Okay, I admit to being pretty intensely video-averse. Yes, even though I know how good video is at speaking human. Go ahead and shake that finger at me. I KNOW.
I finally got over myself and hired the amazing Emmy Wu Media to hook me up with some stellar screen time. THAT’S a load off. Meantime, Facebook launched this clever little video-for-business thing last week. And it’s pretty cool! Nothing fancy, mind you. But certainly fun! And hey, it’s FREE!
[box]#BeatTheBuzz: The world’s greatest agencies and most exciting brands gather in London, on April 14th. Book your place now![/box]
I spent the morning making one for myself. And I’d be really embarrassed to tell you how long it took me. So, I thought I’d save YOU some frustration and write you a quick-and-dirty guide to nailing your little FB video all fast- and headache-free like. Here’s how to do it!
The Images
This is the tricky part when you don’t realize how it’s all going to work out. (Cough).
The Basics:
- You’ll need 8 images.
- The images must be SQUARE.
- They must be uploaded to your Page before starting.
Shortcut that last part by just creating an Album on your Page for this purpose. While you’re uploading the images, click the “Hide From Newsfeed” button. It will still post the photos to your page, but you can just go and hit “Hide From Timeline” if you don’t want it there. Voilà!
The Order:
Now you can start building your video! You’ll select your images first. But then you’ve got to put them in order. And it’s a little maddening to figure out how to make it all look the way you want to. Here’s the breakdown:
- Image 1: This one will end up with your Page’s Name written across it in the center. Something to keep in mind.
- Image 2: The only full-sized one with no text on it. Make it perty.
- Image 3: This one will have “We’re in the business of…” written across it in the center. Note that this will ALSO end up being the thumbnail image for the whole video when it’s posted. Had I known that, I might have chosen differently.
- Image 4: This one will show the text you choose for the end of that sentence. You do that part after your images are sorted.
- Images 5 through 8: These will appear mosaic-style, so they’re much smaller. I created two images with text so I could display my tagline. Ain’t I clever?
If you like our stories, there is an easy way to stay updated:
Follow @wersm
The Story
All these videos follow the same formula. “We’re in the business of …. FILL IN THE BLANK.” Pretty straightforward! Still, you might want to figure out what you’re gonna type in there beforehand.
The Music
Four options here. A guitar-thing, a piano-thing, a digital-thing, and a tinny “drum” thing.
Now, to hear and choose the music you have to touch the icons. I happen to have a touch screen on my laptop. But if you don’t, I have no idea how this is supposed to work. I suppose you’d have to do it from your phone.
One Last Thing!
Once your video has been posted to your Page, you can make it a part of your About Box! Which I think is just plain nifty! From your Page, click on Videos (It may be under “More…”). And then “Add a Featured Video.”
Choose it, and bam! Now it’ll be on the left-hand side of your page, to greet new visitors.