Four advertising veterans share their insights and predictions on the trends set to shape the industry in 2025.
Online advertising has been popular since the inception of the internet. But advertising has also changed a lot, and it keeps changing as new and more innovative adtech appears. One of the best new technologies is outstream video, which allows advertisers and website owners to give clients and readers excellent content without the standard video players like YouTube. It’s somewhat ironic that it took until 2018 for the industry to get here, but with the rise of video advertising content, relevance, and consumer interest, there’s now an easy way to syndicate this high-engagement content to reach greater audiences beyond just Youtube. Outstream video will give brands more opportunities to engage their customers, and grow the importance of video content at an even more rapid rate. That way people can see what they should be seeing, and what they want to see, without a lot of the extras that cause site visitors to click away and choose another site. Here's what to consider when it comes to learning about and using outstream video.
When you use outstream video to reach people on your website or to reach people on other websites through the use of ads, you can research your own keyword and choose one that's going to resonate with your target market. Then you know you have a good chance of saying (or showing) something that matters to the people you're trying to reach out to. When they see what you have to offer they may be interested in it, but if they can't see it through all of the other issues that come with video players they may choose to ignore it.
Through the use of the outstream video options, though, video ads come up and play as a person moves through the content. These ads can be scrolled past, and they'll stop playing as soon as they're off the screen. Most of them also autoplay without sound, so the audience you're targeting won't be blasted with noise or music as they scroll through content. Having that happen can really turn people off to the kinds of information you're trying to give them through the ads, and that might mean they won't come back to the site or buy the product the ad is offering to them. It's not always easy to avoid those kinds of problems, but outstream ads reduce the risk. By leveraging outstream and targeting the right people, your chances of advertising success will be on the rise.
One of the benefits of outstream video is choice. You can pick where your ad goes, how it is placed, and what it offers to the people looking at the site. Some people use these ads to place their information on other sites, but many people are using them to give readers more information about the content they're already reading. In other words, they're placing embedded video on their own site to sell products or services. For those who want to use ads from others, though, some companies are paying a lot of money to have their outstream video ads placed.
It depends on the site where the ad is being placed, of course, and the type of video that the advertiser or company wants, but there are companies that are paying $45 CPMs. That's a big deal for those who are looking for good advertising revenue, and also for those who want to really monetize a site in a way that people who come to that site can appreciate. It's not always easy to get good advertising for a site, and it's also not always easy to get a site where advertisers want to put their information. No matter whether you're a site owner, another company, or an advertising agency, understanding the value of outstream video is important for your future.
In early 2017, most people had never heard of outstream video. By the middle of 2018, a lot of companies are using it. Agencies that help companies place ads are saying that outstream video is the next big thing, and 77% of those agencies believe this type of advertising could actually be crucial to the success of their clients. As someone who wants to see your company and your internet presence succeed, it's time to look at outstream video. New concepts are very important, and when they quickly take hold like this one has, you want to make sure you're a part of that.
If you avoid outstream video because it's new or because you're not familiar with it yet, you could really be missing out on everything it has to offer. But there's more to the equation than that. Your customers will also miss out on what it has to offer, and by extension what you have to offer. That's unfortunate for everyone involved, and makes it harder to build a strong business that customers can find, trust, and rely on. The more you know about new concepts and the more you employ them in your marketing strategy, the better off you'll be when it comes to staying at the forefront of your industry and keeping your advertising fresh and new.
With so many ad agencies predicting that companies are going to move rapidly to this type of advertising, understanding outstream video and getting involved with it now can put you ahead of the curve. Getting behind your competitors isn't a good thing, and it can be hard to catch up. You at least need to keep up with them and get ahead of them if possible. By starting to work with outstream video now, instead of waiting for more companies to begin to use it, you have the unique opportunity to really get ahead of others in your industry.
Not only can that make it better for your company to build a strong internet presence, but it can also help reach more and more people who may potentially be interested in buying from you at a later date. Even if they aren't customers right now, they may be customers in the future. Helping them see everything you can offer them, and giving them ads that work for them both in information and placement, can be extremely valuable as a marketing strategy and to be sure that you're doing all you can to keep at the forefront of your industry. Doing what's needed to keep customers interested often means trying new things, and getting your foot in the door before others do.
One of the best things about outstream video is that it's less intrusive than other types of advertising. For example, nearly everyone hates pop-ups. That's why there are so many pop-up blockers available today, and why so many companies' websites ask that you turn off your adblocker when you visit. Some will let you see content anyway, and some will refuse to show you their site if you don't let them advertise to you. Either way, you have options for how intrusive you want to allow ads to be. As a site owner, you also have that option. But your customers need to have some control of them or they might not come back.
Because the outstream video offered on a number of sites is less intrusive, more companies are starting to use it to reduce the number of visitors who leave the site because of ads. When a video ad auto plays without sound, and when scrolling past it makes it stop playing and disappear, there are fewer complaints from site visitors. That's good news for the visitors, the site owner, and the companies advertising on that site. When everyone benefits, the ads are more effective in the long run than some other choices.
With the advertising space on quality websites at a premium today, brands’ advertising spend is skyrocketing. But it's important that those advertising dollars are used wisely. If they aren't used the right way, they aren't going to be effective. At that point, the advertising dollars are simply being wasted and could be put to better use. But with brands paying high prices for outstream video space on high-level sites, advertising agencies, companies that want to advertise, and companies that have websites where advertising is allowed all need to work together to the benefit of everyone. Of course, that benefit includes the customers and clients who will visit the sites, see the ads, and potentially buy from the companies that are advertising.
Overall, outstream video is one of the best ways to advertise on the internet, and it's only going to become more important as time goes on. But that doesn't mean it's perfect yet, or that every company is focused on it. Because of that, now is a good time to get involved with it while it's still new. It's a bit unique at the moment, instead of being something that everyone has seen. That uniqueness can go a long way toward making your company stand out, and anyone who's advertising like this will start to see that it's adding to their revenue in a big way.
With the lack of intrusion into the website browsing experience and its ability to offer ads that customers really relate to, outstream video can be an excellent way for any company to move toward a higher level of advertising at a fair price. Reaching more customers in a way they can relate to is important, and companies that spend their advertising dollars carefully can reach more potential customers, as well.