The best Facebook video ad examples for 2020
Have you ever been watching a video on Facebook and suddenly thought:
Wow, what a great ad…
Of course not. That’s because when an ad is good, you forget that it’s an ad and become interested in the content instead, which is the whole point of advertising in the first place!
All of a sudden, you must see how the product works, or hear the rest of the review, or know the price. You start visualizing ways in which the advertised product or service will solve your problems. You imagine your state of mind—happy, excited, adventurous—as you explore the vacation destination being advertised.
Good video ads fly under the radar. Sure, huge companies like Nike can win awards with their creative video spots that cost millions of dollars, but digital marketers and small business owners who really know Facebook video ads are laughing all the way to the bank.
That’s because they know the process and formula for high-converting video ads. When it comes to Facebook video ads, however, many people are still left with more questions than answers. Questions like:
- What’s the best length for Facebook video ads?
- What (or who) should be in these videos?
- How do you make video ads look professional?
- Do you need to hire somebody, or can you make video ads yourself?
- What are the best Facebook video ads examples?
And that’s where we think we can help. Promo.com has all the tools marketers need to make professional-quality videos and tons of free resources for how to use video to grow your business.
But that’s not what this post is about.
In this post, we’re going to break down some of the best Facebook video ads examples. With our analysis, we hope that you’ll be able to build on the examples given and make them work for your business.
But first, let’s quickly lay the groundwork for video advertising.
Do Facebook ads really work?
Well, yes.
We have stats, and we also have use cases specifically for the way people interact with brands on Facebook. Let’s quickly address how both make a compelling case for video advertising.
First, the stats:
- Video content generates 1,200% more shares than other social content
- Branded video boosts purchase intent by up to 97%
- Businesses that use video marketing record 49% faster year-over-year revenue growth
All of the research indicates that video is crucial to success when it comes to digital advertising.
Beyond just the raw stats of video consumption and effectiveness, Facebook also provides many tools that help advertisers connect with their audiences to maximize their branded interactions. Two of those key tools are:
- Ad units optimized for video distribution
- Audience building through video engagement
Did you know that Facebook has a specific ad unit designed to get you as many videos views for the least amount of budget possible? When you start your Facebook ad campaign, simply select “Video Views” as your Campaign Objective.
This way, Facebook will send your ads to people—in addition to your target audience—who are most likely to watch videos. So if you are raising awareness about your brand, you can use Facebook to broadcast your message in a highly economical fashion—much cheaper than running a television campaign.
Secondly, as people are watching videos in their Newsfeeds, Facebook is allowing brands to build audiences out of that engagement.
Facebook actually records how long somebody watches your video and provides that information to you.
What this means is that advertisers can launch brand awareness video campaigns with broad targeting, then follow up with conversion-oriented ads laser-targeted only to people who expressed interest by watching a significant portion of a video.
It’s much easier to capture someone’s attention who already knows your brand and has expressed some interest before. Retargeting isn’t just for website traffic anymore!
You might be wondering—How does this differ from ad engagement with photos?
Video vs. Photo
No matter if you used the same camera or just took a still image from your video footage, images are not the same as video when it comes to advertising effectiveness.
According to HubSpot, viewers spend 5X longer looking at your video than a static image. This makes sense, of course, due to the nature of the medium, but think of the benefits of capturing somebody’s attention for a longer span of time. You have more time to thoroughly explain your message, as well as a more creative medium to illustrate your point.
Additionally, video ads receive 20% more clicks than images.
Facebook ads created with images do not let you create audiences out of people who have ‘watched’ the image the way it does with videos, so your audience-building toolset is more limited when using only photos.
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Still need some inspiration? Let’s get into some examples of Facebook ads that work.
Facebook video ads examples
Hunt a Killer
Why it works
There are a lot of things to like about this example, but the primary reason it worked so well is the story. Humans are hard-wired to understand stories, so when the target audience watching this video sees the beginning of a story, they have to stick around to see how it unfolds because of their curiosity.
Secondly, notice the type of story they are telling—A horror story. Some people do not like horror films, so when they see a Facebook video ad that looks like a horror movie trailer, they just keep on scrolling. This is actually a good thing for the advertiser because those people likely wouldn’t be interested in this murder mystery game anyhow. They weeded themselves out of the follow-up ads while also saving the advertiser some money on video views.
True horror fans, however, are a passionate group. As soon as they see a trailer for a horror movie, they’ll likely watch until the end. Note that the only time the audience realizes this is an ad for a game (and not a trailer for a movie) is at the very end, right where the CTA sits.
