In case you didn’t know, Youtube is no longer the King of Video.
Facebook has taken over the place of Youtube in terms of total number videos and minutes watched!
This is a huge opportunity for businesses.
But, before you jump onto the Facebook video bandwagon, here’s an important stat to note:
According to Digiday, 85% of all videos watched on Facebook is without sound.
Check out their post for details
So as a business who wants to leverage Facebook, what implications does this have for you?
And how can you maximise the impact your videos have on Facebook?
Here are 3 simple tips you can make your videos go the extra mile.
Tip #1 The 7 Second Rule.
Remember, people are fickle on Facebook and on social media in general.
You need to get their attention, and get it fast…within the first 7 seconds.
Otherwise you will simply lose them.
So what do you need to do in the first 7 seconds?
You need to really stand out, be different to get their attention.
Here’s some ways you can do that:
– Get a super awesome headline with a big promise on what they will gain if they watch your video…and make sure you deliver on that promise!
– Make them laugh! Yep…people are looking for entertainment on social media. A boring corporate video is not going to cut the mustard.
What can you do to make them laugh so you can get their attention and watch more?
– Get them to click on the video. By clicking the video once they will turn on sound. So simply say, ‘To get sound, please turn on this video’. Using a text overlay on the video, of course.
– Do something totally unexpected…could be a silly face or hold up a written piece of cardboard with a message. Anything to get their attention (in a tasteful manner) in the first 7 seconds.
(Ok, I lie about being tasteful….because this video ad below did really well!)
Tip #2: Add Subtitles
Adding subtitles will help people consume your video content much better, especially if they are in noisy places or at work.
It’s not hard to get this done, simply look for a transcriber on Fiverr and you can get your video transcribed.
Inserting annotations or text overlays into your video can also help emphasize certain points you are trying to make.
Some cool background music will certainly get the audience in the emotion you’d like them to be in.
A simple tip, but certainly one that will help tons more people consume your message!
Tip #3 Spice up your video!
Remember your online audience is really fickle, especially if they are watching the video on mobile.
What I mean here is to mix up your video to maintain the attention of your audience.
For example, if you are just doing a talking head video, try and vary that up by using different angles every 10 or so seconds.
You can also vary it by changing the video to monochrome and then back to colour.
Or you can vary it by changing scenes or show some other video footage to illustrate your point while doing a voice over.
Showing blooper reels at the end can also help you come across as more ‘human’.
At the end of the day, you need to test and measure different videos and what results they get for your business.
But if you can keep these 3 simple tips in mind so that you are catering for the ‘silent majority’, you can be certain to find more success with Facebook videos.
