As more individuals become connected to the internet, more consumers view digital media through popular outlets such as YouTube, Google and Yahoo and even subscription services like Netflix and Hulu. As such, more companies are hosting advertisements and marketing videos on these popular websites to leverage this attention.
According to a survey by comScore, 85 percent of the U.S. internet audience watched videos online in September 2012. The average video ran just over six minutes, while the average advertisement was roughly 15 seconds. In addition, these video ads took up nearly 20 percent of all videos viewed, but just over 1 percent of total viewing time.
Of the online marketplace, Google had the most video ads served with 1.7 million during the month. Following that was the BrightRoll Video Network with 1.3 million and then Hulu with 1.1 million. In addition, Google sites brought in roughly 150,287 viewers during the month, nearly tripling Yahoo's total of 57,386 unique viewers in the month.
In the matter of one month, a company that places pre-roll advertisements online has the ability to reach thousands of customers that may have never heard of the brand before. But, with targeted internet marketing technology, those individuals are also more likely to click on the advertisement out of interest.
In today's world, anyone with a camera and an internet connection can upload a marketing video or advertisement. But, Entrepreneur says that small and regional companies need to produce digital videos that are comparable with those made by professional production companies. With cameras and equipment surmounting thousands of dollars and requiring a level of expertise to use, many businesses may benefit from partnering with an experienced digital advertising agency to implement video into their online marketing campaign.