Get ready for an in-depth marketers’ guide to Facebook Video Ads. In this Guide, we cover Facebook Video Specs, How long Facebook videos can be, Types of Facebook ads, the Best time to post, What type of content to post, content tips, video creation tips, and more. Buckle up, get your notebook and pen, sit back and get ready to become a Facebook ad master.
Facebook is the top choice for any marketer even today as 93% of marketers consider it as their prime platform.
The platform has an active user base of 2271 Million users with 294 Million in India and 210 Million in America.
Undoubtedly, Facebook is one of the most essential content platforms and can bring a treasure of leads to any business.
The average engagement per post is 3.91% while for Facebook video posts, it’s a whopping 6.01% making it the best platform for video marketing.
Over 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day!
A video is becoming a secret weapon to rank higher in SEO terms as well.
These numbers are big enough to tell why Facebook is an important content marketing platform.
Now let’s move on to where you can place your videos?
Where Can You Place Your Video Ad?
Facebook Feed:
Facebook Feed is the most accessible place to get noticed as it is subtly placed in between the posts of a user’s friends and other content. The robust algorithm of Facebook allows you to reach the right audience and produce qualified leads.
68% of marketers prefer Facebook for video marketing as the average click-through rate is 0.9% whereas in general, the average CTR is 0.35% giving you an edge over other platforms.
Remember that people scroll through Facebook feed during various scenarios and you need to tune in with them.
Depending on varying demographics, some may be scrolling feed in their office hours while others during their commute time. People in office hours expect content that will bring some entertainment in their mundane day while commuters would want engaging content.
On the other side, senior citizens will like content which is sensible and enticing. Keeping in mind different scenarios and then defining your target audience will give you much better reach and thus a good ROI.
Quick Tips:
- Pay attention to statistics of your past videos (if any) and do more of what works.
- Reveal your brand within 3 seconds
- Opt for auto-play
- Optimize your ad title and description
- Insert a strong CTA in the middle as well at the end of the video.
- Pick the right Facebook objective for optimum benefits.
Facebook 360 video:
Facebook’s 360-degree video is a stunning way to create engaging content for your audience.
With 360 videos, take the viewer to the place they are not in and make them part of the story. This is the next-level experience you can create for your viewers.
However, filming and getting a 360 video is not as easy as regular videos as it requires special gear, techniques, and post-production work. But, it is one of the most interesting Facebook features you can captivate your audience with.
To produce 360 videos, you will have to go through the 3-step process – Film, Stitch, & Edit.
You can film a 360 video using a particular camera rig that holds multiple cameras inside it. High-tech and a vast variety of devices are available for a wide budget range.
Post the shoot, the various videos created need to be stitched together.
Finally, you can add text, sound, and other effects to your video and upload it on Facebook.
The 360 videos appear with a small 360 mark on Facebook and can be easily seen by panning with fingers. And of course, the best experience of viewing 360 videos is on the VR device.
Plan your content ideas according to the process you will be going through and make your viewers go wow at your content.
Although, this is quite a new product and people may take time to adjust to this novelty. But, you can take the early bird advantage and give your viewers a unique experience.
Note: the 360-degree feature is available only on apps and desktops for now. It is not yet available on mobile browsers.
Facebook in-stream video ads:
In-stream videos are those ads you see in-between or before some other video content.
More or less like the YouTube ads you see before or between the main videos.
Such type of ads have a significant impact as they are unskippable and MOST of the videos play with sound (however, design for no-sound).
However, Facebook allows only the publishers who meet specific requirements. You can choose from among four types of objectives – Engagement, Reach, Video Views, and Brand Awareness.
The videos are limited to 15 seconds, so you need to make the best use of this short time. You can also edit the categories of video to play your ad in as well as choose placement as pre-roll or mid-roll.
The downside of these videos is that since these videos are not clickable, you cannot take your audience to any landing page.
The results of such video ads are terrific as you can target your audience directly and there are decidedly fewer chances of your audience NOT viewing your ad.
Just like you cannot skip commercial breaks played in the theatre, the viewer cannot skip these videos. Facebook claims that in-stream ads deliver an average on-target rate of 89 percent.
