It’s smart that you’ve decided to use video marketing. Creating videos, whether for educational content or product advertisements, is a wise move. It’s 2020, after all, and any digital marketing strategy missing a video element is incomplete.
Now that you’re in the game, the real challenge begins: increasing your Facebook video views. Capturing users’ attention with your content, whether paid or organic, is a tough task. If you want to stop prospects from scrolling past your videos, you need a solid plan.
Let’s start with a quick overview of Facebook ad campaigns. Then, I’ll cover my six tips to boost your Facebook video views this year:
- Analyze the competition
- Keep users coming back (by offering value)
- Design content specifically for Facebook
- Make audio optional
- Try a home video style
- Stay adaptable
P.S. Don’t stop after the sixth tip; I have some examples everyone can learn from!
Increasing Views With Facebook Video Campaigns
If you’re considering investing in your Facebook videos, which I highly recommend, this refresher is for you. For those focused on organic video, the following tips still apply!
Facebook offers 11 campaign types to advertisers, including video views. Opting for a video views campaign sends a clear message to Facebook’s algorithms: Prioritizing views is my main goal. The platform then optimizes your ad delivery to reach users most likely to engage with your videos.
While audience and placement targeting are important, I won’t delve into them here. Instead, let’s focus on budgeting (managed during campaign setup). When building your budget, first decide what you want to optimize. For Facebook video view campaigns, you have two choices:
- ThruPlay (default setting): For videos under 15 seconds, Facebook targets users likely to watch the entire video. For videos longer than 15 seconds, Facebook targets users likely to watch for at least 15 seconds.
- 2-Second Continuous Video Views: Facebook targets users likely to watch your video for at least two continuous seconds.
This decision requires careful thought for two reasons. Firstly, it influences how Facebook delivers your video ads (e.g., target audience, time of day, platform distribution). Secondly, it affects your payment options. If you choose ThruPlay, you can pay for:
- Impression (default setting): Pay each time your video ad is shown to a user.
- ThruPlay: Pay each time your video ad is played to completion (if under 15 seconds) or watched for over 15 seconds.
If you choose 2-Second Continuous Video Views, your payment options are:
- Impression (default setting): Pay each time your video ad is shown to a user.
- 2-Second Continuous Video View: Pay each time your video ad is watched for at least two continuous seconds.
Paying for impressions or optimization events depends on your overall goals. Remember, impressions are generally cheaper because they’re (usually) less valuable.
6 Ways to Get More Facebook Video Views This Year
Campaign settings ready? Great! Let’s explore six tactics for increasing your Facebook video views this year.
1. Analyze the Competition
In March 2019, Facebook replaced the confusing relevance score with three new metrics, one being quality ranking. This metric compares your ad’s quality to others targeting the same audience.
Remember: It’s all about competition.
A high-quality ranking offers two rewards: (1) Your ad is shown more frequently and favorably than competitors’ ads, and (2) You get lower prices for impressions and optimization events. For video view campaigns, a high-quality ranking translates to more views at lower costs.
You know your competitors. Research them. See what they’re doing with their video ads, then improve upon it. Just don’t plagiarize.
2. Keep Users Coming Back (By Offering Value)
In May 2019, Facebook announces their video ranking algorithm, giving more weight to three factors, including loyalty. They stated:
“Intent and repeat viewership are crucial when showing videos to people in News Feed. We’ll prioritize videos users actively seek out and return to weekly.”
Facebook gauges viewer loyalty through consistent engagement. Users regularly watching, searching for, liking, and sharing your content indicate strong loyalty. The equation is simple: Greater viewer loyalty leads to higher organic video ranking, resulting in more views.
Facebook Watch is the platform’s central hub for video content.
Earning user loyalty is crucial for video marketing success, and the key is simple: provide value. If users gain something positive from your videos, they’re more likely to return. Ask yourself: How can I offer viewers something valuable?
An auto shop could offer basic car maintenance tips. A university could share alumni testimonials. A bakery could provide simple recipe videos. Think about the value your business offers and translate that into video content.
3. Design Content Specifically for Facebook
In that same blog post regarding video ranking factors, Facebook highlighted originality. The platform is actively “limiting the distribution” of unoriginal or repurposed content. Simply reposting your YouTube videos on Facebook won’t yield the desired results.
To maximize Facebook video views, create fresh content tailored specifically for the platform. This requires a dedicated Facebook video marketing strategy and extra effort, but it’s worth it.
