Images or Videos for Facebook Ads – Which is Better?

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Facebook is the 3^rd most visited website after Google and YouTube, with over 2.96 billion active users monthly. And so, when it comes to online marketing, Facebook ads are a no-brainer. 

Facebook might have started as a social media platform, but it has quickly grown to become one of the leading platforms for digital marketers everywhere. However, there’s one question marketers must address. Sure, Facebook is a great platform, but what ad format should marketers use to get the most out of it? The real task lies here.

Here, we discuss which format of Facebook ads drives more engagement and how to best optimize it. 

Which Facebook Ads Format gets more Clicks? 

No beating around the bush- the answer is video ads. Between the image format and video format, the latter earns more clicks and hence is the better choice for marketers looking to drive engagement. According to Bitable, video ads earn 480% more clicks than images. Facebook video ads enjoy a 1.87% CTR while images get only a 0.43% CTR.

So, why do Facebook ads in video format get more clicks? 

That’s because videos hold the capacity to get and keep viewers’ attention for a longer time. Take it from an Emmy-award-winning co-producer, Ginger Bell-

“When given the option to learn about something through watching a video or reading text, more often than not, people would rather watch a video than read.”

By leveraging different media such as text, sound, images, etc., and adding narration to the ad, video ads are able to stimulate more senses, creating an immersive experience. In fact, 72% of consumers prefer video ads over simple text advertising.

Videos have the power to involve the viewer and have them invest in what the video is trying to communicate. And so, integrating this ad format into your Facebook marketing campaign can help you increase your CTR considerably.

What do Marketers Prefer?

The answer is no different here. Considering the benefits of video Facebook ads, it’s the obvious choice for those looking to drive engagement and get more eyeballs on their content. According to HubSpot, 81% of businesses prefer video marketing on Facebook. 

Videos generally perform better than images on most platforms.

However, it’s important to discuss that while video formats are preferred over image formats for Facebook ads, they share an inverse relationship with resources such as time, money, and expertise.

The effort it takes to make a video ad is far more than an image ad. From shooting and collating the ad to editing and adding visual touches- video ad format requires substantial investment before they’re ready for your audience. Not to mention that you will need a professional to fine-tune your video ad.

And so, the answer to the question – “which Facebook ad format performs better?” really depends on each marketer’s individual marketing campaign goal, budget, and resources. 

Additional read: Facebook Ads Metrics a Digital Marketer Should Be Tracking

 Optimizing Facebook Video Ads

Video formats for Facebook ads are nothing new. They’ve been here for a while, and chances are you’ve already tried your hand at them.

You might be wondering that if Facebook ads in video format are the winner, then why aren’t yours bringing in the numbers? It’s probably because they’re unoptimized. You see, if video format was enough in itself, all Facebook video ads would be thriving, but as reality is witness, that’s not the case. 

And so, here we give you a short checklist to help you maximize the impact of your Facebook video ads.

1. Let Ad Campaign Goals Guide You

Your Facebook ad campaign goals are your north star. Every step you take with regard to your video ads must align with the greater objective. For instance, video ads do particularly well for campaign goals such as brand awareness and lead generation. This is because these can be extremely helpful in building a brand image. 

Videos offer an immersive experience that can elicit emotional responses from your viewers and, in the process, nurture a relationship of trust and good faith. 

2. Keep it Simple but Unique

Facebook ads in video format don’t need to be extravagant. Instead, a simple, straightforward video ad will do the trick with a select few ingredients. Here’s a look at these. 

3. Add Something Unique to Facebook Ads

Videos are highly effective marketing techniques. You know that, your competitor knows that, and so do the million other brands competing for your Facebook audience’s attention. The only way to make a mark is to include something in your ads that sets it apart. It can be a certain character, a peculiar sound, or even a humorous undertone. 

Once you have it, make sure all your Facebook video ads have it. This will help nurture brand awareness and customer loyalty. 

4. Add Subtitles to Facebook Ads

Research finds that more than 80% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. This doesn’t come as a surprise, considering Facebook is, at its core, a social media platform, and your audience is probably scrolling every two seconds. 

And so, sadly, expecting them to unmute the video is something out of a fairytale. So, what do you do? Do you create all your video ads without any sound effects? Not quite. You instead add subtitles. This way, the essence of your video ad won’t be lost on your viewer.

Also, Facebook’s study revealed that captions increase view time for videos on its platform by as much as 12%. 

5. Keep Facebook Ads Short

Would you sit through a 5-minute ad from a company you don’t know? Neither would your audience. Today, the average human attention span is 8.25 seconds, which is just a little higher than a Goldfish’s, which stands at 5 seconds.

And so, you have a very short window to hook your reader. If your video ad takes the long route to get to the point, you might be sabotaging your CTR without even knowing it.

6. Don’t Ignore CTAs

As is the case with other forms of content, videos, too, need a Call to Action (CTA) to prompt the viewer to take further action. These small nudges go a long way in guiding your prospect through the customer journey right to the very last stage when they decide to finally purchase. Here are some of the common CTAs you can include in your video Facebook ads.

• Learn more here
• Shop now
• Request a free trial
• Book a demo
• Sign up

7. Conduct A/B Testing 

Also known as split testing, A/B testing allows you to test two or more versions of the same ad to identify what works and what doesn’t. It empowers you to better align your ad with what your audience relates with. In the process helping your brand connect with its target demographic better.

Meta’s own Creator Studio can help you with that. With this tool, different versions of your Facebook ad are floated to a subset of your TG and not posted directly on your page. You can decide the time period of the test. Once it ends, the ad that garners maximum positive attention automatically gets published on your page and gets featured to your entire TG. It’s that simple!

8. Retarget Facebook Ad Viewers

Facebook offers a retargeting feature that allows marketers to re-engage with those Facebook users who have previously viewed their ads. Ignoring this feature is akin to willfully walking away from a winning lottery ticket. 

So, to make the most of your Facebook video ads, leveraging this feature is a must. Here are its benefits.

• Nurture interested prospects and drive conversion rates
• Retain existing customers by keeping their interest alive
• Can help reduce cart-abandonment rate by reminding the prospect of the product

Retargeting your audience can help you squeeze every last drop out of your Facebook video ads. 

Drive The Success of Your Facebook Ads with EasyInsights

When it comes to driving engagement, Facebook video ads are the clear winner. And there’s no denying their impact. These short visual bits are capable of catching and holding user attention better than the average Facebook image ad. 

However, one can’t say image ads are a thing of the past, either. Remember, there is still that 36.76% of marketers that prefer images over videos for Facebook ads. Not to forget, these are far faster and easier to create than the average Facebook ad. 

But a word to the wise – irrespective of which ad format you choose, make sure you extract insights from your Facebook ads to leave no stone unturned in meeting your marketing goals. 

And to help you with that, EasyInsights is at your service. This no-code, intuitive data intelligence tool collects data from over 50 sources, including Facebook, cleans and transforms the data, and then uploads it to your BI tool of choice. 

With premium features like automatic data refresh, custom dimensions, and metrics, insightful reports, etc., EasyInsights makes marketing analytics easier than ever before. 

So, get cracking on your Facebook ads with EasyInsights, and request a demo today!