing out the functionality to better serve video advertising formats. As more of the industry moves toward RTB advertising, marketers should be aware of which platforms offer these features.

Beyond all of that, reviewers recommend marketers also take into account more generalized metrics used to evaluate all business-focused software. By taking into account video advertising platforms’ quality of support, implementation effort, and general ease of use, professionals can see which products provide their teams with the best infrastructure to succeed.

With so many video advertising products available, marketers need to know where to focus their attention in order to efficiently navigate the ever-growing jungle of platforms. By taking advantage of the insights offered by end-user reviews, marketers should be able to select the best platforms for executing their video advertising initiatives.

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