Uploading videos to Facebook is really very easy, which is one reason we think everyone should do so. You can do it right from your timeline or your newsfeed.
Uploading videos to Facebook is really easy
At the top of your Facebook newsfeed (or your organization’s timeline) you’ll see a box for you to update your status or add photos or video. If you click on the Add Photos/Video tab, it’ll look like this:
If you click on “Upload Photos/Video,” you’ll have the option to browse your computer’s files and find a video file. Facebook recommends mp4, but it claims to be compatible with more than 20 video formats, including mp3, mov, and wmv.
Try sharing videos to Facebook using Instagram
If Facebook is an important part of how your organization connects with people, you’ll probably want to consider posting your videos using Instagram. Facebook owns Instagram and it seems like they’re seeking to advantage content posted there. Get the Instagram app for your phone or tablet, use it to spruce up your video if you like, and you won’t even have to go through your computer. Super easy.
Uploading videos to Facebook from YouTube works well, too
YouTube may be the property of Google, and Google may be Facebook’s biggest rival for web domination, but sharing videos to Facebook from YouTube is still easy. If your YouTube channel is the heart of your video marketing program, you may want to call the attention of your Facebook fans to your YouTube channel, and sharing this way is very convenient. Just go to the video and click “Share this video” under the video.
From here you have two options: You’ll see Facebook all the way to the left, and if you click there, you’ll go right to a screen where you can share in much the same manner as you would on your Facebook newsfeed or timeline. But you can also copy the link that appears in the box and paste it into your Facebook status. Both work equally well; it’s really just what’s comfortable for you.
The “white label” online video platforms work similarly. With Wistia, for example, you can cut and paste a “permalink” to the video into a Facebook post; the social sharing buttons they offer for your video players work on an individual Facebook site but not a company’s site. A similar platform, Brightcove, has both the option to copy a link and paste it into your status and social sharing options for your video player.
But is Facebook still a good investment of your social media time?
There’s been a lot of talk recently about Facebook’s suppression of organic engagement—Facebook’s reduction of the percentage of your followers who will see a given piece of content such as a video without your paying money to “boost” the post. As Facebook states: “You can boost any post you share from your News Feed, Timeline or Page, including status updates, photos, videos and offers. Any post you boost will appear higher in News Feed to help more people see it.” We recently attended a conference where nonprofits and associations were lamenting this limitation on effective (and low-cost) Facebook communication with members and supporters, with some organizations considering substitutes for growing and galvanizing their communities more effectively.
Interestingly, the excellent REEL SEO Blog suggests that YouTube is a more effective platform for engagement, as it generates more comments per subscriber/follower than Facebook—especially in light of these changes. It estimates that engagement per like or per subscriber is 20x higher on YouTube than through Facebook, so if you’re prioritizing between Facebook and YouTube, you probably want to favor YouTube if have at least 1/20th the YouTube subscribers as Facebook likes. But both platforms make things so easy that you really can do both—and maximize your video’s potential.
Even with the caveats just mentioned, you’ll probably still want to post a video on Facebook if you have one. Your organization may have a larger Facebook than YouTube following—at least at this point in time; thus, it’s well worth the limited effort you need to share video on Facebook, even if only a small percentage of your people see it. Also, Facebook thrives on visual content, and video will strengthen your content.
Facebook is simply a social media giant, and not sharing your video there represents a lost opportunity. According to Pew Research, 57% of all American adults are on Facebook, and 64% of Facebook users visit the site on a daily basis. Even if you don’t reach them all, or even all of those that have “liked” you, that’s still a heck of a lot of the people you want to reach.
