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With Facebook video being all the rage these days, it’s no wonder why people are throwing themselves on the bandwagon like it’s Ryan Gosling dipped in Nutella.
But here’s the bad news kiddos, success on Facebook video hinges on a whole lot more than ‘being there’. In fact, as videos become a more popular marketing tool for bloggers and brands, there’s an increasing number of videos that flop and do nothing to boost engagement and views.
So what’s the deal?
Well, the truth is, Facebook video is a whole new beast to tame. What works well on YouTube might not translate well to Facebook as a platform, and all the conventional rules of cinematography and storytelling kinda get thrown out the window. SO, to help you get on the right track, here are a few common newbie mistakes that creators are making with Facebook video, and how you can fix them.
Mistake #1: Not making it square
Haven’t you ever wondered why most of the ‘big pages’ these days crop their videos into awkward squares? The reason is pretty simple actually: a square video takes up more real estate on a mobile screen.
So, the next time you upload a video natively on Facebook, consider resizing/recropping it to be square, rather than a carbon copy of your YouTube masterpiece.
Mistake #2: Not being exciting from the beginning
Humans on Facebook these days have the attention span of a spaghetti-hurling toddler. This means you have maybe half a second to capture your viewer’s interest, otherwise it’s back to scrolling through cat memes and their ex’s vacation photos.
This means there is no time for a flashy branded intro like on YouTube, or the worst, super slow loading text effects. If I have to watch your video for more than a second to see your first title screen, I’m out.
So, remember: strive to be mindblowingly interesting from the start, and that’ll keep people watching.
Mistake #3: Relying on audio
Research shows that the majority of people on Facebook will watch videos on mute.
This makes sense because Facebook users are often on the go, at work, etc. – in situations where it’s not super convenient to just load up a video with full audio and go to town.
This is why you should create your content assuming it’ll be watched on mute, and at the very least include subtitles. Besides just throwing on some subtitles though, you need to consider the pacing of your video and whether or not it’s exciting enough without audio to drive it. Vlogs that rely on good music to keep it interesting for instance might not do so great, likewise a video of you just talking to the camera without much visual appeal might tank as well.
Mistake #4: Not understanding what “works” on Facebook
There are some types of content that just work better for Facebook video than others. Again, remember that Facebook caters to people with short attention spans, and that videos will only become viral if they are shareable.
Examples of content that work well on Facebook:
- Awesome looking recipes
- Cool, inspirational travel features
- Helpful tutorials for DIY, beauty, etc.
- Funny, relatable memes
Following this train of thought, long narratives, vlogs and a wide range of other types of content might not work as well in terms of Facebook “virality”. So, remember: not all types of content work well on Facebook. Consider optimizing your creations FOR Facebook and shareability before uploading them.
Hope you enjoyed that quick read on common Facebook video mistakes!! Have any burning questions about FB video? Leave them in the comments below.
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