Video ad networks are essential for mobile app publishers aiming to maximize revenue through mobile video ads. They not only boost earnings but also play a key role in lead generation and strengthening relationships with your audience.
By leveraging video ad networks, publishers can tap into advanced advertising strategies that engage users effectively. These ad networks provide the tools needed to drive both revenue growth and long-term user engagement.
Top Video Ad Networks
By partnering with top video ad networks, app marketers can tap into expert strategies that provide a competitive edge. These networks offer specialized knowledge, enabling your app to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
This guide will walk you through the essentials of mobile video advertising, providing insights into how it works and why it’s crucial for app developers. After understanding the basics, you’ll be introduced to a carefully curated list of the best video ad networks.
Choosing the right video ad network gives you access to cutting-edge techniques, innovative ad formats, and advanced analytics. With the right partner, you can stay at the forefront of mobile video advertising and boost app growth.
What are video ads?
Mobile video advertising is a term used to describe any mobile-based video that features an advertisement. It differs from traditional ads by showing up pre-roll (before a video plays), mid-roll (during the video) or post-roll (after the video). Mobile video ads can also appear in non-traditional formats like blog posts or websites.
Think of the times you’ve watched YouTube and the ads that come up as part of the experience. Since there’s no intermission–like with traditional TV broadcasts–viewers must accept having to watch video ads at varying intervals. Unless, of course, they pay for premium features where they can remove ads. YouTube is now a key driver of video ads and boasts 2.5bn annual users.
According to the IAB Revenue Report 2021, digital advertising has hit a total spend of $189 billion. And out of this total, in the last two years, digital video saw the greatest growth. So, as a growing trend, this form of marketing now makes up over 20% of digital ad spending.
Featured Video Ad Networks
What are the different types of video ads?
Understanding the different types of video ads is key to maximizing your app’s advertising potential. Each format offers unique advantages, allowing publishers to engage users in various ways while driving revenue. By selecting the right video ad type, you can create a more seamless and effective user experience.
Depending on the advertising scope on offer, advertisers have a range of options to consider. In this section, we’ll explore the various video ad formats available, helping you determine which options best align with your app’s goals and audience preferences:
- Instream ads (Linear/Non-Linear): Instream ads show up either before, during or after a video. And while they’re not user-initiated, they can be non-skippable or skippable after a few seconds.
- Outstream ads: Outstream ads sit outside traditional video formats and often ‘autoplay’ when a user lands on a page. You may see them running on journalistic sites or within the text of an article. Users can often stop them or skip them.
- In-feed or in-banner video ads: Also known as Discovery Ads, in-feed video ads run during searches, on the home page, or even in ‘watch next’ feeds on YouTube.
- Shoppable Ads: Since more than 50% of TikTok users say that ads led them to discover new products or brands, TikTok has launched in-app shopping ads. Ads run as catalog listing ads, video shopping ads, and live shopping ads.
- Bumper Ads (Non-Skippable): Bumper ads appear on YouTube as 6-second awareness-raising ads.
- Masthead ads: YouTube Masthead ads appear on homepages and can include elements like video links, image galleries, social sharing buttons, and CTAs.
- Rewarded video ads: As a form of incentivized advertising, rewarded video ads are initiated by users who agree to watch the ads in return for something of value. Often, this is an in-app reward that supports gameplay.
- Gamified ads: Gamified ads are interactive ads that often appear as mini-games. By inviting users to engage with the ad in an active way, they often have higher conversion rates.
- Interstitial video ads: Interstitial video ads are a form of mobile video advertising that take over the full screen.
Why should you use video ad networks?
Video ad networks are essential for app publishers who want to maximize their ad revenue while reaching a broader audience. By connecting you with advertisers and providing access to high-quality video ads, these networks streamline the process of monetizing your app, helping you focus on growth and user engagement.
Beyond revenue generation, video ad networks offer powerful tools and insights, such as advanced targeting, real-time analytics, and creative optimization. These features allow you to deliver relevant ads that resonate with users, improving both retention and overall app performance.
