Pre-launch Video Testing: 4 reasons why it matters for your business
Are you confident in your video ads?
We all know video marketing can be extremely powerful and effective, but we are also familiar with the following situations: You spend tons of money making a video, but you are not confident about the return, because you don’t know whether your ad will work and achieve its final goals or people will just skip watching and click away.
Whether the objective of your ad is to increase sales, raise awareness of your brand or simply explain customers how to use your product, you need to be sure there is a very good chance of strong return before launching the video on digital channels.
Be sure your ads will work – we are already talking about one of the main reasons why incorporating pre-launch testing in your marketing planning is crucial. But before directly jumping to this matter and especially if you are new to this, let’s first be clear about the concept. So the first question might be, what is pre-launch video testing?
Pre-launch video testing, simply explained
It’s quite self-explanatory that pre-launch testing means testing before launching the video officially. Just think of the mobile application and software pre-test before release, there pre-launch testing has long become a norm.
However, compared to app or software pre-launch test, video testing involves less technicality, but more creativity. So the first purpose of pre-launch video testing is creative testing. In other words, pre-launch video testing exists to help you understand whether your messages or the way in which your message is delivered – that is to say – your narratives are well receipted by the target audience.
Now you might also have a video that is already made and you don’t wish to make more changes to the video itself. Then what does pre-launch video testing mean to you when your video is done? In this context, it’s less about testing the creatives, but more about gaining consumer insights. For example, you can test you video with different demographic group and you can easily find out the group of consumers that react most positively to your video.
Great job! Now you know some basic tricks of pre-launch video testing. In the following part, based on real use cases we analyzed and helped to improve, we will talk about in what ways pre-launch video testing can help your business grow. Yes, it’s getting real!
1. Pre-launch testing helps you choose the most impactful creative
Edit your video based on data-driven consumer insights. Identify the most engaging moments as well as moments in which viewers start to get distracted. Understand why creative A works better than creative B. Use this insight to find the optimal design and editing.
Check out Ad Battle #9 to see how to identify moment of distraction (and the reasons behind) and learn useful tips to drive increased attention to your video!
2. Pre-launch testing helps you understand and segment your audience
See how different demographic groups react. These insights can help you choose creatives or concepts to accurately target specific groups. Also, understanding what each demographic group likes also allows you to create an ad incorporating elements that address all groups. Very often, these insights will also help you breathe new life into your brand’s image.
Explore Ad Battle #4 to see how to filter target group responses using our tool, also get inspirations from Renault to see how to effectively address your target audience!
3. Pre-launch testing helps you to avoid worst-case scenarios, in advance
No more preparing for the worst-case scenarios. Be sure viewers are engaged in the first 5 seconds to avoid “zapping” behavior and keep them tuned in till the end. Locate the best spot for your “Call to Action” to multiply engagement rate. Once launched, there’s no need to track your ad performance anymore. Feel free investing your time and energy for more urgent issues, because you know your ad will work.
4. Pre-launch testing provides long term learnings to improve your ad ROI
Make predictions come true. Be informed about what viewers liked about your creative. Identify which ingredients made your previous creatives successful and implement them again in future productions.
Well done! Now you know why testing is important and even got some tips from our Ad Battles. Let’s get in touch and start to build campaign confidence now!