Facebook Instream video ads are a type of video ad format that plays within a user’s Facebook News Feed. These ads automatically play when they come into view as a user scrolls through their feed. Instream video ads on Facebook provide an immersive experience by integrating video content directly into the normal user browsing experience.
What are the key features of Facebook Instream video ads?
There are several key features of Facebook Instream video ads:
- Auto-plays when in view – Videos automatically start playing when they appear on screen as a user scrolls through their News Feed.
- Sound on by default – Video audio plays by default, providing an engaging experience.
- Full-screen option – Users have the option to expand the video to full screen for more immersive viewing.
- Customizable length – Videos can be up to 240 minutes long.
- Metrics and insights – Detailed metrics and insights are provided into views, completions, reach, and more.
What are the benefits of using Facebook Instream video ads?
Some key benefits of Facebook Instream video ads include:
- Increased engagement – The auto-play, sound on, and full-screen options drive increased engagement from users.
- Brand awareness – Video is an impactful ad format that can effectively raise brand awareness.
- Targeted reach – Ads can be targeted to specific demographics and user interests.
- Metrics – The ability to track detailed performance metrics helps optimize ads.
- Mobile optimization – Videos are optimized for mobile, where most Facebook usage occurs.
What objectives can you accomplish with Facebook Instream video ads?
Facebook Instream video ads can help accomplish several core objectives:
- Brand awareness – Video ads grab attention and increase brand recall.
- Consideration – Videos can introduce and demonstrate products to drive consideration.
- Engagement – The immersive experience drives stronger engagement with content.
- Website traffic – Videos can drive traffic to websites through included links.
- App installs – Videos can promote mobile app downloads and installs.
Videos are especially effective storytelling devices and can bring brands and products to life in a vivid, engaging way.
What placements are available for Facebook Instream video ads?
Facebook Instream video ads are placed in the following areas:
- News Feed – Videos play automatically in the desktop and mobile News Feed.
- Marketplace – Ad videos can appear in Facebook Marketplace.
- Stories – Users see video ads between stories from friends.
Marketers have flexibility in choosing placements to reach their desired audiences in the environments where they are most active on Facebook.
How are Facebook Instream video ads optimized for mobile?
Facebook has optimized Instream video ads for seamless integration into the mobile experience in the following ways:
- Mobile-friendly format – Videos are displayed in feeds using space-saving vertical or square aspect ratios.
- Auto-play – Videos begin playing automatically when scrolled into view.
- Sound on – Audio begins playing automatically to match user expectations.
- Accelerated streaming – Videos are cached and streamed efficiently to minimize buffering issues.
- Custom controls – Easy tap controls allow adjusting sound, replaying, and accessing the full video.
With mobile representing over 90% of Facebook usage, optimizing Instream video ads resulted in significantly higher engagement rates on smartphones and tablets.
How do you create Facebook Instream video ads?
Here is an overview of how to create Facebook Instream video ads:
- Upload your video file to Facebook or host it on a third-party platform like YouTube or Vimeo.
- Open Ads Manager and click “+ Create Ad.” Select the objective for your video campaign.
- Customize your audience targeting based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Set your daily budget and duration to control costs.
- Write compelling ad text and add a thumbnail image and link.
- Place order and submit your ad for review. Approved ads will start running immediately.
- Analyze performance data in Ads Manager to optimize your campaign.
It’s important to follow Facebook’s video ad policies and create content that engages viewers.
What are some best practices for creating effective Facebook Instream video ads?
Some best practices include:
- Hook viewers immediately – Capture attention within the first 3 seconds.
- Highlight benefits – Communicate key benefits clearly and persuasively.
- Native look and feel – Match the visual style of organic Facebook content.
- Mobile-first – Optimize footage and text for vertical viewing on smartphones.
- Concise messaging – Communicate core message briefly and impactfully.
- Strong call-to-action – Include a clear CTA button to drive conversions.
- Multivariate testing – Test different creative elements to optimize performance.
Creating video content specifically tailored to the Facebook Instream format and audience leads to the highest ad results.
What options are available for targeting Facebook Instream video ads?
Facebook offers powerful options for targeting Instream video ads:
- Core Audiences – Target by location, age, gender, language, interests, and other demographics.
- Custom Audiences – Create audiences from email lists, website visitors, app users, and more.
- Lookalike Audiences – Reach new people similar to your target audience.
- Detailed Targeting – Target based on interests, behaviors, connections, income, and more.
- Placements – Show ads in specific placements like News Feed or Stories.
Advanced targeting ensures your video ads reach the people most likely to be interested in your brand, product, or message.
How much do Facebook Instream video ads cost?
Facebook Instream video ads are sold via an auction-based model where advertisers bid against each other based onOptimizer settings. Actual costs depend on factors like:
- Audience targeting – Narrow audiences tend to cost less.
- Competition – Costs increase for highly competitive keywords and product categories.
- Ad quality and relevance – Better ads earn lower minimum bids.
- Time of year – Prices fluctuate based on buyer demand.
- Optimization goal – Actions like video views tend to cost less than conversions.
On average, video ad costs range from $0.10-$0.30 per view based on audience size and targeting.
What metrics and insights are available for Facebook Instream video ads?
Key metrics provided for Facebook Instream video ads include:
- Impressions – Number of times your ads were shown.
- Reach – Total number of unique people who saw the ads.
- Views – Number of times your videos were viewed for at least 3 seconds.
