Are You Ready for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Video Advertising?

If your business is ready to move to the next level in digital advertising considering video ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. You already know that your business could be reaching thousands of customers each day through these sites.

When you’re ready to take the leap into 21st century advertising, you will have to decide which platform is best for your business. Consider the audience, the length of the ad, and the purpose of the advertisement to make the best choice on ad placement.

This guide will help you to compare the features of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube video advertising.

Facebook Video Ads are Worth the Investment  

With over 1.7 billion users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media sites. Facebook is popular not only with a younger generation, but also with older adults keeping in touch with friends and family. In fact, the average age of the U.S. Facebook user is 40.5.

Facebook video advertising offers autoplay on their ads which means that the user doesn’t have to engage to get the video to play. Videos play automatically, but are also set on mute. The user does have to turn the volume on with each video.

Videos on Facebook are limited to two minutes and ads do not loop for continuous play. Videos can be shared to other websites and users can see a view counter with the current number of views per video.

Facebook “views” are counted each time someone watches the video for at least three seconds. However, advertisers are charged when the view time hits ten seconds.

Audience targeting is most precise on Facebook. Advertisers can select the specific age and location of users they wish to target. With Facebook, advertisers can also target specific behaviors and preferences of users.

YouTube Video Ads are a Must Do When it Comes to Internet Marketing

YouTube is the second most popular search engine with over 1 billion users. Youtube’s users are in a wide range of ages with at least 18% over the age of 55.

YouTube video advertising also offers autoplay of video ads. Unlike Facebook, YouTube ads are set to play sound automatically as well. And YouTube ads do not include a looping feature.

While other platforms limit videos to a number of seconds or minutes, YouTube offers unlimited video length. Videos can also be shared on other websites. For a view to be counted on YouTube, it has to be watched for 30 seconds.

YouTube’s audience targeting is not as precise as Facebook’s. Advertisers can choose from a range of ages to target, but YouTube’s user data is not as refined as other platforms. There is a greater chance of views on YouTube, but those views come from a wider audience.

The Value of Instagram Video Ads in Internet Marketing

Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012 and now has over 400 million users. If your business is trying to reach millennials, Instagram is the right choice with 90% of its user under the age of 35.

Instagram video advertising offers autoplay and a muted default audio. However, Instagram is the one of the three platforms featured that offer autoloop. The ad will replay continuously.

Videos on Instagram are limited to 60 seconds. In order for a view to count, the video has to be watched for at least three seconds. Videos can be shared on other sites, but only within the full Instagram post.