Get your business video’s ready as Facebook has been testing video ads since September, and says that as a result, it has seen views, likes, shares and comments increase over 10%. Of course, it probably helps that changes to the News Feed algorithm make it far less likely that users will even see brand messages unless they’re paid for. Yes, the days of appearing in news feeds organically appear to be gone.
Facebook had this to say regarding the new format. “This approach will continue to improve the quality of ads that you see in News Feed.”
“Compelling sight, sound and motion are often integral components of great marketing campaigns, particularly when brands want to increase awareness and attention over a short period of time,” it says. “From launching new products to shifting brand sentiment, this video format is ideal for marketers who are looking to make a large-scale impact, and for people who will discover more great content in their News Feeds.”
Page post video ads can come into play to sustain the message of the initial campaign over longer periods of time in more targeted ways, according to the company, which also says the format isn’t intended for all video ads or Page post videos on Facebook, but meets “specific needs for certain marketers with certain objectives.”
The video ads on the Facebook social network will autoplay as they appear on screen without sound. Social media network users can simply scroll past them like any other content in the New Feed if they don’t wish to watch the video. If the user taps or clicks the video, it will be played in full screen, and the sound will play.
When the video is over, it will display two additional videos from the same marketer, which users will have the option of watching.
Videos will be downloaded in advance on mobile devices when they connect to WiFi, so the content won’t consume data plans.
If you’re wondering whether all promoted videos will begin playing as soon as they appear, you’ll just have to wait and see. Facebook hasn’t decided yet, but is using what it learns from this initial test to determine what to do. If users react favorably, we can probably expect a lot more autoplaying videos in our News Feeds.
The company says it will continue to refine the format. While it’s only a small test for now, it sounds like we can expect an announcement of broader availability in time. Facebook is currently telling business and marketers it will let them know. They’re not talking about the pricing for the format.
While we wait for news, our Net Branding team recommended place video high on your advertising budget for 2014 as video testimonials and adverts can and often do speak louder than words. To contact an Auckland Social Media Company.
