I’ve been expecting for a while now that video adverts on Face Book is a waste of money. Which is fine if you have money to burn. But the opportunity cost in lost revenue might be the greater concern if Face Book is your no. 1 strategy in online marketing.
This add was in my feed. The video looked interesting, so I clicked on it.
No Entiendo
Why this advert appeared in my feed, in a language that I don’t speak (or understand for that matter), beats me. The Face Book tanslate function gave me a clue about the topic of the video, but it is not something I’m interested in. Sure, they got me to watch it. But why was it there? I’ve wrecked my mind to figure out how the cookie bots might have gotten the idea that I might be interested in play therapy at all? The sad thing is that Face Book was happy to charge this poor client a Dollar or two for me to watch it halfway.
This right here might be the undoing of Facebook. For two reasons. One, their way of running serving are simply crap. That is to say, deciding where to display the ads. Two, who wants to look at adverts all day?
Google is Your Friend
Yes she is! Big data is walking a tightrope in dealing with all your data while as the same time looking after your privacy. Google, and Silicon Valley as a whole, are getting better at it. Youtube, being a sister company of Google are probably the best kept secret in getting best bang for your buck.
Here’s why:
- You only pay for the adverts which are being watched.
- You only pay for the part of the adverts being watched. If the viewer only watch half, you only pay for half.
- You can (and should) pay for impressions. It is a cheap way- very low in cost – to have your brand been seen. Even if the viewer does not want to watch the whole thing. To spell it out: I’m talking about the 5 second spots or the “Skip Add” on YouTube.
- Hallow effect. People might see your video ads only in passing or skip it altogether. Yet, after the 15th time the impression of your branding would have been – well, branded into their minds. That is why it is called branding and that is how advertising works.
- To measure it to know. This is an old Greek philosophy adage. And it holds true. The data analytics in Google and Youtube is second to none! You will not only glean from it where it is most profitable to advertise, but also where your pays attention or goes over into action.
I’m not a betting man. I don’t have to be. They might have their faults, but for now my advertising buck goes to Youtube.