With 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a valuable resource if you’re looking for customers. The most effective way to get visitors to your online store is to have them visit a related physical store, or entice them to visit your store through Facebook video ads. But how can you make Facebook video ads if you don’t have a lot of video editing experience?
To make Facebook video ads, you need the right message and content to capture their attention. You’ll need to appeal to their emotions while at the same time, creating entertaining and engaging videos to keep their attention. If you don’t capture their attention within 3 seconds, you’ve lost them.
Luckily, it’s not that difficult either. Join us as we go into the many strategies for creating engaging, entertaining, and compelling Facebook video ads.
Content and General Tips
The best way to engage your audience is by knowing what types of content they want to see. You want to get them to take notice and stop scrolling to play your video ad, and when you do have their attention, you must deliver an engaging, entertaining, or informative video ad.
Here are some easy tips on how to get some great content ideas and how to get their attention.
Capture Their Attention
The initial three seconds of your video ad are crucial. Facebook reports that their users spend an average of 2.5 seconds on content when they are browsing the site on a desktop or laptop computer. That number is shorter when they’re mobile, where most users spend an average of 1.7 seconds on every post, video, ad, and comment.
What’s more, Facebook users spend at least 100 million hours watching Facebook videos daily. For your video ad to be noticed, it should get people’s attention, as they should grab their attention and jump out at them.
It is only then that users will stop scrolling and watch your video.
Get Ideas From Others
But how do you know what to talk about or how to get people’s attention? It will take a lot of work, but you should go on Facebook and scroll down your newsfeed.
Pay attention to the videos and content that get you to stop scrolling. Copy the text that works and save screenshots or images that made you take notice. Study what elements made these videos and copy to stick out. For instance, was it the use of bright colors, interesting images, or a witty headline?
Or is it something relatable or something that solves a problem, such as:
- Imagine if this happens to you at your wedding!
- Stop losing $300 per month by avoiding these minor mistakes you might not know you’re committing.
Remember, more than just the shock value, you have three seconds to make your audience curious while including the benefits of visiting your store. These elements will not only stop them in their tracks but also keep them watching.
Give Away Something Valuable for Free
Another way to draw attention to your Facebook video ad is to give your audience some free stuff. For instance, if you’re a consultant, you might want to offer them a free webinar featuring some of your best content.
The idea is to introduce your service and brand to new audiences while getting them curious about the type of product, service, or content they can get when they do pay.
Emotions Are Important
The first thing you should avoid is to come off as dry while overselling your product. Your videos may be awe-inspiring, moving, funny, or entertaining. Emotions are what make videos very engaging, and it pushes your audience to continue watching. They may even share your video ad with their network.
A good example is to make it feel like your audience is there in the room with you as you unbox the new iPhone. Or you are making them feel involved when you’re learning how to do stuff.
Stress on the Benefits
Don’t forget about the benefits of your product, which you should keep in mind when you’re writing the script.
You might also want to get into comparison tables and reviews, or if you have a distinct edge over your competition, highlight that. For instance, if the potato chips you’re selling have fewer calories, are healthier, and are cheaper than other brands, then you should highlight that.
Comparison tables are a great way to present how your product is superior to the competition and highlight the features and benefits your products offer.
Other Tips
- Avoid using stock images: Use real people in real situations.
- Tell a story: Instead of just posting a video that’s more of a commercial of your products or services, tell a story, as they keep your audiences interested and engaged.
- Get excellent product shots: There are times when you’re delivering product benefits and features or answering questions about the product. An excellent way to keep your audiences interested is to show them your product, whether it’s a well-produced product shot or showing people using them.
- User-generated content works too: Your video content doesn’t have to all come from you. Sometimes customer interviews and reviews can sell better than scripted dialogue.
- Create a slideshow of your best-performing photos, specifically the ones that have generated sales in the past.
How To Create Your Video Ad
You should make sure of two things when creating a Facebook video ad:
- Great lighting
- Great sound
But you really don’t need special equipment, as your phone can take excellent quality videos with its camera.
How do you get the best video ads?
- Invest in a good lapel microphone that you can attach to your collar. These microphones can catch everything you’re saying, and you can plug them directly into your smartphone. It also has less background noise while delivering a much better audio quality than the microphone embedded in your phone.
- Test your microphone to make sure that the audio is not too loud or too soft. If the audio is too loud, it might distort the sound and result in bad audio quality. Too soft, and people might have a difficult time hearing what you’re saying.
- Lighting is crucial as well. You don’t need professional lighting, as you can use natural light. Being outdoors or facing a window will help if you don’t have lighting equipment.
- Avoid lights that are directly overhead. Overhead lighting can cast shadows that can make your face look more tired or just plain uninviting.
- If you’re going to shoot outdoors, the best time is 60 to 90 minutes after sunrise or before sunset. Shooting your video during these times will help you avoid the harsh sun being directly overhead.
- If you’re shooting in the shade, make sure that you have the shaded area behind you to face the light of the sun. This way, you will not look very dark while the background is very bright.
- Don’t shoot in the dark where there will be a lot of grain and noise in your footage. Find an area with a light source close to you and give you a lot of light at eye level.
- Hold the phone at eye level to get the most flattering shots. Look at the camera, rather than looking off somewhere else, such as a secondary monitor.
There are several accessories that you can use to make shooting videos easier:
- A light stand or tripod to hold your phone helps you get steady shots and keeps your hands free.
- Light sources can help you get enough light in darker places. It’s recommended to have two light sources and place them at around 45-degree angles to help light your face the best.
- Editing software such as video editing apps can help you get the clips you want, combine these clips, and do some post-processing work.
Video Editing
Several online services can help you edit your videos and produce professional-quality work, even if it’s your first time. For instance, Offeo enables you to create animated video ads that are as simple as choosing a template and then changing how the elements look.
You can use your own proprietary images or get some stock photos free at Pexels or Unsplash. If you need background music for your ad, you can get royalty-free music from Soundstripe
Another online video too you should know is ClipScribe. To use this service, you can upload your video, specify a title, and specify if you shot it vertically or horizontally.
Once loaded, ClipScribe can transcribe your videos so that they can have subtitles, which will allow 80 percent of people who watch videos on social media to avoid turning up the volume. Aside from that, ClipScribe can also help you have attention-grabbing headlines, use multiple layouts, add images, and others.
You also have free video editors such as Davinci Revolve, Windows Movie Maker, or iMovie.
Here’s how they compare on the following characteristics:
- Ease of use
- Features
- Titles or graphics
- Price
- Speed
Conclusion
Now that you have the know-how to create and edit incredible videos, you can now ace your Facebook ads. Just practice a lot and don’t lose heart, especially when you’re just starting out.
If you would like to learn more about Facebook Ads Strategy, watch my comprehensive 2-hour Free Training video that will take you from beginner to Facebook ads expert.