Here are a things to consider:
Ad targeting
One of the best reasons to include mobile video ads in your strategy is the ability to target users and devices. Because, when promoting products locally or at events, for example, advertisers can take advantage of tactics such as geotargeting.
Plus, advertisers who use a mobile video ads network can also get support with contextual targeting. And this allows you to place ads on websites that are most relevant to your products or services.
Positive ROI
According to a report by Wyzowl, 92% of marketers said that video was an important part of their 2022 marketing strategy. Additionally, 87% said that video gave them a positive ROI, which had increased by over 50% since 2015. And this may be due to increasing sophistication when tracking and quantifying video use.
Shareable content
A huge part of TikTok’s success is its shareable short video content. And, with over 3 billion downloads of the app, it’s a large market for sharing video reels or ads.
As an example, one of the most shared ads of all time is Volkswagen’s “The Force”. Shared on YouTube 4 days before it aired at the SuperBowl, the ad got 17 million views before it aired. Plus, it remains one of the most shared SuperBowl video ads of all time.
Video is more popular
86% of businesses use video mobile advertising as part of their strategies – a growth of over 30% since 2016. And as an effective and popular medium, 4 in 10 marketers use mobile video ads in their strategies.
What do video ad networks do?
Video ad networks act as intermediaries between app publishers and advertisers, helping to efficiently distribute video ads within mobile apps. They connect publishers with a wide range of advertisers, ensuring relevant and engaging video content is shown to users while maximizing ad revenue for the app.
In addition to facilitating ad placements, video ad networks provide tools for targeting, optimization, and performance tracking. These features allow publishers to refine their ad strategies, ensuring that the right ads reach the right audience, ultimately improving user engagement and increasing monetization.
Let us take a further look at what video ad networks do:
Generate leads
86% of marketers believe video mobile ads are effective for lead generation. By working with a mobile advertising network, advertisers and publishers can uncover the best approach to target new users.
Increase conversions
When executed well, mobile video advertising has the power to increase conversions. Mobile video adsnetworks that follow Google’s best practice guidelines can increase conversions per dollar by up to 50% with video ads. They can also see conversion rates boosted by up to 40%.
Achieve higher eCPMs
Mobile ads networks have the tools to connect to SSP and access appropriate publishers. By making use of in-app bidding tools or platforms, you can take advantage of Real-Time-Bidding which promotes higher eCPM rates.
Match platform protocols
Running comprehensive campaigns across Facebook, Google, TikTok and more requires knowledge of each platform and the resource to match specifications.
Mobile video advertising networks can bring their expertise to this process and help advertisers to meet differing platform requirements.
Target users
Mobile video ads networks can put strategies in place to support you with contextual targeting and geotargeting. At the same time, they can run A/B tests and use analytics tools to ensure your campaigns are hitting the mark.
What are the benefits of working with video ad networks?
Working with video ad networks offers app publishers a powerful way to boost revenue while providing engaging, high-quality ads to users. These networks simplify the ad monetization process by connecting publishers with top advertisers, ensuring relevant ads are displayed seamlessly within your app.
Beyond revenue, video ad networks provide advanced tools such as targeting, optimization, and real-time analytics. These features help publishers improve ad performance, increase user retention, and create a more personalized ad experience, all while staying competitive in the mobile app market.
So, what are some other benefits?
Reduced risks of ad fraud
Global estimates suggest digital advertising fraud will result in a loss of over $80 billion in 2022. And since this figure is set to rise, advertisers and publishers can avoid the risk of fraudulent clicks or fake downloads when engaged with the protection of a mobile ads network.
Cost-effectiveness
If you’re an advertiser thinking about embarking on a mobile video ads campaign, you’ll save considerable cost and resources working with a network. From creative conception to strategic planning, bidding and testing, there’s a huge amount to cover. Using up all your resources will cost you time and money. So, on balance, it’s more cost-effective to pay a third party to do it.
Global reach
Mobile video ads networks give advertisers access to publishers via SSPs. Along with offering access to audiences based around the globe, networks will have the experience to know which publishers will suit you best. Then, they can work with you to tailor the most effective approach.