- 10-second Views – Number of 10-second views, which Facebook bills for.
- Completions – Number of times viewers watched 95% of your video.
- Clicks – Clicks on links included with your video ads.
- CTR – Click-through rate, or clicks divided by impressions.
- CPM – Cost per 1,000 impressions.
- CPC – Cost per click.
- CPV – Cost per 10-second video view.
Analyzing this in-depth data enables optimizing video ads to improve results over time.
How can you optimize Facebook Instream video ad campaigns?
To optimize Instream video ad performance on Facebook, marketers can:
- A/B test ad creatives, audiences, placements, and lengths.
- Analyze metrics to identify top-performing combinations.
- Refine targeting to focus spending on best segments.
- Review relevance feedback to create more compelling ads.
- Check completion rates and optimize video length as needed.
- Monitor costs and adjust bids to balance results and budget.
- Remix top ads into new variations to further improve performance.
Regular testing, monitoring of metrics, and bid adjustments enable Facebook video ads to achieve stronger results over time.
Can you reuse existing video assets for Facebook Instream video ads?
Yes, existing video assets can often be repurposed into effective Facebook Instream video ads with some adaptation:
- Trim length if needed to keep viewers engaged on Facebook.
- Add captions or overlaid text for silent autoplay.
- Crop to vertical or square formats for mobile optimization.
- Boost audio quality and remix audio for clarity without headphones.
- Add interactive elements like CTAs and tags for better conversions.
Updating existing video content to align with top-performing practices for Facebook ads can provide a cost-effective way to produce Instream video ads.
What creative best practices make for effective Facebook Instream video ads?
Some key creative best practices include:
- Attention-grabbing opening shot
- Brief, catchy headline in opening frames
- Show product usage and benefits
- Use striking visuals and bold colors
- Highlight key features and value propositions
- Include motivational words like “free” or “new”
- Use close-up product shots
- Make it emotional and inspirational
- Use captions and overlay text
- End with a strong call to action
Leveraging these creative tactics results in more views, greater engagement, and higher conversions from Facebook Instream video ads.
What makes for effective Facebook Instream video ad content?
Effective Instream video ad content:
- Quickly grabs attention within 3 seconds
- Uses movement, color, shapes, and contrast
- Communicates core message clearly and repetitively
- Shows authentic emotion and personality
- Uses real footage over stock when possible
- Keeps text concise and readable on small screens
- Adjusts pacing to match different segments
- Leverages music and sound effects
- Minimizes distractions and clutter
Content tailored specifically to the Instream video format based on these best practices drives the strongest results from Facebook video ads.
What makes Facebook preferable for video ads vs YouTube or other platforms?
There are a few key advantages of Facebook for video ads compared to YouTube or other platforms:
- More intent-driven – People come to Facebook to engage, not specifically watch videos.
- Targets wider demographics – Facebook reaches broader age groups beyond just younger viewers.
- News Feed integration – Videos play seamlessly as users scroll with sound on.
- Stronger targeting – Advanced options exist for targeting relevant audiences.
- Flexible objecttives – Aims can include brand, traffic, conversions, and more.
- Detailed analytics – Robust analytics insights provided into performance.
For advertisers focused on driving specific business objectives beyond views alone, Facebook provides advantages over YouTube for video ads in many cases.
What compliance rules apply to Facebook Instream video ads?
Facebook has established advertising policies governing Instream video ads including:
- Authentic content – Videos must represent real people, brands, and products.
- Transparent sponsoring – Sponsorship must be clearly identified.
- Truthful claims – All claims must be truthful and substantiated.
- Clear branding – Logos must be recognizable with brand name included.
- Appropriate content – Videos cannot depict violence, nudity, drugs, or other offensive material.
- Legal compliance – Ads must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Adhering to these policies ensures Instream video ads meet Facebook standards and gain approval to run.
What are some examples of effective Facebook Instream video ad campaigns?
Some examples of impactful Instream video ad campaigns include:
- Spotify – Promoted new personalized playlists with colorful visuals and catchy music.
- Walmart – Showcased free grocery pickup service with slogan “Outsmart the Store.”
- Nike – Featured inspirational stories of athletes overcoming challenges.
- TOMS – Tugged heartstrings by showing people receiving shoes and their reactions.
- Always – Challenged gender stereotypes around strength with empowering message.
The most effective campaigns combine engaging and creative content with strategic targeting to deliver results.
What mistakes should be avoided when running Facebook Instream video ads?
Some key mistakes to avoid with Facebook Instream video ads:
- Passive, dull footage that doesn’t grab attention quickly
- Forgetting to include captions and text overlays
- Blocky text that is hard to read on mobile screens
- Leading with brand logo instead of highlighting benefits
- Pushing skip button too soon before communicating message
- Running excessively long ads that cause high drop-off rate
- Targeting broad irrelevant audiences just for reach
- Failing to optimize based on performance data and testing
By avoiding these errors, advertisers can maximize results from Facebook Instream video ad campaigns.
Conclusion
Facebook Instream video ads provide an immersive, engaging video ad experience by autoplaying full-sound videos directly in the News Feed. Their auto-play nature makes them ideal for awareness and consideration campaigns. Captivating video content optimized for mobile, detailed targeting features, and insightful metrics enable advertisers to drive results across a variety of objectives. Following Facebook’s policies and video best practices allows brands to effectively leverage the power of Instream video ads.