Maximizing The Reach Of Facebook Videos

Facebook has experienced massive growth in the online video world over the past year with the latest numbers showing that more than one billion clips are watched per day on the network. This impressive statistic comes alongside recent findings by social media analytics provider, Socialbakers, who conducted a study that indicated that an increasing number of brands are choosing to upload their video content directly to Facebook as opposed to YouTube.

Facebook’s exponential growth in the online video world is causing some industry experts to predict that the social media network will soon surpass YouTube to become the number one place for marketers to post their videos.

The social media company posted a blog containing additional evidence of the magnitude of its growth in this regard, with a report that the number of video posts per person has increased 75% globally and 94% in the U.S. over the past year. Facebook’s adjustments to favor videos in the News Feed appear to be working very well. The amount of video in users’ feeds has increased 360% globally, and more than 50% of daily users of Facebook watch at least one video per day. Facebook also explained that 76% of users in the U.S. say that they “tend to discover the videos they watch on Facebook.”

With more and more marketers turning to Facebook to post their videos, how can they maximize their reach on the network? The company’s blog post provided some valuable ideas to help content creators understand how to engage users on its network.

“The most important thing to remember when creating video for Facebook is that it will be a part of News Feed,” wrote Facebook. “As a creator, you should be conscious that people will discover your video in News Feed next to a photo from a friend or a status update from a relative. Your video needs to fit in, and it needs to be something that your audience will want to watch and share.”

Facebook is clearly a different environment than YouTube or other video sites, and it’s therefore important for marketers to customize their content to maximize engagement and to increase the number of times that their videos are shared.

The company’s blog post also discussed the effect that its auto-play functionality has on users. “With the launch of auto-play and the surge in mobile use, it’s also important to focus on posting videos that grab people from the first frame of video,” Facebook explained. “Shorter, timely video content tends to do well in News Feed. Keep in mind that auto-play videos play silently in News Feed until someone taps to hear sound, so videos that catch people’s attention even without sound often find success.”

There’s no question that Facebook has become a major player in the online video world, and its growth appears to be continuing. Will Facebook surpass YouTube in 2015 to become the number one place for marketers to post videos?