Facebook is the target of a growing number of lawsuits from companies that claim the social-media behemoth artificially inflated data about the length of time viewers spent watching video ads. This data, they say, gave Facebook an unfair advantage over platforms like Instagram and Twitter when it came to attracting advertising dollars.
The scandal underscores the importance of paying close attention to both your Facebook metrics and Google Analytics. As an agency, we study these metrics closely and apply creative methods to help clients budget their ad dollars wisely. And we’re going to say something controversial: Despite concerns over inflated metrics, we still think Facebook video ads can be a smart investment.
For example, running a video view campaign on Facebook tends to be much cheaper than typical reach campaigns. When a client wants to get a marketing message out to the masses, this is a great way to take advantage of the lower CPM and allow us to stretch smaller budgets to larger audiences.
Although the average view time for videos is around 10 to 15 seconds (depending on the industry and the message, of course), advertisers can take advantage of the video’s headline to get a strong marketing message across in a very economical way.
So: Keep an eye on your metrics, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Facebook video ads can be used wisely and economically.