How to Create Successful Facebook Video Ads

Are you struggling to get your Facebook video ads to work?

In this article, Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner, asked me some questions about Facebook ads that many people struggle with. We also discussed how you could get results for as little as $1 a day.

Facebook is a powerful tool for maximizing the relationships that you have. To effectively use it, we recommend using a three-step funnel: awareness, consideration, and conversion.

Facebook ads

Just as one would date before getting married, the same approach should be taken with Facebook. Attempting to make a “one-night stand” by asking for a conversion right away can be detrimental; the algorithm may penalize you with higher ad prices and negative feedback.

However, if you share your knowledge and gratitude by interviewing other people, uplifting them, and showing your human side, it is more likely that people will choose to buy from you.

People are more likely to buy from other real people

Humanizing who you are is what causes people to buy. Now, the beauty of that funnel from awareness to consideration to conversion is that it aligns with Know, Like, and Trust. And that’s the same thing as Why, How, and What

Facebook

So “why” is helping people understand what you believe in. 

Are you a strong Christian? Do you stand up for certain kinds of values? Do you believe in having an orderly process for organizing?

You’re sharing things that you believe in based on stories.

Share your beliefs

When you share things you believe in based on stories, people learn about who you are as a person, and then you’re able to sequence that to share knowledge, which is called the “how.” 

How do you do stuff? How do you run a conference that has 7,000 people? 

And then the “what” is when you’re able to sell.

Then you earn the right to sell and sign up for the social media market.

Post more personal stuff

If you want to be successful on Facebook, it is important to present your content in small snippets, 15 seconds to one minute long. This format works very well. 

The key is to make your content look like social posts rather than traditional advertisements.

An advertisement is typically a direct call to action, filmed in a landscape format with words all over it, and is clearly self-promotional. Avoid making your content look like everyone else’s ads to stand out on Facebook.

Facebook’s algorithm uses small snippets of information to understand what resonates with users. 

For example, if Michael Stelzner expresses an interest in Italian restaurants, the algorithm will show him more content related to Italian restaurants. Similarly, as with Amazon, users who buy certain items are likely to be interested in similar products.

A simple strategy for beginners to employ when starting with Facebook Ads

Here’s something incredibly powerful, easy to do, and can be done by anyone, regardless of their profession: record a one-minute why video.

Three components of why video

  • When I was

One-minute video starts with “when I was.” 

When I was 18, I dropped out of high school because I wanted to be a professional athlete.

  • I believe that

Once you tell that story about what happened with some emotion, drama, and challenge, then you say, because of that, I believe:

I believe everyone should have a mentor. I believe there’s a problem with the education system.

  • I am

And then you say, I am Dennis Yu, CEO of Content Factory.  

Figure out what entertains, moves, and surprises your audience

Recording a one-minute why video is the most effective way to capture people’s attention and establish trust. 

Social media users are not looking for advertisements. They want to be entertained, moved, and informed. The best way to grab their attention is to start with a personal story. When you tell stories, remember that you should allocate 40 seconds for the story (When I was ), 15 seconds to express your belief (I believe), and 5 seconds to introduce yourself (I am).

Facebook

Many people make the mistake of focusing too much on selling and not enough on building a connection with their audience. 

No one cares about who you are until you’ve shown them why they should care. Therefore, instead of creating ads, we should create content demonstrating our value to others.

Your chances of success grow when you post more.

When you create 10 or 15 of these videos, boost them for $1 a day. The beauty of boosting is that you can do it for a week for just $7. 

This way, you can test one piece of content at a time. 

We know that, on average, 90% of content fails. Creating lots of one-minute videos increase your chances of success, and the cost stays at $7 per test. 

To determine if a video is a success, consider the following: when someone is scrolling through their newsfeed, you have to get their attention. 

On average, one-third of people will pause for three seconds. My goal is to have 50% of people stop for at least 10 seconds and then engage with the video. This sends a strong signal to the algorithm and can lower the cost of your ads.

When we identify a home run video out of 10, we continue to invest in it. We start by testing it for $1 a day for seven days, which is $7. If it works well, we will invest $30 for another 30 days and possibly $100 for another 30 days.

Don’t spend your budget at once

Don’t spend all of your money at once. Instead, spend it gradually and wait for a winner. Once you have a winner, let it run as long as you don’t exceed the frequency.

When you find a winning strategy that builds engagement, it’s important to continue investing in it to build a remarketing pool. Two things can happen as a result:

  • First, I can ensure that anyone who watches video one will then watch video two, and so on. 
  • If I have a series of videos and know someone has watched three videos deep with me, I can invite them to buy something. I can direct them to a landing page where I have a product for sale. 

The beauty is even if you don’t set up a remarketing sequence, the algorithm is always trying to give you content you’re most likely to engage with for various reasons.

Dennis Yu

About the Author

Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best-selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads.  He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations.You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.