Over the years, video has become the increasingly dominant format for Facebook advertising—nearly 90% of all social media video ad spend occurs on the platform. That makes running video ads on Facebook a competitive pursuit. And with the holiday season fast-approaching, that competition is about to ratchet up even further.
According to Facebook’s own research, even just seeing a video preview can improve ad recall, brand awareness, and purchase consideration almost instantly—and people who watched less than 10 seconds of video ads represent up to 74 percent of campaign value. That means it’s vital to create your video ads in ways that captivate users and keep them engaged.
How videos are edited plays a crucial role in motivating your audience to take the desired action. In this blog, we’ll explore effective video editing techniques that will keep viewers hooked to your Facebook ads, resulting in higher engagement, click-through rates, and conversions. Here are 6 tips to consider:
Keep Facebook Video Ads Short and Sweet
On social media, attention spans are extremely fleeting—and maybe getting even shorter. The growing popularity of TikTok has driven a trend of shorter and shorter video content, and spurred similar formats to pop up on other platforms (like YouTube Shorts).
With so little time, you need to get to your selling point fast. A video must get the viewer’s attention in the first 3 seconds and deliver the core message in 8-15 seconds to find success.
Always Optimize For Mobile-First Viewing
You’ll likely be designing your creative on a computer—but most people seeing it will be doing so on a smartphone. An estimated 98% of Facebook users access the app on their mobile devices. This means your video needs to be impactful from the small screen. Keeping this top of mind will impact video size/dimensions, readability of text size, and much more. Check out our full guidance on creating mobile-first Facebook and Instagram advertising for more on this.
Utilize Eye-Catching Visuals
It might sound simple, but it’ll always be important: Use vibrant colors and captivating graphics that stand out on users’ news feeds. Remember, the first impression is crucial, so make your first 3 seconds count and then cut to a different angle or leverage an attention-grabbing transition to continue to captivate your audience to continue watching.
Create For Sound Off, Delight With Sound On
Audio has been inseparable from video ever since the first non-silent film came out nearly 10 years ago. But on Facebook, it’s actually wise to expect users never to hear your ads: an estimated 85% of Facebook users watch video with sound off. Don’t rely on the value of your video being conveyed by your audio.
Anything that you want users to learn—a product trait, a special offer—needs to appear on the screen. Use captions, text blocks, and other visuals to ensure your message comes across successfully to the majority watching on mute. And of course, still make sure to use pleasing music or voiceovers with your videos—because you still need to delight those who will hear your ads!
Be Strategic With Your Content
While it is crucial your ad is clear in communicating who your brand is and what you offer, it is equally crucial your video does not scream “Keep scrolling, this is an ad!” to users on Meta.
Viewers are more likely to continue watching if your content blends in with the type and feel of content they are used to seeing on that platform. This means avoiding out-of-place production choices and overly scripted content. If it looks like your video could be run as a TV commercial, it is less likely to be successful on Meta—user generated content (UGC) is a better route to take.
Never Stop A/B Testing Your Facebook Video Ads
Extensive testing is the bedrock of good marketing—and the effectiveness of a video ad can hinge on even the smallest elements. It’s important to continually A/B test things like your video hook, the visual elements like color and fonts, as well as order or benefits and other scripted elements. Create multiple video options before deployment so you can test them against one another to see what your audience responds best to.
Advertising on social media can be an art form, and it’s important to take your time and master each element if you want to get the most out of it. Learning how to create and edit videos that grab attention and keep users engaged will be a pursuit that pays off in spades. Remember to continually analyze, optimize, and A/B test your ads to stay ahead of the curve and maximize your advertising success on Facebook throughout the holiday season—and for any questions you may have about Facebook advertising strategy, don’t hesitate to contact the ADM team!
