Gavin Bell is an award-winning entrepreneur who’s known for his mastery of Facebook Ads.
A leading Facebook advertising consultant and a renowned vlogger with millions of views. Gavin also helps brands across the globe to utilize Facebook in a way that both builds their audience and turns that audience into revenue.
On this podcast, Gavin discusses why you should embrace video for Facebook and gives some useful tips for doing so.
Why is Video Continuing to Grow in Importance on Facebook?
Gavin believes that video continues to grow because it’s the most natural way of communication. People inherently crave the human connection of seeing a face, eyes, and a moving mouth.
It’s also a fact that attention spans are decreasing and people are more likely to watch a video than read written material. Gavin believes we’re only going to move more in the direction as time passes, especially with the coming of virtual reality and augmented reality.
This reliance on video is a symbiotic relationship between Facebook, business, and the people.
The people want videos, Facebook gives the people what they want, businesses advertise where the people are and Facebook pulls in ad revenue.
What Are the Benefits of Doing Videos on Facebook?
The number one benefit from putting out videos on Facebook is trust. Every marketer knows his or her mission is to build trust with potential customers.
Video is perfect for building trust, because potential customers can see your face, which adds a human intimacy not possible in other mediums. Through video, the consumer can get a grasp on your personality and start to feel like they know you.
Next to hitting the streets and shaking everyone’s hand, which is nigh impossible, Gavin contends that video is easily the most useful way to bring in customers.
Is it Easy to Advertise on Facebook?
Because of recent decisions by Facebook to remove targeting mechanisms for advertising, such as workplace and income level, it is getting harder to advertise on Facebook. For this reason, Gavin once again stresses the importance of building a relationship with the consumers.
Paying for an ad to pop up on someone’s feed isn’t going to mean much if the person doesn’t know who you are. In fact, when Gavin works with clients, he doesn’t begin by advertising – he begins by creating valuable content.
Once he’s put out a number of videos, Gavin takes a look at which have performed well and which haven’t. He takes the top performers and advertises those, because they’re proven. Then, once those videos have amassed an audience, he throws out a follow-up ad.
It’s like using the content as a Trojan Horse to sneak in your actual advertisements.
How Can You Best Utilize Facebook Live?
While Gavin doesn’t use Facebook Live much, he has discovered it to be a great way to sell.
This is partly because the attention that a normal video gets is multiplied tenfold with live video. There’s something about a video being live that captures people’s attention and doesn’t let go.
Facebook Live is particularly useful if you’ve already got an audience. You can go live at the same time every week and connect with your followers by answering questions or something else engaging.
It can also be used in more creative ways. Gavin remembers seeing someone use Facebook Live to film their van, which they packed with beer and parked in the street with a sign that said “free beer.”
In addition to Facebook Live, another medium has recently arisen: Instagram TV.
Unlike videos currently on Instagram, which run about fifteen seconds, this is long-form content. Because it’s so new, nobody’s quite figured out how to best utilize it.
Do You Need to Pay for Facebook Ads to Get the Best Results?
When creating and distributing videos, Gavin is primarily concerned with getting organic results. This can be achieved by having everyone in the company engage with the content – like it, share it, etc.
This is a great way to establish the initial “spark” of your content.
Also, if your content is good enough, you shouldn’t have to pay to advertise it. It will take off on its own through user engagement. Throwing all the money in the world at bad content isn’t going to do you much good in the long run.
Once you have the initial spark brought on by good content, then you can fan the flames with paid advertisements.
How Important is Production Value for Facebook Videos?
Gavin stresses that the quality of your content is far more important than the production value. In fact, he finds that the authenticity of a shaky camera or a lower resolution is more appealing to consumers than a polished video, which might seem phony and overdone.
There’s no excuse not to start making videos right now, because you probably have a phone in your pocket with an HD camera and a high-quality speaker.
That’s all you need to get started.
One thing you do need to know is to frontload your videos with interesting content. After about six seconds, people will keep scrolling if they’re not hooked.
Another time-related tip is to wait deep into the video before making offers. Too early, and you’ll turn people off, but the people who stick through to the end are most likely to be interested.
Drone video is another popular form of Facebook content that is sure to garner attention, as it offers a unique perspective.
Where Can You Hear More of Gavin’s Tips?
About Gavin Bell
The best way to learn more about Gavin is to visit his website, where he writes blogs on marketing. He can also be found on his Facebook page and Instagram.
