Beginner's Guide to Facebook Video Marketing

Astha Raizada -

The two pillars for any business’s successful brand presence are Social Media and Content. When it comes to Social Media, the first name that comes to mind is the social media giant - Facebook; and when it comes to content, video content has been a winner for more than a decade now.

If we talk about facts and figures, the importance of Facebook and video content for businesses do not need an explanation. With roughly 2.89 billion monthly active users as of the second quarter of 2021, Facebook is the biggest social network worldwide.

And with online videos accounting for more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022, it has become mandatory for brands across all industries to create and share video content to capture, satisfy and engage with captive, content-hungry audiences. Especially if you’re a brand hoping to thrive on social media, mastering video marketing on Facebook is going to be key to your brand success.

By now you might have an idea of what we are going to discuss in this article, right?

If not, let us tell you, in this article we are going to focus on Facebook video marketing and how businesses can leverage this ultimate asset. Without further ado, let’s go and explore the various aspects of Facebook video marketing.

Facebook Video Marketing - An Introduction

In 2014, Mark Zuckerberg announced that “In five years, most of Facebook will be video,”. And this statement is the unavoidable reality of  Facebook. Facebook users love videos. With more than 1.25 billion people streaming videos on Facebook Watch - every month - Facebook’s video streaming service has made significant strides in building out content-discovery and monetization features, along with launching new tools for creators and publishers.

Benefits of Facebook Video Marketing for Business

a) Video Content on Facebook Increases Brand Exposure: Facebook algorithm loves videos and that is the reason why video content always receives more engagement and impressions than any other form of content on Facebook.

Videos when shared on Facebook, boost a page’s visibility, as any uploaded or recorded videos on Facebook is more likely to auto-play in viewers’ feeds thus ultimately reaching a greater share of the audience. Being well aware of the impact of video content, businesses can offer interesting insights about their brand and can help add associative credibility to their social media campaigns while building an impressive corporate identity. Improving credibility is especially important for brands like Secret Nature CBD, where insights and a strong identity can have a positive influence on sales and engagement.

b) Facebook Videos Boost Social Media Engagement:  The best way to drive engagement on Facebook is by sharing video content. As per WebFX, Video improves conversions by 86%, and any video post on Facebook on average receives 135% greater organic reach than image posts.

Whether you want your consumer to make a purchase, drive them to your website or just intrigue them to share your content, every video that you post on Facebook is going to act as a handshake to a potential customer, thus paving a way for productive social media engagement.

c) Full Funnel Targeting - Amongst the plethora of social media platforms, Facebook is one of a kind platform that has something to offer for everyone at every stage of a buyer’s journey.

Facebook’s targeting capabilities go far beyond just demographics, it allows targeting potential leads based on a wide range of lifestyle characteristics, such as interests, life events, behaviours, or hobbies.

In addition, Facebook’s video formats, and measurement capabilities align extremely well with all kinds of marketing strategies irrespective of the journey stage. Facebook’s sponsored stories, video ads, carousel ads are great ways to intrigue a potential conversion without being too direct.

Facebook Video Marketing Formats

Native Facebook Videos

Four out of five videos on Facebook are in-feed videos, also known as Native Videos. These videos are directly posted and played on the Facebook feed as a regular brand update on the business page and don’t lead the visitor off to any other page.

And since Native videos get 478% more shares on Facebook than videos from other sources do, Native videos are one of the most posted videos that businesses leverage to drive engagement.

For example - GoPro’s video of the day series.

Video Credits

Benefits of Native Videos

  • Derive better reach
  • Command more engagement
  • Increase Conversions
  • Quantifiable Video Content

Tips for Native Video

Be specific with content

Users today have the shortest attention span. And to grab the attention of a user, businesses must make sure that the title and thumbnail of the video indicate what the video is really about and at the same time should intrigue visitors to engage with the content. Also, don’t forget to add appropriate video tags.

Long Videos perform better

Due to shorter shelf life, shorter videos are easy to skip or ignore, while long videos tend to hold a viewer for a longer time, which is why when it comes to native videos, long videos are preferred. However, what works for one business may not work for another, so you should decide, based on data, what length works for your brand and target audience.

Post video content frequently

Top-performing Facebook pages post video content regularly. Posting frequently enables a brand to have more opportunities to interact and discover what their viewers like and dislikes, thus making it easier for them to plan further marketing initiatives. Identify the best time to post on Facebook to get the most out of it.

Post original content

Exposing potential viewers to the business’s core messages, visual branding, and other brand elements repeatedly can help to solidify brand recognition, and to build a brand perception the primary necessity is to be original with what you share with your audience.

How to publish native video on Facebook

1. Navigate to your Facebook business page.

2. At the create a post area, click on Photo/Video, then click Upload Photos/Videos you wish to publish. Do not forget to adhere to the Native video guidelines by Facebook.

