by Dan Perichino | CEO Sawtooth Productions & Co-Founder of Sawtooth Media Group
Did you know that you only have less than 3 seconds to hook your viewers’ interest when it comes to Facebook video ads?
You know what I mean. You’ve been on your news feed, you’ve scrolled right past most of the videos that auto-play almost immediately – except once in a while, you stop.
And you watch.
And you keep watching.
But why?
Obviously, something has caught your attention and is able to retain your attention too.
After creating dozens of Black Friday Facebook Video ads for a lot of our clients over the years, I had to pay attention even closer when it came to trying to hook their potential customers. I figured it may help you with the Holidays (and Holiday Sales) coming up soon.
So, here are a few ways to do that when it comes to creating your Facebook ads.
1. Grab Attention With a Custom Video Thumbnail.
There are a lot of users who deactivate the auto-play function on their Facebook timelines, plus, Facebook won’t auto-play your video if you are using cellular data. The thumbnail will be the first, or only, part of the Facebook Video ads they will see.
When you upload your video, make sure to either select a frame of the video that will spark a viewer’s interest or – if they’re not engaging enough – create an attention-grabbing thumbnail that will be certain to raise some eyebrows and earn the click. This can be done by adding a custom thumbnail when building out the ads.
2. Create an Attention-Grabbing Visual.
Let’s say you come across an ad for swimming goggles. What would you be more likely to watch? A talking head in a dimly-lit room, or a dude getting hit in the face with a water balloon in slow-motion?
Your potential customers want to be excited about your product or service – and they all like to laugh too. Countdowns, engaging questions, and emotionally-driven stories are also good ways to grab the attention of the viewer.
3. Add Captions to Every Video, Especially for Facebook Video ads.
Did you know that adding captions to your video ad can increase viewership by an average of 12%? Videos on Facebook are muted by default, so it’s a good reason to make sure you’re uploading a caption file or burning them (placing captions on the actual video itself) onto the video to increase your views. You can add caption directly in ads manager, but having them done beforehand with tools like otter.ai provides you with more control over how the caption appears. Plus- you won’t have to add them again each time you build an ad or if you want to use the video elsewhere!
In Summary
There are a TON of ways to grab the attention of prospects and potential customers.
It’s just a matter of creativity, messaging, and constantly testing new things to see what works.
Now if you need help making engaging ads, we’d love to help you. Schedule a call today. We’ll increase your bottom line, your brand reputation, and the smiles on your customers’ faces.
