If you’re looking to reach as many people as possible, Facebook is the place to be.
No matter how you feel about the social networking site, there’s no denying its popularity. Facebook is the world’s third most-visited website — it boasts nearly 3 billion active users, over 1.5 billion of whom visit every day. Considering Earth’s population is about 7.7 billion people, that’s a jaw-dropping number, and it creates a huge opportunity for advertisers.
The catch? Organic reach on Facebook is an uphill battle, which means marketers who are serious about getting value from the platform need to be using it for paid advertisments.
That’s where video ads come in. On Facebook, video ads outperform other formats by a long shot, bringing in twice as many clicks and up to 30% more conversions.
But the ability to reach that massive demographic also means stiff competition. Hundreds of thousands of marketers are competing for their target audiences’ wallets, attention, and eyeballs, so to stand out and deliver results, your ads need to be truly exceptional.
That’s why we’re here. We’ll explain how to create beautiful, captivating Facebook ads, and share some examples to get you inspired.
Why create Facebook video ads?
Video performs so well on Facebook for the same reasons it does well everywhere else. It’s the most engaging, direct, and effective way to share information!
Viewers remember 95% of the information they learn through video, compared to just 10% through text. That spells serious ROI on social media, where videos are shared 1,200% more widely than text or link-only posts.
On Facebook, video ads have been shown to result in a 47% higher click-through rate (CTR) and a 20-30% higher conversion rate. Simply put, wherever they are in your marketing funnel, video ads perform so much better that marketers are throwing away money if they don’t make the most of them. They’re especially powerful in tandem with Facebook’s sophisticated advertising technology, like lookalike audiences, pay-per-click models, customizable campaign budgets, and other targeting options that help you reach the people you want since Facebook is able to collect so much personal data.
It’s not a coincidence that people respond so well to video content. Today’s world is more virtual than ever before, and real-life interactions with brands are few and far between.
But that doesn’t mean customers aren’t still looking for connection. Video ad campaigns are the closest we can get to providing that, even if it’s through a screen.
Because it brings together visual, auditory, and even text information, video is our best tool to create positive experiences, humanize our brands, and build strong, lasting relationships with our customers.
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What to know before creating a Facebook video ad
Optimizing your Facebook advertising isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little bit of planning to get the most out of your ad spend. Here are the top questions to ask yourself before you get creative, start brainstorming, and hit ‘publish.’
What are your goals?
Just as all businesses have different priorities, so too will their ads have different goals.
Don’t just create a fun video ad because it looks pretty. Instead, start by getting crystal-clear on what you’re hoping to achieve. Are you wanting to send people to your brand’s landing page, or are you retargeting those who’ve already shown an interest in your brand? Would you like viewers to actually make a purchase, or just drive general brand awareness?
Your ad might look very different depending on what kind of outcome you’re striving for. That’s why as you’re creating your ad, you should always keep your eyes on the prize.
Does your video fit Facebook’s specs? Is the right size and length for the platform?
There are many different kinds of video ads on Facebook — for example, they can show up in users’ Feeds, in Facebook stories, and even on Marketplace. All those ads come with different requirements in order to display properly.
If your ad doesn’t fit Facebook’s specifications, it might not be approved at all. And if it is, it certainly won’t hold viewers’ attention.
In general, videos for Facebook ads should be 15 seconds or less, and you’ll want to stick to MP4, MOV, or GIF files with a 16:9 or 9:16 aspect ratio.
But with so many different types of ads on the platform, it’s best to get to scoop straight from the source. Check out Facebook’s video ad specs here.
What kind of content will your video ad feature?
Facebook ads can vary as widely as the companies that create them (hint — a lot).
If you’re looking for general brand awareness, a colourful, eye-catching animated video might do the trick. If you want to build social proof, consider a short customer interview or case study. To humanize your brand, consider a behind-the-scenes video or employee spotlight.
Whatever your goals for your ad, there’s a type of video content that will help you reach them. The options are truly endless. If you’re feeling stuck, check out the amazing video ads on this list for inspiration!
How are you planning to create your ad?
Video creation can be pretty intimidating for marketers. Unless you’ve got a side hustle as a YouTube star, making videos might feel like it’s out of your element.