Quick tips:
- Create the first 5 seconds extremely catchy to avoid dropouts.
- Keep the message short and crisp
- Select audience range judiciously for optimum benefits
PRO TIP:
- To stand out of the clutter, deliver powerful messages using sharp graphics and engaging animations.
- Use InVideo to access a resourceful media library containing millions of high-quality images and videos to create the perfect ad experience for your audience.
Facebook Messenger Video Ads:
This is the newest ad space inside the Facebook messenger app. Here, the auto-playing videos will be either seen in between different chats or inside chats.
According to Facebook, there are 1.3 billion active monthly users of the Facebook Messenger app that gives you a very broad audience to reach out.
You can use this type of ad when you want to clear the clutter and reach out directly to your target audience.
Such Messenger autoplay video ads have to be a part of a campaign using News Feed or Instagram as they cannot be used as a standalone.
As of now, this type of ad is still served to a very limited audience as Facebook is still trying this space yet.
Facebook Carousel Video Ads:
This is one of the most fruitful ad types as carousel ads allow a minimum of 2 and up to 10 videos within a single ad, each with its own link.
Again, these videos are played automatically giving you the edge of winning your viewer in the first few seconds.
Image ads still work, but numbers have proven how branded videos have taken over the ad space in Facebook.
Having multiple video ads is just another substantial opportunity to shine your brand.
Use this type of ad when you have different products to showcase or different features of the same product. In short, when you have a lot to say in one ad, choose the carousel ads.
Some of the best FB carousel ads tell a story in a sequence.
Quick Tips:
- Weave a storyboard before you prepare videos
- End one video in a way that it raises curiosity to watch the next
- Keep it short, one single message per video
- If you can tell your story with three videos, don’t go for additional just because that option is available.
Facebook Collection Cover Video:
Facebook Collection Video ads have facilitated a smooth transition from discovery to purchase of a product.
The placement of this ad is still in the News Feed; however, this type of ad is fruitful for those who intend to sell products by linking their app or website outside of Facebook.
There is one main video followed with three videos in a row below your main one.
Use this ad feature when you have four products to display and want to drive your potential customers to your app or website. The layout of this ad allows the user to see four items in a grid format.
Whether you want to create a lookbook or tell your brand story, a collection video is a way to go.
Quick Tips:
- Keep your most important video as the primary one
- Give appropriate thumbnails for people to understand which video is for what quickly
- Give appropriate headlines for easier recognition
Facebook Canvas Videos:
Facebook Canvas videos are an instant and full-screen ad experience for your target audience.
Bring your brand and product to life using one of these immersive, interactive, and uninterrupted ads. They are super fast-loading and can be created quite easily with Facebook templates.
So now, when one clicks through your ad in Facebook feed, instead of taking them to your website, you can send them to the desired page within Facebook. That means, more sales and fewer fallouts!
Facebook Canvas videos are designed with a predefined purpose of capturing the complete attention of the targeted audience.
You can use this excellent marketing medium to create engaging images and videos and swipe through carousels. It can even be used for exploring lifestyle images with tagged products.
In other words, the Facebook Canvas video would not just help see the story of people but become an integral part of it too.
Quick Tips:
- Think it as a mix media ad and blend it all beautifully- Headers, buttons, texts, videos, and images
- Choose a very attractive first component for people to be curious enough to go deeper
- Visuals play a huge role here, design it well
- Navigate user – this ad is all about engagement. There are many combinations to play with, get them to scroll, swipe right or left, click, etc. Use it to your benefit.
Facebook Slideshow Video Ads:
With Facebook Slideshow Video ads, you can create lightweight ads with photos.
This super affordable way of creating video gives you the best of both – engagement + cost-effectiveness as well as allows you to reach people with a slower internet connection.
Use stock images or videos to create a slideshow ad within a few minutes.
Facebook puts it well, with Slideshow Video ads, make a video-sized impact without a video-sized budget. This is a great way to showcase your product offerings or to tell a story.
Quick Tips:
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- Create a layout with a good combination of text and images.
- Sequence your image in a captivating manner, with your brand disclosed in the first three photos.
- Keep enough time for each picture (2-3 seconds) if you have text to be read.
