Optimizing Video Content for Facebook
Use different types of video content to achieve specific goals – for example, publish product video reviews for direct sales.
At the same time, the message of each of your video messages should be in the language of the social platform. For Instagram, these would be visually beautiful stories with certain hashtags – as an example.
How Changes in the News Feed Affect Video Visibility
Marketers have spent the last few years learning the language and features of Facebook, but now the landscape has changed.
Facebook Zero (the latest platform update) has brought some changes to the very core of our knowledge about the place of video in the diversity of content on Facebook. The update aims to encourage meaningful communication between people. As Facebook begins to show content based on human connections and the ability to provoke conversation, users will see more content from friends and less from companies.
In this regard, video is seen as passive because it doesn’t generate as much discussion as other types of content; therefore, it will be shown in the feed much less often. Does this mean that it’s no longer worth investing in creating videos for Facebook? Not at all. It just means that you’ll have to improve their quality, as the competition between companies will become much more intense.
And here’s what you can do to stand out.
On topic! Article “How to Create and Promote Video”
#1 Choose Video Formats That Increase Engagement on Facebook
Earlier we talked about the special language spoken by the Facebook audience. When it comes to video, this language is determined by the video format you use to reach that audience. Therefore, when you create videos for Facebook, such videos should absolutely generate communication and engagement.
Live Video
Facebook claims that live videos are watched 3 times longer and commented on 10 times more than any other type of video on the platform. And with the changes to the news feed algorithm, these comments can significantly increase your organic reach.
You can use live video for streaming from various events, organize a Q&A session with it, or present a new product.
Educational Videos
A sure way to spark interest in the audience and engage them in dialogue in the comments is to explore a problem that concerns people. Discussing a problem always evokes a lot of feedback and increases brand engagement. People will start to see you as an authority, and their trust in you will grow with each video you publish.
Use educational videos to showcase the solution to a problem or a concept that people in your field most often encounter.
Example:
You can watch the video and see how popular they are.
Company Stories
Facebook has always seen its mission as connecting people and building communities, so another way to make your audience feel like part of the company is to show what’s happening behind the scenes. Invite people into your “home.” By putting your team and their daily duties in front of the camera, you show the true human face of your brand and share values, and this always allows people to get one step closer.
Couldn’t find a better example – while preparing the article, we got hooked ourselves.
You can use company videos to introduce a new team member, show how a product is made, or how an order is fulfilled from placement in the system to customer receipt.
Video Instructions
Instructional videos that show step-by-step how to solve a specific problem are most popular on any platform. And since many people will have their own variations of the problem, such videos will inevitably lead to many questions and discussions in the comments.
This is a video from the lifecell page on how to connect 4G.
Use video instructions (or manuals) to show subscribers how to place an order, solve a problem, or set up your product.
#2 Invest in Video Design to Monetize Engagement
All social networks have their own special language for video, but that doesn’t mean that certain things work equally well for videos on all platforms. There are specific technical and audiovisual aspects that have proven effective on Facebook, so make it a rule to use them.
Brevity is the Soul of Wit
Previously, Facebook claimed that the length of a video is not as important as its ability to tell a story. Yes, storytelling is vital, but the better you get at shooting videos no longer than 2 minutes, the more you will achieve with it.
Why? People lose interest pretty quickly, especially on social media. A short video forces you to keep the story simple and increases the chances of subscribers watching it to the end.
Add a Twist at the Beginning
Considering the fact that Facebook automatically plays videos in silent mode, your chances of attracting the attention of your target audience largely depend on the image.
Put the best frame on the video cover. To spark interest, include catchy or unusual images in the video sequence, use non-standard camera angles or accelerated shooting.
Captions in Every Video
Thanks to silent autoplay, people are used to watching videos without sound. Captions allow you to draw the most attention to the essence of your message.
When preparing captions, remember to use keywords. This will help attract even more attention to the meaning of your message. Don’t overdo it with effects.
The story (your message) is the most important part of the video. Don’t try to be overly creative in the process of editing and applying effects. This can interfere with the perception of the main idea.
Simplicity is the key to success in this case. Let the story be original and speak for itself.
#3 Invest in News Feed Impressions
If Facebook Zero makes anything clear from the get-go, it’s that Facebook wants businesses to pay for impressions. If you haven’t paid for advertising on this platform yet, here’s the gist. The system offers several different options to help recoup your time and money.
First, you can define a series of key targeting characteristics to more accurately reach your desired audience.
You will also get valuable data about your videos, their views, and engagement. For example, how many 3-second and 10-second views each video received, how much these views cost you, and the number of full or partial views of the entire video.
You can even break even on the performance of your videos in each audience segment. Maybe young people prefer short, dynamic videos, while older audiences prefer longer ones.
All this information can be found on the Facebook Ads platform. And it’s worth the money you spend on advertising and impressions in the news feed. This data can help you optimize your videos and tailor them to specific goals, increasing engagement and reach. And since Facebook takes all these metrics into account, you simply can’t afford not to spend money on it.
Conclusion
The Facebook landscape has certainly changed, but the key points that determine video engagement remain the same. Take note of the tips above to create videos that will make subscribers talk to you and about you.
And since Facebook Zero is primarily about engagement and meaningful communication, it’s safe to say that you’ll need engagement of a quality that hasn’t been seen before (and a couple hundred for investments).
