Even though you’ve invested a lot of time in using a website creator that’s pixel perfect, it’s not the only place you should have a presence online. Social media plays a very big role in raising your brand awareness and finding your audience. Unsurprisingly, making a great first impression on such platforms is incredibly important and can make a world of difference. But how? If there’s any one social media platform a small business should be using, it’s Facebook. It’s the largest of its kind and it’s one of the first places a customer, existing or potential, will seek your business out.
Getting people to your Facebook business page can be a hassle, but it’s hardly impossible. And no, you don’t have to pay for ads to do so. One of the many Facebook features that allows you to grab the attention of page viewers immediately is cover videos. These videos are a great way to draw someone into your Facebook page and keep them scrolling. Of course, not every small business owner is a graphic designer and can just whip up a great video for your Facebook cover, and that’s where we come in. We’re going to show you step by step what you’ll need to do, along with some great tools that take the heavy lifting out of the creation process along the way.
What is a Facebook cover video and why use one?
This doesn’t need much of an introduction, as you’ve probably seen a Facebook cover photo or video whether or not you knew exactly what it was. It’s the very top section of a Facebook page or profile that allows you to add a large photo or video. The cover video is accompanied by your profile photo, which, for a small business will likely be your logo. Your cover photo or video allows you to say a little more about your brand without requiring the visitor to look for it.
Because of its prominent placement, Facebook covers are a great addition to your Facebook marketing strategy to get attention and draw page visitors in. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with placing a well-designed photo, you can maximize the space by adding a video. The immediate motion of the video will show more prominently than a static image.
The cover area of a Facebook page provides a first impression of your business or brand to the visitor, so it’s important to see it as an opportunity to attract people. Again, you can easily add a photo, but if a photo is worth a thousand words, a video can say a lot more.
Facebook cover video size and specs
Before you dive in, it’s important to know about Facebook's own guidelines for video covers. By knowing these video specifications beforehand, you can ensure that the content you want to be shown, will be shown.
Video size: Facebook recommends a minimum video size of 820 x 312 and suggests a video with a resolution of 820 x 462 for “best results.”
Video length: Don’t expect to upload a cropped version of Titanic for your video cover. Number one, that’s illegal. Number two, your video needs to be anywhere in between 20-90 seconds in length.
Video format: Though others will work, Facebook suggests using .MP4 or .MOV video file formats.
Tips for creating a great Facebook cover video
Whether it’s what your business does or just a simple animated video portraying your brand’s personality, make sure your cover video is engaging to your audience.
Make sure your video can be understood without audio. You can add audio to your cover video, but a visitor must manually unmute the video to hear any music or anyone speaking in the video.
Don’t be afraid to use a high-quality gif or cinemagraph on loop. The motion provided from these photos can be just as good as a video.
Go for a clean, uncluttered approach. A video that’s too fast or too busy may be a turn off to your visitors. Need an example? Check out Wix’s Facebook page.
Facebook cover video tools
You don’t have to be a professional video editor to create a great Facebook cover video. There are a handful of tools available that make the entire process fairly painless!
If you were even a little bit worried about making your cover video for Facebook, a quick glance at Bitable’s website will quell any concerns. Biteable is all about video… anything. It’s perfect for exactly this type of situation and it will guide you along with several templates and helpful videos for creating the best cover video.
If you want to use one of the best banner graphics creators online, then Bannersnack should be an easy sell. Of course, it’s not all about static imagery, and you can create an animated Facebook cover in no time. With several animated templates to choose from, this is a solid option for someone who wants a powerful tool that’s easy to use.
Another great destination to make your dream video cover comes from Wave.video. It’s incredibly easy to make the video you want and get it uploaded to your Facebook page to show the world. The video-centric platform offers a library of 300 million professional clips to choose from, making it a one-stop-shop.
How to upload your Facebook cover video
Now that you’ve created the perfect cover video for your Facebook page, it’s time to upload it. Luckily, this is perhaps the easiest portion of the entire process.
Here’s how to upload a Facebook cover video from the official help article.
Go to your Page
Click Add a Cover or Change Cover in the top left of your cover photo or video.
Select Upload Photo/Video to upload a video from your computer, or select Choose from Videos to use a video you've already uploaded to your Page.
Select the cover video file to upload it.
After the video has uploaded, reposition the video by clicking it and dragging it up or down, then click Next.
Click the arrows to scroll through up to 10 thumbnail options for your cover video. The thumbnail image may be used when someone hovers over your Page's name to get more context about your Page.
Click Publish.
After that, reload your Facebook page and see your finished cover video in all its glory!