Facebook has held the highest user base for over a decade now.
It hosts over 2 billion people and as access to the Internet is growing by the day this number will only increase with time.
I don’t believe Facebook is the first choice for every business’s marketing efforts but can, guaranteed, be used in one way or another to grow audience, authority, and sales.
This can be through viral marketing campaigns, paid advertisements (they know everything about us so targeting is very easy), or using their group features to create better communication with audience.
Regardless of your approach; video is a powerful way to share your ideas and marketing efforts.
Over the past 3 years, my team and I have reached millions through influencer marketing and viral video creation on a variety of projects, pages, and campaigns.
In this article, I want to give you the top three ways you can start adjusting your videos for greater reach and conversions.
1. Implement Engaging, Informative Titles Above Video
Let’s just cut to the chase: No one owes you anything on social media.
You have to earn a loyal fanbase by providing massive value and creating genuine connection through the value you provide and messages that are exchanged.
With that said, it is our job as creators to understand the tactics and adjustments we can make to our content to ensure that it is seen by more people.
With a scrolling platform like Facebook, we have minimal time (milliseconds often) to catch someone’s attention. If it is just a talking head without audio, you can bet someone is more likely to continue scrolling.
The way to overcome this is by editing your video in such a way in which you can place a title above it. Intrigue people by this copy and capture their attention to give them a better idea of the content you are promoting in a catchy way for a higher chance of someone turning on audio and giving you a shot.
This title is vital. Be interesting. It can make or break the "shareability" of a video.
2. Add Subtitles To Your Videos
“85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.”
The numbers don’t lie. People consume social media any- and everywhere. Sometimes more privately alone in their room or bathroom (don’t lie, I know you've done it). Sometimes on the commute to work in a crowded metro.
With a catchy title like above, we have their initial attention.
With 10-15 seconds reading subtitles we have them hooked.
From there the viewer will either commit to turning on the audio or choose to just continue reading the captions.
For those on a tighter budget, Facebook will auto-create your subtitles when uploading and all you have to do is simply check the box. Keep in mind that the software isn’t 100% accurate so you should still double-check the caption spelling but the technology is there.
I personally ask my editor to caption my full video, or at least the first minute, directly on the video in Adobe Premiere.
To provide this space when editing, simply change your setting to a 1080 x 1080 or 1920 x 1920 (square) format and place your landscape video in the centre.
You can find eager editors online to provide this service or simply direct message me. My agency provides this service to our clients.
3. The First Three Seconds Are Vital
A common thread in this article is that the average social media consumer has a low attention span when there is a fresh piece of content waiting at the stroke of one's thumb. We know this. Now we have to play to it through the content we create. It is not the consumer’s job to give us their time. It is our goal and effort to receive it.
We have a limited amount of time to grab someone’s attention on social media. This is why it is so valuable to have an engaging start to any video we post. We want to hook someone through a bold statement or intriguing question that both catches the eye and still aligns with the context of our message. It’s an art.
Creators that do this very well include Prince EA, Jay Shetty, Goalcast, & Sarah Snow.
Picture this for a second; you are scrolling through your feed, see a video start auto-playing, the first lines you read are “Ben was on the edge of the cliff when he heard his phone ring. This specific ringtone only played when his sister called. He shed a tear, stepped down, and answered her call.”
Woah. That’s intense. Who is this guy? Is it that actor from my favorite show? He looks familiar. Why was he on the edge of a cliff? Who is his sister? Will he go on to accomplish great things? Will he be destined for self-destruction?
I’m hooked. I want to hear this story.
Follow these steps and consistently put out content.
These skills will improve with time but only through dedication to the craft.
Who knows, maybe you’ll become the next viral hit and I’ll be reaching out to work with you on a future influencer marketing campaign I am running.
The final note I will leave on is to remember to be a student to great creators. Do not just consume for consumption's sake. Follow epic people and ask yourself “why” “what” and “how” are they doing what they are doing to capture my attention.
You’ll pick up a lot from that simple mindset shift alone.
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