Have you noticed videos automatically playing in your Facebook newsfeed lately? Ryan Carter from Parachute Media has, and was so excited, he shared his thoughts.
Over the past week, he counted the number of different types of content in his feed. On average, 26 out of 30 posts were videos uploaded to FB that auto-play.
“Is Facebook trying something new out? Seems like the average is higher in the evenings than the mornings. It’s not directly from brands but friends sharing them.”
Facebook started testing autoplay videos back in September 2013. Scroll over a video in your newsfeed and it would start playing without sound. Simply click / tap for audio.
Then in December, they rolled out an ad format to support videos.
Before this feature, photos were the king of engagement. But Facebook’s data now shows a 10% increase in likes and shares on videos since implementing auto-play.
Mind that not all brands have the means to create awesome media, and not all users will sit through playback.
They certainly caught the attention of Ryan Carter, a social media strategist in Nashville, TN:
It looks great! I watched each one of them because the first one is short and a teaser. Then you slide over and watch the next two that are recaps of last season of night shift I think. Never seen it but it grabbed my attention. Opens my eyes to new ways of telling a story on Facebook. I’ve never heard of Night Shift but I watched each video! It sucks you in, like clicking play on the next recommended video on YouTube.
Facebook is making heavy investments in mobile ads, like we saw at F8 last week.
Have you promoted any videos lately?
Are you seeing increased engagement?
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is the CEO of Local Service Spotlight, a platform that amplifies the reputations of contractors and local service businesses using the Content Factory process. He is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other brands.
Dennis has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs by partnering with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Through Local Service Spotlight, he teaches the Dollar a Day strategy and Content Factory training to help local service businesses enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring.
Dennis coaches young adult agency owners serving plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians, and believes there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers must be certified.