The research
New research released straight from Facebook shows that the optimum length for video on Facebook is now 6 – 15 seconds. It represents a real shift in behaviour as previously the recommended video length was around 30 seconds.
The application
What does this mean for marketers? Well, firstly it means the video content needs to be super concise and the message needs to be strong, consistent and simple. This is not the place to beat around the bush or provide in-depth explanations or education. It seems that the content that will work best is the top of the funnel branding content. Why? Because in 15 seconds, your goal really should be to raise brand awareness as it’s unlikely you’ll convince a Facebook user to buy your product in 15 seconds. Unless of course, you have a strong brand presence! Look at this 6 – 15-second windows as micro touches to build trust and build a reputation.
So what about actual content? Well, we would suggest keeping the messaging simple. Some ideas for good Facebook videos would be to base your videos around a simple theme and create a short series of videos with a similar format and consistent branding. The theme could be something like brand values, mission, USPs or just highlighting some pain points that you solve. The trick is to really understand your audience and to speak directly to their needs.
Another method would be to create a hero piece of content which can later be broken down into micro videos. This is tough because you’ll need to pull out strands of a story or indeed tell a story in a very short amount of time. But don’t be put off. This is a brilliant exercise and in fact, will help you remove dead weight. Using the micro pieces of content you can lead viewers to other pieces of content and move them along their customer journey. This is really important.
Build an ecosystem of content! You can increase engagement through the use of connected pieces of content. It helps with consistency and it also means people are more like to engage with a larger amount of your content.
We’ve spoken before about the Golden 5 Second rule. To summarise, the first 5 seconds of your video are what a headline is to an article. In fact, Facebook says users make the decision within the first 3 seconds. So what can you do to provide that ‘hook’?
Firstly, you’ll want to think about a strong pattern breaker. You’ve probably heard of the phrase, ‘purple cow’. And this idea that you need something as bizarre as a purple cow to stop the zombie scroll is as true as ever. Videos that do great always start with a bang. Now depending on your audience, that bang will vary…
It might be a beauty shot of your product. Or a way of showcasing the emotion of someone enjoying your service or product. It might just be a giant inflatable prop! No seriously. It’s not a bad idea. Using something that is completely unexpected within the first few seconds is going to drive curiosity. It’s the curiosity that will urge people to continue watching. Now here’s the caveat. Know your audience! Will your perfect prospect be bored by a giant inflatable flamingo or will they love it? Will your perfect prospect drool over a strong statistic or will their eyes glaze over?
Yes, you have to break the monotonous pattern, but do so in a meaningful way that your clients actually care about.
Key takeaways
Drive curiosity
Go for short films and lots of them!
Know your audience
Live video is a whole different kettle of fish, our recent blog post details how you can best use it for your business, check it out here.
Fancy chatting through your ideas? Book in a free consultation with Sunjay to discuss how video could best work for you and your business.
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