5 Expert Tips for Amazingly Engaging Facebook Video Ads

You’re probably reading this because you’re looking to unlock your Facebook video ad campaigns’ full potential and boost your conversion rates. You also may be curious about how to create compelling and impactful ad copy for your video ads that captivates your target audience on Facebook.

If so, you’re in the right place.

This comprehensive guide’ll share invaluable tips and strategies to help you craft engaging video ads content, optimize your videos for mobile viewing, and drive meaningful results in your Facebook advertising endeavors.

If you’re new to Facebook advertising and want to create successful Facebook video ads—or if you’re a Facebook pro and want to iterate on your current strategy—this guide is for you.

What are Facebook video ads? (+Types and placements)

Facebook video ads are video ads that show on Facebook (and can also show on Instagram–since they are both part of Meta). They are a great way to show off your brand’s personality and engage with potential customers, especially since Facebook is one of the best advertising platforms out there.

Let’s walk through the different types of Facebook video ads, where they appear on the platform (ad placements), and the requirements you must meet to run them.

In-Feed video ads

These ads appear within your News Feed while scrolling, blending in thoroughly with organic content in the News Feed. They autoplay without sound, but you can tap on the video to enable sound or expand it to full screen.

Here’s an example from music streaming service Spotify:

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Requirements: Videos should be in .mp4 or .mov format, with a maximum file size of 4 GB. The recommended video resolution is at least 1080 x 1080 pixels, with a 4:5 (for mobile) or 1:1 (for desktop or mobile) aspect ratio. The video length can be anywhere between 1 second and 240 minutes.

Stories video ads

These ads appear in between user-generated Stories and content.

Requirements: Videos should be in .mp4 or .mov format, with a maximum file size of 4 GB. The recommended video resolution is at least 720p, with a 9:16 aspect ratio. The video length should be between 1 second and 240 minutes.

In-Stream video ads

These ads appear in videos from Facebook’s Audience Network of approved publishers. These videos can be long-form content (TV shows, movies, or web series) and shorter videos (like news clips or user-generated content).

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In-Stream video ads typically play before, during, or after the video content the user is watching. Depending on the placement and ad configuration, they can be skippable or non-skippable.

Non-skippable ads play in their entirety, while skippable ads allow users to skip after a specified duration, usually after 5 seconds.

Requirements: Videos should be in .mp4 or .mov format, with a maximum file size of 4 GB. The recommended video resolution is at least 1080 x 1080 pixels, with a 16:9 or 1:1 aspect ratio. The video length is between 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

How effective are Facebook video ads? (+6 benefits)

Facebook video ads are a great way to tell your brand’s story and connect with customers.

Data shows Facebook records over 4 billion video views daily. The data further reveals that approximately 500 million viewers spend 100 million hours consuming video content on Facebook daily.

And, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the largest social network in the world. This indicates that your video content could reach many people quickly (especially if you’re targeting specific demographics or interests).

That’s not it. Facebook video ads can help you meet your marketing goals and reach your audience in unique, native ways. Here are some more key benefits of running video ads on Facebook.

Facebook video ads are engaging and captivating

Video content can capture users’ attention and convey messages more effectively than static images or text.

Facebook video ads specifically can be visually immersive and utilize storytelling techniques to engage viewers and evoke emotional responses while they scroll through their Feeds.

This Facebook video ad shows how easy it is to use this program for AI-created videos.

Have high visibility

Facebook lets you place video ads in multiple places, including the News Feed, Stories, In-Stream, and Marketplace. These placements ensure video ads stand out in users’ feeds, giving you a better chance of catching your target audience’s attention.

Provide a mobile-optimized experience

Nearly every Facebook user (97.4%, to be precise) accesses their account on a mobile phone, either exclusively or in addition to desktop.

Luckily, Facebook’s video ad formats can help you provide a seamless experience on smartphones and tablets. For example, vertical video formats and full-screen displays in stories primarily cater to mobile users. This is important because many users shop on their phones, too.

Provide effective ad targeting

Meta Ads Manager allows you to target your advertising audience based on user demographics, interests, behaviors, and custom audiences. This helps you reach the people most likely to engage with your content and convert into paying customers.

Offer a variety of formats

Facebook offers a wide range of video ad formats and placements for your campaign. You can choose the placements that best aligns with your messaging and audience preferences. This gives you great flexibility in how you’re engaging your target audience.

Drive brand awareness through storytelling

Video ads provide an opportunity to build brand awareness, communicate brand values, and tell compelling stories.

By leveraging visual and auditory elements, businesses can create memorable experiences that resonate with their target audience, leaving a lasting impression.

Expert tips for creating effective Facebook video ads

So many people spend time on Facebook. It’s no wonder that businesses are investing in creating high-quality video content.

