Farm Journal changed how we created and promoted content from the 2024 Pro Farmer Crop Tour to learn how it could resonate more and deepen engagement with our audience. The most impactful tactical change? Adding vertical video elements. It was atotal game-changer, even impacting branded search around the event and its brand.
The numbers tell the story. Video views grew from 2 million to 14 million (YTD September). Pro Farmer Crop Tour is in August, where these numbers peaked (see chart). What the data also showed was how flawed video views are as a standalone metric. However, one of the more exciting revelations was how we were able to grow true attention (hours spent watching content) rather than just generating skipped views.
What lessons did vertical video teach us about content?
YouTube had much stronger video completion rates than the other platforms for our agriculture related content, but our videos largely generated less views there. As we tried to understand how content worked on YouTube, we found it valuable to look at the data with both quality (attention) and quantity (views/reach) in mind.
The great thing about short videos is that you can create a lot of them. Even without using multiple AI tools that boost production speed and efficiency, we were still able to create a lot of content without additional resources. Working with a larger variety of content allowed us to identify what will create the highest engagement at the cheapest rate. The videos that found an audience organically and had great completion rates will have a low cost-per-view while generating strong consideration and purchase intent.
That being said, the videos with high completion rates will still generate strong influence with the audience, but will do so at a higher cost. They would make for great content for sequential ad campaigns, as the content would capture the attention of those who engaged in the more cost-effective ad set. You get to vary your creative, reducing ad fatigue without sacrificing ad performance. Since the audience is already warmed up, the cost-per-view will be less than running them as standalone ads.
We saw similar opportunities on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. However, completion rates were much lower. This has significant implications for post view metrics like consideration and purchase intent. Views and reach metrics were much higher on these platforms, potentially making them better for increasing awareness.
Was it qualified traffic? Did it drive branded search?
The simple answer is yes and yes. While we were actively posting content during the week of Crop Tour, we saw the highest volume of branded search, the lowest CPM and the highest conversion rates. If we had to do it all over again, we would have gotten our ad copy optimized before running the campaign, as the CTR held back overall performance. However, the conversion rate gap between when we were running the Crop Tour videos and later in September is significant and certainly suggests a qualified audience.
WeekImpressionsCTRCPMConv. rateCost / conv.Aug 19, 2024 to Aug 25, 2024 (Week 34)310,7340.41%$44.65%$11.70Aug 26, 2024 to Sep 1, 2024 (Week 35)36,9902.93%$143.28%$5.33Sep 2, 2024 to Sep 8, 2024 (Week 36)36,6472.77%$131.91%$7.16Sep 9, 2024 to Sep 15, 2024 (Week 37)42,6692.24%$131.19%$9.84Sep 16, 2024 to Sep 22, 2024 (Week 38)29,1852.01%$171.43%$5.88Sep 23, 2024 to Sep 29, 2024 (Week 39)42,8071.47%$172.64%$5.40
What content performed best?
Synthesizing
Humor
What did we learn?
This journey taught us that vertical video offers a compelling way to amplify engagement. While metrics like views and reach can often feel gratifying, true success lies in capturing attention and creating meaningful moments of influence with the audience.
By tailoring content to the nuances of each platform, we not only drove branded search but also generated qualified traffic that translated into higher conversion rates. This isn’t just about quick fixes or fleeting trends — it’s about rethinking how we connect with our audience in today’s digital landscape and keeping our efforts adaptable to what performs best.
For more insights on what’s happening across the agriculture sector, check out Farm Journal’s October 2024 Farm Country Update and stay informed on the issues shaping the future of agriculture marketing.
The post Three Million Monthly Video Views: Advertising Lessons Learned from Farm Journal’s YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels and TikTok Videos appeared first on Farm Journal.
Farm Journal changed how we created and promoted content from the 2024 Pro Farmer Crop Tour to learn how it could resonate more and deepen engagement with our audience. The most impactful tactical change? Adding vertical video elements. It was atotal game-changer, even impacting branded search around the event and its brand. The numbers tell
The post Three Million Monthly Video Views: Advertising Lessons Learned from Farm Journal’s YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels and TikTok Videos appeared first on Farm Journal. Read More