5 Tips to Create Facebook Video Ads that Convert
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In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, New Evolution Video is featured as one of our Top Commercial Production Companies in the United States. Check out their profile here.
Facebook is the third most visited website on the internet.
As such, the platform has an advertising audience of over 2 billion people. That’s a huge potential for custom audiences to tap into.
No wonder Facebook ads are such a popular advertising tool for marketers globally, and 160 million businesses use them every month to promote their offers.
That’s right; competition is fierce on the platform.
However, not all Facebook ads are created equal, and video content ads tend to perform better at showing up in a news feed than ads combining images and text. In fact, video ads get twice as many clicks as opposed to image-only ads and experience up to a 30% increase in conversion rate.
And you want to know a secret?
Here are five of our favorite hacks to create compelling and binge-worthy Facebook video ads that convert. It’s on the house!
Capture Your Target Audience’s Attention in the First Eight Seconds
What do Inglourious Basterds, the Godfather, Goodfellas, and The Lion King have in common?
A good example of a terrific opening sequence.
They hook and draw the viewers in within the first few seconds and immediately create a sense that the rest of the movie will be epic.
To achieve this, they use striking visuals, a creative story, powerful dialogue, and crisp soundtracks. This winning combo allows filmmakers to make a strong impact on the viewer immediately.
The moral of the story; a compelling hook is critical to the success of any video.
And remember, you have eight seconds to capture your target audience’s attention.
So, the next time you’re working on a Facebook video ad, make sure to focus on creating an attention-grabbing hook.
Use humor, drama, a shocking fact, or anything that will trigger emotions and provoke a reaction. This is the best way to get your viewers intrigued, create brand awareness, and encourage them to stick around for longer.
Optimize Your Videos for the Sound Off
85% of people watch Facebook videos with the sound off. Perhaps they’re in a dorm at night and don’t want to wake their roommate. Or maybe they’re on the bus, on their way to work, and don’t want anyone to know they’re into pottery.
Regardless, a genuine silent video revolution has started.
So, here are our best practices for creating highly watchable silent Facebook videos for your ad campaign:
Create ads that don’t need too much context and can easily be understood with limited text overlay.
Write a strong and intriguing headline (hook). That way, when the video auto-plays in your audience’s feed, they feel compelled to read and watch more.
Communicate critical and market-defining information about your product within the first 15 seconds. This is where you want to mention your value proposition and the benefits of your products or services to the viewers.
The rest of the video should provide succinct details about how your products or services work. Adopt the “show, don’t tell” approach.
Only use three lines per text slide and 3 or 4 words per line to keep your message clear, concise and avoid overwhelming your audience.
Add a clear and strong call-to-action at the end to guide them into the next step.
Take text overlay seriously as Facebook research revealed that captioned video ads can increase video view time by an average of 12%.
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Provoke an Emotional Response
People hate ads, and they hate to be sold to. They want to be teased and entertained.
That’s why a successful Facebook video should never sound like a commercial. Instead, it should feel like a short story designed to entertain the viewer. The idea is for your ideal customer to feel like the video is part of their personal Facebook feed instead of an ad disrupting their experience. In other words, they should feel as if your video is something they would typically consume on their own.
How to make this happen, you ask?
In the same way, your hook must provoke a reaction, the rest of your video should also elicit emotions. Make them laugh, think, wonder, and focus on emotions that align with your marketing goals. You can use techniques such as authentic testimonials, comedic content, or even tell a heartfelt story.
Also, as mentioned above, since people watch videos without sound, text on screen is another critical element to making your videos feel native and part of a Facebook user’s feed.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are some good examples of engaging Facebook ads that use emotion to sell.
Write Different Ads for Different Target Audiences
When learning how to run Facebook ads effectively, A/B testing should be at the forefront of your advertising strategy.
A/B testing is a feature offered by Facebook (in Facebook ad manager) that allows you to duplicate your social media marketing campaign and target different audiences using different promotional materials.
That way, you can compare the effectiveness of a social media marketing campaign based on demographics, interests, behaviors, Facebook ad copy, and video types.
Once you’ve gathered this precious data, you’ll be able to fine-tune your advertising campaign.
A/B testing is critical to your video success as it will enable you to adjust your digital marketing strategy to successfully target potential customers with the right message for increased conversion and sales.
Optimize Your Videos
There are three main areas you need to focus on to optimize your Facebook video ads:
Headlines and Primary Text
Optimizing your Facebook ad copy, including headline and primary text is as important as your video itself. That’s because an optimized Facebook video ad copy will help you convey your message, trigger emotions and turn viewers into qualified leads or buyers, thus boosting your lead generation efforts.
Format, Length, and Quality
You also need to optimize the quality, format, and length of your video. The ideal length for video ads is about 15 seconds. You’ll find more details about optimizing your video quality and format on the Facebook page for business support.
Optimize your Facebook Ad for Mobile
65% of Facebook videos are watched on mobile devices, so you need to make sure your Facebook marketing videos have optimization for mobile.
Up to You Now!
Video marketing and video advertising are the new kings of content. It’s the most powerful way for you to cater to the modern customer.
So, if you want to step up your Facebook advertising game, you’ll need to harness the power of videos and optimize them to maximize your ROI.
We know that as a busy business owner you might not have the time to learn everything about video marketing. And you might not have the equipment to produce high-quality Facebook video ads to boost your engagement and conversions either.
About the author
Richard Tiland
I’ve always had a passion for video. Even as a kid folks were always asking me to take the camera out of their face! As I grew, I realized this was my calling. But I had no idea how big a medium video would become. Over the years, as I watched video grow I grew with it. I learned not only the skills required for making a high quality video, but the marketing techniques needed to bring in the best results.
I also enjoy a unique work relationship with my clients because I listen carefully to their expectations and concerns. That why so many of our clients return again and again. Major clients like Hyundai, SONY, UC San Diego, SolarGuard, iLife, and many more.
New Evolution Video also works internationally with clients in a dozen different countries. The kind of the services we provide are diverse. We plan marketing and sales goals and how video will drive growth in these channels. We can ensure maximum value and frequent video content to coincide with content schedules. Help with goal and objective planning for digital marketing integration to include videos, refine promotions, features and benefits and to reflect on-brand messaging that brings results with videos.
