3 Ways To Use Video To Get Tactical On Facebook

Perhaps it's because I am less than a month away from hitting the big five-oh, but the first thing that came into my head after writing this title was the chorus to a certain song that was released way back in the year 1981.

I've taken the liberty of altering a few of the words but I'm guessing - or better still, hoping you know what song I am referring to:

Let's get tactical, tactical
I wanna get tactical
Let's get into tactical
Let me hear your social talk, your social talk
Let me hear your social talk.

Ok, I know. Cheesy as all get out. My apologies. But when a song gets stuck in your head... oh never mind.

About 3 weeks ago I wrote a post for Forbes re: video which included the following statistics:

• 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium.
• The average internet user spends 88% more time on a website with video than without.
• 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it.
• Using the word “Video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65%, and reduces unsubscribe rates by 26%.
• 69% of smartphone users say videos are a perfect solution for smartphone viewing as it offers a quick way for consumers to grasp an overview of a product.

You can probably understand why I chose the following title for my Forbes piece: Using Video In Marketing: Why Wouldn't You?

In that piece I did not specifically do a dive into one form of video over another.

Today, however I will.

Here's 3 ways to use video to get tactical on Facebook.

1. The direct approach. Post videos directly to Facebook rather than via YouTube, Vimeo, etc. The folks at Search Engine Journal recently conducted a study looking at native video vs. YouTube, Vimeo, etc. The results, while not from a large sampling, are pretty telling.

2. Featured video. Adding a featured video is easy and provides the video with a prominent spot as it appears above the about section of your Facebook page and is larger on your videos tab. This is a great way to greet visitors to your Facebook page. It puts your message front and center.

3. Video playlists. If you have multiple videos covering multiple topics re: your brand and business, you can provide your viewers with a list - a sorted list to help them navigate to those they want to watch. Remember,this is all about your customers and prospects so anything you can do to help them along the funnel... well as I wrote earlier: Why Wouldn't You?

Couple of final thoughts on the topic of Facebook and video.

"Facebook is absolutely taking traffic from Youtube right now with video. What happens with autoplay, it’s all psychology. They come in through your newsfeed, start to see a tiny bit of movement, boom, it draws them in. They’ll stop and play your video. Make it short, quick and easy, with a call to action.” - Mari Smith, self-proclaimed Facebook Queen

Earlier this year social media analytics company Socialbakers released findings of a study they conducted re: Facebook posts. They analyzed close to 700,000 posts from nearly 4,500 brand pages and what they discovered was posts that contained video had an organic reach of 8.71% - which is 50% higher than statuses which were text-only and 133% higher than photo posts!

For more help when it comes to not only Facebook but all social media, be sure to download the Modern Marketing Essentials Guide to Social Marketing.