Tips to optimize video ad serving (part 2)
                     Tips to optimize video ad serving (part 2)
Watson F
Writes on ad hosting, involved with Adspeed 
Ad server software and AdSpeed ad servers.
Visitors spend more time on sites with videos because people love 
seeing and sharing video content much more than just images and text 
content. It is much more entertaining, informational and engaging. 
Because of these benefits, video ad serving is a natural integration for 
video publishers. In the previous article, we discussed how specific 
devices and platforms can affect your video ads. In this article, we will 
continue our discussion about ideas that you can use to improve your 
video ad serving strategy.
Consider length and resolution
One of the most important video ad serving goals is for your audience to 
view the entire video and hopefully engage with it. Therefore, the 
duration of the video ad is crucial. You do not want the ad too short 
because it will not be enough to convey the story or the product 
benefits. On the other hand, it is very easy to have a running time that is 
too long, which could cause potential customers to skip or turn off the 
video ad before they get all the information. Basically, shorter is better 
because you want a video ad that is as short as possible while still 
delivering enough information and incentives for viewers to engage with 
it.
You want to pay special attention to the first few seconds because that 
is when viewers decide if they want to continue watching the ad or 
simply skip it. Additionally, you not only want your video ad to have high 
quality, which often means a bigger file size, but also is quick to 
download. In order to achieve both of these seemingly conflicting 
objectives, you will likely need to experiment with the resolution and 
bitrate settings to get the proper balance. Often, you will need to export 
multiple files from the original video footage into different durations 
and resolutions for different devices. For example, you might need a 
compact and short ad version for mobile devices and a longer one for 
smart TVs.
Measure events
In order to know that your video ads are or aren’t getting the results 
that you want, it’s important that your ad server provides video event 
reports. You should dig into all available ad reports, especially the video 
tracking events, to see what is happening. Are people skipping, muting, 
or failing to watch all the way to the end? Did they experience any error 
while loading the ad? These tracking events tell you the signs that your 
video content needs to be tweaked, which could mean making it shorter 
or perhaps a little more entertaining. Any error should be identified and 
corrected as soon as possible because both publishers and advertisers 
want their ads delivered and seen.
Narrow your target audience
Video ad serving is not really different from other ad formats. It is all 
about reaching the right audience that will most likely respond 
positively to your ads. Therefore, the more specific audience you target, 
the better your video ad performs. When adding your creative into the 
video ad server, explore all available targeting criteria and restrictions to 
ensure different ad versions are served to suitable audience segments 
and devices. Drill down on your target audience to discover which types 
of videos will be most appreciated, and which platforms work best. 
There will be some trial and error here, but it’s worth taking the time to 
do it to maximize conversion rates and minimize wasted impressions.
About Adspeed
AdSpeed ad server is a reliable & powerful ad serving and ad 
management solution that serves your ads, tracks impressions & clicks 
and reports ad statistics in real-time. Driven by the latest ad serving 
technologies, the goal of Adspeed adserver is to provide a reliable 
platform that can help in executing online advertising strategy more 
efficiently. 
Thank you for spending your precious time in reading this article.