Advertisers will spend an estimated US$77.7 billion on online video advertising this year, according to the digital advertising research publication eMarketer.

That’s nearly a 34% increase from last year. The reason why is fairly obvious: Video is the most engaging content online. When consumers click on a video, they almost always watch the ad because they want to get to the piece of content that follows.

If the content is good, then the odds are they’ll sit through an ad message. This kind of engagement is hugely valuable, which is why big national advertisers are investing heavily in video.

Of course, local advertisers aren’t shut out, and it’s important for them to embrace the big video opportunity. That means local media – especially companies outside of the cable television business – need to help these advertisers get there.

Going the distance with video

One of the biggest choices any organisation has to make is what products it packages and sells to advertisers. It’s difficult to get sales teams to sell digital, and adding in video can be a different sort of hurdle.

Then there’s the challenge of giving the team so much to sell that dollars keep moving from one product to another with no revenue growth.

Video represents growth – and potentially money being diverted away from traditional local TV. Evaluate the skills of the sales team members to ensure they can capture this opportunity.

Audience data and engagement

Local TV is incredibly popular with SMBs, and it’s a cash cow for regional cable operators. But it’s not a very sophisticated sale. Video offers much richer data and targeting capabilities.

It’s possible for small businesses to pay between US$30 and US$50 for 1,000 online video impressions, giving them a very targeted campaign. They can choose to target geographically, but they can also factor in behavioural components that allow them to reach the most relevant consumers within that geographic region.

An open market

With the way video technology has evolved, advertisers no longer need to approach individual publishers to spread their message. A local news media organisation would always be the first choice for buying advertising, so it’s imperative these organisations offer video content.

But demand will likely outstrip supply, especially if the media organisation is producing all its own video content.

It’s therefore even more important that the organisation offers products that let businesses reach consumers beyond the media organisation’s Web domain. It’s easy for media organisations to plug into partners that can help extend their reach, helping the media organisation tap into the revenue from demand that outstrips supply.

Conclusion

The online advertising industry is very clearly going toward video. In fact, in the not too distant future, we’ll see a fusion of video and TV buying.

For now, news media organisations need to tap into the demand for video and offer all the benefits it provides to their advertiser partners. In fact, getting a head start now will set you up well for 2016. This will be a presidential election in the United States and an Olympic year. Virtually every local advertiser will be booted off local TV and cable in favour of higher-paying political ads and national brands.

Starting now allows you to smooth out the sales model and product delivery. Most media publishers don’t know how to make a video. Find a good partner to help there, and sell the largest growing digital product out there. As always, it all about the Benjamins.

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