Facebook has always been a platform where visual content has its own importance. And if until recently the photos were to monopolize the attention of the users, now the domain of the social seems to be passed to the videos .
Sharing data from Buzz Sumo’s study of over 777 million Facebook posts, journalist Brian Peters writes that “when it comes to bringing Facebook’s strategy to the next level, there’s no better way to do it than through the video content “. Indeed, according to the data, “1% of the best 500 posts in 2018 were videos”.
Peters also adds that the video content generates 59% of ‘ engagement more than any other type of content. And this success of the videos would not seem to concern only organic posts. Elise Dopson from Databox interviewed 29 marketing experts to understand what kind of content works best for Facebook ads and the video seems to be the most powerful.
Having clarified this, the question remains whether there really is some kind of video that manages to be more “attractive” than others within the platform. Well yes! Elaine Bennet reported that “Facebook Live has ten times the reach of all other content on Facebook”, and gets six times more interactions than pre-recorded videos.
At this point it becomes quite clear that your brand will benefit from sharing video content . Here are ten useful tips for a perfect video marketing strategy on Facebook , directly suggested by the Zest Content Stream team of experts.
- Limit your videos to a length between 15 and 90 seconds
- Hook your viewers by going straight to the point
- Tell people why they should watch your video
- Capture users’ eyes with a fantastic thumbnail of your video
- The vertical format performs more than the square one
- Make your Facebook Page move
- Caption your content
- Use a mix of video content to make your message interesting
- Promote and distribute your content for maximum impact
Limit your videos to a length between 15 and 90 seconds
After 90 seconds, user engagement levels are abruptly interrupted. Indeed, 15 seconds would seem to be the ideal maximum duration for video advertising. Clearly, there are some exceptions to the rule: if users appreciate what they are looking at – like the 15-minute video of Lady Gaga – then it is clear that they will not stop so easily.
Hook your viewers by going straight to the point
The best advice from industry experts? Snap your audience in right away. Your goal, in fact, must be to attract users’ attention in the first 5 seconds of the video . For longer content, Joe Forte suggests presenting the content with a synopsis that “explains to your audience what they will learn by watching the video”. Pay attention that it is a clear and concise introduction, but above all it intrigues the public.
Tell people why they should watch your video
Every time you publish a video on Facebook, you should accompany it with a text, which explains to users why it is worth investing their time in viewing the content.
Capture users’ eyes with a fantastic thumbnail of your video
The details make the difference, and this also applies to the performance of the content on Facebook. This was verified by the AdEspresso team, which tried to understand if the miniature of an advertising video could influence its effectiveness. And indeed it is so: the miniature image can change the CPA up to two times. “Choosing the wrong image could seriously compromise the result of your video ad campaign on Facebook.”
The vertical format performs more than the square one
Vertical or square format? This is the doubt raised by the Buffer team in collaboration with Animoto, which clearly showed that vertical videos are more successful on Facebook . This is because the format is itself optimized for mobile devices, increasingly used by users around the world. There is only one problem: the Facebook Messenger Feed only accepts the horizontal format, so this strategy can only be used on Zuckerberg’s native platform.
Move your company Facebook Page
Maybe you already know, but the cover of your Facebook page may not be an image, but a video. Why not use it then? On the other hand, this can be a good solution to present your brand, show your product offer and promote an upcoming event. Uploading the video on the page is very easy, but you should still pay attention to a series of details that have a great influence on the content rendering:
- Choose the right size (820 × 312 for the computer, 640 × 360 for mobile devices)
- Use the text, as long as it is visually appealing
- Always take note of how the video interacts with your logo and the CTA button on the page
- Always keep your audience in mind by mobile, and make sure your video is clearly visible from both desktops and smartphones or tablets
Caption your content
Perhaps this is the suggestion you don’t expect, but Ian Cleary (RazorSocial) has noticed that as many as 85% of viewers choose to delete the audio of a video . The use of subtitles then becomes fundamental, and not only in relation to this particular public habit. You should also consider that Facebook really represented a great innovation for the visually impaired content enjoyment, which explains the importance of subtitling video content.
Use a mix of video content to make your message interesting
Do you have any idea how many types of content exist for sharing on Facebook? Here are some:
- Live video
- Video tutorial
- Information videos
- BTS video
- UGC video
So try to experiment as much as possible the mix of these types of content, so as to attract (and keep alive) the attention of the public.
Promote and distribute your content for maximum impact
Are you looking for some strategy to build an audience that will ensure you watch the video you share? Try to build the right expectation around the Live of your event on Facebook. If it’s a series, promote it as a multi-episode TV show. Create buzz by sharing clips of your video on multiple social channels. Post links to your content in Facebook Groups, or use Facebook Messenger to alert your fans when to post a video.
Check your metrics
Your campaign is not finished until you have collected all the data concerning it. Then create a system that allows you to monitor the performance of your video content. Anna Bredava suggests starting with the goals you want to achieve, then choosing the metrics to monitor and setting your benchmarks.