OTT, or over-the-top, refers to video content streamed online. It is the new way to consume video and television content. The old way, via options like cable and satellite TV, is known as linear. But, as most of you already know, linear TV is fast becoming a relic as personalized and intuitive content streaming OTT is taking over completely.
A new way of consuming video content comes with a new way to advertise on these platforms. Luckily for business owners and marketers, OTT is better for viewers and advertisers! OTT advertising is customizable and is perfectly built to provide ad content for specific market segments.
Another massive benefit is, of course, measurability. For advertisers, the most critical aspect of any campaign is the ability to measure its success. This enables you to see what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, and more importantly, how close you are to achieving your marketing and advertising goals.
But how do you know which metrics to look for? And what other methods can you use to test the success of OTT advertising? Great questions — let’s answer them!
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The Metrics That Matter
The first step is to understand the various metrics you can access. As a business owner or marketer, you’ll either be doing it yourself or using a professional advertising service. While the latter is strongly suggested, it’s good to know what you or the agency are looking for in metrics either way.
Metrics can generally be split into two categories: social and streaming metrics. Let’s take a look at them.
Social Media Metrics
Organic and paid social media metrics are essential to any marketing campaign. OTT ads often direct viewers to social media pages, and quite often the OTT content is on a social media platform like YouTube or Facebook.
Engagements
“Engagements” is the broad term for all interactions on social media platforms. Engagements are defined as:
- Facebook: Comments & Shares & Reactions
- Facebook Ads: Comments & Shares & Reactions
- Instagram: Comments & Likes
- Instagram Ads: Comments & Likes
- Twitter: Replies & Retweets & Likes
- YouTube: Comments & Shares & Likes
- Snapchat: Unique Opens & Screenshots
- TikTok: Comments & Shares & Likes
Engagements can be tracked in many ways, including by platform, as a whole, or as a reaction to specific campaigns like OTT advertising. For example, if you’re running a 15-second ad on a YouTube movie, you’ll want to see how many people clicked from that ad to your chosen social media page. This is a direct indication of how well a campaign is doing.