Image credit: “Livestreaming Wikimania 2016 Esino Lario” (CC BY 2.0) by Sebastiaan ter Burg

If you’ve been paying attention to Mark Zuckerberg over the last few years, you’re probably not shocked that video now dominates your Facebook feed.

Although most users have caught onto the video revolution, many companies are still running their Facebook strategy as if it’s 2015.

If you’re not incorporating video into your Facebook marketing, you’re missing out—big time!

Facebook has made it clear that they’re rewarding pages for producing video content. If you’re not keeping up, then you’re likely to see your reach shrinking…

So what should you do about it?

Here are six ways you should be using video on Facebook right now.

1. Live Video

The popularity of livestreaming has skyrocketed in recent years, and since launching Facebook Live in 2016, Facebook has become one of the most popular platforms for live video.

That’s no accident. Facebook has explicitly said that its algorithms are trained to favor pages that produce a lot of live video content.

Although this fact alone makes live video a must, there are plenty of other reasons to incorporate it into your marketing mix: it’s cheap to produce, it can help you form a strong personal bond with your followers, and live videos tend to have higher engagement than prerecorded videos.

If you think live video is not the right fit for your brand, think again. Companies as diverse as Target, AirBnb and the Weather Channel have all had success with live video.

2. Video Cover

We all know that a well-designed cover image can draw people in to your page. Now, Facebook gives you the option to upload a custom video cover. When done right, moving images in the header of your Facebook page are an amazing opportunity to grab the attention of users.

Updating your cover will also generate a lot of interest for your existing followers. Creating new video covers for campaigns and promotions is a great way to generate hype and excitement amongst your fans.

3. Video Ads

If you’re looking to reduce your Facebook ad spend, then I have two words for you: video ads. Since Facebook introduced video ads, many businesses have reported that video ads cost them significantly less than carousel or single-image ads. Done right, video can also result in a significant boost in conversions.

Of course, video ads are more time consuming and expensive to produce. But if you have the capacity, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be doing them right now. Just make sure you use captions for mobile users.

4. Native Video

Facebook is pushing video, but not just any old video. Like most platforms, Facebook wants to maximize the amount of time you spend on the site. Pushing embedded content from other sites means you click away, therefore spending less time on Facebook.

If you’re still embedding videos from YouTube, it’s time to get with the program.

Facebook wants your video and will prioritize native content in search results, so upload as much as you can directly to the site. One study even found that native videos on Facebook get four times more engagement that video content embedded from other platforms.

5. Square Videos

When we think about advertising for a specific medium, we’re always worrying about how much real estate we have for our message. That’s why it’s shocking that so many people still use landscape videos on Facebook when around 95% of users access the site with a smartphone.

If you want to make the most of a mobile screen, square videos are most effective. In fact, one study found that square videos take up 78% more real estate in a user’s news feed, meaning your message is much more likely to get across.

Other key takeways from the same study are that square videos always outperform landscape videos in engagement, and using square videos can result in significantly lower advertising costs.

6. Captions

By now, we all know that the majority of people view videos with the sound off on their mobile device. The best way to combat this is by using captions. This may sound complicated, but there are many online services that provide subtitles for your videos at a reasonable cost and with a quick turnaround. According to Facebook, videos with subtitles increase engagement on average by 12%.

If you haven’t incorporated video into your Facebook strategy yet, it’s time to shift gears or get left behind!

For more great Facebook marketing tips, check out my interview with ad expert Amanda Bond on the Marketing Speak podcast.