3. Locate your mp4 file from your mobile phone or computer, then click Open.

4. When you see the video gets uploaded, add a relevant title and a description to the video.

Remember the text recommendation by Facebook:

  • Primary text: 125 characters
  • Headline: 40 characters
  • Description: 30 characters

5. If your video has somebody talking or has a voice-over, do not forget to upload subtitles.

6. Now you’re done adding video, title, description, and everything and are ready to publish the video, click Next, then Publish.

Note - You could also opt to schedule your video for a later date and time. In case you wish to schedule for a later time and date just click the bubble next to Schedule, then pick your ideal date and time and save.

Facebook Stories

Facebook stories were inspired by Snapchat, an app that features disappearing video stories. Though these videos are short and have the shortest span of 24 hours, these videos seem to be one of the most impactful video content that businesses can share on Facebook.

Video Credits

Benefits of Facebook Stories

  • Prime Visibility
  • Creative built-in tools
  • Build Brand Credibility
  • Increased Brand Presence and Engagement

Tips For Facebook Stories

  • Do not Sell, Engage - The primary aim of your brand’s Facebook stories should be to add a human face to your brand and build trust amongst your target audience. Do not intend to promote or sell, do not use sleazy power words. Rather, aim to build trust and credibility that will further nurture conversion and business growth.
  • Stick to Brand Focused Content  - Facebook Stories offer some impressive effects and filters to make your stories more engaging and eye-catching. But while you add these filters and effects to your video content, make sure that whatever to plan to share is well-aligned with the brand.
  • Be Original - Experiment with different video content types. Every platform is different, sharing the same form or style of content will increase the chances of your visitors skipping your content to look at something more intriguing and worth engaging with.
  • Focus on creating memories - Facebook Stories gives you the ability to produce exceptional videos, experiment with your marketing strategies, or announce an event. Being a brand, always aim to boost customer loyalty and retention by providing a great experience for your audience and leaving a lasting impression in the minds of your audience.

How to post Facebook Stories

Before you post any story, remember that anything that you post will remain visible only for 24hours.

  1. Go to the top left of your Facebook News Feed, Navigate and Click “Create a Story”.
  2. Click “Create a Story” to add a photo or video from your mobile phone or computer.
  3. Once you’ve uploaded you could see “Audience selector” (example: Notifications Public or  Friends) next to your story, click on your audience preference.
  4. Once done, Click Share to Story.

Facebook LIVE Videos

Facebook LIVE streams have efficiently made their presence in the new era of marketing, paving a way for better and stronger relationships with target audiences.

It’s no news that people trust people more than advertisements and endorsements hoarding about the pros of a product or service and LIVE Streams on Facebook primarily aims to put a human face behind the brand, allowing people to connect in a way they haven’t been able to.

Be it LIVE interviews with keynote speakers, BTS videos, product launches, events, or a simple Q&A LIVE session, Live streaming has become a profound way to share with your audience thus ultimately yielding leads and brand engagement.

  • Encourage Engagement
  • Save Time
  • Cost-Effective
  • Create a Sense of Community
  • Encourage Traffic

Tips for Facebook LIVE Videos

  • Curate content that your community resonates with - The best way to curate content for Facebook LIVE is to ask what they want to learn or know about. Asking them will spark excitement amongst the audience and this excitement will lead to an engaging LIVE session curated from the questions and comments from the community.
  • Don’t forget to promote your upcoming LIVE - If you want to grab the attention of specific people or communities, promoting your upcoming LIVE session will generate interest before the experience and will lead you to have a targeted group of people interacting or attending your LIVE after the promotions as expected.
  • Limit Distractions - Before you broadcast your video, take some time to prepare. Make sure that as you go LIVE, there are minimum distractions around you and all that you have to focus on is your audience and the message you wish to convey through your LIVE session.
  • Choose the Right Time & Format - For a successful LIVE session, you need to be very careful with how you appear on screen, how your surroundings look in the frame, how do you wish to begin speaking, etc. All these little details are going to decide whether your message will be effectively accepted by your viewers or not. In addition, make sure you analyze the timelines of your target viewers to be active on social media so that they can connect with you at the right time.

How to go LIVE on Facebook

  1. Go to the business page, group, or event where you wish to publish your live stream.
  2. Tap the Live button at the bottom of the post composer on your screen.
  3. Add a relevant description to your video. In addition to the description, you can also tag friends, add a location, a feeling, or an activity to make it relatable and fun to connect.
  4. Once details are added tap Start Live Video.
  5. At last tap Finish when you want to end your LIVE video.

Facebook Video Ads

Facebook video ads are paid ad placements that feature a video and appear in one of several predetermined locations on a visitor’s Facebook screen.

Facebook ads can be created with many objectives in mind, from generating website traffic to increasing leads for your business. Businesses can either create a video ad from scratch or boost an existing post that includes a video from their Facebook account to run a video ad on the platform. Or businesses may also utilize Facebook ads tools to make the most out of their Facebook video marketing campaigns.

