Video advertising has changed quite a bit in the last few years. It is no longer something businesses use only for brand awareness or big-budget campaigns.
In 2026, Alaska businesses can use video across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, connected TV (CTV), programmatic advertising, and other digital channels to reach specific audiences, bring previous website visitors back, support search campaigns, and generate leads.
At Elevate Digital Marketing Solutions, we help businesses determine where video fits into their overall advertising strategy. That might mean running a YouTube campaign, creating short videos for social media, reaching streaming TV audiences, or combining several channels into one campaign.
The right approach depends on who you're trying to reach, where they're located, and what you want them to do after seeing your ad.
You don't need a full video production shoot to get started with video advertising. Elevate offers template-based video ad creation in 10, 15 and 30-second formats, giving Alaska businesses an easy way to create professional video creative for digital campaigns.
We can build ads using photos and other assets you already have or incorporate licensed stock photography and video when additional visuals are needed.
The finished ad can then be created with the advertising placement in mind, whether it's being used for YouTube, social media, programmatic video, or other digital channels.
It's a practical option for businesses that want to add video to their advertising without the time and expense of a traditional video shoot.
One of the biggest changes we're seeing is that video isn't being treated as a separate advertising channel anymore.
A customer may see a short video about your business on Instagram, encounter another ad while streaming content, search for your services on Google a few days later, and eventually visit your website or call.
That means the question isn't necessarily “Should we advertise on YouTube or Facebook?”
A better question is: “Which combination of advertising channels will help us reach the right customers?”
Depending on the campaign, Elevate may use video alongside:
Not every business needs every channel. We build campaigns around the audience and objective rather than adding platforms simply to increase reach.
Alaska's size and population distribution make geographic targeting especially important.
A business serving customers in Anchorage or the Mat-Su Valley usually doesn't need to pay to reach people throughout the entire state. On the other hand, an Alaska tourism business may need to reach potential visitors in Seattle, California, Texas, or other markets thousands of miles away.
That's why local video advertising in Alaska should start with the actual market a business serves, rather than automatically targeting statewide.
Depending on the advertising platform, campaigns can be built around specific cities, ZIP codes, service areas, audience characteristics, interests, behaviors, and other targeting criteria.
For example, an Anchorage home-service company may want to concentrate its advertising around Anchorage and Eagle River. A business expanding north may include the Mat-Su Valley. A tourism company may advertise outside Alaska entirely.
The geography should follow the customer.
Short-form video continues to be an important part of digital advertising in 2026.
Platforms such as YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook and Stories give businesses opportunities to reach people with shorter, mobile-friendly messages.
This doesn't necessarily mean producing completely different videos for every platform.
A single video shoot can often be planned to produce several pieces of content: a primary video, shorter edits, vertical videos, social media clips, and advertising creative.
Elevate can help businesses create video advertising content with the final placements in mind. Instead of producing a video first and deciding how to advertise it later, we can plan the message, format, audience, and advertising strategy together.
That can make the creative more useful across an entire campaign.
Each video advertising channel can serve a different purpose.
YouTube advertising can help businesses reach people watching relevant video content and researching products, services, or topics.
Facebook and Instagram advertising can introduce a business through social feeds, Reels, Stories, and other placements and can also be useful for reconnecting with people who have previously interacted with a business.
Programmatic video advertising uses automated technology to place ads across eligible websites, apps, streaming services, and other digital inventory based on campaign targeting.
Connected TV advertising (CTV) reaches audiences watching streaming television through internet-connected TVs and devices.
These channels don't have to compete with one another.
For some Elevate clients, the better strategy may be to use multiple channels to reach customers at different points in the decision-making process.
For example, someone might first see a business through a video campaign, later encounter a retargeting ad, and eventually search Google when they're ready to contact a company.
More impressions don't necessarily mean better advertising.
If your business only serves Anchorage, reaching thousands of people outside your service area may increase your impression count without increasing your opportunities to gain customers.
