If you’re using Facebook advertising to market a product or service, you may not be sure how to use all of the ad formats it offers, such as image ads, carousel ads, and video ads.
Video ads, in particular, are unique to Facebook. How can you work on optimizing your ads for video, and make sure you boost your conversion rate and reach the most possible Facebook users with your message?
In this guide, the Facebook Marketing Experts at Australian Internet Advertising will be taking a look at a few different steps you can take to optimize your video ads, reach more potential customers, and boost the ROI and cost-effectiveness of your Facebook video ads.
A Granular, Targeted Audience
Facebook’s most powerful feature is your ability to filter and create custom, granular audiences using information like income levels, interests, geographic location, and other such information. You have access to a huge amount of information that can help you
First and foremost, we recommend that you take the time to create a custom audience that will be interested in your video ad. This is the best way to ensure the highest possible ROI (return on investment) on a video ad, because it will be served only to those who are the most interested in your products or services.
You can even load a list of your current customers into Facebook using the email address of each customer, and target people who have shown interest in your products and services in the past.
For example, if you’re advertising flats for rent for students in Sydney, you can use Facebook’s Ad Manager to choose an age range of 18-34, focus on serving ads to people attending university, and so on. This lets you reach a specific audience of people who are the most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
A Short Length (15 Seconds At Most)
It’s possible to upload Facebook videos that are anywhere from 1 second to 240 minutes (yes, that’s 4 hours) in length. But what’s the best length to choose for a successful Facebook video ad? We recommend a video length of 15 seconds a most – and choosing a length that’s closer to 6 seconds may be even better.
But don’t just take our word for it. These recommendations are directly from Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who said that 15-second ads performed much better than 30-second ads – but that 6-second ads outperformed 15-second ads “across the board,” leading to much more brand engagement.
It may be difficult to incorporate your brand proposition, products, and services into such a short period of time, but it’s definitely worth trying to do so.
In addition, using Facebook analytics, you can easily see which video lengths are the most effective, and adjust your strategy accordingly. If you notice that longer ads seem to be working well for your target audience, feel free to experiment!
Brand Placement & Messaging Within 10 Seconds Of The Ad Starting
If you want to generate more buzz about your brand, it’s very important to include information about your brand within the first few seconds of your video starting – such as including the name and logo of your company before the ad starts.
Most people will only watch an ad for a few seconds before skipping it, so placing your brand information front-and-center is a good way to make sure you build brand awareness in a customer, even if they scroll past your ad or decide to skip it.
A Square (1:1) Or Vertical (9:16) Aspect Ratio
Regardless of where your ad is showing on Facebook, such as on a mobile device or a desktop device, it’s been found that a 1:1 (square) or vertical (9:16) aspect ratio is typically the most effective for ads in the Facebook newsfeed. Why pick this format over the traditional 16:9, widescreen “landscape” format?
Well, the first reason is mobile support. Facebook recommends designing for mobile-first, because about 79% of people access Facebook exclusively through a mobile device, and only about 19% of people use both a computer and phone regularly to access Facebook.
9:16 aspect ratio vertical ads allow you to serve up video content to mobile users without requiring them to rotate their phone or enlarge the ad – which most people are not likely to do. In addition, this ad size looks reasonably good on desktops, too, so there’s no drawback there.
1:1, square video is also a great option. Square video looks equally good on both mobile devices and desktop versions of Facebook – and it takes up more real estate on desktop devices compared to 16:9 landscape videos.
A project done by the marketing team for the Jane Goodall Institute, for example, showed that square videos got 2x as many views and 3x as many shares compared to 16:9 landscape videos.
A CTA That’s Near The Middle Of The Video
According to a study by Wistia, around 95.9% of calls-to-action (CTAs) are placed near the middle of a video advertisement, rather than at the very beginning or at the very end.
A call-to-action is a directive to the viewer to take a certain action based on your ad, such as “buy now,” “sign up,” “enquire for more information,” and so on.
If you plan to incorporate a call-to-action in your video ad (and you should!) then you will likely want to place it somewhere in the middle of your ad – because the viewer will be engaged and more likely to follow the CTA and take a particular action.
In contrast, placing a CTA at the very beginning of the video is likely to turn viewers off, since they won’t know anything about your brand or what you’re offering. In the same way, it’s not a good idea to place a CTA near the very end of your video, since most people will not watch all the way to the end of any Facebook video, whether it’s an ad or any other type of video content.
Well-Written, Concise Ad Copy
Don’t forget about the actual text that will accompany your video. Yes, the video should explain the appeal of your products or services and contain a clear call to action, but your headline and body copy should also be appealing, and make the purpose of your ad clear.
The basic content of the ad should be clear to anyone who skims the text – they shouldn’t have to watch the entire ad to understand it. In addition, you should generate curiosity in viewers. This can encourage them to watch the entire video, or a significant part of it.
Captions And An Emphasis On Visual Appeal
By default, videos that autoplay on the Facebook newsfeed will be muted. That means you cannot rely on voiceovers to project the message of your Facebook ads to customers. 85% of all Facebook video content – including ads – is watched without any sound.
You need to be aware of this, and create Facebook ads that are equally appealing whether they’re viewed with or without sounds. If you’re using a voiceover or audio, make sure that you create captions for the video that will autoplay, to ensure the users understand the audio content of the ad without needing to unmute the ad.
In addition, focusing on graphics, incorporating text into the video itself, and taking other steps to enhance the visual appeal of the ad can be beneficial.
The bottom line is that your ad must be intelligible, appealing, and easy to understand whether it’s watched with or without audio – so try watching your ad while it’s muted, and make sure it meets those requirements.
Need Help With Facebook Video Ads Or Any Other Ad Campaign? We’re Here For You!
You may not be a digital marketer – so even after reading this article, you might not be sure how to optimize your ads, reach your target audience effectively, and boost your ROI. Or, you may be a busy entrepreneur who just does not have the time to handle this project on your own.
That’s where we can help. At Australian Internet Advertising, we can handle every aspect of your Facebook ad campaign – from creating optimized images and videos to creating a landing page for your ads, managing your ads through Facebook Ads Manager, and much more.
Need help with your Facebook ads, or any other aspect of your digital marketing campaign? We’re here for you. Contact us online for more information, or give us a ring at 1300 304 640 to set up a consultation with one of our digital marketing experts.
