Do you remember the last time you skipped an ad on Facebook? The majority of people instinctively skip or scroll past Facebook ads. However, if you do them correctly, your Facebook ads will be hard to overlook. Here are some tips on how to make your ads engaging and watch-worthy.
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Capture Attention Fast and Early
According to Time Magazine , most people today have a shorter attention span than a goldfish, so your Facebook ad should get right to the point. Within the first few seconds of your ad, you should grab attention with an engaging hook. Keep your ads interesting and short in order to discourage clicking away. Ideally, your Facebook ads should be between 5-15 seconds. Within that time, you want to brand your business and emphasize the purpose of the ad. Not many viewers have the patience or time to watch long videos, so make them short and memorable. For more information on how to create interesting videos, check out this article on Facebook Video Ads . 
Brand Right Away
In order to promote your business effectively, you should brand as soon as possible. The ideal place to brand is immediately at the start of your ad. In fact, recent studies have shown that consumers are more likely to remember a brand when it was shown within the first 3 seconds of the ad. It’s important to be mindful of your branding and in this case, it is also important to be strategic.
Optimize Your Titles and Descriptions
If you want people to watch your videos, you need an engaging title that tells your viewers exactly what to expect. The best way to accomplish this is to utilize great keywords. It may not seem like much, but the keywords in your title could determine how many people watch your Facebook ads. Keywords help better your SEO, so choose your keywords carefully. If you need help selecting keywords for your ad, look at the graph below. This graph shows average views on Facebook videos with certain common phrases in their titles versus how frequently those phrases were used.
Focus On Sound Off Videos
When people scroll through social media in public, they don’t have the time or ability to listen to ads. In fact, 85% of viewers watch videos and ads with the sound off, so it benefits your business to create ads that are interesting without sound. For example, add captions to your ads so people can still understand your purpose. Ultimately, your audio should add value, but it shouldn’t be essential in getting your message across.
Check your Facebook Ad Specs
Professionalism is essentially the most important quality of the ad. If your ad looks sloppy, no one will want to watch it. Therefore, your ad should look as streamlined as possible. For starters, you should shoot your ad for H.264 compression, square pixels, a fixed frame, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps or higher. You should also have a resolution of 1080p. If you are just starting out and are confused about formatting, check out this article on Facebook Video Ads: 15 Essential Best Practices for 2019. 
Get Vertical or Go Square
Since most people are looking at ads on their phone, your ads should look good on a phone. The best look for your ad is either a square or a vertical lens. The video appears bigger on your phone and takes up the most space. If you are trying to make non-video ads for your business, create Facebook ads that look good on a phone. In that case, opt for a square.
Center Your Call to Action
Now that viewers know about your brand, what are the next steps they should take? While creating your ad, you should think about where you want to emphasize your call to action. Since you are branding at the beginning of your ad, you should put a call to action in the middle. It’s a great way to promote your content and makes it easier for viewers to remember.
Ultimately, the best practices for Facebook ads are similar to those of any other ad: communicate your point across effectively and in a timely manner. For more information on digital advertising, check these 8 Digital Advertising Tips and Tricks .
