Facebook offers a perfect platform for YouTubers and video marketers to drive engagement for videos. Videos are usually shared using one of the two methods on Facebook: users embed YouTube videos or directly upload videos to Facebook. The difference may seem insignificant. However, the method you choose to share a video on Facebook can largely influence engagement results.
Here’s why!
Facebook’s algorithm favors native videos
Facebook’s algorithm is designed to favour its own video player. An article by AdAge revealed that,
“Facebook’s content-recommendation algorithm gives preference to its own video player when determining what content to show in people’s news feeds…” Directly uploaded videos receive far more engagement than YouTube videos embedded in Facebook. BuzzSumo tested this theory by analysing 53 million YouTube video posts and over 25 million directly uploaded posts. The study revealed that directly uploaded videos got an average of 951.48 interactions. Nearly seven times more than the average of 140.75 interactions that embedded YouTube videos received.
Facebook facilitated the increase in engagement for native videos by introducing several features.
The auto-play function, for instance, grabs the attention of users while scrolling through their timeline. Additionally, Facebook has tweaked its algorithm to rank native videos in users’ timelines and boost the posts’ reach. These changes were made to incentivize users to upload videos straight to Facebook.
Facebook offers several benefits for native uploads. Firstly, as research suggests, a native video receives much higher engagement. Secondly, the Facebook auto-play feature can grab viewers’ attention and compel them to watch the video. Lastly, you can boost traffic to your YouTube channel through Facebook native videos. This can be achieved by posting a short preview of your video and including a link to direct viewers to the full video available on YouTube.
The bottom line is that you should take the time to upload the source video to Facebook itself. Give it a try and notice an increase in engagement for your videos!
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Manasa Boggaram is a writer and has a strong passion for music, positive news and constructive journalism. When she is not researching story ideas or writing blog posts, she spends her time reading books, discovering new music and eating lots of street food.
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