Everyone keeps on asking about my micro video ads so I decided to make a post about them. Back in 2014 we all anticipate video ads to be next big thing. Phones were finally fast enough to stream HD video through 4g networks and advertisers started to adopt video using their old school ways. The year for video was 2016 and some advertisers are still sticking to their old school ways.

Aspect Ratio

As most people know, full-HD video is 1920×1080. Many people continue to create their videos in that wide aspect ratio, which is great if you are shooting a movie but if you’re reading this you are most likely an advertiser. What I like to do is edit in 1080×1080. Why do I do this? Because I’ve learned that people on their phones have better things to do than expand your video and flip their phone sideways to watch your advertisement. You are lucky that they’re even paying attention to your ads.

Below are two video that I created and uploaded on Instagram for my clients in Healdsburg, One World Fair Trade.

Now image that you’re on a cellphone (which over 70% of you are probably are). Which video shows more detail? Which video is easier to read? As marketers and advertisers we must adapt. Shooting videos vertically isn’t just for people that don’t know how to use a phone anymore. Vertical videos are for people that want likes, hearts, and interaction.

Social Media Killed It

One reason that people respond so well to micro video ads that are not in the traditional 1080×1920 aspect ratio is because people are used to being on social media. Think about how much time you spend on your phone (a vertical landscape) vs how much time you spend watching TV (a horizontal landscape).

While you’re on Facebook you are more than likely seeing images in a vertical format because most people don’t turn their phones sideways to take pictures. When you’re on Instagram you’re probably looking at square pictures. Then there’s Snapchat…on Snapchat everything is vertical. These platforms are forcing a lot of marketers to move away from the traditional 1920×1080 aspect ratio.

Effective Micro Video Ads

Below are two videos I created for On Fleek Makeup & Wax Studio using recycled clips. The first one wasn’t very successful the second one blew up on Facebook (although I have attached the Instagram version).

After looking at Video #1 and Video #2 we can see a many differences including

1. Aspect Ratio, Video #2 takes up more space although it has less pixels 1080×1080 vs 1920×1080
2. Text, Video #2 has more text. Large text that is legible.
3. Brightness, Video #2 is brighter (think watching a video on a semi-sunny day)

Those are just some tips that will make your micro video ads perform better.