Facebook Business pages can be a very powerful marketing tool when used well, and there are many extra features you might not be aware of that can help you unlock that potential.
One of the most effective things you can add to your page to make it stand out is a cover video. Since it’s the first thing your users will see when they land on your page, the cover section needs to simultaneously grab its audience’s attention and make them want to find out more.
Compared to a still image, a video will instantly draw in a visitor’s gaze, and can more effectively portray a business’s personality, if used correctly.
The article will talk you through the best ways to utilise cover videos in order to drive engagement and keep visitors on your page.
Two very different examples of great cover videos.
There are many different approaches you can take to cover videos, whether it be telling a story, advertising a specific product, promoting company news, or just summarising your brand in moving images.
Australia.com have adapted to the recent global health crisis and extensive travel restrictions by employing an emotional, hopeful tone in their cover video. Using vibrant, panoramic views to further strengthen the impact, this is a great example to take a look at for inspiration.
Internet marketing service, Shakr, take a completely different approach. They use a combination of animated shots of their products and captivating text to summarise their service in seconds. It’s a fast-paced, dynamic series of clips that demonstrate true professionality and innovation.
Although entirely different, both of these pages use their cover videos to embody their brand identity and show the customer what they’re all about in just a few seconds. Furthermore, each of these approaches are perfectly tuned to the message these brands want to convey – so the best approach for your business will depend on what story you want to tell.
Best practices and specifications.
The brighter, cleaner and more professional your cover video is, the greater the impression it will give of your company. Make sure it’s engaging, visually appealing, and still gets the point across without sound, because users will only hear it if they click on the video.
Keep the length of the video to around 20 to 90 seconds – enough to make it effective while not dragging on too long. Think of it as a mini-advert playing on a loop, you only have a certain amount of time to draw your visitors in before they lose interest.
There are also a few Facebook specs to bear in mind when creating and uploading your video:
- Minimum 820 x 312 pixels (optimum 820 x 462)
- Maximum 1.75GB
- Maximum 1080p resolution
- MP4 or .mov
The ideal dimensions for desktop and mobile are illustrated below.
Now you have everything you need to create a compelling cover video, it’s time to get started.
