PHC
Facebook video is getting increasingly important for brands by the day. While the effectiveness goes up, so does the ad spend.
Facebook recognizes the impact of video, and as a result they’re doubling down on the format. Marketers are seeing a steady flow of updates aimed at improving video on the platform and making it easier to publish and evaluate performance.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the more recent updates to Facebook video…
Videos Tab Added to Insights
About a month ago, Facebook rolled out an enhancement to Insights, adding a tab for Videos.
The new tab gives marketers the access to the following:
- Views and 30-second views at a Page level
- Top videos within a certain date range
- Metrics for videos shared from other Pages
The first graph represents an the aggregate performance of all videos uploaded by the page over time.
After selecting a start and end date, you are able to filter by the following:
- Organic vs. Paid
- Auto-Played vs. Click-to-Play
- Unique vs. Repeat
You can also benchmark that information by clicking on the right hand side.
This allows you to see an average of that metric over the current selected time period compared to the prior period.
The final graph highlights the top performing individual videos based on reach, views and average completion.
By clicking on the individual posts, you’ll also be shown insights for engagement and audience retention.
Facebook Video Upload Tools
Facebook recently announced some new video tools that are being rolled out for publishers, including a new upload tool.
The “Basic” view allows marketers to name the video, edit the thumbnail image, choose a category and assign a call-to-action button. It’s also now possible to restrict the audience by age and gender.
It’s not clear how these interest categories can be used, but we can assume this will help people find relevant videos in search. It may even apply to interest targeting in ads.
The “Advanced” view gives the marketer some additional options…
Exclude From News Feed: Show the video only within the Videos tab of the page.
Prohibit Embedding: Choose to allow or prevent others from embedding your video.
Add As Secret Video: Make a video only viewable if embedded or provided a direct link. This is similar to unpublished videos on YouTube.
Video Library for Asset Management
Facebook has also added a video library within the “Publishing Tools” of a page.
This is an overview of all of your published posts (not the metrics, which are found in Insights).
Here, page managers can do the following:
- Edit a video’s metadata (add subtitles or change the thumbnail image)
- Manage distribution options (prohibit embedding, publish to News Feed)
- Search and filter videos by title, description and more
- View and manage secret videos
Facebook Video Ad Creative Spotlight
Facebook has begun put a greater emphasis on marketing education, and that continues with the Video Ad Creative Spotlight.
Here, Facebook highlights some of the top performing video ads by category. Categories include the following:
- Automotive
- Consumer Goods
- Entertainment & Media
- Financial Services
- Gaming
- Restaurant
- Retail/Ecommerce
- Tech/Telco/Durables
- Travel
Need inspiration? Start here!
Facebook Video Best Practices
You have all of the tools, but do you know what makes for an effective video? Facebook aims to help with their list of best practices.
Here’s an overview of Facebook’s recommended best practices for video creative:
Tailor your story to your audience.
Make sure that your video fits the intended audience. In fact, consider creating variations of your video depending on the audience targeted.
Invest in production.
Facebook recommends a professional video. This may not be necessary in all cases, but quality — whether investment is necessary or not — is important.
Use the first few seconds wisely.
You need to grab the user’s attention quickly, so make sure you do so in the first few seconds of the video.
Focus on storytelling.
It doesn’t necessarily matter how long the video is, but make sure you only use as much time as necessary to tell your story.
Tell your story with and without sound.
This is a big one. The majority of views of your video will be without sound. Make sure that the user can get value from your video without clicking to hear the audio.
Your Turn
What do you think of these video updates? Are you active with video?
Let me know in the comments below
Category: PHC Blog Uncategorized