On average, over 8 BILLION videos are watched on Facebook EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

However, creating videos that captivate your audience and that will sell them on your product means both being familiar with the platform and having some inside industry knowledge.

Here are 6 tips we recommend to help increase video views and engagement on Facebook:

Keep it short

One of the main things that can make the difference between someone scrolling past your video or watching? Length.
With attention spans on the decline—especially on social media—the optimal video length for Facebook videos is usually 15-60 seconds for quick conversions and brand awareness.

Shorter videos also don’t require much investment from the user and are easier to produce.

However, the next important question you need to ask yourself is “how do I capture their attention in the first place?”

Get them hooked

It happens to the best of us. You think you have a very interesting, well-executed video, yet it’s not receiving traffic. Oftentimes, it comes down to a crucial thing you may have overlooked: an attention-grabbing hook.

In the online world where you've got about eight seconds to capture a user's attention, you’ve got to make a point—and make it quickly. In fact, Facebook revealed that 47% of a video’s value takes place in just the first three seconds.

A great way to do this is to ask an interesting question that sheds light on a popular or ‘controversial’ topic relevant to your brand. Also, by revealing the answer before trying to sell them the product, you provide value early on, often leading to more shares, likes and comments on your videos.

Make it (look) native

Sometimes blending in can be a good way to stand out: through native advertising.

These days these types of ads are getting harder and harder to spot—because they integrate with a platform's content extremely well by mimicking the style and tone.

For Facebook, think selfie-style, Facebook Lives or DIY homemade videos.

One of the reasons many ‘influencer-style’ videos have become popular is that they offer this behind-the-scenes glimpse that often feels more authentic and genuine to the user. Creating video content from the perspective of sharing an at-home recipe, or reviewing a product that looks like it was shot from the consumers point of view, can help fight ad fatigue and increase engagement with your videos.

If you want to dive deeper, here are a few ways we recommend using native footage to help improve Facebook ad performance.

Focus on meaningful interaction

On Facebook, the feel-good experience is king.

This is because Facebook ranks and prioritizes content that promotes ‘meaningful interactions’ for its users. Your goal should be to create video ads that encourage conversation—without resorting to engagement baiting.

Emphasizing what your product has to offer and how it will improve the users’ lives will help you scale, since it contributes to a more positive experience—and therefore more time spent—on the platform.

 

Make it feed-stopping

It might seem like a no-brainer, but every video needs to have an eye-catching thumbnail.

You want to make sure the image and text will stand out from the other content users see on their feed—while also revealing a bit about what the video is about.

A feedstopping thumbnail could be something as straightforward as asking an interesting question, or adding sticker icons and emojis that draw the user’s attention. Also don’t be afraid to change it up if it’s not getting views. Sometimes the simplest tweaks to a thumbnail can do the trick!

 

Design it for the right platform

With so many different media platforms, it can be tempting to create one video and recycle it on other social media.

But when it comes to optimizing your content, you’re not going to see the results you’re looking for if you don't tailor it to each unique platform.

Take Facebook, where approximately 65% of all video views are on mobile, with 85% of those are watched with the sound turned off.

In order to make it more mobile-friendly make sure you are:

- Using either a square (1:1) or a vertical ratio (9:16) to frame your video—since users are scrolling vertically.

- Featuring close-up shots, big fonts and eye-catching graphics and split-screens to keep your audience engaged.

- Adding captions so that audio is optional.

- Including a clear call-to-action so that the user knows where to click.

- Creating Facebook specific copy so you don’t run into issues with compliance.

While Facebook has their own best practices, in order to be successful on the platform it’s important to understand how certain design or creative elements can take you so much further.

At Quality Score we are passionate about helping you create winning ads that capture your audience so they can fall in love with your products.