The Ultimate Guide to Perfect Facebook Cover Video

Up to 78% of consumers discover a new retail product on Facebook. An effective video on your landing page can increase conversions by 80 percent. What is the perfect live child of these stats? Facebook cover video.

Video has been going strong for a while now in the marketing world. At the moment, more than half of businesses are using videos to advertise their products. A bulk of these videos reaches customers on the world’s most popular social network – Facebook.

Facebook has been particularly accommodating for video content in the past few years, enabling users to replace cover photos with videos. This is an amazing opportunity for your business page. In this post, we will walk you through ideas for high-converting video content and facebook cover video specs.

Why you should use Facebook cover video

1. Facebook cover grabs attention

Now we are stating the obvious, but given the prominence of Facebook cover, it’s surprising just how many businesses are not taking it more seriously. A Facebook cover is a proper attention grabber on your business page and should be used to convey the most attractive qualities and purpose of your product or service.

2. Video is more likely to keep people interested

While one picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes it also accounts for a thousand questions. Good videos won’t leave any of these questions unanswered. Furthermore, it takes a few seconds to notice and cherish a pretty picture, but the video keeps people engaged and glued to your page – which is exactly where you want them to be.

It’s hard to skip past this one, isn’t it? Especially when you reach the point when the woman starts cursing her super healthy smoothie.

3. Video is shareable

A good video just begs to be shared. According to Wyzowl, 76% of users would share a branded video with their friends if it was entertaining. So create fun entertaining videos to encourage social shares. A Facebook cover video is just as shareable as any other video on this social network, but it’s an actual walking-talking advertisement for your business page.

4. Video is convincing

According to Wyzowl, 74% of users who watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service subsequently bought it, while two-thirds of consumers say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video.

5. Video caters to mobile users

Video and mobile are best buddies, and if we take into account that over 500 million people are watching video on Facebook every day, you realize why videos are all the rage among marketers. Also, as you may have noticed, a Facebook cover video is particularly prominent when you open a page on your mobile phone.

However, let’s not get carried away here. None of these amazing things is going to happen if your Facebook cover video is bad – so keep reading.

What makes a Facebook cover video effective

1. Clarity

Leave the guessing for guerrilla and buzz marketing campaigns – if you’re interested in attracting social media goers by tickling their curiosity, carry on here. But when it comes to Facebook cover video, it needs to offer a clear explanation of your product or service.

Less than half of businesses with video content marketing use videos on their home page (yep, their loss). But among those who do, 83 percent said that their homepage explainer video was effective.

However, your Facebook cover photo doesn’t necessarily have to be an explainer, especially if you have been around for a while. We’ll move on to the suggestions in the following section.

2. It works without sound

One thing that makes the Facebook cover video a tad bit more complicated is the fact that whatever message you are conveying, it needs to be understood without sound. You can find a way around this by adding text, subtitles or animations.

Equally powerful with or without sound – National Geographic Facebook cover video.

3. Consistent branding

Consistent visual identity across several platforms is of utmost importance for building a brand. While no cover video has to contain each and every element of your branding, it should reflect your style and visuals.

4. Good design

If you don’t have a knack for design, leave it to the professionals or templates, because there are so many things that can ruin your game. Too much text, bad visibility of the existing text, too little clear space and clashing fonts and colors are the main design sins committed by amateurs on a regular basis. So, if you want your video to pop, play it safe.

This doesn’t mean you have to turn your videos into Hollywood blockbusters. In fact, overproduced, overly polished content can hurt your brand and make it seem artificial and dissociated from the customers.

5. Good idea

This one goes without a saying – creativity and originality are always a plus when it comes to content that represents your brand. However, there is a reason why I put this in the last place. Although doing things ‘out of the box’ is the great imperative of the marketing industry, I’ll go on and say that most of the desperate attempts at originality tend to end up as reinventing the wheel.

Bottom line, if you have a great idea – fantastic. If you don’t, chances are you’ll still be fine. You know what your customers want, need, like – so just give it to them, fair, simple and square. No harm in that.