- Keep the ratio of images consistent.
PRO TIP:
- With InVideo, you don’t need to be a professional video editor to create high-quality video ads. Repurpose your existing content (Image/text) and create powerful videos using InVideo in less than a couple of hours.
When To Post?
The time to post depends on the type of your business and the target audience.
The best way to gauge a good time to post content on Facebook is by looking into Facebook insights. Use this feature to understand what time your audience is most engaged and what time you should avoid.
The best approach is to do a trial run of about three months by posting on different hours of the day to see what works for you the best.
Every business is unique in its way and has a diverse target audience. It is best to have common time frames as a guide and not a secret formula for success.
Try various combinations throughout three months of trial and see what works out for you.
In general, many studies have shown Wednesday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and Thursday at 1 and 2 p.m to be prime engagement time.
If you are going to post daily, you can do so between 10 a.m. & 3 p.m. Evenings, early mornings, and Saturdays are best avoided.
What Type Of Content To Post?
To understand which type of content you should post, you must understand two aspects – why does your target audience visit Facebook and what you want them to do when they see your content.
Do you want them to click your link? Buy your product? Share your Video? Define your “Call-To-Action” very clearly before laying out your content strategy.
Now, users come to Facebook for a mixed-basket of reasons. Let us look at the RELEVANT purpose and how you can fit your video strategy into it.
Situation: When User Wants To Express Belongingness
Strategy: When You Want To Create A Community
Everyone wants to belong somewhere, that is why social media platforms are such a hit in the global economy.
Use this human requirement at your advantage and create video content that shouts that the user belongs to a particular ideology.
In this video, they are not selling any product or service, but an idea. Such type of videos gains the attention of people because they share a common opinion about the subject.
In this case, dog lovers will resonate the most with this video and naturally become a part of your brand’s community.
Situation: When User Wants To Share Opinion
Strategy: When You Want More Engagement
By liking or commenting on a post, all we are essentially doing is sharing our opinion towards the content.
Use this logic and create your video content in such a way that it can generate that provocativeness in the users and the urge to give their opinion on the topic that you have picked.
Situation: When User Wants To Stay Up-To-Date
Strategy: When You Want To Share What’s Happening
The unstoppable urge to scroll down the Facebook feed is the sign that we want to stay on top of what our friends and family are doing – where are they traveling, what are they eating, who got married to whom, and more.
Do you have news, updates or announcement about your product or company which your audience will love?
Share it with great triumph.
Situation: When User Wants To Beat Boredom
Strategy: When You Want People To Notice You
In general, job-goers visit Facebook during their lunch breaks or when they are going through their midday blues.
Moms come to Facebook when they are done with their chores and want a break.
Most of the users visit Facebook from noon to 3 p.m. to find something interesting and keep them from the sleepy afternoon.
If you have a meme, gif, or funny content around your brand, use it to leverage the people’s itch for entertainment and push it during the afternoon hours of a working day.
Situation: When User Wants To Look For Reviews
Strategy: When You Want To Build Authority
Public opinion has become crucial for buyers to make a purchase decision. Reviews in the comment section of a product shot are the most engaging content marketers find.
If your company sells products, create a terrific product shot and post it on Facebook with an aggressive advertising strategy.
Make the video creative enough for users to get provoked and provide their feedback in the comment section.
- Catchy title
- Use of an already viral element
- Terrific storyboarding
See how this video sold the product itself by taking a technical, not-so-trendy, and awkward topic and churning it into a fun story using a highly popular element- unicorn.
It is humorous and convincing.
When you want to build authority for your brand, look beyond the product, give it a dose of creativity and then see how your video becomes the best salesman for your product.
Situation: When User Wants To Find Useful Things
Strategy: When You Want To Sell
Finally, this is the type of content that gathers the most of engagement.
People love shareable hacks, tricks, and ideas that will add value to their knowledge base.
You can use this kind of How-To videos to promote your products and services and get the audience to click on your website link or purchase link.
People also love to discover new and exciting products to buy. Make use of this act to sell your product with a strong backbone of the video ad.
People love discovering things that make their lives easier.
