How To Use Facebook Cover Videos on Your Brand’s Page

Cover Videos, like their still counterparts, Cover Photos, create a valuable venue for your brand to showcase its unique identity and promote your message. However, videos create a much stronger impact and result in more engagement than images and other forms of content.

As we fleshed out in previous blog post, now it is more crucial than ever for brands to start incorporating videos into their content marketing and social strategies. Facebook Cover Videos provide yet another space for brands to do this. Here is how to use them strategically to get the most of your 20-90 seconds.

Simply click-over the Change Cover icon and select whether you want to Choose from Videos or Upload a new file from your computer. Facebook suggests you keep it within 820 x 312 pixels. Eligible videos are between 20-90 seconds and will pause after the first play. If you want it to be shorter or repeat automatically, just make your video a loop before you upload.

First and foremost, you need to make sure the video plays on your Facebook page. Sorry if this sounds too obvious, but it is so important to double-check the functionality when a feature is new or in beta. Even giants like Facebook are not immune to mistakes. Cover Videos were only released in late April of this year, so they are still working out some kinks. Lots of brands have been experiencing issues with the playback, even as late as in August, so always keep your eye out for errors.

Your Cover Video is meant to help your business tell more of its story. But since you only get up to 90 seconds, keep it simple. Make it an anecdote, not a novel. Additionally, videos play without sound by default so make sure it’s strong enough to stand on its own.

If you can’t find a way to effectively communicate your brand’s message, then hold off on the cover video. Content is a matter of quality over quantity. Don’t choose a video for the sake of filling space; choose one that satisfies your marketing goals.

As the first thing a user sees on your Facebook profile, your cover photos sets the tone of your brand’s page. Use this to your advantage by rotating your cover videos according to specific campaigns. Videos play instantly as soon as a visitor enters your page, so they can’t miss it. A campaign specific video at the top of your page increases your reach and furthers your campaign goals. Changing the video regularly will also help keep returning users engaged.

We believe that the best marketers are data-addicted. You should always be tracking and reporting your page traffic and engagement metrics so you can learn from the results and optimize your strategy. Use the Facebook Page Insights to find out this information.

Ask yourself: how many views has my Cover Video Received? Have my Page Views increased or decreased since implementing? Did this result in more Page Likes or more Actions on Page? Are users Engaging more with other content from your page?

Adjust until you’ve found a video or strategy that works from a marketing standpoint.