Have you tried advertising with Facebook video ads? Are you aware of how many of your target audience could be reached through a simple but powerful message delivered via a well-produced Facebook video ad? Do you want to start getting into video advertising on social media, but are unsure of how and where to start? Then keep reading!
You’ll learn how Facebook video ads are empowering digital marketers, the various Facebook video ad types you can utilize, and a few tips on how to create ads. If you need some help in producing high-quality content that matches your brand and impresses your customers, we’ll let you know who can step in to assist you as well. Let’s get started!
What Is A Facebook Video Ad?
A Facebook video ad is very simply a video that is shown to a user in one of many pre-determined places as they use the social network. The advertiser can choose to create a new video for this purpose or even use one of their existing videos to boost as a Facebook video ad. If you’ve ever been on Facebook before, then you’ve certainly come across one of these. Facebook video ads may appear in many places but they have a few elements in common.
The Elements Of A Facebook Video Ad
Every Facebook video ad will display a few pieces of information in addition to the actual video.
- At the top will be the account name of the advertiser who created the video ad campaign, along with the words “sponsored” to differentiate a paid Facebook ad from a purely organic video.
- Below this will be the primary text of your post with a character count not exceeding 125. If the text is longer the character count will be automatically shortened.
- Below the text is the actual video. Facebook users have the option of setting videos to autoplay, to start playing with sound or simply showing a thumbnail until they press play manually.
- While it might sound off, the actual headline of the Facebook video ad is displayed below the video and not at the top. This is limited to 45 characters and will be truncated if you go beyond that.
- Beneath this on the lower right corner of your Facebook video ad is the call to action (CTA). This is a clickable button that can be configured to send the user to a location that is on or off Facebook. It could say “Shop Now” if you’re selling products online at an e-commerce store. If you’re the owner of a five-star hotel or luxury resort, this could say “Book Now” to send users to your hotel reservations page or “Contact Us” to connect them to a member of your staff.
- Right at the bottom of a Facebook video ad are the number of shares, likes, and comments which indicate the user engagement levels for your video.
Why You Should Create Facebook Video Ads
If you’re still unsure of why you need to be advertising your business and brand using Facebook video ads, then here are a few reasons that will convince you to get started.
Video Has The Highest Engagement Levels On Social Media
According to a press release by Facebook’s parent company Meta, the social media platform has over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of 2022. And it is very clear that many of these users love video-based content. According to studies conducted on Facebook video statistics, over 500 million of them watch an incredible 100 million hours of video every day, with 65% of users on mobile devices.
The reason is simple. Social media users simply find video content to be more engaging than other forms of content, and naturally spend more time consuming it. With such high engagement levels, advertisers should absolutely use the medium to its full potential and make it part of their social media strategy.
Facebook Video Ad Conversion Is Higher Than Other Types of Facebook Ads
Users aren’t just watching videos on Facebook, but they are also interacting with them by clicking on them to learn more. Marketing experts state that the conversion rate for users is 20 to 30% higher for Facebook video ads than for other types of static or image-based Facebook ads. In fact, many customers are using Facebook video ads to learn more details about the brands as well as the products or services that are being advertised. As a marketer or advertiser, you should be using this amazing tool to convert these viewers into paying customers.
Get Insights And Refine Your Future Facebook Ad Campaigns
One of the great things about Facebook’s tools is that even if you fail to reach your ad campaign objective the first time, you can refine it over time. This can be achieved by using Facebook’s Insights which indicates what your audience likes and dislikes. If your first set of video ads failed to convert but had a satisfactory number of views, then maybe you need to adjust your call to action.
After making adjustments, you can even retarget your previous viewers to convert them. Over time, you can learn about your audience, refine your approach, and create successful Facebook video ads. To learn more about video advertising in general, read Video Advertising – Everything You Need To Know.
Types Of Facebook Video Ads You Can Make
Here are a few Facebook video ad examples you can use. They appear in different locations on the user interface, and it’s best to experiment with a few different types to see what your audience responds to.
Facebook Feed Video Ads
These are video ads that appear in your news feed as you scroll through Facebook. Since Facebook feed ads appear very similar to organic posts, they can be incredibly effective. The first few frames of such a video ad are essential and if done correctly, will make a user stop scrolling to watch the rest of it.
Facebook In-stream Video Ads
These are video ads that will play before, during, or after the video a user is currently watching. A user will see a little bubble that notifies them that an ad will be played soon and there are options to make these ads skippable if you feel they are too intrusive.
