According to a Facebook executive, the social network’s vision is for the platform to be 100% video by 2021.
This focus on video is not surprising. Last year, more than half a billion people watched a video on Facebook every day. The company already prioritizes video over static images in its advertising inventory. Successful marketers have learned that video is not only the best way to be seen, it also drives results: 74% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a brand video.
Does this mean that brands should dedicate all of their resources to video? Or is there still a place for static images in the marketing mix?
Images still matter
An all-video Facebook is a fascinating concept, but for now, static images remain an important marketing tool. While 84% of consumers watch Facebook videos on a mobile device, the format is not as popular on desktop computers. This is important because the majority of users still using desktop computers for online shopping, especially for higher-value purchases.
In a Facebook experiment for a SaaS company, desktop completely outperformed mobile on conversions. When people are less likely to watch video on desktops, you need great images to grab their attention, especially if purchasing your brand’s product or service is typically a more thoughtful, longer-term process.
Retargeting ads are an effective way to remind customers already familiar with your product or service about your brand. A common retargeting tactic is to show static image ads to users who have already viewed a video as a way of keeping per-click costs low. Facebook research also suggests that such creative combinations are most effective at driving conversions.
Diverse visual content boosts results
When Europe’s leading scooter sharing brand, eCooltra refreshed its ad campaign with a mix of original photography, user-generated content, and short 6-second videos, the results were a dramatic 72.9% conversation rate increase while reducing costs by 43.3%.
Diversify to personalize
Every person has a preferred visual content format that can change depending on the time of day, the device they’re using and the product or service they’re exploring. Social platforms like Facebook are learning these preferences as they look to offer increasingly personalized experiences and more targeted advertising.
To take advantage of this opportunity, you need a diverse marketing mix of videos, images and micro-videos, along with the tools that automatically monitor and refresh your range of visual content for maximum performance. That way, your brand will always get the right content in front of the right person at the right time.
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