What should a Facebook cover video be about

1. Complementary

One of the most common Facebook cover video types is fairly simple, created to complement the rest of the page and encourage you to scroll through the content. If done well, they can still convey your message effectively. Take this one for example…

This is the video for the Facebook page of Pelagic Life, an organization involved in environmental protection and sustainable tourism. What better way to showcase your mission and encourage further scrolling than this pretty raw video of oceanic life in all its glory? And what do you think about this one?

Source: Burst

Some of these videos are not even videos per se – a cinemagraph can be a great blend of image and video. If you like something like this, scroll down to see where you can get these sweethearts.

Complementary Facebook cover videos can be equally good for both new and established business pages – as long as it works in harmony with the rest of the content on your page.

2. Explainer

Sometimes it may not be the easiest thing to explain to your customers how products such as software could make their life simple or save their money. This is where you can use an infographic – or you can go a step further and turn it into an animated explainer facebook cover video. They are neat and effective.

This is a Facebook cover video for Yum Yum Videos, the company that creates animated marketing content for business clients. It works equally well with or without sound, telling you everything you need to know about their services.

Other than that, you can use explainer videos to nudge your customers through the sales funnel. For example, if you notice that people linger with their orders because they are searching for shipping info or refund policy, you can create a pre-emptive explainer.

By pointing out how easy the process is, how long shipping takes and answering some of the common questions, you can simplify the purchase for your customers and drive your sales up.

Great for new businesses.

3. Nurturer

If you already have an established following, small or large, a Facebook cover video that helps people see you in a different light can be a jackpot. Guiding people through a behind-the-scenes daily routine of your business can strengthen your relationship with the customers.

For example, a restaurant can show its customers how its team prepares ingredients or cooks their meals with great care and love.

This type of video content gives people assurance about your product and nurtures trust. Both these things ultimately transform into one of the most powerful marketing tools – word of mouth.

Similarly, you can use nurturer videos to educate your target audience about some aspects of your product or relevant news in your industry. While these videos cannot be lengthy, you can still say a lot if you keep it straightforward and crisp.

Works best for businesses with an established following.

4. Teaser

Facebook cover video is a great way to give people a sneak peek of your new product, shipment, service, update or upgrade. These cover videos should be paired up with an adequate call to action.

Many online retailers routinely use cover videos to advertise their latest collections – this is an example of advertisement for the latest Asos activewear.

Works for businesses with an established following.

5. Event promoter

Facebook cover video is also a great way to advertise an event – sale, discounts, webinars, seminars, etc. This type of video, just like a teaser, should be paired up with a clearly defined call to action and all the relevant information in the caption.

This is a Facebook cover video for Hubspot Academy, promoting its online certification course.

Works for both new businesses and businesses with an established following.

Facebook cover video specs

If you want to be your own designer, keep these Facebook cover video specs in mind.

• Video resolution should be at least 820 x 312 pixels, but for best results, go with 820 x 456 pixels
• Facebook cover video should be between 20 and 90 seconds
• Compliance with Pages Terms. Cover videos can’t be deceptive, misleading or infringe on anyone’s copyright

If you want to see what’s the best video and editing equipment for DIY videos, click here and scroll the equipment section – I added a lot of suggestions for people on the budget.

Facebook cover video templates

If you cannot hire a designer, you can always play it safe and customize Facebook cover video in the existing templates. There are several websites that offer this opportunity for free or for a monthly fee.

• Poster My Wall – the cheapest plan starts at $29.95 quarterly
• Maker Moon – this website is specialized for facebook cover video templates, and while it has some good templates for free, the best ones are behind the paywall. They offer only yearly pricing plans, which start at $49 a year.
• Biteable – this website offers a free plan for up to 5 downloads per month. The pro plan is $29 per month.
• Flixel – if you are interested in cinemagraph rather than the video, you can find it on this website. Their paid plans start at $8.33. You can find cinemagraphs for a similar price on Videoblocks or for free on Burst.

Conclusion

We got you all set – now it’s time to make your Facebook page pop! If you want to learn more about creating good video content or using it in marketing, check out this article.

Admittedly, working with videos is not the easiest route and it cannot come for free – but with this guide, you can see that it has become considerably easier thanks to the online tools at your disposal. Most important of all, Facebook cover video is definitely worth your time and effort.