Think of Facebook video ads like street performers. They are there in a crowded space, trying to catch your attention, and if they do not deliver, they will just keep on performing.
However, when it comes to performance, you want to be the main act. For you to generate more views and engagement, they should be so good that people cannot ignore them.
Why Should You Create Video Ads on Facebook?
According to data, 64 percent of consumers are more likely to buy a product after they watched videos of them. Therefore, you can use video ads as a tool to generate more leads and sales for your business:
Here are some ways how you can utilize video ads:
- Introduction to your brand: This is the type of ad that you would normally have on your site’s homepage, where you are sharing your company’s story, objectives, and mission.
- Gives value: This type of video can be a form of tutorial or how-to video. Ideally, you are sharing awesome content to get people to click-through your site.
- Create your email list: This is a video that tells your audience about an upcoming webinar or you are giving a free ebook.
- Testimonials: If your previous customers have recorded a couple of testimonials, then you can also utilize it as a video ad. It is an excellent way to retarget people who have visited your sales page.
In these videos, you can either use animated texts and messages, a recording of yourself, or a combination of both. These options work well, depending on what type of business you are and what are your goals.
We have put together in this post ten awesome ways on how you can craft killer Facebook ads for your business.
1. Set Your Objectives Straight
In any marketing effort, the first step that you need to take is deciding what you want to achieve.
In your video ad campaign on Facebook, are you trying to boost brand awareness and generate conversions?
According to Voy Media, a top Facebook ads agency, “Picking what you need to prioritize will significantly affect the type of video that you want to create. So, you must plan accordingly and select your KPIs. By knowing what metrics you want to track, as well as your goals before you can start creating your video, you’re more likely going to become successful.”
2. Grab people’s attention early
Observe your own behavior when you are online. Do you easily get impatient, click away if the website and the content is taking too long?
Let’s say you are reading a blog post and it does not give you interesting insights immediately, then you will probably hit the back button only a couple of seconds.
Moreover, another study has shown that a person’s normal attention span is now down to eight seconds.
Therefore, you need to send your message out right away. Otherwise, they will click away without even knowing what your ad is all about.
3. Make your video ad easy to understand
A lot of Facebook users are a bit overwhelmed with all sorts of content that fills their Newseed. That’s why your video ads must be concise and easy to understand.
Here are some tips on how you can keep it clear and concise:
- Front-load your ads with the most vital information: If you do not immediately get to the point, they would stop watching your videos. They would not understand the value of your product either.
- Be specific: If you try to include too much information in a single video, you can easily lose focus, which makes your videos less engaging. Focus on a single theme as much as you can. Do not try to give any unnecessary information.
- Keep it personal: This makes it easier to appeal to your user’s emotions so that the connection lasts.
4. Mention your brand right away
Short Facebook ads have become the industry’s standard. However, do you actually have time to promote your brand?
Well, as it turned out, you need to mention your brand on the first three seconds of your ad.
In a study by Facebook, it was found that 23 percent of consumers are more likely going to remember a video ad if the brand was featured in the first three seconds.
Moreover, 13 percent are more likely going to remember it if it was mentioned in the first four seconds, as compared to other brands that weren’t shown on the first few seconds of the video.
5. Make Sure Your Video Works Muted
85% of Facebook videos are watched even if the sound is turned off. That’s why you need to see to it that your ad is still working even if it is muted.
Because auto-play videos would usually flood them, a lot of users will turn the sound off in their settings. Therefore, your video ad should capture their attention with or without a sound.
Here are some tips:
- Utilize bold titles and graphics: Even if you have your Facebook video ad muted, you can easily convey what your content is all about through bold titles and graphics.
- Place subtitles: Subtitles might not be the best alternative if you want to place your videos on mute. However, if you have limited tools at your disposal, you can use it to make your message loud and clear.
- Visually tell your story: There are times where you do not necessarily need graphics or texts to get your point across. Make sure that you are still telling the story visually to your audience even if the sound is off.
- Place animations: Animations are highly visual in nature and they work quite well even if the video is muted. Strategize how you can make a script or the entire concept and how it could work even without a voice over.
- Place the “tap for sound” reminder: 80% of users become annoyed if a video plays automatically with a sound. Plus, they will think negatively about your brand as well. Therefore, it is more ideal if you place a “tap for sound” style. Make sure that you include graphics so that users can easily engage in the sound if they want to.