Creating unique content for Facebook isn’t just about gaming the algorithm; it’s about meeting audience demands. While it seems like everyone uses every platform, that’s not true. Your YouTube audience might differ significantly from your Facebook audience.
The Facebook audience is unique. Therefore, your content should be tailored to them. Otherwise, you miss opportunities to drive engagement and increase views.
My suggestion? Conduct a simple survey. Ask your Facebook followers what video content they enjoy on the platform, then try your best to deliver!
4. Make Audio Optional
85% of Facebook videos are watched silently. This is partly because Facebook mutes videos by default. More importantly, users often browse their News Feeds in sound-sensitive environments, like classrooms or waiting rooms.
To reach the widest audience and maximize your Facebook video views, ensure your content is understandable without sound. Regardless of the topic, viewers should grasp your message without relying on audio. If someone scrolling through their feed can’t understand your video without sound, they’ll likely keep scrolling.
Subtitles are practically a must.
Challenge yourself to tell visually-driven stories. Alternatively, use subtitles for a safer and more effective approach.
P.S: If you’re a nexus-security Advisor user needing more clips for video ads, try our Shutterstock integration for thousands of high-quality options.
5. Try a Home Video Style
Creating videos that are incomprehensible without sound isn’t the only way to deter viewers. Many Facebook users are wary of overly promotional content. While social media shopping is on the rise, remember that Facebook is primarily a platform for connecting and consuming content.
Banner blindness affects more than just display ads. Facebook users easily identify and scroll past promotional content.
Most users would instantly recognize this as an ad.
Sometimes, the best way to increase Facebook video views is to try a “home video” style — creating low-budget, authentic-looking videos. Why? Because regular users constantly share similar content. When scrolling through their feed, a video shot on a smartphone doesn’t stand out. And while it seems counterintuitive, creating videos that don’t stand out can be incredibly effective.
Create content that feels native to Facebook, adopt a casual approach, and you’ll reduce the chances of appearing overly promotional.
6. Stay Adaptable
What works today might not work tomorrow. What generates views today may not be effective tomorrow. Your success relies on your ability to adapt. You must be willing to analyze your content’s performance and change your approach accordingly.
This is where Creator Studio comes in — Facebook’s free platform for uploading and evaluating your video content. If you have admin access to a Facebook page, Creator Studio is at your disposal.
On the left-hand menu, you’ll find the Insights tab. This tab opens a drop-down menu where you can navigate to Performance. The Performance page offers valuable data: total minutes viewed, one-minute video views, three-second video views, engagements, net followers, and more.
Further down, you’ll find a list of your posts titled Top Videos, ranked by performance. Clicking on a post opens an advanced analytics window where you can analyze metrics like average watch time and audience retention.
Use Creator Studio to your advantage. Study your best and worst posts to see what resonates with your audience. Your adaptability will lead to improved performance and more video views over time.
3 Examples to Help You Earn More Video Views
Before we wrap up, let’s look at three real-world examples of effective Facebook videos.
1. HellthyJunkFood
This video from HellthyJunkFood—a unique web-based cooking show hosted by J.P. Lambiase and Julia Goolia—ticks two important boxes: It’s enjoyable without sound, and it offers clear value to viewers. Thanks to subtitles, you understand what’s happening without audio. Plus, viewers learn how to make homemade donuts – valuable information!
2. Sebastian Robeck
This ad from Sebastian Robeck, a digital marketer who helps agencies gain clients, ticks four boxes: It’s understandable without audio, it’s tailored for Facebook, it provides value, AND it utilizes a home video style.
Subtitles eliminate the need for audio. The ad’s focus on Facebook allows Robeck to target a specific audience. Value comes from the free training offered. Finally, the casual style allows the video to seamlessly blend into users’ News Feeds.
3. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Lastly, we have an example from my alma mater, the University of Massachusetts Amherst. This 60-second video promotes New2U, their annual end-of-summer sale where returning students buy discounted dorm essentials. Like our previous examples, it checks multiple boxes: It’s understandable without audio, it’s specifically for Facebook, AND it offers clear value.
Subtitles make audio unnecessary. UMass, like Sebastian Robeck, understands the impact of targeting a specific audience. Lastly, the value comes from the discounted dorm essentials. This video makes you want to see more content from their page – This is the place to find out about important events!