Convenience
Advertisers and publishers can leverage self-service platforms and one-stop-shop tools on their own terms. Through self-service tools, you’ll find it easy to run your own ad campaigns and review performance using analytics dashboards. You’ll also be better able to test your campaigns and inform the success of your next one.
How much do mobile video ads pay?
Due to their high CTRs, mobile video advertising offers some of the highest eCPM rates around. And since the price of ad impressions changes depending on each market, we’ve compiled a rough guide to the best eCPM (effective Cost-Per-Impressions).
Mobile video ads eCPMs
Mobile video advertising includes a wide range of approaches such as rewarded video ads, mobile banner ads, and interstitial ads. As a result, we’ve listed each style of video with a range based on current knowledge.
Mobile video ads eCPM rates 2021
| iOS Rate Ranges | Android Rate Ranges | Facebook Average |
|---|---|---|
| Rewarded Video eCPM – $1.96 to $14.5 | Rewarded Video eCPM – $1.59 to $11.45 | $14.10 |
| Interstitial eCPM – $2.27 to $9.64 | Interstitial eCPM rates – $3.01 to $10.11 | |
| Banner eCPM – $0.16 to $0.38 | Banner eCPM – $0.16 to $0.5 |
Source: Shyftup
What are the best practices of video ads?
Successful video ads tend to show some of the following attributes during high-performance campaigns:
- Focus on micro-content: YouTube was the first platform to introduce a 6-second ad after it recognized viewers’ dwindling attention spans. So keep your ads light and get to the point as fast as you can.
- Keep it real: Authenticity matters to modern consumers. Salesy or disingenuous ad will put many people off your brand. So, make your content more organic or user-oriented and ensure it blends with it’s surroundings as a natural part of users’ feeds.
- Have captions in mind: WCAG 2.1 guidelines suggest every ad should be accessible to all users. And that includes adding closed captions for people with hearing loss. Many reports also suggest over 90% of viewers will watch captioned videos till the end vs. 66% without captioning.
- Give viewers an incentive: Include a hook or Call-to-Action that encourages viewers to do something after they’ve seen your ad.
- Use the AIDA approach: Structuring your ad using the AIDA formula (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) can put you in a stronger position to increase CTRs.
What should you look out for when choosing the best video ad networks?
When choosing the best video ad networks, it’s important to consider factors like ad quality, targeting options, and revenue potential. Look for networks that offer advanced analytics, a variety of ad formats, and strong support to help optimize performance. Ensuring the network aligns with your app’s audience and goals is crucial for long-term success.
So, there could be some areas to be mindful of as you engage with mobile video ads networks. Here are a few to consider:
Appropriate timing and placement
Choosing the right platform for your ad is critical. But so is choosing the right timing and placement for a mobile video ad. Selecting the right mobile video ads network ensures you receive targeted, well-placed and well-timed ads that get results.
Avoiding viewers’ inclination to skip ads
Viewers who search for videos on Facebook, YouTube or other websites want to watch content, not ads. Clearly, this can make them less likely to want to spend time looking at an ad. But with a well-matched network in tow, you can overcome this with well-designed ads and effective strategies.
Work with top video ad networks
As highlighted in this guide, video ad networks offer a wide range of benefits that create a win-win-win situation for developers, advertisers, and users alike. The interactive and engaging nature of rewarded video ads, supported by the right video ad networks, helps everyone involved, making them a powerful tool for boosting app revenue and user satisfaction.
Whether you’re a publisher looking to increase revenue or an advertiser aiming to reach a larger audience, choosing the right video ad network is crucial.
Video ad networks bring valuable experience in all areas of mobile video ads, ensuring they understand the nuances of rewarded ads. This kind of expertise can help your app grow and expand globally, reaching new users and markets.
With top video ad networks, you can fine-tune your ad campaigns for even greater success. To explore more, check out the full list of top video ad networks and discover how they can support your app’s growth and advertising needs.
