10 publishers that get it right with Facebook videos and what we can learn

As Facebook keeps changing its news feed algorithm, one constant factor is the domination of video content and so brands keep experimenting with it to increase the reach of their posts.

According to Buzzsumo and an analysis of 25 million Facebook posts published by the top 10,000 publishers during the past year, there has been a steady increase of video content month-by-month.

What is more interesting is the fact that despite the algorithm changes, the drop in organic reach, or the decline in the number of shares in link posts, video is the only format that hasn’t seen a decline in terms of shares.

In fact, it has seen a significant growth over the past year in terms of shares among users, which indicates user demand for video content.

More and more brands are exploring native Facebook videos and how they can be included in their marketing strategy.

Therefore a closer look at the most successful video publishers on Facebook can help us learn some lessons about what works well on the platform.

Buzzfeed Tasty

According to Buzzsumo, Buzzfeed’s Tasty has the highest interaction per video, more than double that of the second publisher.

One reason is that its video content is customised to the platform and the audience, offering short and appealing video, leading to greater engagement.

Buzzfeed Nifty

Buzzfeed again, this time focusing on DIY rather than food, another popular field for a wide audience.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid has the highest interaction per video post among all the sports pages and the key to success is the increase of live coverage, nostalgic videos from the past years, and video highlights from its latest games.

Sometimes it’s not the type of content that leads to success, but rather the timing and the proper format, depending on the audience and the platform.

Fallon Tonight

(Read more...) TV show should have the right content for Facebook and Jimmy Fallon and his team make an engaging Page in terms of video content, providing sneak peaks from shows.

Video may not be the only format that the page uses, with GIFs also being very popular, but it’s still engaging enough to keep uploading it at a similar rate.

In fact, the Page likes blending GIFs and video, replying to its GIFs with video content, which leads to further engagement with its audience.

Game of Thrones

There’s no surprise that one of the most discussed TV shows of the past years is among the most engaging Pages. The challenge faced here is how to maintain interest throughout the year and build anticipation for the season ahead.

As there’s new content only 10 weeks per year, how does such a popular page manage its Facebook presence for the rest of the year?

Well, the page focuses on additional content, throwbacks, and engaging with the community with videos contributing to the success of the page.

Tip Hero

Tip Hero is an online guide to saving money, but its popularity is due to its focus on quick and easy recipes, following Buzzfeed’s Tasty formula, in a shorter version.

The engagement rate is impressive, with its shares and likes proving how any page can benefit from clever ideas of video creation.

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona’s strategy is all about visual content, blending images and videos in the most relevant way for its audience.

It seems to be create slightly less video content than Real Madrid, but it still offers a steady stream of content during the day, combining video highlights, past moments, training highlights and interviews.

LAD Bible

The LAD Bible is an interesting case of a video publisher focusing more on Facebook than its actual website for community building, and it now has more than 15 million fans and further plans for growth.

The Page grew in popularity thanks to the curation of funny and entertaining content and it is now experimenting with original content, expanding its topics and in audience in new paths.

This could be an interesting example on how a Facebook page can grow by focusing on content and the community, helping build a publishing brand directly from social media.

Bright Side

Bright Side is a site focusing on inspiration and creativity, and its Facebook page creates and curates relevant content.

Most of its videos are lively and inspiring, spreading a positivity that the audience highly appreciates.

Hefty

Hefty is the first branded page that appears on this list, and is the 16th in Buzzsumo’s analysis.

Hefty Waste Bags is a household product that isn’t an obvious contender, but a creative approach has paid off.

Hefty heavily focuses on creative video content to promote its products, and also collaborates with other brands, projects and influencers, in order to ensure that their campaigns maximise the chances of success.

This is a good example of how Facebook videos can help any brand increase its reach, engagement and eventually its audience, so a closer look at their video creation may be useful for your future content planning.

Lessons learned

Any brand can benefit from Facebook videos.
There’s always room for creative use of video for any type of brand, no matter how dull the product may seem.
Don’t be afraid to experiment.
Keep it interesting, keep it short.
Keep an eye on Insights to learn what does and doesn’t work.
Always keep in mind mobile users (e.g. how about adding captions for the users that mute the sounds?)

Tereza Litsa is a Writer at ClickZ.