About LiveRail Beta
What is LiveRail?
LiveRail is an online content distribution and video advertising platform. We help advertisers promote their products and services online in a simple pay-per-viewer environment. You upload your video to LiveRail, target your campaign, and we then offer your ad to relevant viewers across the web. Viewers who are interested can decide to watch your advert at any time they wish, and you only pay when someone actually chooses to watch your ad because they want to, not because they're forced to.
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What do I need in order to use LiveRail?
Other than a computer and internet access (obviously!), you'll need a video advert in digital format stored on your computer. Supported video formats include: wmv, mov, mpeg, 3gp, avi and flv
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What will change when the Beta period ends?
During LiveRail's Beta period, the system will operate quite differently to once we launch fully for the public. Most noticeable for advertisers will be the fact that although we are tracking ad-views and ad-spend for campaigns in your account, we won't actually charge you a penny. Instead we're giving all advertisers who use the system during this pre-public stage a daily $1000 budget for free to use within LiveRail. This will give selected advertisers an opportunity to learn how the system works and familiarize themselves with its features without any cost or commitment. There are a few other things that will change too, for example we'll be rolling out more servers for launch to make the system faster and your videos look better, plus of course anybody will be able to join - not just those with invitation codes.
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How long will the Beta last
We're still not exactly sure when LiveRail will leave Beta and open to the public - however we are aiming for full launch in late Summer. Once we are confident that the system works flawlessly and that the performance is up to the high standard our publishers and advertisers expect, we will launch fully. You'll be given plenty of advance warning when the beta is ending, and if you'd like your ad campaigns to continue running, you can just register your credit card within your existing account at that time.
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Account Management
How Do I Register for the Beta?
Simply fill in the form at http://www.liverail.com/advertiser/request-invitation to request an invitation to our beta period. If selected you will be sent an email outlining the next steps.
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Do I need to add a credit card during the beta?
There is no need to add a credit card in order to participate in the Beta test of LiveRail. During the beta your account will automatically be topped up to have $1000 in credit automatically every 24hrs
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I've forgotten my password
Well done! Email support@liverail.com giving us your username/email address and your registered physical address and we'll send you your password by email to your registered email address.
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How do I change my password?
Your password can be updated by clicking on the "Account" tab once you've logged in to the LiveRail site.
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How do I change my email address/login
All these details can be updated by clicking the "Account" tab once you've logged in to the LiveRail site
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Why do I keep getting logged out?
LiveRail uses cookies to store certain key information about your use of the system. If cookies are disabled, or other security settings on your browser are set too high, then you may be unable to use the LiveRail site as expected. Try enabling cookies and/or changing your security settings. Temporarily stopping other security software on your machine may also help, although should not be needed.
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Bidding and Targeting
Bidding explained
Once you've uploaded your advert, and selected targeting options, you will be asked to choose a $ bid per view. This is the maximum price you'd be willing to pay each time someone chooses to watch your advert. Your bid is then used to calculate how frequently and prominently we display your ad-preview to viewers - advertisers with higher bids relative to competitors targeting the same categories as them will receive greater exposure. One important feature is that we will round your bid down to be just above the next lowest bidder - so if you are the highest bidder in a category with a bid of $10 per view, but the next highest bidder is only bidding $0.30 your ad views will be charged at just $0.35 - this ensures that higher bidding is never wasted money. After placing your bid, our system will give you an estimate of your position - you can then adjust your bid according. Please remember this is only an estimate and may change once we know how popular your ad becomes and who else decides to advertise in the same target categories as you.
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What is the daily budget?
Your daily budget is the maximum you want to spend per day (24hrs) on a particular advertising campaign per day. We will continue to serve your ads as frequently as possible, and will stop showing it if/when this daily budget has been spent. On the main campaign page, you will also see your "Total daily budget" this shows the grand total of you are willing to spend on all your active campaigns.
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What does the "estimated position" mean?
Your "estimated position" is an indicative estimate of how prominently your advert will be displayed to viewers. Every time someone watches a video on the LiveRail network, we query our database of active ad-campaigns and create a list of ads that we believe are relevant to that individual viewer. That list is then ordered based on a number of factors including each advertiser's bid price and popularity. Advertisers at the top (i.e. with a high position) are displayed in priority to those further down the list, and will receive more views for their ads. When you place a bid per view for any campaign you're running, we'll try to calculate an estimated position to give you an idea of how high up our list of active advertisers you appear for the categories you are targeting. This is an estimate only, and may change depending on how popular your ad proves to be, or who else starts advertising in your category.
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How does geographic targeting work?
Geographic targeting allows you to control where in the world your ad should be displayed. If you would like to make sure your ad is only shown to viewers in only a few selected countries, then untick the "All countries" box and a drop-down list of all countries will appear. Select a country you'd like your viewers to be in, click "Add" and that country will appear in the list of targeted countries. Continue selecting countries from the drop-down list and clicking Add to add additional countries, click "Remove" from any country in your list to stop your ads from showing to that country. This feature works by analyzing the IP (Internet Protocol) address of each viewer watching videos on the LiveRail network.
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How does category targeting work?
Videos published by LiveRail content partners and publishers are all assigned to categories that describe the video's content. We have almost 300 content categories, from computers to football, so that you as an advertiser know and can control exactly what sort of things your target viewers are interested in. For example, if you sell sports equipment, you may like to target your ads at viewers watching videos about that particular sport. Advertisers who accurately target their adverts to relevant content receive higher click through rates, lower costs per view and better return on investment for their advertising. The "Targeting" section of your campaign setup/management area shows a list of the categories of videos where you'd like your ad to be shown. You need to select at least one category of videos to target, otherwise your ad will not be shown anywhere. Simply select a major category, and then a sub-category from the drop-down boxes, and click the "Add" button - that category will then appear in your target list. You can then repeat the process to target as many categories as you want, or remove categories to refine your targeting.
