Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of 2022. With such a massive user base, Facebook offers an immense opportunity for businesses, brands, influencers, and content creators to reach a large audience and share engaging video content.
But simply posting any video on Facebook does not guarantee views and engagement. There are certain strategies and best practices that can help make a video go viral on Facebook and achieve success.
Video Length
One of the most important factors for Facebook video success is length. The optimal video length for Facebook is typically between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Videos that are too short may not provide enough value to viewers, while videos over 3 minutes often see steep drop-offs in retention.
Facebook’s algorithm favors concise, snackable content that can hold viewers’ attention. Some key stats on Facebook video length:
- Videos under 2 minutes receive the most reach on Facebook
- 60% of the most engaging Facebook videos are under 2 minutes long
- Videos longer than 10 minutes see the biggest drop in viewership
Finding the right balance of providing enough value in a short, condensed video is crucial for success on Facebook. The best performing videos effectively convey an engaging story or useful information within those ideal 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Captions
Adding captions to Facebook videos can dramatically improve views and engagement. Captions make videos accessible to viewers who may watch without sound, have hearing impairments, or simply prefer reading over audio.
Key benefits of captions for Facebook videos:
- 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound
- Videos with captions see 150% more views than non-captioned videos
- Captions boost viewership and completion rates
- Captions allow videos to be understood in loud environments
Furthermore, captions can improve SEO and allow videos to rank higher in Facebook and external search results. The best practice is having professional human-written captions over auto-generated ones.
Square Format
Uploading videos in square 1:1 format tailored for mobile devices can improve Facebook video performance. Some advantages of square videos:
- Over 94% of Facebook video views happen on mobile
- Square videos take up 78% more space in the Facebook feed
- Horizontal video tops out at 4:5 aspect ratio on mobile
- Square format leads to longer average view duration
With mobile viewership being so critical, optimizing video dimensions for mobile provides a better viewing experience and more immersive visuals on the small screen.
Video Preview Thumbnails
Custom video preview thumbnails allow you to make a strong first impression and grab viewers’ attention as they scroll through their feeds. Default video preview images are simply extracted from one frame of the video.
To create high-quality custom thumbnails:
- Choose an eye-catching, high-resolution image from the video
- Ensure the thumbnail stands out in the feed
- Include engaging text overlays
- Evokes curiosity and interest in the video
An effective preview thumbnail gives viewers a reason to click and watch the full video.
Native Video
Uploading videos directly to Facebook, rather than linking out to YouTube or other platforms, allows videos to gain more organic reach. Native Facebook Video outperforms linked videos in several ways:
- Higher likelihood of appearing in followers’ News Feeds
- More video views and 10x more engagement
- Higher retention rates since viewers don’t leave Facebook
- Allows use of Facebook-specific features like subtitles and stickers
Optimizing videos for native Facebook rather than just repurposing content from other platforms improves performance significantly.
First 3 Seconds
Grabbing viewers’ attention immediately within the first 3 seconds of a Facebook video is critical to its success. These first few moments determine if viewers will continue watching or keep scrolling.
Best practices for an engaging first 3 seconds:
- Hook viewers with an interesting first shot
- Open with compelling visuals or motion
- Have a clear subject or focal point
- Include text overlays or graphics
- Incorporate unique animations or effects
A video’s beginning moments are invaluable for setting the tone and convincing viewers to stick around and watch more.
Video Encoding
Properly encoding and exporting videos before uploading to Facebook is a technical but vital step. Optimizing video encoding improves loading speeds and video quality across devices.
Recommended Facebook video encoding settings:
- File Format: MP4 or MOV
- Resolution: 720p or 1080p HD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 9:16 for vertical
- Frame Rate: 30fps
- Bitrate: At least 2Mbps
- Audio Codec: AAC
Following Facebook’s ideal encoding guidelines ensures fast performance and helps videos look crystal clear on viewers’ screens.
Video Interactive Elements
Incorporating interactive elements into Facebook videos can boost engagement. Polls, questions, links, hashtags, @mentions, stickers, and cards give viewers ways to actively participate.
