Dive Brief:
- According to Digiday, both LittleThings (150 million average monthly video views on Facebook) and Mic (also averaging 150 million average monthly video views) report that around 85% of those views happen with the sound turned off. PopSugar pegged its silent video views at between 50% and 80%.
- Marketers have already been addressing the issue of no sound video views by adding text and captions to video content to ensure the messaging is getting across even if the sound is turned off.
- Noah Mallin, MEC North America head of social, told Digiday that engagement metrics, such as intent to purchase and brand lift, were unaffected by whether the video was viewed with the sound turned on or off.
Dive Insight:
Facebook has made a huge push into video in recent months, urging brands and publishers to produce content not only for regular videos but also for live streams. Though marketers have voiced concerns about silent autoplay videos across social media, some brands, like ConAgra Foods, have taken advantage of the quiet to find creative ways to connect with viewers.
What is still unclear is how autoplay video running without sound affects viewability.
Marketers have been concerned about lax and conflicting viewability standards – Facebook charges for three- and 10-second views – but it seems like there could be a legitimate concern that even though a video may be playing, a lack of sound might make it more likely to go unnoticed by the user.
Adding text and captioning to video content is simply a good practice for video marketing in general, and given the very large percentage of Facebook video that runs sans sound, the tactic is clearly a must for Facebook-specific video content.
“From day one, there pretty much has been the psychology that you have to catch their attention immediately,” Gretchen Tibbits, chief operating officer for LittleThings, told Digiday. “But while the first three seconds are critical, the video also has to be designed to capture attention without needing sound.”
