8 Advanced Tactics for Optimizing Facebook Video Ads to Perfection
8 Advanced Tactics for Optimizing Facebook Video Ads to Perfection
8 Advanced Tactics for Optimizing Facebook Video Ads to Perfection
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In the online advertising world, Facebook video ads were once widely dismissed by many marketers as a fruitless practice. But within the past two or three years, the social media site’s role in video advertising has changed drastically.

In fact, Facebook revealed at their last F8 conference in April that video ads have a 25 percent lower CPA (cost per action) than link ads and a 175 percent return on ad spend. Now that’s impressive!

1. Keep it Concise

The attention span of the average internet user has declined to only eight seconds, which means you have a fraction of that time to grab their attention before they scroll right by your ad. Considering the onslaught of content in the average person’s newsfeed, that’s not an easy task. Even after you’ve gained the viewer’s attention, the total length of your video shouldn’t last more than 20 seconds.

Facebook offers an analytics feature that allows you to see how long users view your video. For the most part, you’ll notice very few people sticking around to watch your whole ad.As far as editing your video, you may be surprised to learn that intros, credits, and even logos can be a hinderance. A successful video ad is clear and concise with little to no “fluff.”

2. Use a Good Thumbnail

If a Facebook user has disabled the autoplay feature, your video will display a still frame, or thumbnail, instead. Often, automatic thumbnails aren’t the best or most flattering images to use. Just like when you choose an image for a regular ad, you’ll need to select a thumbnail that captivates your target audience and motivates them to hit that “play” button.

You can either choose one from a gallery of automatically generated images or upload a picture from your computer–bear in mind that this could be a unique photo not even featured in your video. Use this to your advantage; select something that is relevant but visually striking.

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Source: ShoutmeLoud

3. Use Video to Enhance Your Link and Carousel Ads

While many people scroll right past most carousel ads, an autoplay video can help capture their attention. Similarly, including carousel images can also draw more interest than a video-only ad. Combining these features allows you to include elements such as CTAs, link descriptions, and headlines. You can also use the combination of video and images to tell a progressive story. For example, you could have a picture of your product followed by a video of people using and enjoying that product. Again, the video should be short and entice users to partake in your CTA.

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Source: Facebook

4. Only Target Wi-Fi Devices

Since many people experience disrupted video service when they’re without Wi-Fi, consider optimizing your video ads so that they only target users who are on Internet-connected mobile devices. This way, you can avoid negative viewer experiences that stem from slow or stunted video play. You’ll also bypass wasted ad spend from people who unsuccessfully attempt to engage with your ad.

5. Take Advantage of AutoPlay with Soundless Video

More than half a billion Facebook users are mobile-only, which means they’re probably scrolling past your ad while they’re taking a break at their desk, waiting for the bus, or in some other public place. In these scenarios, users are unlikely to be able to stop and listen to your video. This is where the advantage of soundless content comes in, or at the very least, a video that can be viewed with or without sound. You can accomplish this through the use of subtitles or headlines. In fact, Facebook reported a 12 percent increase in view time for video ads with captions.

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6. Foster Interaction

Just like with regular Facebook ads, video ads require communication. This means that once you’ve got people engaged and making comments on your video, you need to start replying. The biggest benefit of advertising on Facebook is that you get direct feedback from your target audience.

Keep the conversation fun but professional, and make sure that it’s adding benefit to your campaign. It’s especially important to interact with people who have had a negative experience with your product or even with your ad—use those customer service muscles to mend your relationship with the consumer and use their feedback to find out how you can improve. 

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Source: Peets Facebook Account

7. Use Censorship Carefully

For most Facebook video ads, some negative comments are unavoidable. However, that doesn’t mean you should just go ahead and delete them willy-nilly. Deleting all negative comments can taint your image—people will see your brand as inauthentic and untrustworthy. Try to keep comment deletion to a minimum. For example, you may delete comments that are spam, prejudicial, or attack another commenter.

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Source: Hyatt’s Facebook Account

8. Great Content Before All Else

You only have a few seconds to engage your viewer, so you need to concentrate on creating a video that is both visually and intellectually stimulating. Be clever, inspiring, or controversial and avoid low-quality, grainy shots—after all, these days you can shoot an HD video on your smartphone. Also, consider posting a question about your brand or service that prompts people to comment on, share, or “like” your video.

Your Turn

As you may have gathered, Facebook is a great place to advertise products and services. Unfortunately, there are a lot of competitors who are also using the social media site. Using these tips can help you stand out in the crowd by improving the quality and optimization of your Facebook video ads and eventually improve your ROI.

What are your favorite Facebook advertising strategies? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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About the Author

Andy Beohar
Andy Beohar is VP of SevenAtoms, a HubSpot certified agency in San Francisco. Andy develops and manages ROI positive inbound and paid marketing campaigns for B2B & Tech companies.

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