But not all Facebook video ads are created equal. Some get hundreds of thousands of views, while others barely get any views at all. What gives?

We gathered some Facebook ads best practices for creating highly engaging videos that will grab attention. Let’s review.

1. Grab attention quickly

Between 2000 and 2015, there was a significant decline of approximately 25% in the average human attention span. With this trend, data scientists and media analysts believe that the average consumer attention span is now 8 seconds.

With such short user attention spans, capturing attention within the first few seconds of your video ad makes sense.

Start with an intriguing hook, a visually captivating scene, or a problem-solving statement to pique curiosity and encourage viewers to keep watching.

Let’s say you’re a food delivery company. To quickly grab your audience’s attention, you could begin your video ad with a mouth-watering close-up shot of a delicious meal being prepared.

Here’s another example from Sephora, an e-commerce beauty company.

The famous beauty retailer effectively grabs attention with a 10-second GIF ad promoting their latest fragrances.

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The ad showcases ’70s-style aesthetics with flowing impressionist images, targeting women seeking gift options for themselves and others.

Here are some more tips to help you grab attention quickly in your Facebook video ad:

• Use an eye-catching thumbnail image
• Create a compelling title
• Use a clear call to action (CTA)
• Use high production value and sound quality
• Keep it simple, and make it about one thing

2. Design for sound-off viewing

Since videos in social media feeds often autoplay without sound, it’s best to optimize your videos for sound-off viewing.

Start by including captions or text overlays in your video ad to convey the message without relying solely on audio. This way, viewers don’t have to turn on the sound to understand your video’s content.

Statistics show that captions increase the likelihood of consumers watching a video by 80%.

Another great piece of advice is to focus on clear visual cues to relay your message without relying heavily on spoken words or background music.

Don’t forget to test your video ad with sound off before finalizing it. The ad should be able to communicate the intended message so your audience knows the campaign objective without audio cues.

3. Optimize for mobile

We’ve already confirmed that nearly every Facebook user accesses their Feed on a mobile device. In fact, 69% of Facebook users rely exclusively on their mobile phones to access the platform.

Overlooking mobile optimization of your video ads will result in alienating a vast majority of your target audience.

The first step here is to utilize Facebook’s mobile-friendly video format and format your videos with vertical or square aspect ratios to maximize screen space. This will also provide clear visibility on smaller phones, delivering a seamless mobile experience regardless of device.

Your CTA buttons or links should also be mobile-friendly and easy to tap on smaller screens. Ensure they’re visible and well-positioned within the ad to encourage user interaction.

Lastly, test your video ads on multiple mobile devices and screen sizes to ensure they’re visually appealing and functional across all platforms.

4. Include a strong call to action

Well-formatted, intriguing videos are powerful, but the true success of an ad campaign is in how it affects people’s behavior.

The call to action is one of the most essential parts of any advertising campaign. It’s what will get people to click on your ad, visit your site and convert into leads or customers (hopefully).

The key is to make sure that your CTA is clear and concise so that viewers know exactly what they’re supposed to do when they see your video. Here’s a great example of a strong call to action in a Facebook video ad.

Repurpose’s ad copy is already strong. Each statement begins with an action verb, encouraging viewers to examine their habits. Below the attention-grabbing design, the ad includes a precise and actionable call-to-action button that simply says, “Shop now.”

This CTA prompts viewers to take immediate action by clicking to shop for compostable, plant-based home goods.

5. Test and iterate

After creating your first few ads, start testing them against each other to see which ones perform better than others by watching their performance metrics closely over time. Here’s how.

• Test different combinations of images and video to see what gets the most engagement.
• Use Facebook’s built-in audience suggestions or target based on your target audience’s interests, behaviors, or demographics. For example, if you’re targeting users who like soccer clubs in Europe, set up a custom audience with “liked” pages related to soccer clubs in European countries.
• Test different combinations of demographic filters (age groups and genders) to see what works best for your target audience.

Key takeaways: Mastering Facebook video ads for success

Following these best practices for effective Facebook video ads can elevate your advertising and marketing campaigns, helping you attract new customers and stand out on social media platforms.

By implementing the tips we discussed, you can create video ads that truly resonate with your audience.

Here are those expert tips for Facebook video ads:

1. Grab attention quickly
2. Design for sound-off viewing
3. Optimize for mobile
4. Include a strong call to action
5. Test and iterate

Facebook offers a wide reach and powerful storytelling opportunities, so make the most of it by continuously testing and refining your strategies. Experiment with different approaches, monitor your click-through rates, and leverage the power of video creation and marketing to captivate your audience.

With these tips in your arsenal, your Facebook video ads have the potential to make a real impact, grab viewers’ attention, and drive brand awareness, customer engagement, and, ultimately, business growth.