14 Facebook Video Ads Best Practices to Create Ads that Sell + Examples [2024]

When you think of social media ads you think of Facebook right? And for good reason. It’s the most visited social network—with over 7.4 billion monthly active users—and has a 24% share of digital revenue in the US. No matter what niche you're in, Facebook can help you reach your target audience and boost your sales.

One of the most effective type of ads is video.

• Adding a video to your ad campaign can increase conversion rates by 34%
• Video ad spending is expected to increase by 41.9% in 2024
• 99% of marketers are planning to continue using video content in their ad campaigns
• Viewers spend 5x more time-consuming video content than regular static Facebook content

In this article, we talk about what Facebook video ads are, how to create them, and some of the best practices to maximize their performance.

Let’s dive in.

What are Facebook video ads?

Facebook video ads are a type of paid advertising where a brand uses video content to promote its product or service. Video ads are displayed on different predetermined locations on Facebook - in-stream, inside the feed, or as stories

You can create a completely new video campaign from Meta Ads Manager or boost an existing video and use it as an ad. You can also select different campaign objectives and target different audiences. For example, you can focus on brand awareness (getting more views), increasing traffic, or getting people to install your app.

And most importantly, Facebook is a whole family of apps so you can also show your ads on Messenger, Facebook’s Audience Network, and Instagram.

How can Facebook video ads help your business?

73% of marketers. This type of ad should be particularly effective on Facebook, which still gets an enormous number of visitors every day.

Video ads on Facebook allow you to tell your brand story in an engaging format that captures viewers' attention. This allows you to send a clear message to your target audience and entice them to take a certain action, whether it’s subscribing to your newsletter or buying your product.

Videos also allow you to show your new products clearly and easily. They make it much easier to show how potential buyers can use the product without taking up too much of their time. At the same time, you can effectively deliver a call to action, which makes these ads even more convenient.

These factors ensure that you'll get a good conversion rate with your ads, which is the ultimate goal of using them. An increase in your conversion rate means more revenue for your business.

Where can you show your Facebook video ads?

There are several places where you can place your video ads on Facebook. These include:

• In-stream
• Feed
• Stories
• Marketplace ads

In-stream video ads are ads that play while a user is watching a video. These tend to be disruptive to the user experience, so they should not be your first option, and even if you choose to use them, use them sparingly.

Feed ads appear on people's feeds while they're scrolling. Feed ads are a good choice because it doesn't disrupt their activities and will make them more interested in your video content.

You can also display your Facebook video ads as stories on Instagram. They are much more engaging and less disruptive to the user.

Facebook Marketplace also provides an opportunity to post your ads. It's an effective place for ads because people visit it to look for products. However, Marketplace ads will also appear on News Feed, since there's no option to post them only on Facebook Marketplace.

How long should your Facebook video ads be?

Your videos should be kept under two minutes, as a rule of thumb. According to Wistia, there is no significant difference in engagement between videos that are only 30 seconds long and those that are up to two minutes long.

However, this doesn't mean that you should take as much time as you please to get to the point—say what you have to say as soon as possible. You should find a good balance between including every relevant piece of information and needlessly stretching out the video.

Users are more likely to skip your ad if it takes too long to get to the point, so you should skip lengthy introductions. However, if your video is informative and cuts right to the point, it will perform much better. So, while you shouldn't worry that much about every second of the video, you should still make sure it's brief.

The essential parts of a Facebook video ad

Before you jump into creating a video ad campaign and conquering new markets, you need to understand the structure of a video and its essential components.

1. Your profile link

Your ad must have a link that leads to your business profile. Typically, this is a hyperlink in your brand's name which allows viewers to easily get to your page and see what kind of business you run and what you offer.

This increases the effectiveness of your ad because it funnels people toward your page and allows them to find out more about you. If your viewers can access more information about you, they will be more likely to trust and buy from you.

2. Primary text

This text is the ad copy that appears above your video. It's best to keep it brief and pack all the most important information in 125 characters (which is the maximum number allowed)

3. Headline

The headline is the copy that appears in bold below your video. You must keep it under 40 characters to prevent Facebook from truncating it. It's important to make it as captivating as possible to grab the viewers' attention and get them to watch your ad.

4. Description

You can add more valuable information in the description if necessary. It's also good to keep it as short as possible (the limit is 20 characters).

5. Call-to-action (CTA)

This refers to the button that people can click to perform the action you want them to, such as buying your product, checking out your website, or subscribing to your newsletter.

However, the whole ad should read like a big call to action. Everything in the ad should entice viewers to act, and the button is the final step.

6. Video content

Keep your video content short and sweet. Some experts say the sweet spot is 15 seconds long, others recommend 60-80 seconds.

It's also important to choose a nice still image for the preview because Facebook users can choose whether or not they wish videos to play automatically. If the preview is not attractive, the users who don't allow videos to play automatically will ignore your ad.

Create Facebook video ads for each part of the marketing funnel

Facebook allows you to create specific ads for each part of the marketing funnel. Knowing your objective and creating goal-specific ads will help you cut down costs and better convert your viewers. Here is a breakdown of the types of ads you shold use for each part of the funnel.

1. Awareness

For the awareness stage of the funnel use a storytelling video that gives information about your brand. This is a way to introduce yourself to your potential customers and interest them in your business. Getting these ads right will give you a lot of attention and ensure that you pick up loyal followers and move them along the customer journey.