But thankfully, today creating amazing video ads is truly accessible to everyone. There’s a host of simple, intuitive video-making tools out there — and some of them, like PlayPlay, were designed specifically for the needs of busy marketing teams.
With built-in libraries of stock footage, ready-to-go video templates, and animated text or motion graphic generators, these tools let you focus on the fun, creative part of the process.
10 examples of awesome Facebook video ads
Canva
Instead of just showing off the designs users can make with their tool, Canva highlighted ones related to a relevant, timely cause — Pride!
In doing so, not only do they piggyback on the excitement of Pride celebrations, but they show off their values, letting their potential customers know that they care about equality and LBGTQ+ rights. Pretty good for 15 seconds!
GoDaddy
Website hosting isn’t exactly an emotionally-loaded topic, but good ads know how to tug at their viewers’ emotions. That’s why this video ad from GoDaddy is so clever!
Instead of talking about their product specifically, they call out their user base and what matters to them. For GoDaddy, that's small business owners, and the challenges they face as they work towards their dreams.
Salesforce
In just 10 seconds, Salesforce explains exactly what their product does — and thanks to an adorable animal mascot, we simply can’t look away!
This video ad is a great example of how B2B companies don’t need to keep things stiff, formal, or overly professional to get their point across. With a little creativity, there’s no reason a CRM tool can’t be fun, entertaining, and even cute!
Calm
This ad, from meditation app Calm, is an exercise in simplicity.
In just 20 seconds, it’s giving people a taste of Calm’s product, and letting the user try it out for themselves. In the headline and ad copy, Calm has included snippets of rave reviews from major publications, backing up their claims and offering some serious social proof.
Blinkist
An explainer video in 15 seconds might sound like a stretch, but Blinkist shows us it can be done in style!
With just a few convincing statistics, the company demonstrates what their product does and why we need it. And it’s all executed using beautiful, cohesive design that builds up Blinkist’s brand identity.
Sunbasket
‘Show, don’t tell’ is an oft-repeated bit of storytelling advice, and here, Sunbasket takes it to heart.
This ad combines aesthetically pleasing video clips with strategic snippets of text. In just a few seconds, Sunbasket shows us what they’re offering — delivery boxes of fresh ingredients so we can whip up delicious, healthy meals, stress-free.
Secret
Celebrity endorsements are one of the most powerful forms of social proof. Here, Secret doesn’t waste any time introducing Camila Mendes or explaining who she is. Instead, they simply show her enjoying their product!
At 3 seconds, this is by far the shortest ad on this list — it’s arguably so short that viewers don’t even need to stop scrolling. But that’s all it takes to link their product with a well-liked actress and form a strong connection in viewers’ minds.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Remember how we said to start by understanding your goals? Well, Cinnamon Toast Crunch knew exactly what they wanted from this ad — to build up their audience on TikTok!
Everything about this ad is designed to drive viewers over to that platform. It’s giving us a taste of the content we’ll see over there, and its cliffhanger ending is designed as a clear call-to-action. That’s why it was included on Facebook’s video ad leaderboard!
Design Pickle
It’s all about the customer in this video ad for Design Pickle.
Video testimonials from real customers build social proof and humanize the company, while the ad’s carousel style builds engagement by encouraging the user to stay and scroll through.
Hubspot
This ad is proof that your video doesn’t need a huge budget to be incredibly effective.
With a combination of screen recording and simple animation, Hubspot shows us how they address a common customer headache (dealing with unwieldy spreadsheets). Hubspot doesn’t just tell users how great they are — instead, they show them how they’ll actually solve their problems.
Video is the marketing star
There you have it! On Facebook, video ads offer such wide reach, impressive results, and endless creative possibilities that there’s no reason not to embrace them. There are so many ways video ads can fit into your marketing plan, whether you’re a content marketing lover, lead-magnet aficionado, or lead-generation whiz.
If you know your goals, fine-tune your marketing strategy, and focus on what your users want, video ads are an unbeatable tool to help your brand find its people and grow its community online. Try PlayPlay to make video creation fast, fun, and easy, and you’ll be a Facebook video ads master in no time!
Find out more about our free trial and try PlayPlay yourself today.
