Facebook is a great platform when it comes to social media marketing. The app has been polished and offers various tools and features to promote nearly any business. Take a video feature, for instance.
Creating a Facebook video is elementary; you can do that using practically any gadget. But however effective Facebook algorithms are, they don’t guarantee your videos will get multiple views. There may still be some legwork left for you.
So, what do you do to increase video views and grow your audience in the long run? Below is a list of practical tips to achieve that goal.
Optimize videos to a Facebook mobile-friendly format
Creating a good video often requires a PC or laptop, but many brand owners forget about adjusting videos to the mobile app. Need we remind you that the majority of Facebook users rely on smartphones? Not only should you keep in mind mobile users when designing a video, but you must also sometimes crop videos to a suitable format. Luckily, you can quickly and easily resize video for Facebook and watch your views pile up.
Design your own video thumbnail
Your video may be fantastic and thought-provoking, but it won’t get the desired number of views if it doesn’t spark people’s enthusiasm. Your task is to make users tap or click the video once it pops up on their feeds. How do you do that? By a great thumbnail! See, creating a killer thumbnail often gets overlooked.
Consequently, Facebook generates an automatic thumbnail, which is raw and too basic. You need to make a thumbnail that reflects the content and entices a potential viewer. Also, don’t hesitate to add text overlays to fuel people’s interest and increase their chances of watching the entire video.
Make use of Facebook Reels
Were we to boil down why you should use reels instead of videos, our argument would be, “Reels are cool!” Meta has been paying close attention to Reels, claiming them to be a future successor of traditional videos. And look at them: Instagram, for instance, is furnished with Reels, and so will be Facebook soon.
Therefore, it’s worth jumping on the bandwagon and benefiting from Reels. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to switch to Reels and leave videos aside. After all, what are Reels, exactly, and why should you use them? In a nutshell, Reels are short-format videos. They differ from typical videos in that you can add music and effects to them. Besides, Reels appear in both feed and watch sections.
Use Facebook Stories to disperse your video
This one is your go-to, and here is why. Using Facebook Stories will promote your video and drive as much traffic as possible. People can follow lots of pages, so it’s no wonder they can simply miss your video. Another thing is Stories, which are nearly impossible to omit. Plus, studies showed that people check Stories more vigorously than scroll feed. All you need is to roll out your video, tap the share button, and choose Share to a Page’s Story. You can also play with additional features, like adding stickers, text overlays, and many other items.
Include a striking opening, and don’t forget about the call to action
Like any written story, a video has to contain a hook at the beginning to excite people and make them want to keep following the story. Fortunately, numerous ways to do that exist.
For example, you can:
- Kick-start with a famous quote
- Begin with a shocking statement and then refute it
- Start more commercially, enumerating the perks people will get by watching
- Ask a question
You are also highly encouraged to include a call to action (CTA) as a caption throughout the video or reel. A call to action is a phrase, either written or spoken, that stimulates people to complete a specific action, such as watching the video, subscribing to the newsletter, following the channel, etc.
Importantly, remember to keep your CTA under 460 characters. This way, you will ensure every person will see CTA in its entirety. Should you exceed the number of characters, the app will fold a part of your caption, inserting the See More link.
Remember to add captions
If your video doesn’t contain any sort of dialog or interaction, you can skip this tip. But if it does, it would be best to include captions. Many people browse Facebook when on the go, so they often watch videos in a muted format. It is a bummer if your video has voiceovers people need to listen to understand the content. But worry not; you don’t need to reformat the video. The only thing you should do is add captions to the video to make it entirely understandable for those who watch it with no sound.
Ensure adding keyword tags
Last but not least, you need to think broader and focus on your video appearing in your followers’ feeds (expecting them to share it with others) and in a Facebook search. The easiest way to elevate your video is to add relevant tags. Don’t go overboard, though. Including up to eight tags will suffice.
Recap
Facebook videos are a building block of any business. Videos help increase brand awareness and create a strong image with a unique style and advertising strategies. Employ the mentioned tips to make the most of your videos.
News Source: Apple Gazette
