January 9, 2018
Following Mark Zuckerberg’s prediction that video will be the largest driver of business for Facebook over the next two to three years, it is easy to see, that the desire to become a ‘video-first’ platform is at the heart of their efforts.
A further update was announced last week around the social media giant’s news feed ranking which benefits pages that post videos resulting in strong repeat viewership.
Let’s take a look at what these changes mean: essentially, Facebook will boost the distribution of videos from advertisers that people actually want to see; i.e. those where the organic and paid metrics are consistently high and the content is compelling. These can be video series or active communities / causes where people have a vested interest. Additionally, repeat views are also a new desired metric and this is the first incentivisation of its type.
The recent announcement could see advertisers even less enthused with the medium, given the lack-lustre performance of video advertising thus far. By favouring longer videos and tweaking algorithms to reward videos who have regular, repeat viewers, these strategies are more labour-intensive and costly than the current ‘best practice’ of short-and-sweet. Not to mention that maintaining pace with Facebook’s fluctuating product strategy is a challenge in itself.
In a move to seemingly augment these changes, Facebook has commissioned a study to measure the efficacy of traditional video approaches when looking to reach modern consumers. Read more on that here.
Will stretching video duration length prove be a winner, or will sprinting through shorter videos keep the audience engaged? Only time, and new metrics will tell.