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Have you noticed more videos in your Facebook news feed?
Want to take advantage of the benefits of Facebook video for your business?
Facebook's Autoplay feature means videos are more eye-catching than a regular post.
Plus, Facebook videos seem to get more organic reach in the news feed.
In this article I'll share eight ideas to get more engagement and drive more traffic with your Facebook videos.
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#1:Â Inspire Viewers
Inspirational videos get more shares and engagement than sales messages. Marie Forleo regularly posts answers to questions to inspire her audience to go farther in their business. Her videos are very professionally done.
However, you don't have to have a set or a big film crew to make these types of videos. Just speak a message from the heart or put a series of quotes together with some music using a tool like Animoto.
Video communicates a story better than anything. UPS did a great job sharing this story from a charity, which also helped to raise money through their own site.
#2: Educate Your Audience
Another type of effective video is to give a quick tip or teach something useful to your audience. At Social Media Examiner, we've been featuring hot tips on Tuesdays, which do very well in terms of engagement and reach.
For the Super Bowl, Lowe's created a fun set of hyperlapse tips. One 17-second video shows people making a fun Jenga-like game with Lowe's tools; the other is people making a chalkboard table for game-day treats. In less than a week, each video had over half a million views.
The Food Network also has quick-tip videos that get a lot of shares. A video of the chef creating the recipe in 15 seconds links to the recipe itself to drive traffic.
#3: Be Entertaining
People go on Facebook to have fun. But that doesn't mean you have to post cat videos or something completely off-topic just to get their attention. Entertain with informal, behind-the-scenes interviews at your company or create something fun like a cartoon video that has a business purpose. With the tools available online today, making an unusual video is easier than ever.
BuzzFeed regularly posts humorous videos that get lots of shares. The video below is just a series of images and text set to music. It received more than 45,000 views and 620 shares in 17 minutes.
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#4: Add a Featured Video
Featured videos are still currently rolling out on Facebook.
When you add a featured video, the video is more prominent. It's placed above your About section and is larger on your Videos tab.
Use this space to promote your most recent video or an upcoming event like we do on the Social Media Examiner page.
Featured videos have to be enabled by Facebook for your account. There is no way to request it. They are still in the process of rolling it out. You'll know you have it when you go to the Video tab and see the button to Add a Featured Video.
You can always change or delete the featured video by clicking the pencil icon on it.
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Watch our video tip on adding featured videos and playlists to your page.
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#5: Create a Playlist
Something else you can do on your Video tab is add playlists. You can have multiple playlists, so you can control people's experience navigating through your videos. At Social Media Examiner, we've added a playlist of hot tips so people can get them all in one place.
The BBC networks use playlists to feature different shows. Currently there is no way to link to a specific playlist, but hopefully Facebook will add that feature soon.
#6: Use the “Watch Video” Call-to-Action
The Facebook Call-to-Action button allows you to draw attention to a video on your website from your Facebook cover image. This can be a traffic-driver for people who visit your page.
There are several options for the Call-to-Action button, including “Watch Video.” Therefore, the cover photo also has to focus on what is in the video behind the button. HGTV teamed up with Ellen for a design challenge. The cover photo illustrates the promotion and the Call-to-Action button takes viewers to the video on their website.
#7: Boost Video Views With an Ad
Consider giving your video an extra boost with a Facebook video ad. If your video is inspiring or teaches something, you'll get natural shares. However, a bit of ad budget will make the video go farther. Dove has some very inspiring videos that they also sponsor with a boosted post. Although we can't tell how much they spend to get these views, I saw many people in my own news feed share this video.
#8: Embed Facebook Videos in Blog Posts
Facebook videos have an Embed feature available just like on YouTube. The videos play in the blog posts and someone can also easily see all of the comments and interaction on the post itself.
To embed Facebook video, first navigate to the full video post. Click on the date stamp on the post or go into the Video tab and select the video. Select the Embed Post link on the right sidebar.
When you click Embed Post, a pop-up box will appear and you can copy and paste the code onto a blog post or website.
Facebook Video Tips
Here are some quick tips to make sure your Facebook video is as good as it can be!
- Keep it short. Two minutes or shorter is best.
- Make it look professional. Use tight editing and good lighting in the video.
- Have movement in the first two to three seconds. This will attract the attention of people who have Autoplay.
- Edit your video, so you have a good thumbnail chosen.
We provide a few more tips in this video:
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Conclusion
This is the year for video on Facebook.
Facebook recently announced that people are posting 75% more videos to Facebook than they did a year ago. Overall, U.S. users are posting a whopping 94% more videos. Plus, Socialbakers reported that brands are now uploading more videos to Facebook than to YouTube. The same article states that Facebook videos are getting more engagement than YouTube videos posted to Facebook.
Every business can benefit from having a strategy to take advantage of the organic reach from posting videos. Use video to connect more deeply with your audience and drive more traffic to your website. And don't forget to smile for the camera.
What do you think? Are you using video on Facebook? What types of videos do you post? How have your videos worked for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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