6. Always include a strong tagline
See to it that you end your video with a short tagline such as “visit our website to learn more,” or “buy now.” This will help guide users to the next step of your campaign, whether it is subscribing to your email list, visiting your landing page, or buying from you.
Another thing that you should take into consideration is the visual of your tagline because it also makes a difference in the total number of visitors who will actually convert.
Also, when you are utilizing video ads to show bits of your personality, having a closing text will reinforce the value proposition of your brand.
7. Go vertical or go square
Now, we move on to the ratio that you need to utilize to gain maximum views and engagement. Recommended sizes for vertical videos are either 9:16 or 1:1, forming a perfect square.
Why? Well, note that in the newsfeed’s mobile version, square videos take a majority of screen space than videos in landscape format.
Also, more screen space for your video ad means those texts and visuals are more likely to grab the user’s attention and is easily readable.
So, the bigger your video appears to be, the harder it will be for people to ignore. Not to mention that users are more likely going to engage with it.
Research supports this concept, too. In a study by Buffer, square videos tend to get 35 percent more views and 100 percent more engagement than horizontal videos.
Now, for vertical videos, since a majority of mobile phones are used in portrait mode, you need to cater to the user’s orientation.
People do not want to turn their phones just so that they can see your ad. That’s why you should focus on making their lives just a little bit easier as well.
Although the landscape might work well in a theater, for Facebook video ads, vertical and square sizes work better.
8. Tell a compelling story
If you want to craft a Facebook ad that resonates with your target audience, then you need to tell a story. When you tell a story that most of your target audience can relate to, then you are likely going to catch their attention and they will convert.
One way to grab their attention and tell a story is by simply asking them a question. Think about the pain points of your target users, and then craft a story on your video ad that revolves around these points.
The most engaging stories usually start with conflict and then ends with a solution, such as your product or service. Great storytelling will captivate your audience’s attention, hook them in, and they are more likely going to remember it afterward.
9. Place your CTAs in the middle
If you are encouraging users to take a specific action on your ad, then promote it in the middle of the video.
Placing your call-to-action (CTA) at the very beginning of your ad wastes the opportunity to catch your audience’s attention from the very beginning.
The first three seconds of your video should be dedicated to present your brand and stir interest from your viewers. So you cannot afford to place your CTA in there. At the same time, you have not convinced users to buy anything at that point.
In the same way, placing your CTA at the end of your video will miss a large number of viewers who will stop watching the video right to the very end. By placing your CTA in the middle, you can capture the audience that is curious with your ad, and while you still have their attention.
There’s data to back this up. According to a study by Wistia that analyzed over 300,000 videos with CTAs, it found that 95.5 percent have CTAs at the end, 0.1 percent from the beginning, and only 4 percent midroll.
But here is where it gets exciting: They found out that the mid-roll CTAs have the highest conversion rates.
So while a vast majority of the population place their CTAs at the very end of their videos, you can easily leverage your brand by placing the CTA at the middle.
10. Have a mobile-first mindset
With a majority of Facebook users accessing the platform through their mobile phones, it should be wise that mobile videos should be on your top priority.
Each time that you create an ad on Facebook, think about how mobile users can experience it.
Will your video still look good even with smaller screen size? Is it still appealing to someone who only has limited time to view your ad? Does it still make sense even though the sound is turned off?
Consider these factors to make sure that your audience on mobile still gets the full impact of your ad.
Also, it is revealed that people on mobile tend to choose shorter video ads with runtimes of about 15 seconds or less. To top it off, the platform’s meta-analysis of video ads showed that mobile-first ads have more extended view times and excellent brand recall than those with more conventional video ads.
That’s why, when preparing your next video campaign on Facebook, think of mobile users as your primary audience.
Final Thoughts
Crafting the ideal Facebook ad is not just about showing your products. It is far more than that.
Because there are a lot of content on social media, your ad must stand out from the rest of the pack, making it easy for your audience to connect more with your business. The year 2019 is also a great year for video marketing on Facebook.
By following these tips and applying it to your own strategy, then you are well on your way to crafting amazing Facebook ads. Also, remember to create a strategy that is not just right for your company, but is also specifically tailored to your audience to meet their needs.
