If you aren’t uploading your marketing videos to Facebook, you’re missing out on an additional marketing content platform. Several recent changes on the social platform have made it more friendly for successful video marketing.
Facebook Introduces Better Metrics
Earlier this year, Facebook introduced new video metrics for Facebook pages. While business pages currently have access to certain video metrics, the new analytics platform will give a much clearer picture of real engagement. Currently, page owners can only see how many people started watching a video. Now you have access to more information, including unique video views, average duration of video view, and audience retention.
It’s not enough to just know how many people clicked on your video because these numbers could be misleading. Having access to more information will allow companies to know if the people who click on the video initially abandon it after just a few seconds. The platform currently doesn’t provide the kind of visibility that would allow you to know the difference. The changes will make it easier for marketers to tighten up their video strategies to see what’s working and what’s not.
Instant Video Play
Of course, late last year, Facebook also changed its algorithms so that videos will play instantly as you scroll through your Newsfeed. The modification has made the Newsfeed a much more vibrant space overall and may give marketers a greater chance of getting the viewer’s attention.
As TechCrunch pointed out, while choosing to hit the play button may not seem like a huge decision, it could make more of an impact than people think. Under the old model, users would scroll through their feed, see a video that looked interesting, hit the play button and wait for it to load. With the knowledge that it could take time to watch something, clicking play could actually be a significant commitment on a platform that’s already loaded with a lot of information. This often made it hard for companies to cut through the noise of status updates, photos, and other information on a person’s Newsfeed.
Thanks to this “autoplay” feature and a stronger presence of video marketing, Facebook videos surpassed YouTube for desktop video views and are generating a billion views daily. Now, if you have an expertly crafted video to capture a person’s attention within the first few seconds, your video will most likely get watched thanks to autoplay.
How to Make the Most of the Changes
If you aren’t already uploading your marketing videos to Facebook, it’s time to start plotting a campaign. With new analytics, you will have insight that you didn’t have before.
Even if you are using a video analytics platform, the demographics on Facebook could be different, which can give you greater visibility into the performance of videos across platforms. Since video play is now autoplay, strategically front loading your videos with information maybe a smart move. Make sure it’s engaging from the very start, and you may get new viewers who never would have clicked on your content before.
