Why You Can’t Let Fear Stop Your Marketing Plan
Feeling fearful about marketing right now — the risk of being perceived as tone deaf or insincere and faced with infinite uncertainties – is a completely justifiable sentiment.
However, there is risk associated with allowing marketing to go completely dark. While we are in no position to pretend that it is “business as usual” right now, we are creative problem solvers. We’ve seen tough times before. And, unfortunately, we are bound to see them again.
First and foremost, you must kind to yourself and empathetic to others and you need to keep your priorities firmly in their place. However, you can extend these values to the work you do during this challenging time. It will help you weather this pandemic crisis and position you and the brands and businesses you represent, to rebound with responsiveness, agility, and strength.
The good news is that audiences are highly engaged with the media right now. The impact of Covid-19 on media consumption has been profound. We need only look at our own behavior to get a sense of it.
In terms of messaging to the right-now consumer, the key is that we are all in this together. Consumers, faced with their own job uncertainty, for example, are keen to do business with companies caring for their own employees.
Educational and informative messages are also both useful and engaging. These are particularly well suited to placement alongside news content, which is racking up attention (and which, according to the Association of National Advertiers, offersa highly suitable setting for most advertising). But, like the other content people are drawn to now, lighthearted and uplifting messages will also resonate. As ever, carefully consider the customer, your messaging, and the context of your placement.
That said, none of us plan to be in business for the short term. Thus, beyond consumers’ immediate needs, we need to think about our goal to develop long-lasting customer relationships. It is impressive to see everyone from family restaurants to car companies innovate with contactless buying experiences. Innovation, pivots, and helping customers cope with the challenges they currently face will create meaningful impressions.
- Published in Automotive Marketing, Social Media Video, Video, Video Advertising, Video Marketing, Video Production
The Trick to Marketing Your Business in 2020
Marketing is the primary challenge of every business. A brilliant idea will fail if it is not marketed correctly. Online marketing tactics such as search engine optimization, social media marketing have created low-cost alternatives to effectively market a brand using advantages in technology.
As customers increasingly adopt technology in every aspect of their lives, the goal for marketers should be to find the best channels to connect with those people.
Here’s the trick: The ones that adapt faster win. As more and more marketers realize these advantages, the media channels become crowded and customers become blind to marketing. That’s why marketing is a constant game of change, and those who stay ahead of the curve win.
After featured snippets, YouTube videos rank on top. “More and more, Google is favoring YouTube videos in search results alongside web pages,” Johnson of Nomad Paradise says. “If you don’t currently market on YouTube, it’s worth producing video purely for this reason. Your core focus doesn’t need to be growth on the YouTube platform, because these videos are purely for embedment in web pages and search engine ranking.”
Just like you find keywords with low competition to rank for, you can find keywords relevant to your business with few or no YouTube videos and make videos for them. Your videos also need to be optimized. “The first part is the optimization of the title and the video descriptions… The second and equally important part is to use closed captions. Not only will they make it easier for a portion of the population to consume your content, but they will also make your videos rich in keywords. The more keywords, the easier it will be to rank for your desired terms in Google.”
In 2020, video is a crucial medium. Faster network communications make video consumption easier, and platforms are increasingly favoring video content.
It seems that video is one of the major mediums marketers must utilize in 2020, as many of the techniques (including SEO) involve video marketing. This makes sense and will likely grow as younger audiences favor video over text. If you adopt a video marketing strategy for 2020, you will have a lead and can connect with your audience on many platforms.
Other than video, have an eye out for new technologies and trends. Checking which apps are trending on the app stores on a weekly basis is a good start. New technologies are constantly being developed to make life and work more convenient for people. Adapting to change and staying ahead of the curve is key for effective marketing.
- Published in Video Advertising, Video Marketing, Video Production
Social Media Trends to Watch in 2020
The last decade has seen social media solidify into thriving, multifaceted communities where more than 3.2 billion people worldwide are active daily.
As we close this decade down, there’s no doubt that social media will play a growing role in our lives for the foreseeable future. So, how should businesses, brands and even the average user anticipate the future for social platforms?
Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest trends we’ll see evolving on social media in 2020 and years to come.
Video story content is king.
Video continues to be one of the most important trends in the social media world. In fact, video will make up 82 percent of all internet traffic in 2020, according to Social Media Today. As social media platforms look for ways to further prioritize video content, marketers will increasingly zero in on videos as part of their overall strategies to target specific markets.
Keep a close eye on how this format reshapes marketing strategies. There will be an emphasis on creative, engaging storytelling that captures user attention in seconds. Brands will need to have a keen eye for how video stories engage users (especially on platforms where the like button goes away).
Personalized video marketing will become a thing.
Audience segmentation goes hand in hand with an increasing level of personalized social media marketing. It makes sense that combining segmentation with our love of video will result in personalized video marketing — think video content that is customizable and hyper-relevant to specific segments of your market.
Social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, are already pushing brands to produce video content through Story Ads, in part because these ad campaigns often see higher click-through rates than traditional News Feed ads. Twitter is also jumping into the fray with six-second video ads. Personalized content will take this trend to the next level.
