Use Facebook Video to Your Advantage
When Facebook video first rolled out, I found it really annoying. The videos played automatically. They seemed random and out of place in my feed. I didn't like it. As a YouTuber, it felt like Facebook was stepping where it didn't belong.Not anymore.I'm heavily considering posting the content I release on YouTube on Facebook as well, and here is why.
Facebook Gives You More Feedback
The level of feedback you get from any source is determined by the simplicity of the process. Blogs get fewer comments because it can be complicated. You have to create an account, sign in, or complete a Captcha as a guest in order to post your comment.Facebook has a comment section that doesn't require anything but your comment. You're already signed in. No verification, just commenting. It's even better than YouTube where you must scroll down below the video you just watched. Facebook has it easily accessible to the side.On YouTube, your comments consist of a portion of your subscribers. On Facebook, you'll get comments from your friends, anyone who sees your friends share, like, or comment. Even complete strangers could see your content if you monetarily boost your post.All of this to say, more people will be able to engage in discussion on Facebook than on YouTube.
Facebook Video Cuts Out the Middle Man
You see the funniest video ever on YouTube. You want your friends to enjoy it just as much as you did. Where do you share it? The answer is Facebook. Maybe Twitter or Google+, but Facebook is the standard.Again, we live in a fast-paced society. The less effort, how insignificant it may seem, the more likely content will be shared. For Facebook, it's just a click away.
Facebook Video Gets You More Views (For Now)
Facebook is pushing video posts like crazy. Their algorithms are very selective about what you see. Facebook executive Nicola Mendelsohn said that Facebook would be all video in 5 years, which explains why we see videos more and more in our Facebook feeds.This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if you're a video producer like me. I've made videos on YouTube for over a year and a half and it was a great day if I got 1000 views on my video.Recently, I was given the chance to have one of my videos featured on a Facebook page with 55K followers. That video got 285K views, 4.4K reactions, and 574 comments. The immense success of that video on Facebook versus on YouTube is staggering.Granted, the video was shared on a platform with a large following. But the reach of that following is much larger because of Facebook's favoritism for videos.
Let's Take a Step Back
Facebook is great if you want to get a message to a lot of people. But as far as building a brand, it's not the main place for you.YouTube is a library while Facebook is like a newborn baby that spits up random stuff at you daily. The organization YouTube offers is incredibly valuable, and I don't recommend Facebook as an alternative. Rather, I believe Facebook to be a healthy addition to your marketing strategy. Take your best videos and pitch them to larger pages in exchange for them adding a link to your channel. I did this and gained over three hundred subscribers.I will always have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, but no more will I dismiss it. There is value in playing the game of Facebook. You just need a strategy.