Remember when you had to read the newspaper every morning for the latest news, or wait a whole week to see the next episode of your favorite show? Times, they are a changin’!

Now, you can find TV shows online within seconds, and major news is being broken on Twitter and Facebook before it even hits CNN. In fact, Facebook has more than 8 billion video views daily, the equivalent of everyone on the planet watching a little over one Facebook video every day.

Moving pictures have captivated people for over a century, and for the first time in history, small businesses can take advantage of that fascination for a minor investment. If you’re looking for one of the most effective B2C marketing strategies, look no further than Facebook video ads.

The value of video

What makes Facebook video ads so lucrative? Our brains are wired for it.

Indulge my nerdiness for a moment. The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than it does text, making it much easier for our brains to follow and comprehend what we see versus what we read. Plus, we’re better able to recall information that we absorb visually, which means a video ad is more likely to stick in our minds. And to top it off, smartphones have made accessing and watching video anytime, anywhere easier than ever.

Simply put, our brains are wired to enjoy video, and technology has given us unlimited access to it.

More video = more engagement

Biological wiring aside, video is also a great advertising medium because it’s easy to share. As an advertiser, typing out an article or coming up with a witty social media post takes time and energy, and people may or may not read it.

On the other hand, videos are proven to attract way more engagement and shares than text. According to a study by Social Bakers, the average Facebook video generates 135% greater organic reach compared to photo posts. If you’re a business looking for more eyeballs and interaction, the decision is easy.

Think video ads might not be a good fit for your business? Think again.

We suggest including video ads in almost every Facebook PPC strategy for B2C companies, and our clients have found a lot of success with it. Facebook video ads are particularly good for businesses with long sales cycles because video is a great way to begin building trust and showing potential customers what your brand is all about.

We’ve found the question isn’t whether Facebook video ads are right for your business, but rather: Is your business ready to create a strategy for Facebook videos and produce video content?

This may seem like an intimidating question because video can be more expensive and time consuming than creating written content. However, not all videos need to be Oscar-worthy.

People are used to seeing less polished videos on Facebook, so if yours is a little rough around the edges, that’s ok. It actually may come across as more authentic and natural. In some cases, high production value can even work against you and make your business appear too salesy and “corporate.”

5 tips for creating effective Facebook video ads

When building out the script or storyboard for your video ad, remember these 5 basic steps:

1. Hook ‘em early. Illustrate a pain point or problem right off the bat to connect with viewers. People have short attention spans, so try to keep your video short (ideally under one minute) so they stay engaged and can easily “stop, watch, and scroll.”
2. Tell a story. Explain the features and benefits of your product or service through a narrative that shows the problem and solution in a real-world situation.
3. Provide social proof. Seeing is believing, so bring in real customers who can share their enthusiasm and stories of how they use your product or service in their daily lives.
4. Encourage them to act. 64% of consumers are more likely to buy after watching a video, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to tell them how to take the next step.
5. Add captions during post production. 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound, so captions allow viewers to still get value from the video even if they can’t listen to the audio. They’re also useful for people who can listen but like to follow along with subtitles.

Tracking the success of Facebook video ads

Facebook offers a number of tools to track the effectiveness of your videos. The most important metric is watch percentage. This metric kicks in once a viewer has watched your video ad for more than three seconds. Then, Facebook tracks whether the person stays tuned in for 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the video.

Using this information, you can take Facebook advertising one step further and create a retargeting campaign for people who have watched a certain percentage of your video. This strategy helps you make the most of your Facebook ads, get in front of people who already showed interest in your business, and keep moving them down the sales funnel.

Achieve Super Bowl ad reach without the million-dollar budget

As a Facebook user, you’ve probably noticed that video catches your attention more than text posts. Your customers are the same way — and the data proves it. People are naturally wired to connect more with video, and research shows that it’s amazingly effective for advertising in an captivating way.

Facebook has been a pioneer in digital advertising for over 10 years, and with the fast expansion of their video ad features, advertisers of any size can reach millions of eyes without pinching their pennies for big TV media buys.

Want to reach a Super Bowl-sized audience for a fraction of the budget? Contact our team for a free consultation to learn more about Facebook video ads and see how they could work for your business.