Social media is the place to nurture trust.
Brands would do well to remember that social media isn’t just a platform for marketing and advertising; it’s truly the best place to nurture trust and build a relationship with their audience. Social media offers the ultimate opportunity for communicating brand value and engaging with potential customers on their level.
Doing this requires brands to find ways to have a free flow of dialogue and let their hair down. Showing your brand’s human side and increasing transparency will build confidence with audiences. Focus on fun, simple engagement, be responsive to customer communication, and find meaningful ways to show social responsibility and a deeper level of social interaction. Doing this will help you stay ahead of the curve on everything else on social media.
- Published in Social Media Video, Video Advertising, Video Marketing
How to Market to Multiple Generations on Social Media
When it comes to social media marketing, there are many factors that contribute to success, including quality content, algorithms, engagement, and peak posting times. When playing the social media marketing game, the best strategy for success is knowing where your target audience resides on the social playing field and catering heavily and consistently to those platforms. Each generation leans toward varying social media platforms for a number of different reasons. Learn which social media channels cater to your target audience (and why) to devise a stronger strategy for turning likes and follows into conversions and sales.
Baby Boomers (Born 1946 to 1964)
Baby Boomers favor Facebook over other social media platforms. A Pew survey found that about two-thirds of 50- to 64-year-olds (68%) and almost half (46%) of those aged 65 or older are the most active on Facebook. The older generation prefers sharing and reading articles and other forms of text-based content, which is why Facebook is so attractive to them. They are invested in traditional media, so marketing through concise messaging and informative content is appealing to them.
The boomer’s second pick for a social media platform is Pinterest. Pinterest is appealing to the older population due to strong home ownership and spending power stats within the generation. Pinterest has shareable text-form content full of DIY home improvement projects that appeal to the ‘do-it-yourself’ generation.
Generation X (Born 1965 to 1980)
Generation X witnessed the invention of the internet and bridged the gap between traditional and digital media. They seek out content in both video and text form due to their appreciation of both established and new media, making Facebook, YouTube and Twitter their preferred social media platform choices.
Facebook covers traditional media content streams that Generation X loves to consume. YouTube delivers digital-forward media through soundbites and informative video, and Twitter combines the two.
Millennials/ Generation Y (Born 1981 to 1996)
Millennials were born into the cusp of the digital age. Due to the rapid proliferation of digital media outlets during this generation’s lifetime, their preferred channels are all over the map.
Millennials share a love of tech and being the first “digitally native” generation. Because of this, Millennials are most active on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. The customer journey of a millennial is driven by online reviews and word of mouth recommendations. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube cater to this demographic through strategic advertising and the use of loyalty driven influencers to reach their target audiences.
Millennials are also the most prominent generation on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the most sought after B2B social media marketing channel to distribute content. It is used by 60% of people ages 25-34.
Generation Z (Born 1996 to 2012)
Gen Z was born well into the digital age. These kids grew up playing with their parent’s iPhones. This generation prefers visuals and short, motion-based content. Gen Z prefers Instagram, TokTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. Gen Z is drawn to the hyper-personalization brought by these platforms.
Gen Z tends to want to consume as much content as possible in the shortest amount of time. Gen Z also favors video that supports social causes and will make purchasing decisions based on the impact that a product or brand will have on a cause they support.
Understanding your audience is critical to success on social media. Trying to advertise equally across all social media platforms will cause average or below-average conversion rates. Generations consume content and respond to marketing tactics differently on each platform. Play into where your audience is active, and how they respond to content, adjusting your marketing initiatives accordingly to drive higher quality conversions.
- Published in Automotive Marketing, Video Advertising, Video Marketing
Facts About Video Ads
If there’s one thing any marketer should know in 2017, it’s this: video marketing works.
Since people spend one third of their online time watching videos, it’s understandable it influences their behaviour.
Videos influence viewers into taking action, whether that is visiting a page, giving their email address to a company, or buying a product.
Still, video marketing isn’t enough. If you don’t have a large enough social media following or email list, you may not get enough views to bring the desired results.
That’s why you need to use ads. Ads can help you increase the distribution of your videos.
What’s surprising is people like video ads more than they like regular ads. A Nielsen report from 2012, showed that 36% of people trust video ads. Not only that, but the people who enjoy watching video ads increase their purchase intent by 97% and brand association by 139%.
Considering that few people trust advertising these days, video ads become a highly effective way to reach new audiences and influence their behaviour.
The power of video marketing starts with the fact people like video over text. It’s human nature: it’s easier to watch something that’s both entertaining and easier to understand than to read something.
According to Animoto, there are 4 times more consumers who would rather watch a video about a product than reading about it. At the same time, if a consumer has the option to choose between text and video on the same page, 69% of them would prefer to watch a video to learn about a product or service.
Video also affects the way people use a website. Wistia, a video hosting company, found people who watch a video, on average, spend 260% more time on pages with video than those without them.
Adelie Studios, a video marketing company, found the average user spends 88% more time on a website that has video in it.