Some interactive options for Facebook Video:
- Link stickers
- Poll stickers
- Quiz stickers and questions
- Location stickers
- Hashtag and @mention animations
- Cards for links, products, or events
Adding these interactive elements helps turn passive video viewers into active engagers. The highest performing videos on Facebook tend to facilitate two-way interaction between creator and audience.
Promotion Investment
Putting advertising dollars behind Facebook videos can skyrocket their reach. Promoting videos through Facebook Ads Manager ensures more targeted viewership from ideal demographics.
Benefits of boosting Facebook videos:
- Broaden reach beyond just existing followers
- Control and target the exact audience
- Increase overall video views
- Drive traffic to websites, offers, etc.
- Gain more followers and subscribers
Organic reach on Facebook can be limited. Investing even small amounts in video promotions provides a worthwhile ROI through expanded viewership.
Best Practices for Facebook Video Ads
- Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds
- Use captions for sound-off viewing
- Tailor creative for mobile feed placement
- Leverage Facebook’s detailed targeting tools
- Test different audiences, objectives and placements
- Analyze data and optimize for best results
Relevant and Valuable Content
At the end of the day, Facebook video success depends most on the quality and value of the content itself. Videos should educate, entertain, inspire, or resonate with target audiences in some way.
Tips for creating relevant Facebook videos:
- Identify and address viewers’ needs, interests
- Align videos with target audience profiles
- Provide useful information or unique value
- Spark an emotional reaction
- Encourage comments and discussion
Well-produced videos with compelling content that resonates with specific audiences are what drive genuine engagement and shares on Facebook.
Consistent Posting
Consistency and frequency in posting Facebook videos helps build loyal viewership. Posting on a regular schedule trains followers to anticipate new videos.
Recommended best practices for consistent Facebook video posting:
- Establish a regular posting cadence (e.g. once a week)
- Post at optimal times when followers are active
- Provide a variety in topics and content types
- Promote upcoming videos to build anticipation
- Foster engaged communities around video content
Making video part of an ongoing social media calendar, rather than one-off posts, leads to sustained growth in video metrics over time.
Multichannel Distribution
Repurposing video content across different channels expands reach beyond just Facebook. Sharing videos across YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, websites, and more maximizes potential audiences.
Benefits of multichannel Facebook video distribution:
- Extend reach to non-Facebook users
- Increase potential traffic sources
- Grow overall exposure and shares
- Attract viewers from different communities
- Drive viewers back to Facebook
Optimizing video for each platform while tying back to Facebook provides the best results. Viewers on other sites can then be retargeted with Facebook ads.
Video SEO
Optimizing videos for organic search results in addition to social platforms expands the potential discovery paths for content. Applying SEO best practices helps videos rank higher in both Facebook and external search engine results.
Video SEO tips for Facebook:
- Include target keywords in title and description
- Use captions and embed keywords where relevant
- Add interactive elements like links and @mentions
- Include transcript for crawling and indexing
- Incorporate videos into website content
Propermetadata and optimization for search significantly increases the findabilityof videosfor broader viewership.
Analyze and Optimize
Ongoing analysis of video performance data is key for identifying what content resonates best with target audiences. This allows creators to optimize future video strategy.
Metrics to track for Facebook video:
- Reach and impressions
- Views and view rate
- Average watch time
- Completion rate
- Clicks, reactions, comments, shares
- Audience demographics
- Traffic sources
Regularly monitoring metrics and trends provides crucial insights to inform video creation and promotion decisions.
Conclusion
Achieving Facebook video success requires an understanding of optimal formats, promotion strategies, and audience targeting. But most importantly, videos must have compelling and relevant content tailored for the platform. Planning videos with these best practices in mind gives creators and businesses the best chance for their videos to thrive on Facebook.
With Facebook’s vast user base and popularity for video, the platform offers immense potential for engagement, traffic, and brand-building. By following the approach outlined here, any brand, business, or creator can unlock the full benefits of video marketing on Facebook.