EXADS added a new feature that will increase the revenues of both our Advertisers and Publishers who serve Video ads via our platform: the Video Call To Action (Video CTA). 

This feature allows advertisers to add a CTA on their video ads (In-Stream, Slider and Outstream), that will direct the user towards their service landing page or site. Publishers are also able to control whether they allow video CTAs on their ad zones as a means of improving the CTR. Below, we will explain the benefits of using this new feature, and how easy it is to set up from the ad platform admin panel.

Why are calls to action important?

Calls to action are designed to prompt the audience to take the action which best fits your business goals. CTAs will encourage and direct users to take an immediate action by quickly responding to an ad. The types of actions or responses can differ, from clicks, to sales, signups, or subscriptions, based on the information displayed on your ad. 

Calls to action are a key driver in lead generation and to be effective, they need to be clear and concise. The CTA is an imperative text that tells your users what it is that you want them to do. For instance, you could be promoting a purchasable item (Click Here), or asking them to subscribe to a newsletter (Click to Subscribe), signing in to your Members Area site (See Now), playing an online game (Play Game), or even directing them to a free content site (See More, etc). 

Advertisers: How to set up the video CTA feature for outstream and slider ads

The video CTA feature is set up from the Admin panel, as part of your campaign setup. All you need to do is to follow the usual steps, paying attention to the extra feature in Step 2. Below, are the instructions on how to do this:

Step 1: ‘General’: this is where you will be asked to select your ad format. In this case, your ad format will be Video.

Step 2: ‘Ads’: click on the ‘+AD VARIATIONS’ button: a pop-up window with the Landing Page URL fields will open. In addition to the usual Landing Page URL field, you will see two new options: ‘CTA Text’ and ‘Friendly URL’, which you will need to fill in order to use the new EXADS CTA feature: 

• Choose CTA Text - A drop menu will show a predefined list of CTA texts for your ad:
  • Automated (Default)
  • Click for More
  • Click Here
  • Play Game
  • Play Game Now
  • Play Now
  • See More
  • See Now
  • Try for Free
  • View Here
  • View More
  • Watch Free

Info: Bear in mind that if the ‘Automated (Default)’ option is chosen, the option “View More” will be selected automatically.

Info: The CTA display is decided by the publisher. 

• Choose Friendly URL - In addition to the CTA Text, you will also be given the option to add a friendly URL:
  • The friendly URL will display on your ad as a Domain name, below the CTA
  • That Domain name should be the same Domain that you are promoting
  • The maximum character count for your URL is 15.

 

After picking your preferred CTA, you just need to pick the creatives that you want to use for your ad. Click the ‘SELECT FILES’ button, choose your video assets (either video URL or file) and click ‘ADD’ or ‘ADD VARIATION’ respectively. 

Step 3 and 4 are to be set up as usual. 

Having reached step 5, you will be asked to set which sites and zones you want to target for your campaign.

Benefits of the Video CTA feature for Advertisers

The key benefits of adding a CTA to a video ad for advertisers are: 

• Increased CTR and conversion rates: powerful CTAs are a key factor in maximizing conversion rates and CTRs. A well defined CTA will clarify to the user what they can expect when clicking on your ad and has the ability to turn a potential customer into a paying customer.
• Increased engagement: Video content is wonderful to display a product or service in a fun and compelling way, showing the viewer what experience they can expect from it. If you have created a great video for your ad that tells a story, a CTA is a great way to condense the message, increasing engagement by encouraging a specific action. 
• Prevent Decision fatigue: CTAs eliminate users’ decision fatigue and confusion by setting a very clear action path.
• Meet your target’s needs: Having already targeted the right audiences with EXADS targeting features, an adequate Call To Action, helps them to identify the next step in fulfilling their need.

Publishers: How to set up the CTA feature for In-Stream Ads

The In-Stream format won’t have the CTA option in zone configuration as this format relies on whether the publisher site you have targeted uses a video player that allows CTA displays. For instance, Fluid Player is fully compatible with the new CTA feature, and recently has also added new features such as Streaming Video Ads.

So, that means that the publisher is the one who needs to set up the new feature on the player. Below you can check the FluidPlayer integration: 

The CTA text can also be taken from the VAST XML that is set through the adCTATextVast parameter. So, if this parameter is set to true, it will use the text provided in the VAST XML. In case the VAST XML text is empty or this parameter is not set, it will fallback to the default set in adCTAText. 

fluidPlayer('my-video', {
    vastOptions: {adCTAText: 'Subscribe now!'}, // Default "Visit now!",
    adCTATextPosition: 'bottom left', //Default 'bottom right',
    adCTATextVast: true, // Enabled. To use the CTA text as provided in the VAST XML.
});

• Optimize In-Stream performance: In-Stream are the video ad format with higher CTRs because they play right before a site’s video content that a user has specifically chosen to view. The viewer has 5 seconds before they are given the option to skip, so it is key to show a very clear CTA from the very beginning to set a clear expectation from the get-go, optimizing conversions. 

Publishers: How to disable or enable the Call To Action feature in Video Zones

Publishers will now notice the CTA Overlay option in the zone configuration section for Video Slider and Outstream format. This option will be enabled by default, so if you as a publisher do not wish to allow video CTAs for this zone, you can simply disable this option:

Step 1: Create a new Ad Zone - Go to the “Sites & Zones” tab and click “New Zone”

 

From the drop-down menu listing all your websites, select the one in which you want to place your ad zone.

Select the “Video” category and from the drop-down menu select “Video Slider” or “Outstream Video” and click “NEXT”.

Edit the Video Slider and Outstream ad zone features.

Step 2: CTA Overlay - Toggle option to disable or enable the call-to-action. (Default: Enabled in new zones, old zones require an update for enabling)

Benefits of the Video CTA feature for Publishers

The key benefits of adding a CTA to a video ad for Publishers are: 

• Revenue increase potential: A strong CTA message on a video ad will generate more clicks and a higher CTR, which renders the ad zone more competitive pushing up the eCPM value for the video ad zone.
• Better User Experience: CTAs have the ability to clear the confusion and decrease the frustration of your audience, with a direct and clear path to action.
• Better control: Publishers decide on what ad zones CTAs can be displayed and change these at any time.

 

The Video CTA feature from EXADS takes Video campaigns to a whole new level, enhancing the user experience of the target audience while ensuring that advertisers reach their revenue goals faster, or they exceed them. 

This is one of the many features available using EXADS. As we grow, we keep adding new solutions to answer the needs of our clients. Are you looking to maximize your online advertising revenue using EXADS as your ad server? 

Get in touch now!