Facebook Advertising Still Works — But You Need Video

As new video-first social media platforms grow in popularity, there are people who wonder if the death of Facebook is imminent. It isn’t. Facebook — which is to say, Meta — is still a major player. In fact, it’s the platform of choice for many audience groups. Because of this, Facebook advertising is still a viable option for many businesses.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that every business using Facebook advertising is thriving because of it. Some still struggle despite investing in Facebook ads.

This type of stall can happen for many reasons. One of the most common is that these brands aren’t using video to power up their Facebook ads. In this article, we’ll go over the advantages of using videos in ads, as well as helpful tips for success.

Benefits of Facebook Video Ads

Video ads aren’t the easiest to produce. While they aren’t as complex as many assume, you do need some equipment, skills, and resources (or a really good video content platform). Still, the benefits of this powerful advertising format almost always outweigh the drawbacks.

Facebook Video Ads Grab Attention

The fact is that video is simply an attention-grabbing format. Think about your own experiences scrolling through Facebook. Even if you don’t stop and watch every video ad on your feed, you probably notice a few details and watch a few seconds. That’s not usually the case with other ad formats that are easier to ignore or disregard.

You Can Create Objective-Specific Video Ad Campaigns

When you create a video ad campaign for Facebook, you will be able to select your campaign objectives. For video ads, you can choose among options, including:

• Brand awareness
• App installs
• Video Views
• Lead generation
• Conversions
• Store traffic
• Catalog sales

Be aware that the objective you select might impact your cost per click or other metrics. The selected objective should also align with your target audience and its sales funnel position.

Facebook Video Ads Have Higher Click-Thru Rates

If you post a video ad on Facebook, you can expect higher click-thru rates than with any other ad format. This rate speaks to the engagement power of video ads on both Facebook and Instagram.

Video Ads Allow You to Provide More Detailed Depictions

Isn’t the most important aspect of any ad the ability to showcase your products or services? Video ads allow you to do that in a way that is detailed, visual, and memorable. For example, a product demonstration video will say more about an item you are trying to sell than a paragraph describing its benefits.

How to Make Video Ads Work for Your Brand

The benefits you gain from incorporating video ads into your campaigns will be determined by the quality of your ads and your ad strategy. Here are a few tips to get the best results:

Get the Technical Details Correct

Facebook has specific technical guidelines for video ads. Additionally, there are Facebook ad specs that are recommended for the best performance. Learn these guidelines so you can have a better understanding of what format you should select so that Facebook will accept your ad.

Engage Quickly

Video can grab attention, but you have to take action to keep that attention. You only have a few seconds to do this.

The first couple of moments of your video should have something very engaging. This content could be an evocative statement or a catchy special effect. Then, front load the video with the most important information. That’s usually your value proposition and CTA.

Consider Cost Per Impression Bidding

You have a few options when it comes to bidding on your ad placements. For video, cost per impression (CPM) is often the best choice. Using this option means your videos will autoplay when they come up in users’ feeds. This setup means everyone who gets your ad in their feed will see your video playing as they scroll.

Go Sound Free

Most people who scroll FB, especially those on mobile devices, keep their sound turned off. Keep that in mind as you produce videos. If you can make your point without using sound, your videos will be that much more engaging to a wider audience. And whenever possible, include closed-captioning.

Use Retargeting

Many people may watch your videos but not take any action at first. Fortunately, you can reach them again with a retargeting campaign. To do this, you simply create another ad for the product or service you are promoting. Then, set the audience targeting parameters to anyone who has previously seen or engaged with your video.

Engage Audiences with the Power of Video Ads

Facebook is still a powerful customer acquisition platform. Now, you can double down on its potential with video ads.