Native Video

If you’ve been on Facebook recently, you’ve probably been noticing more and more autoplaying videos in your Newsfeed. This is because Facebook now autoplays native video-video files uploaded to, or created on, Facebook. What it does not autoplay is linked video content, such as Youtube or Vimeo links. Twitter also recently rolled out native video tools, which are currently only available on iOS and Android, not web. Though not yet confirmed, Twitter is also expected to include an autoplay functionality.

So what does this all mean? It means, in short, video is hot right now. In the U.S., video accounts for 78% of internet traffic, with an expected rise to 84% within the next 4 years. This can also be linked to the rise in more data-intensive, UHD video content, such as the 4K streaming capabilities found on YouTube. People like video, especially high quality video.

Reach more people with native video. Elevate your brand.

Socialbakers did a test between October 2014 and February 2015, looking at more than 67,000 posts by 4,445 brand pages (not including entertainment, media or celebrity pages). They found that video posts had an organic reach of 8.71%, whereas photo posts reached only 3.73%. They also found that text statuses were shown to 5.77%, and linked posts to 5.29%.

Here’s our own proof, using this blog as a test:

Video Marketing

What does this mean for your marketing strategy? Well, if it isn’t obvious already, if you want to get noticed and appear more prominently on Facebook Newsfeed, you need to start uploading video content.

A statement from Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, exemplifies how powerful video and visual mediums are becoming on social media.

“One interesting sign of our continued growth in engagement is through our progress on visual and public content. More than 2 billion photos are now shared daily on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Video also grew significantly this year, with an average of more than 3 billion video views daily on Facebook. “

Everyday there are 3+ billion video views on Facebook

Tips to Get Your Video Content Noticed

Succeed with Visuals, Not Audio.

Your video content needs to be effective without sound, as many people will scroll through and simply watch the video, without clicking it to hear any noise. This is perfect for cinemagraphs as they autoplay in the newsfeed and do not require any audio.

Picking the Right Frame.

The first frame (or first few frames) of video should be compelling and eye-catching. This is another great thing about cinemagraphs. People just can’t stop watching them.

Copy.

As all marketers will say, getting the right copy on social media is key to a successful post. Long, text-heavy posts will most likely go unread and unnoticed by many. Be short, concise and catchy. Don’t be too afraid to add in a little shock factor. Cinemagraphs tell stories; let it speak (mostly) for itself.