Facebook Stories Ads
Some users love watching Facebook Stories that their friends have posted. As they scroll from one to another, these ads can pop in between. Since they transition seamlessly, they don’t feel intrusive, and there’s even a clickable call to action button if users wish to learn more about the product or service you’re offering.
Facebook Marketplace Video Ads
Some users love to shop in the Facebook marketplace. Video ads you place in this marketplace will appear alongside the organic listings that users are already browsing. These can be targeted to grab attention with similar products that users are interested in. An eye-catching video ad here can instantly seal the deal since many users are already looking to buy something.
A Few Tips For The Successful Facebook Video Ad
There are a few things you can do to improve your chances of successfully converting Facebook ad viewers into paying customers.
Create Eye-catching Video Content
Viewers are bombarded with video content from the moment they log in, and your video ads on Facebook have to look nothing short of incredible to stand out from the crowd. If your company currently lacks video production capabilities and in-house talent, it may be fruitful to enlist the services of a professional production house that has the expertise to tackle your project. To find out what a video production company can do to add flair to your content, read Why You Need Creative Video Production Services.
Engage Your Audience Quickly
Viewer attention spans are shrinking, and shorter videos have become particularly successful in recent years with the entry of social media platforms like Tik Tok. As users scroll down their feeds, your video ads have to grab their attention within a few seconds to make them stop. The introduction to your ad has only about three seconds to set the tone and reel the viewer in to watch the rest of the video.
Create Facebook Ads That Work Without Sound
Some users prefer to keep the autoplay videos on their news feed to play without sound. While you can have voice-over narration from a famous celebrity or a catchy piece of background music that enhances your video, it has to be effective even in the absence of sound. Users need to understand how your product works without listening to the narration.
Of course, there is the option to include captions, although they are not as effective as powerful visuals. Tourism-related videos of luxury hotels, restaurants, or picturesque locations are great Facebook ad examples that will work regardless of sound.
Retarget Facebook Users Who Watched Your Last Video Ad
There may be users that enjoy viewing your video ads for the content itself but have not yet taken any action to purchase your products or services. You know they like your videos already, and can easily tweak your call to action for this segment with a fresh approach. They already know your brand, and just need a little nudge to buy in. You can find these users through Facebook Ads Manager and retarget them for conversion.
Create Facebook Ads That Work On Mobile
The majority of people use Facebook on their mobile devices. Therefore it goes without saying that any video ads you create have to be suitable for the type of displays they will be using. The aspect ratio of the video is extremely important since you don’t want parts of your products getting cropped out on a smartphone screen. You also need to keep in mind that depending on the type of video ads you are using, they will all have different aspect ratios that work best.
If you have text appearing on your video ads, you also need to choose a suitable font and font size that not only is consistent with your branding but also is easy to read as users scroll past.
Set Facebook Ads To Autoplay
Advertising on Facebook can be done with Cost-Per-Click (CPC) or Cost-Per-Impression (CPM). This also can be adjusted through the ads manager interface. What many advertisers may forget is that with CPM, you can enable your video ads to autoplay. This could increase your chances of grabbing your audience’s attention and delivering your message more effectively.
Always Follow Facebook Community Guidelines And Video Ad Requirements
Aside from the different aspect ratios, video ads on Facebook have to fulfill other requirements. There are limits on video duration which can be two minutes for a Facebook Story ad but will differ for marketplace or in-stream video ads. The maximum file size is 4GB for all video ad placements with only MP4, GIF, or MOV file types being accepted.
Apart from these complicated technical requirements, video ads on Facebook have to adhere to a myriad of guidelines designed to keep their users safe. If a particular ad contains misinformation, is found to be discriminatory, or is deemed harmful content, you may be penalized by Facebook. Therefore you must understand their advertising standards to ensure you don’t accidentally violate them.
Need Help In Producing Slick Video Content For Your Facebook Advertising Campaign?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with all these technical video requirements and community guideline compliance, then fret not because you don’t have to do this all by yourself. There is a professional video production partner that can work with you to create slick video content that is perfect for your Facebook ad campaigns.
SUJO Twenty-Two has years of experience in crafting stunning videos that will not only impress, but drive conversions for your next successful Facebook marketing campaign. Visit the SUJO Twenty-Two page and find out what we can do for you!
FAQs
Yes. You can create new videos for ad placements or even boost your existing videos on Facebook using its ad manager to launch advertising campaigns for your products and services.
Facebook video ads can appear in the user’s news feed while watching Facebook Stories while browsing the Facebook marketplace, or as an in-stream ad while watching other videos.
You can choose to pay Facebook for Cost-Per-Click (CPC) which is $0.94 per click or Cost-Per-Impression (CPM) which costs $12.07 per 1,000 impressions.
