Since September, Facebook has been testing an easier way to watch videos. After months of testing and seeing higher levels of engagement in people liking, commenting, and watching videos, they announced a premium ad called Facebook video ads.
What are Facebook video ads?
Facebook video ads are a way for advertisers to display video content in a users’ news feed.
When a user is viewing their news feed and a video ad appears, the video will begin to autoplay without sound.
Before you get mad and delete your Facebook account, don’t worry. They’re not that bad.
That’s because in order to play a video with sound, users will need to click on the video to play it with sound.
What they’re not
I am surprised at how many people are already complaining about Facebook video ads. They’re not live, so you really have nothing to compare them to yet.
For those of you trying to figure out what they look like, forget about seeing a Facebook news feed with lots of videos playing at one time.
Facebook knows what they are doing. Video ads will autoplay (without sound).
One additional thing if you want to watch the video ad with sound, users will need to click the ad. If you want to skip the video ad, you can scroll right past them.
Why you don’t need to worry about Facebook video ads
While Facebook is currently testing video ads with select partners like Summit Entertainment, most users won’t need to worry about seeing an abundance of video ads in their news feed.
As I mentioned, they’re a premium feature and because they will cost $2 million per 15 second spot (source), you’ll mostly only see video ads from companies with deep pockets, which means the ads should be pretty good.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid Facebook video ads. They are coming to a news feed near you at some point so get ready.
How do Facebook video ads work?
Since Facebook video ads are not yet showing up in the news feed, here’s a demo on how they work.
Facts about Facebook video ads
To help you understand Facebook video ads, I have compiled a list of common questions about how video ads work.
When can I expect to see Facebook video ads in my news feed?
Video ads will rollout December 19, 2013
Will video ads start playing in news feed?
Video ads will start playing from the following types of accounts:
- Individuals (personal Facebook accounts or verified Pages)
- Pages of musicians and bands
Will Facebook video ads start playing in my news feed?
This is probably the biggest question people have about Facebook videos ads. Fortunately, video ads will not start playing with sound when you see them in your news feed.
They will start playing in your news feed – just not with sound.
When do videos play with sound?
Videos only play with sound after you click on them.
Can I opt-out of Facebook video ads?
At this time, no. If you run across a video ad in your news feed, you can skip it by scrolling past it.
Where can I expect to see video ads?
Facebook video ads will work on both web and mobile devices.
Who is currently using Facebook video ads?
Right now, Facebook is testing video ads with a few select partners like Summit Entertainment, but plans to roll them out with other partners.
Will Facebook video ads use my data on a mobile device?
No. Videos will only play on mobile devices after they have been downloaded. In order to download video ads, you will need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Are there any other surprises to using Facebook video ads?
Yes. At the end of a video ad, users will see suggested clips.
Should you worry about video ads?
Facebook video ads haven’t yet started appearing in the news feed and people are already complaining that they don’t like them.
Obviously, it’s difficult to spot a traditional Facebook video and Facebook video ads so I think everyone will be fine.
Remember, Facebook has done the research. They’re in the business to make money and while you can fight the launch of video ads, the only way you’re going to get them to regress to a news feed without video ads is by not clicking on them.
Personally, I’m excited for Facebook video ads. It will be a nice change to make the news feed more interactive and to break-up the constant barrage of links and photos.
There are a lot of types of video ads you can expect to see.
For example, trailers for new products, product demonstrations, more commercials within the Facebook news feed, along with tie-ins to Instagram videos (hopefully).
It will also make Facebook more sticky so that users will spend more time on Facebook.
Your turn
With all of the changes taking place on Facebook lately (decrease in organic reach and Facebook video ads ), will this change how much time you spend on Facebook?
Leave a comment and let me know if you plan to spend more or less time on Facebook once video ads become mainstream.