I was recently approached to give my opinion on how to get the most out of Facebook videos. My comments were published in an infographic, along with the opinions of several other digital marketers.
Video has become an integral part of the Facebook experience. According to ReelSEO, Facebook users are now watching a total of 100 million hours of Facebook video daily. With these numbers, it's no surprise that Facebook's native video has become a principal tool for marketers in the B2B and B2C marketing game.
With all the video options the platform has to offer (i.e. autoplay, A/B targeting, call-to-action buttons, analytics, captions, etc.) it's easy for marketers to miss the mark and not fully utilize the tool to its full potential. That's why these 14 social media and marketing experts are breaking down what it means to market well using Facebook video.
1. Gillon Hunter - Digital Strategist, Web Vibes
"The first three seconds are non-negotiable. If the opening frame doesn't earn the scroll-stop, the rest is irrelevant. Motion, a face, and a clear promise - in that order."
2. Brian Honigman - Marketing Consultant
"Format matters more than people think. Square wins in-feed; vertical wins in story; horizontal only makes sense for watch. Subtitles are mandatory - most viewing happens muted, and the algorithm rewards completion."
3. Andrea Vahl - Social Media Speaker & Author
"Treat each video as the start of a system, not a one-off. The best performers were all part of a tested series, where the data from one informed the next."
4. Ian Cleary - Founder, RazorSocial
"Consistency of format, cadence, and voice is what builds a returning audience, not viral one-offs. Pick a format that works and refine it over months, not days."
5. Rebekah Radice - Social Media Strategist
"Your thumbnail is your headline. Most people decide whether to watch in under a second, so make that still frame do the heavy lifting before you spend a dollar on production."
6. Jeff Bullas - Digital Marketing Blogger
"Native uploads consistently outperform links to external sites. Facebook's algorithm rewards content that keeps people on the platform, so upload directly rather than sharing YouTube links."
7. Donna Moritz - Visual Content Strategist
"Design for sound-off viewing. Use captions, bold text overlays, and visual storytelling so the message lands even when the audio is off - because for most of your audience, it will be."
8. Aaron Lee - Social Media Manager
"Keep videos short and punchy to match the fast-paced nature of the feed. Test different lengths to see what your specific audience prefers, but start with 15 to 30 seconds and work from there."
9. Kim Garst - Social Selling Expert
"Include a clear call to action at the end of every video. A great video that doesn't tell the viewer what to do next is a missed opportunity - drive them toward a click, a sign-up, or a share."
10. Joel Comm - Social Media Strategist
"Tell a story that resonates emotionally. People share content that makes them feel something, so lead with a human moment before you get to the product or the pitch."
11. Peg Fitzpatrick - Social Media Author
"Engage with comments on your videos to build community and boost algorithmic visibility. The conversation after the video is often where the real marketing happens."
12. Jeff Sieh - Social Media Speaker
"Analyze your retention metrics to see exactly where viewers drop off and adjust future content accordingly. The data tells you which seconds earned their attention and which lost it."
13. Madalyn Sklar - Social Media Consultant
"Repurpose your best-performing blog content into short, digestible video clips. Your top articles already proved the topic resonates, so turn them into video and reach a new audience."
14. Michael Stelzner - Founder, Social Media Examiner
"Facebook video is not about producing content, it's about engineering attention. Every creative decision - from the thumbnail to the call to action - should be measured against whether it earned the next second of viewing."
The meta-point across all fourteen experts: Facebook video is not about producing content, it's about engineering attention. Every creative decision - from the thumbnail to the call to action - should be measured against whether it earned the next second of viewing.