The advertiser built brand equity by producing a cool ‘trailer-style’ video ad and reaped the benefits in the form of a 4.9x increase in subscriptions.
Mark Ryden Anti-Theft Backpack
Why it works
This is a great example of the classic product demo video ad. With no time wasted, the audience is greeted with an establishing shot of the product on a white seamless background. From there, it moves directly into feature-by-feature shots of different characteristics of the bag, each with its own caption. Simple, but effective.
One thing that works really well is that you could watch this entire video with the sound off and it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Purple Pillow
Why it works
Purple Pillow took a bit more of a risk than the others on this list by going with a longer video. Four minutes is a lifetime in the Facebook Newsfeed, but they handled the risk very well by using a documentary-style video.
With a new category or complex product, advertisers need a bit more time to explain:
- The unique problem the product solves
- Why it’s different than the known solutions
- Proof of why the new product will work
This video comes through in all three areas, and it does so with irreverent humor that keeps audiences entertained throughout. Also, note that the video starts off right away with a joke—a tactic used to hook viewers early on.
Samsung
Why it works
Samsung was able to poke fun at the dedicated following Apple has amassed, by highlighting what they consider an unwarranted cult mentality.
At just one minute long, it’s a great length for Facebook, holds the viewer’s attention, and attempts humor from a creative angle. Even those who would never in their wildest dreams consider leaving Apple for Samsung, can appreciate the bold statement this video ad is making. An effective ad, this video highlights the competitor’s pain points, highlights their own advantages in comparison, and ties it all together with humor.
LastPass
LastPass, a popular computer password manager, made a series of slice-of-life video ads about people forgetting where they put things—their keys, their car—to illustrate how common it is to forget things. While the concept of the videos is clever, that’s not why we like these ads.
It’s because each ad is only six seconds long.
You might think six seconds isn’t enough to make much of an impression, but the data Facebook released says otherwise. In addition to their effectiveness, these six-second videos receive additional placement opportunities from Facebook. This increases the ‘ad inventory’, so to speak, available to advertisers willing to produce shorter video ads, which in turn, reduces their CPM. Smart!
Promo.com
Look, we didn’t write this post just to pat ourselves on the back. AdEspresso already did that when it listed us first in its post Top Facebook Ad Campaigns To Boost Your Results in 2019
Here are a few Facebook ad examples we think you can use!
Travel
Social media
Real estate
See anything inspiring?
Well, there’s more–much more–where that came from. Get access to the entire archive of pre-shot video templates for Facebook on the Promo video creation platform.
With Promo.com, creating videos is easy, affordable and simple—We provide everything, from the footage (over 15 million video clips) to messaging, pre-edited music and a simple-to-use video editor. Get started for free!
Facebook video ads best practices
Now that you’ve seen some examples, let’s wrap up with some Facebook video ads best practices you can use to ensure you’ll have success with your video marketing efforts.
Hook your audience early
We’ve mentioned this before, but we really feel the need to underscore this point:
Grab attention in the first 3 seconds of your video.
You’re also going to want to do this visually, as opposed to audibly, as many people watch videos with the sound off. You can do this by using a surprising visual (see child in running outfit above), a relatable scene, or a caption that speaks to your audience.
Whatever you do, do it fast!
Keep it short
The ideal length for a video on Facebook is as short as possible while still getting your message across. This is unique to each type of business, but generally, you want to stay under 60 seconds, which also opens up the Instagram placement.
Note—In addition to the effectiveness of shorter ads we’ve already discussed, 15-second and 6-second video ads have additional placements within Facebook’s available ad inventory.
Try square video
Square videos take up more real estate in the Facebook Newsfeed than horizontal videos. By increasing your coverage area, you have more opportunity to zoom into your product or have your captions appear a bit larger.
Square video is the new little black dress.
Call to action
If you’ve created a video inspired by some of the examples above and followed these simple best practices, you’ve already done the hard part. You must capitalize on the momentum you’ve built with your video with a CTA.
Don’t be coy—Tell the viewer exactly what you want them to do with clear language. Use your CTA at the end, and drop in the middle of longer videos.
That’s it! With these Facebook video ads examples and a few best practices, you’re ready to go out and grow your business. Remember, an investment in your marketing now can bring loyal customers for the entire year to come.
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Looking for a detailed, step-by-step guide to creating scroll-stopping video ads and running your own successful Facebook campaign?
Check out our Ebook, Learn Facebook Video Advertising from the Experts.
