Did you know Most Facebook Videos are watched with no Sound?
Despite Facebook generating more than 8 billion video views every day, approximately 85 percent of these videos are consumed without ever turning on the sound. For those with a keen interest in Facebook marketing, this may be somewhat difficult news to handle. I mean, imagine all that time poured in to crafting the perfect Facebook video and then, come to find out, users aren’t even listening to the content. This just highlights the importance of building content unique to Facebook’s platform and/or adaptable across multiple social media channels. This is not necessarily a bad thing.
Creating the perfect Facebook Video
In developing a user-friendly platform, Facebook has implemented its own way of delivering video content and evidently, volume does not always play a functional part. Thereby, to create effective Facebook video, one must expect the user not to turn up the volume. This is why when a user examines their newsfeed, they see videos with text captions narrating what’s on screen. This is not to say ignore the audio component of a video but rather, provide the option for someone to consume video content sans listening. By presenting the information in an easy to digest format specifically tailored to Facebook, you increase the likelihood of consumption.
Needless to say, capturing a user’s attention on Facebook is not easy. There are a lot of different things to click on and endless areas to browse. In a sense, users are psychologically incentivized to click elsewhere. Video publishers need to find a way to capture and keep users attention, and the first three seconds are critical to that. In any case, you can almost guarantee the first three seconds are not going to be watched with sound so the visual needs to stand out. The visual upfront should be striking, emotional, and/or eye-catching. The most exciting part of your video needs to somehow find its way into those first three seconds, even if it is just as a preview of things to come.
No sound does not mean no engagement
Though one might read ’85 percent of Facebook videos are watched with no sound’ to mean there is no engagement on these videos, it’s actually the opposite. Even with no sound, users are watching and engaging with these videos. Furthermore, independent studies have shown intent to purchase to not be affected by whether a video has been watched with no sound. Remember, there’s also still the option for sound. Even for users who don’t tap into it, a Facebook video created with a ‘no-sound approach’ can still win big among its audience.
The objective for a Facebook video marketing campaign is to create content compelling enough to qualify sales without having to turn the audio on. If you can do that, you’re already ahead of those who can’t or don’t. Therefore, videos that are short; high quality, compelling visuals; and textual narration are all a requirement for success in the Facebook video space.
The opportunities to build brands via Facebook video are seemingly endless, as long as it’s kept in mind the importance of developing content specifically for the platform. As a paid advertising channel, there’s certainly some criticism warranted towards Facebook. That said, as a video sharing platform, the social media network holds much potential and is one platform that brands may want to consider investing more time in.