Anatomy of Facebook Video Ads

  1. Account Name & Link - This is the account name and link from which the ad has been posted. And the “sponsored” tag is what differentiates between a regular post and an ad.
  2. Ad Copy - Ad Copy is the content that accompanies the video. The ad copy consists of keyword-rich meta titles and meta descriptions. These keywords help an ad to reach the maximum share of the audience.
  3. CTA - Call to action is a button intended to enable a visitor to act and engage with the content shared.
  4. Primary Ad Content - This is the primary content that appears above the video view. More than 125 characters may be truncated, so viewers have to click “read more” to see the full text.
  5. Video view - This is the ad space where the view is visible and is played.

Benefits of Facebook Video Ads

  • Grab attention immediately
  • Increase ad engagement
  • Drive more conversions
  • Share more information
  • Retarget video viewers and create lookalikes

Facebook Video Ad Types

Boosted Post

A boosted post is nothing but a regular video post with a “sponsored” tag at the top left of the video. These posts are primarily paid videos that are shared on Facebook intending to reach a greater share of the audience.

If you have a video posted on your business page, all you need to do is click the “Boost Post” tab, and then Facebook will take you to another page wherein you’ll have to fill in the details of your goals, your budget, and target audience. Once this is done your video ad will be reviewed and then will begin appearing on the timelines of your Facebook friends, family, and colleagues.

Slideshow Video Ad

Facebook slideshow ads are just ads like videos that use motion, sound, and text to beautifully tell your story across devices. Creating slideshow video ads is easy and cost-effective, even if you do not have your images and videos, you can leverage the image library and create an impressive slideshow video ad.

A carousel ad is primarily a combination of images and videos combined to offer an impressive visual experience to your target audience along with a CTA.

Unlike other ads, where brands often use stock images and videos, for a carousel ad, it is advised to use a majority of your video clips or images rather than picking visual assets from a stock library or Facebook’s collection.

Video Placement on Facebook

  • Facebook News Feed
  • Facebook Marketplace
  • Facebook Video Feeds
  • Facebook Stories
  • Facebook In-Stream Videos
  • Facebook Search Results
  • Facebook Instant Articles

Tips for creating Facebook Video Ads

  1. Create ads that create an impact even without sound
  2. Be smart and quick while placing your brand and grabbing visitor’s attention
  3. Keep content crisp, attractive, and worth resonating with
  4. Never intend to be device-specific, an ad should cater for all types of devices
  5. Retarget people who have watched one of your video ads

How to create a Facebook video ad

  1. Go to Ads Manager.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Choose the object of your video ad and then click Continue.
  4. Insert your video marketing campaign’s budget details. Then Click Next.
  5. Once you’ve chosen your budget, audience, placements, and optimization, then click Next.
  6. In the Format section, choose what you prefer, whether it is a Carousel or Single Image, or Video. Your video ad format will primarily depend on the object of the ad that you might have chosen at the beginning of the ad publishing process.
  7. Click Add Media, then click Add Video and select your video from your library. If you want to upload a new video, click Upload. Click Next, if required you can crop your video for each placement, or else just click Done.

In case if your video ad format is Carousel, you need to Scroll to the Ad Creative section and click the Add Media dropdown. Click Add Video and then click the carousel card you just created. To upload a video click Select Video. To create a new video, click Create Video. Do this for each carousel card you want to include in your ad. To remove a carousel card, click the card and then click the Remove button.

1. Once added if you want to crop or trim the video or want to add a customized thumbnail image, you need to click Edit Video. In addition, you can also add relevant captions, text and logo overlays, etc.

2. Once you’ve added your text, links, and tracking. Click Publish to run your video ad.

How to get started with Facebook Video Marketing

  1. Plan your Video Marketing Goals - The primary goal of any initiative on social media is to help your audience engage and interact with your brand. And audience only interacts and engages with a brand they can resonate with. Knowing the objective of your Facebook video content will make it easier for you to create a video content strategy for your business that your target community will engage with thus making your Facebook video marketing campaign a lot more successful.
  2. Know Your Target Audience - Until unless you know who you are catering to, it’s nearly impossible to plan content or any marketing initiative. Especially with Facebook’s advanced targeting tools, you can filter your target audience not just by demographics also by their social behaviours and footprints.
  3. Determine which format or placement will suit your brand- Once you know your goals, target viewers, and the type of content they would resonate with, the next important thing that you need to take care of is Facebook’s video requirements, video format, and placement. By format we mean what type of video would you want to share whether it is Native, Stories, LIVE, or an Ad. Deciding the format of the video is going to help you understand the best-suited placement for your video to reach a greater share of the audience.
  4. Set up your Facebook business manager and video campaign- If you have a Facebook account, you might have access to a Facebook business manager account, from there you can begin creating ads by choosing the type of video, assigning budget, setting target demographics, adding content, timeline, once all the details are entered, you are all set to launch a Facebook video marketing campaign.
  5. Quantifying the Video Content - Last yet the most important part of Facebook video marketing is quantifying the results of the video content you have shared on Facebook. Using an advanced Facebook Analytic Tool can help you measure the results of your campaign and plan further marketing initiatives on Facebook.