2. Consideration

For the consideration stage, your goal is to explain to your audience why they should choose your brand instead of your competitors. Of course, you shouldn't be super blunt about it and directly state that you're better. It's best to briefly point out your best features and biggest selling points to prove your point.

3. Conversion

If you're aiming for conversions, you must clear any doubts and entice your audience to buy from you. This is the final part of the funnel, which turns passive viewers into paying customers, so it's important to be persuasive and help them make that final step.

To maximize conversions it's best to stick to shorter videos that are persuasive and make it easy to understand why the audience should buy your product.

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13 best practices for killer Facebook video ads

Now that you know the basics, you're ready to create an amazing video campaign. Here are a few best practices that will take your advertising campaign to the next level.

1. Grab attention in the first three seconds

It's important to catch your viewer's attention as soon as possible. Attention spans are often short, so you should get them interested in the first three seconds. You can do this by creating a striking thumbnail or an attention-grabbing slogan or introductory sentence.

Get the user’s attention within the first few seconds and they will be more likely to watch the ad till the end and convert.

2. Stick to a vertical or square layout

Square videos and vertical videos get more engagement because they take up more real estate on the screen, especially on mobile. Stick to a 9:16 or 1:1 aspect ratio to make the most out of your video. Try to avoid landscape orientation because those videos don't perform that well.

3. Short is sweet

Longer videos can be tedious to watch and drive your users away. Shorter videos tend to have higher completion rates, so you need to be brief if you want to make an impact.

Ideally, you should aim for a 30-second video because you don't want to disrupt the viewers' user experience on Facebook and make them dislike your product. If it's really necessary, you can create longer videos, but in most cases, it's better to keep them short.

4. Ensure it makes sense without sound

Videos autoplay on mute and users only unmute them if they're interested in the content. Mobile users are even more likely to scroll past your video if it doesn’t catch their attention. So your video must have subtitles. Otherwise, your ad won't make sense to people who watch videos without sound, and it will be ineffective.

5. Focus on storytelling

Your ad needs to tell a story that’s relatable, engaging and presents your product as the solution to a challenge your audience is facing.

This is particularly important if your marketing objective is brand awareness and you’re just introducing yourself to the audience. Tell a compelling story to stand out and always be genuine.

6. Elicit an emotion

An emotional response, especially a positive one, will help your audience remember your content and brand better. Studies show that ads with emotional content perform almost 2x better than ones without.

7. Use social proof in your video ads

Social proof refers to our tendency to buy things based on other people's recommendations. The more people like your product the more likely they are to refer their friends. So it's a good idea to include some customer testimonials, UGC, reviews, or PR awards in your ad to build trust and improve your CTR.

8. Use influencers in your video ads

Influencer marketing is one of the most effective strategies you could use in your ad campaigns. 61% of consumers trust recommendations from influencers compared to 38% who trust brand content.

People tend to trust their favorite influencers, so it's a good idea to partner with an influencer and include them in your video ad. This can increase your engagement rate and influence the viewers to continue in the buying process.

9. Jump on recent video & audio trends

There's always something new trending on the Internet. Jumping on a new trend may help you get more attention and create a more engaging video. However, be careful to not sound disingenuous or corny, which can backfire and garner lots of negative attention.

10. Focus on mobile ads

81.5% of all Facebook users use their mobile devices to access this social media platform. So if you want to maximize Facebook’s potential you want to focus on creating ads for mobile viewers. Experiment with vertical and square formats and see which one works best for you.

11. Tailor your video ads for different audiences

Segmentation is key. Create and optimize different ads to target different groups of people. You can create custom audiences (or lookalike audiences) for each audience segment and then create different content to target each segment. It may take more time but it’s well worth it in maximizing your engagement, CTR, and ROI.

12. Start small and test as you go

Unless you have a very experienced team behind you, you’ll likely need some experimentation before you hit your goals. That's why it's best to start small and see what happens. This will help you figure out exactly what you need to do to craft the best possible campaign.

13. Follow with retargeting

Retargeting campaigns are key, especially on Facebook, where so many of your users spend their time. Create a custom audience of people who have already engaged with your brand and target them with specific messaging to get them back into the buying process.

And don’t forget to use Facebook’s automation rules to automate these campaigns.

Best Facebook video ad examples to inspire you in 2024

Before you jump into creating your video campaign, it's a good idea to examine some great video ad examples so you can draw some inspiration for your future campaigns. Let's have a look!

1. Cafe Appliances' personality ad

This is one of the best video ad examples you can find. It's short and gets straight to the point with a few striking sentences and crisp static images of the product. The visuals are striking, and the ad quickly captures the user’s attention.

2. Mila Air ad

This ad is a good example of using social proof. It captures your attention with a single sentence and then cuts to shots of the products with a customer testimonial, which makes for a short but striking video post.

3. Kleenex's children's play ad

In only a few seconds, this ad can make you smile and notice the wholesome charm of the brand. It relies solely on video, but it is captivating and memorable because of its cuteness. Plus, it's short and completely non-intrusive.

4. Missed Humidifiers ad

This ad stands out because of its elegant simplicity and clever use of static content. There's a short video of the product in action with only a few words that highlight its benefits. It's striking and captivating because of its simplicity and stays in viewers' minds.

Unlock the power of Facebook Video Ads

Want to rock out with your video advertising campaigns this year? Get more video views? Add more social media users to your audience? Get more sales? Who doesn’t right? To do it right, you need to work with the best experts in your niche. Lucky for you, we got them all in our online community of vetted Facebook ads experts. Come find the perfect expert for your business. Get started today!