A more focused campaign may consider:
Alaska businesses also have unusually strong seasonal considerations.
Tourism seasons, winter weather, construction schedules, daylight, fishing seasons, PFD distribution, holidays, and other local factors can affect when people are interested in particular products and services.
That makes timing part of the targeting strategy too.
A good video ad doesn't have to explain everything about your business.
In fact, trying to say too much can make an advertisement less effective.
We generally want the viewer to quickly understand three things:
What are you offering? Why should I care? What should I do next?
For an Anchorage HVAC company, that might mean promoting one seasonal service rather than listing every service the company provides.
For a retailer, it could be a timely promotion.
For an Alaska tourism company, it might be one memorable experience that gives travelers a reason to learn more.
The format and length can change depending on where the video will appear, but the message should remain easy to understand.
Video views are useful, but they only tell part of the story.
The metrics that matter depend on what the campaign is supposed to accomplish.
If the goal is awareness, reach, frequency, video completion, and website engagement may be useful indicators.
If the goal is generating leads or customers, businesses should also look at actions such as:
At Elevate, we want campaign reporting to help answer practical questions.
Which audience is responding? Which creative performs better? Which geographic areas are producing results? What happens after someone reaches the website? Is the campaign generating the type of action the business actually wants?
Those insights can then be used to adjust targeting, creative, budget, or channel mix.
No.
A local business doesn't automatically need YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, programmatic video, and connected TV at the same time.
The right mix depends on the business.
Budget, target audience, geographic market, campaign objective, available creative, seasonality, and existing marketing all play a role.
That's one of the reasons Elevate takes a multi-channel approach to digital advertising. Instead of recommending a platform simply because it's popular, we look at where the audience can realistically be reached and which channels make sense for the campaign.
Sometimes that means video plays a major role. Sometimes search advertising should receive more of the budget. Often, the strongest strategy uses several channels together.
Video advertising uses video creative to promote a business, product, service, or message through digital advertising platforms. Video ads can appear on YouTube, social media, websites, apps, streaming services, connected TVs, and other digital placements.
Alaska businesses can advertise through platforms and channels including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, programmatic video networks, and connected TV. The best choice depends on the audience, geographic market, budget, and campaign objective.
Yes. Many digital advertising platforms provide geographic targeting options that can be used to build campaigns around specific locations. The targeting available depends on the platform and campaign type.
For a business that primarily serves Anchorage, a locally focused campaign may make more sense than advertising throughout Alaska.
Programmatic video advertising uses automated technology to purchase and deliver video advertising across eligible digital inventory. Campaigns can use targeting criteria to determine which audiences and placements are appropriate.
Programmatic advertising can complement platforms such as YouTube, social media, search, and connected TV as part of a broader digital advertising strategy.
No. Connected TV (CTV) generally refers to advertising delivered through streaming television content viewed on an internet-connected television or device. YouTube advertising is purchased through Google's advertising ecosystem and can appear across YouTube placements.
Both can be part of a video advertising strategy, but they are different advertising opportunities.
Yes. Elevate Digital Marketing Solutions provides video production and digital advertising services for Alaska businesses. We can help plan the campaign, develop the advertising creative, identify appropriate audiences and channels, manage the advertising, and evaluate campaign performance.
You don't have to know whether YouTube, Meta, programmatic video, connected TV, or another advertising channel is the right place to start.
That's something we can help you determine.
Elevate Digital Marketing Solutions helps Alaska businesses plan and manage digital advertising campaigns based on their audience, location, goals, and budget. Our services include digital advertising strategy, audience targeting, video ad creation, media placement, conversion tracking, and campaign optimization.
Whether you want to reach more customers in Anchorage, expand into the Mat-Su Valley or another Alaska market, promote a seasonal offer, or increase awareness of your business, we can help build a campaign around what you're actually trying to accomplish.
Elevate can help you choose the right video advertising channels, reach the right audience, and understand how your campaigns are performing. If you are considering video advertising for your Alaska business, contact our team to talk through the options.