Video is the media of the present and the future and it continues to grow at a rapid rate. As video becomes more and more significant for digital marketing, it’s being even more highly regarded by Facebook.
Algorithm Changes in Favor of Video
Recent Facebook algorithm changes are in favor of video so that posts with videos receive higher organic reach than any other type of post on the social network. Now the very latest algorithm updates which took place just days ago serve to accommodate for how users regard and use videos on individual bases.
What videos appear in users’ newsfeeds and where will depend on their video viewing habits. For example, a user may play sound, play videos on mute, watch videos in full screen, view in high definition, etc. This will have an impact on what videos they will see, how many videos will appear and how high up they will be in users’ newsfeeds. How long a user views a video also makes an impact similar to new algorithm updates based on how much time is spent on stories.
The aim is to provide users with more of the videos they like and less of the videos they don’t want to see. Of course factors that influenced videos in newsfeeds before will continue to make an impact as well such as likes, comments and shares. These changes have already rolled out for some profiles and will continue to spread to users’ accounts over the next weeks.
Facebook Makes Gains on YouTube
It is widely known that YouTube is the leader in social video but Facebook is making serious gains to catch up with the network. In September 2014, Facebook users watch 1 billion videos per day and that number has already expanded to 4 billion videos per day! When it’s considered that YouTube has over 1 billion unique users and Facebook over 1.1 billion users, it is much more clear just how serious of a competitor Facebook has become for the video giant.
What This Means for Marketers
The newest algorithm updates at Facebook offer even more support for utilizing video for social media marketing posts. They are great for organic reach, users want to see them and they’re making a serious impact in advertising as well. In fact, Facebook is also placing higher priority on video ads than on ads of any other format!