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How does language targeting work?
If you would like your advert to only be offered to viewers watching videos in a certain language, untick the "All languages" targeting option, and select the language(s) you want. The mechanics for this process are the same as for category or geographic targeting.
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Ad Content and Status
What video formats are supported?
Supported video formats include: wmv, mov, mpeg, 3gp, avi and flv
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My video failed to appear in my account, or fails to play
Umm… Very strange! Please contact support@liverail.com and we'll do what we can to get the bottom of the problem.
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How long can my ad be?
Ads are limited in length, although quite generously compared to what you may be used to in TV advertising. This is balanced by the fact that viewers can choose to exit an advert at any time if they feel its dragging on too long - and if LiveRail sees that your ad is being exited prematurely by too many viewers, we will display if less frequently. So keep it snappy!
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What is the "Preview Title"?
If someone is watching a relevant video on LiveRail's network, we will offer them your advert by displaying a "preview" underneath it. This preview includes a "Preview Title", a "Preview Description" and a thumbnail image taken from your advert. This ad-preview acts as a "teaser" for your advert, and should written to make your advert as tempting to click on as possible. We do have certain rules about what can and can't be written in these fields, so if you find that what you write is disallowed, please rephrase your ad to avoid using those words.
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What is the "Preview Text"?
If someone is watching a relevant video on LiveRail's network, we will offer them your advert by displaying a "preview" underneath it. This preview includes a "Preview Title", a "Preview Description" and a thumbnail image taken from your advert. This ad-preview acts as a "teaser" for your advert, and should written to make your advert as tempting to click on as possible. We do have certain rules about what can and can't be written in these fields, so if you find that what you write is disallowed, please rephrase your ad to avoid using those words.
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What is the "Main Ad Text"?
Once someone has clicked on your ad-preview to launch your full video advert, there is space beneath your video for you to give more information about your product/service. This is known as the "Main Ad Text".
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What are the display and real URLs for?
When someone has clicked on your ad-preview to launch your full video advert, there is space beneath the video for additional text explaining your product/service and a link to your website. The display URL is the website address that viewers actually see (i.e. www.yourcompany.com) and the real URL allows you to actually send visitors who click this link to a different address should you wish (such as www.yourcompany.com/productname/description.htm) - This gives you the option of displaying a nice simple, clean address, rather than confusing visitors by showing a long detailed one to a specific page on your site.
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How do I update my ads preview's thumbnail image?
On your ad-preview we display a small preview image taken from your advert. If you'd like to choose a new, more representative image from your video to use as your thumbnail ad-preview image, go to the "Ad Content" page for that campaign, and click play on the video. As the video starts playing, click the "Change Thumb" button. The screen will split, on the left will be the video, and on the right will be your current thumbnail. When the video gets to the part you'd like to use as your new thumbnail, click the "Capture Thumb" button. The thumbnail preview on the right of the screen will update. If this image is correct, click the "Update Thumb" button to save this as your new preview thumbnail. This process can take a bit of time, so please be patient and wait for it to fully update.
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Reporting and Statistics
What is CPV?
CPV stands for Cost Per View. This is how much, on average, you are charged each time someone chooses to watch your advert. This figure will usually be less than your "Bid Per View" because we round-down your bid so that you only pay marginally more than the next highest bidder.
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What is CTR?
CTR stands for Click Through Rate and is a way of measuring the effectiveness of an online advertising campaign. Your CTR is calculated by dividing the number of users who clicked to view your advert, by the number of times your ad-preview was displayed (impressions). For example, if your ad preview was shown 100 times (i.e. received 100 impressions) and one user clicked to view your advert, you would have a CTR of 1%.
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What are impressions and views?
Every time we display your ad-preview, it counts as 1 impression. You do not pay for impressions, only for actual ad views, which is when someone has actively clicked on your ad-preview to launch your full video ad.
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How do I get information on my ads viewers?
Detailed breakdowns of all your ad-viewers are available as part of each invoice. To view your paid invoices, click the "Account" tab, then click "Payments History". Choose any of the completed billing cycle invoices and you will be shown a full list of every ad view in that period, including the viewer's location, the time and date they clicked your ad and what video they were watching when they saw the ad.
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Billings and Payments
What payment methods does LiveRail accept?
During LiveRail's Beta period, the system will operate quite differently to once we launch fully for the public. Most noticeable for advertisers will be the fact that although we are tracking ad-views and ad-spend for campaigns in your account, we won't actually be charging you for your ad views. You are therefore not required to add credit card details to your account.
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When will I be billed?
During the Beta, you will not be billed, and are not required to enter credit card details
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How can I get a detailed invoice/breakdown?
Detailed breakdowns of all your ad-viewers are available as part of each invoice. To view your paid invoices, click the "Account" tab, then click "Payments History". Choose any of the completed billing cycle invoices and you will be shown a full list of every ad view in that period, including the viewer's location, the time and date they clicked your ad and what video they were watching when they saw the ad.
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How do I know how much I'll be billed next?
To view the charges accrued in your LiveRail account, but not yet billed, click the "Account" tab, and then click "Billing History". At the bottom of this page you will see an "Outstanding" figure.
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Support and Contacts
Who should I contact with billing/payment enquiries
support@liverail.com
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Who should I contact with general or service support enquiries?
support@liverail.com
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Who should I contact with media/press enquiries?
press@liverail.com
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