A major focus of #SMWLDN was on the increasing popularity of live video and film content – unsurprising given between 2015 to 2016 video views on Facebook have increased by 800%. Facebook hosted a session on this developing area, focusing on how there is a short window of opportunity to first grab an audience’s attention.

Facebook desktop users spend on average 2.5 secondshovering over content before moving on, and mobile users only last 1.5 seconds. It’s absolutely crucial to make the content immediately attractive because otherwise any form of key messaging later in the video is wasted. When producing content for a news feed, Facebook are now working with brands and agencies directly to “feed proof” video content. They recommend adding a new element to the narrative of the story every 5-6 seconds to ensure the users attention remains. The key is to maintain that initial moment of interest: 65% of people who watch 3 seconds will view to 10 seconds at least. Getting the content past that 3 second barrier is the challenge!

FB Live was also discussed in detail following its huge impact since launching in April this year. It’s interaction rate is exceptionally high: it generates 10 times more engagement than a traditional video post. News outlets have been quick to adapt given the advantages of FB Live as well, using it to provide instant coverage and interact with their audiences in a more personal fashion. The Economist, BBC and BuzzFeed have experimented with live video and were on stage to discuss what makes a successful live video. Simple, original and authentic were the adjectives of the day in describing their best performing live video content.

At Edelman, we have seen the success this can drive with record breaking results for the Heineken UCL 2016 Campaign and the HHH Olympics (take a look at the 325,000 views that this SportBible live video generated in the Holland Heineken House!). The development of video content and FB Live provides us with an opportunity to really connect with our clients’ audience, but it has to be interesting, attention grabbing and authentic to their interests.