There’s no doubt that video is the dominant form of communication in 2022. Between TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, video is everywhere, and Facebook is even onboard. 

Video ads on Facebook have been a tremendously successful option for a while now. The ads display on the newsfeed and are more engaging than static or carousel ads. 

What Are Facebook Video Ads?

Facebook makes big and bold claims regarding their video ads, going so far as to call them a  “richer storytelling format for advertisers.”

The ads appear in the News Feed and you can use them to showcase your product, service, or brand in new and innovative ways. Facebook advises that you include lots of movement and sound to capture attention quickly and show unique features of a product or tell your brand story. 

Facebook Video Ad Specs

Aspect Ratio

Each video ad plays in a Square 1:1 aspect ratio or a 4:5 ratio for mobile viewing. As such, it is very important to remember these limitations when you are acquiring your content. For example, if you are filming a video, make sure that all of your important information is captured in the center and not at the edges of your screen. You can always add square guides to your viewfinder to assist you in your framing. 

Text Recommendations

Facebook video ads allow you to write up to 125 characters of additional text to accompany your ads, so you can further reinforce your messaging. While this text is helpful, you should definitely have your video content provide the majority of your impactful information and only rely on this text to provide basic backup information. 

You are also provided with a 27 character headline and a 27 character description, which can be used for calls-to-action or for call outs of your brand or product names. 

Technical Requirements

Length

Facebook video allows you to upload videos with a length from one second up to 241 minutes long. Obviously, that gives you a ton of latitude with regards to content. Therefore, the rule of thumb should be to create content that is right for your product. Keep your audience engaged and interested; and always err on the side of having your Facebook video ads be shorter.

File Size

You can upload a video up-to 4 GB in size. Facebook recommends an MP4, MOV, or GIF file type with H.264 compression and a fixed frame rate. When exporting, it is best to set your aspect ratio and resolution to 1080×1080.

Why Should You Use Facebook Video Ads

Video Ads Just Perform Better

Facebook has always had a bullish position on video. Since 2016, Facebook has been focusing on becoming the world’s largest ad-supported video platform. Even recently, they have begun to shift their previously photo-centric platform, Instagram to be more video-minded. 

As such, the internal Facebook algorithms and mechanisms highly prefer and recommend video above all other mediums. Because of this, users have begun to prefer video as well.

A recent study shows that 65% of Facebook users in the United States say they watch video on Facebook every day. Another study showed that 60% of those surveyed expect to watch more social video over the next year. 

Video is here and it is here to stay.

Video is More Engaging Than Other Mediums

Marketers love video ads because they get customers to spend more time with their ads and brand than other mediums such as photography and written copy. 

On average, Facebook video posts have an engagement rate of more than 6%, which is much higher than any other content on the platform. Additionally, audiences looked at video content more than five times longer than static content. 

Video Gets Audiences to Convert More

Engagement is fantastic, but if an ad doesn’t convert, it’s meaningless. The great news about video ads, however, is that they convert extremely well. In one study, video ads saw a 20%-30% higher conversion rate with Facebook ads than with other ads. 

In another study, nearly 70% of marketers said that video outperformed static and text-based ads. 

So, simply put, video is the best format when it comes to engagement and conversion on the Facebook ad platform.

Tips to Make Your Facebook Video Ads Perform Best

Create Ads that Don’t Rely on Audio

While sound design is certainly a very important aspect of the filmmaking and video production process, you should make sure that your videos work without sound. 

In many instances, your audience will be watching your ads while their sound is turned off. In these instances, you cannot rely on voice over or a speaking spokesperson to convey your key messaging points. As such, consider conveying your talking points via motion graphics and on-screen text.

Regardless of your approach, make sure that you include correct closed captioning options for all of your videos that you upload.

Don’t Dawdle

No one is going to Facebook to watch ads. Most likely they are there to check out their Newsfeeds or catch up with friends. If they are viewing your ads, it is a secondary thing, and you are more likely interrupting them. 

As such, make sure that you get to the point and hook of your video as soon as you possibly can. Say what you are promoting, who you are, and what you want as quickly as you can and always deliver your hook within the first three seconds.

Your audience is looking for the earliest excuse to move on to the next piece of content; don’t give them the excuse through slow and non-engaging content.

Utilize Retargeting Technology

One of the things that makes Facebook so great is that it allows you retarget folks that you didn’t manage to convert on the first go-round. By setting up your campaigns appropriately, you can create ads that will, in-essence, follow your target audience and serve up ads reminding about your brand, products, and services. 

It is quite likely that you will not meet your customers perfectly in their buying window. However, by using retargeting appropriately, you can keep them within your sales funnel and gently move them through until they reach the point where they are ready to buy.

Shift to a Mobile-First Mindset

Your audience is more than 1.5 times more likely to watch your content on a mobile device. As such, you need to shift your way of thinking to a mobile-first mindset. Every piece of content that you produce needs to be filtered through the thought process of whether it will work on mobile devices.

Think about mobile while developing your concept; think of mobile while producing your creative, and definitely think of mobile while creating your ad campaigns. 

Wrapping Up

Facebook video ads present brands and businesses with a tremendous opportunity to market high-end and engaging content directly to their consumers. 

Video ads are a great product because they put together two great engagement tools: visual storytelling and digital targeting technology. Now marketers have the chance to tell stories directly to those that are most likely to benefit from them.

By following a set standard of strategic guidelines, content creators can ensure that the ads they create will drive ROI for their brands for many years to come. 

And, as always, if you need helping producing video content for Facebook, contact us to get your next project started!