In this video, they have shown a practical application of their product and convinced the viewer how it is extremely easy to use.
PRO TIP:
Different situations demand different styles of videos. InVideo has a wide range of templates to work with. According to the situations and the mood required, use InVideo’s templates to create effective videos.
How To Create Engaging Videos?
Define Your Target Audience
The first and foremost step to your creative endeavor is to clearly define for whom are you making the video, which group of people are going to watch your video.
Dive into “Buyers Persona”, a familiar and organized way of defining your target audience. This is your imaginary and ideal viewer. Define their age, location, profession, personality type, personal preferences, etc. Create at least 4-5 such fictitious identities.
Understand Psychological Touchpoints
Once you know your target audience, understand what they need.
- Ask questions like, why should they watch your video? What value can your video add to them? What problem are you solving for them? Is this just an entertainment video or do you want them to take some action like buy your product or share your video?
Think and rehearse the situation of your audience. Keep yourself in THEIR place and see what THEY need.
Keep It Short & Simple
It is important to keep a check on how long Facebook videos can be.
Even though the Facebook video size limit is quite generous – 240 minutes for most ads (check Facebook video specs section), the recommended size of Facebook videos is 15 to 30 seconds.
You see, an active Facebook user will have around 1500 posts in their feed. Standing out becomes extremely important if you wish to reach out to maximum people.
- Keep the video short, crisp, and easy to digest. Make sure that you have a catchy (not spammy) thumbnail to your video and an excellent title to grab immediate attention.
Also Read: How to make promo videos?
How Much Text And Where?
Inside the video, the text above 20% of the frame is a big no-no.
Keep a good balance of text and graphics in each frame. If you can say it with a picture, avoid text but if the text can add double value, don’t be afraid to add some.
Customized captions are better and very important as opposed to auto-generated. Write a captivating title and post description for your video to attract more audience.
Thumbnail text and title are the first things people look.
Spark An Emotion
People retain information if it is successful in making a connection with them.
Look at the different emotions of people and the daily activities they to find which emotion can you keep in the center. Work your content around this emotion for maximum benefit.
For example, if your product is related to insurance, you can portray the emotion of “security”. If you deal with entertainment, you can represent the feeling of excitement or so.
PRO TIP:
- Refer to InVideo’s Blog section to access tutorials, tips, and resources on how to create professional-quality videos anytime, anywhere.
Video Production
Use High-Res Quality
Using high-quality videos, images or graphics is the most important factor after good content.
However, keep the best dimensions and loading time in mind too.
Many people do not have high-speed internet, and thus, you need to hit the sweet spot between quality and file size.
Create For Mobile
Roughly 95% of Facebook visits are made through the mobile phone.
It is vital for you to make your video appropriate for a smartphone.
Your three-shots-with-one-arrow bet is to make a universal size of the square video as it is the best format for Facebook videos, LinkedIn as well as Instagram. The full portrait video looks good too.
Also, instead of embedding the video from other social sites, it is wiser to upload the video separately for maximum engagement.
Create Sound-off appropriate
Every one of us has experienced this- we use Facebook in-between meetings or during work hours or simply in a bank while standing in a queue.
Successful videos on Facebook are created keeping in mind users may not turn on the sound. As it is, Facebook does not play audio automatically; it is required for the user to click to play sound.
This leads to another critical point, don’t lose your audience with dull 10 seconds with no graphics and just sound.
Make powerful visuals in the first 10 seconds to hook your audience to win their heart enough for them to turn on the volume and quench their curiosity.
Make the first 3 seconds count as Facebook’s autoplay lasts for 3 seconds
In the above example, action speaks louder than SOUND!
PRO TIP:
- Prepare for sound-off but don’t refrain from adding sound. After creating your Slideshow, use the InVideo Voiceover feature to give sound to your video.
Use Creative Apps
You don’t need to be a master of DSLR to shoot good videos. With appropriate software and a few videography tricks, you can create professional-looking videos with ease. Such software will not only help you fix the videos but also add extra effects to it like text, doodles, animations, etc. Expand your creativity by exploring into creative apps.
PRO TIP:
- Choose the correct format. Use InVideo to automatically find the correct format each time you make a video for social media within the software.
