Optimising video content for Facebook

Optimising video content for Facebook

Optimising Video Content For Facebook

if you want the engagement, you’ve got to optimise!

Video content is becoming more and more popular as the years go by, and no matter what platform you favour, video cotnent is taking over. It’s not longer just the remit of sites like YouTube; now all major social media platforms allow people and brands to upload and share native video content – reaching their adueinces from right within their timelines..

But just because you can share video on Facebook, doesn’t mean that you get to just chuck your standard YouTube edit on there and Bob’s your uncle – the views start rolling in. As nice as that would be, if you want to see success when it comes to video content on Facebook then there are some steps you need to follow in order to optimise it properly.

Keep it short

Facebook conducted a study a little while ago which found that up to 47% of a video’s value should be provided in the first 3 seconds, and 74% in the first 10. This is because people need to be drawn in – and mega long feature-length videos aren’t what people are looking for on social media sites. Although the maximum length for a Facebook video is two hours, the recommended sweet spot is two minutes or less – with some experts saying five minutes should be your absolute maximum.

Top tip: Start strong – put key facts or selling points at the beginning to catch people’s eye.

Think thumbnails

Although a lot of video on Facebook auto plays, this feature can be switched off – which means that if your thumbnail doesn’t look amazing people are going to scroll straight past. Make sure you pull them into your content with striking, compelling visuals, but also make sure that it accurately tells someone what they’re going to get if they watch.

Top tip: Colour and text can be your friend when it comes to thumbnails, but don’t overdo it. Make sure it’s just enough to create interest, without being so cluttered that people run for cover.

Catchy captions are your friend

Context is king of all things, and it’s important to remember that when it comes to Facebook video. Text can help to ensure that your video is easy to understand, whether people have sound on or not, which is why using it to your advantage in titles, captions or even subtitles can make a big difference. One study found that adding captions to your videos can increase engagement by 12% or more, so it’s worth having a play around next time you upload.

Top tip: Remember to use punchy, scannable language – if you’re trying to stop someone scrolling, try to use power words to grab their attention (E.g Free, Awesome, Learn, New)

Make it native

You might be used to uploading videos to YouTube and then embedding them wherever you need them, but when it comes to Facebook you need to go native. Embedding video instead of uploading natively can cut your video’s organic reach from 13.2% to 7.9% according to eMarketer – not something you want to happen. Facebook’s algorithm favours native video content, and you want to be on the good side of the algorithm to see success. Plus, only native videos autoplay in feeds, helping them get more coverage.

Top tip: Upload different cuts of your video to different platforms and cross-promote, to give audiences a reason to visit different places. For example, you could use a native Facebook video to preview a longer-form cut uploaded to YouTube.

While it’s hard to imagine Facebook replacing YouTube when it comes to video content, the social platform is securing a strong position when it comes to video marketing – so neglect it at your peril. Follow these four handy tips and your Facebook videos will be the talk of the digital town in no time.

Interested in learning how to make some awesome creative content to share? Check out our Creative Content Workshop or pop us an email at hello@giantcampus.co.uk to find out more.

Ben Hawkes

Ben Hawkes

Digital Creative Lead

Follow us on social media for blog updates and more kick-ass learning content to grow your digital skills!

Can the weather heat up your content marketing?

Can the weather heat up your content marketing?

Can The Weather Heat Up Your Content Marketing?

how does the weather effect your content and social media marketing?

“You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.” – so said Outkast, one of the greatest one hit wonders of our generation.

 

Now, the lyrical wordsmiths André 3000 and Big Boi may not have been thinking about digital marketing when they wrote their hit song Ms Jackson, but that is exactly the connection we are making today.

This week the UK experienced a heatwave. By that we mean temperatures hit a sweet 20+ (sometimes even 30+!) Celsius, leading to every balding 40 something-year-old in the country whipping off their shirt and heading to the closest body of water.

Because of this uncharacteristically hot weather, a large sum of unusual search queries on Google began to appear – and rise in popularity.

How hot does it need to be to leave work?

Some of the top “hot weather” queries this week included how to keep a baby cool in hot weather at night? Can petrol tanks explode in hot weather? And how hot does it have to be to leave work?

When it comes to content marketing, it’s all about being where your customers are. By that, we don’t mean getting out of the office and running to the beach. Unfortunately, there are no laws around a maximum temperature in the workplace, so we all have to keep calm and carry on.

Finding out what people are searching for, saying and doing online is half the game when it comes to digital marketing, and this week it has been all about surviving the heat. What this means for the online world is that if you can make content that answers these questions, then you stand a better chance of getting in front of people.

 

But I work as a secretary for Boris Johnson. What does that have to do with hot air?

Now, our advice above doesn’t mean that every website on the internet needs to start answering questions about whether hot drinks can cool you down without any original insight. What it really means is that you should be thinking of your users when it comes to your content. If there are timely factors which will be affecting their day to day life that you can talk about naturally, that is what you should do.

Additionally, if you have content that you have previously written that becomes relevant again, re-work it and reshare it. If you wrote a blog about England’s World Cup history four years ago, it is absolutely time to dust it off, update the information and reshare it. Much less time is needed, and you continue to provide quality information in the articles or blogs you share.

Planning for the weather

Having a long-term strategy for content is vital to ensuring your efforts match the goals and ambitions of the business as a whole, but allowing for impromptu blogs or social posts means you are able to react to the weather – even if you can’t predict it.

This leaves you in a stronger position to reach your customers, and provide information they actually use.

In case you were wondering about the answers to the above search queries; give your baby a cool bath before bed, get a fan and wear less nightwear, and no, petrol tanks won’t explode in the heat.

Now get out there, write blogs that hit those topical search queries, and shake it like a polaroid picture.

Ben Hawkes

Ben Hawkes

Digital Creative

Follow us on social media for blog updates and more kick-ass learning content to grow your digital skills!