Murray Newlands says, “Simply put, video is the alpha and omega when it comes to content marketing. Video content is on top, becoming more and more popular as consumers lean away from overt marketing and towards native advertising and influencer marketing. According to the Content Marketing Institute, video content will account for 55 percent of all Internet traffic this year, increasing 18-fold. The future is clear: in order to stay relevant in today’s marketing landscape, businesses need to be able to create their own sleek, beautiful videos to capture the attention of a largely mobile... [...]

Daniel Burstein says, ““We try to have fun with everything we do, and our audience seems to respond to it pretty well,” Gregg Barclay, Senior Videographer, SparkFun Electronics, told me in an interview at last year’s MarketingSherpa Media Center at IRCE. What it takes to produce online video marketing YouTube, Vimeo and other online video sites have lowered the bar on what it takes to use video to promote your product to consumers. They no longer expect a slick commercial with a massive production staff and budget. The DIY feel can resonate with customers, as well (and for the right... [...]

Ashley Ruppert says, “In any business, knowledge is power. What better way to increase your knowledge than studying your organization’s data? Sounds obvious enough, right? Actually, it’s not as obvious as it seems. In fact, only 50% of marketers routinely apply data-driven marketing to individualize marketing messages and offers to enhance the customer experience. With data-driven marketing, marketers can change the conversation at the executive table. Data gives them the ability to analyze and share actionable insights, confirming their value as a business partner. Among the... [...]

Patricio Robles says, “At its digital Newfronts event last week, Google’s YouTube announced a new ad offering that it hopes will give advertisers the ability to take advantage of viral videos. Breakout Videos is part of Google Preferred, which launched in 2014 and gives advertisers access to inventory from YouTube’s most popular channels and content creators. Through Preferred Breakout Videos, advertisers can now capitalize in real time on inventory belonging to content that is gaining significant traction. As detailed on the official YouTube blog… Pop culture moments like... [...]

Walter Chen says, “If you listen to the radio in the summer, you’ve probably noticed how four songs always seem to be playing on a permanent loop. It’s like listening to campaign ads in a swing state — you can’t escape. That kind of repetition is key to creating a catchy tune, and it doesn’t matter how cynical you are. When you hear a song like OMI’s “Cheerleader” played over and over and over, it’s going to get stuck in your head. Before you know it, you’ll be belting out the lyrics at karaoke. What’s going on here is a psychological... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Predicted to be one of the key content marketing trends of 2016, it is clear that video is here to stay. In fact, with Cisco predicting that 80% of all internet traffic will stem from video by 2019, it looks set to take over. From YouTube collaborations to sponsored Snapchats, there are many opportunities for brands to utilise this innovative medium. Taken from our most recent Social Quarterly 2016, here are some of the biggest visual trends for social this year. 1. Now gone in 60 seconds Instagram is no longer reserved for the #nofilter humble brag. The platform... [...]

Demian Farnworth says, “Here are a couple of startling stats to start your morning: – $9 billion. That’s the amount of money spent worldwide on ebooks in 2015. – $21.3 billion. That’s the amount of revenue from online education in the U.S. alone in 2015. And let’s not forget that mobile usage is off the charts, podcasts are growing in popularity every day, and software as a service is a new business norm. This is great news for anyone hoping to build a business around the growing market of digital commerce. But what exactly is digital commerce? “. Digital Commerce... [...]

Matt Byrom says, “Video is an awesome tool that can help you at every stage of the sales cycle. For example, you can create fun videos on social that will attract people to your brand, an explainer video to help convert prospects into customers, and educational videos to help customers use your product and become raving fans of your brand. Video really does have many uses, but with that comes a lot of cost. Creating a video can be expensive, especially when you don’t have a huge budget to play with. So this week, I’m going to show you four inexpensive ways to add video to your... [...]

Matt McGee says, “Instagram is testing video ads in a carousel format and has a few major brands already lined up to give the product a try. According to a company release, Taco Bell, Airbnb, Macy’s and ASOS have begun testing video ads in the carousel. The carousel ad format itself isn’t new; Instagram launched it more than a year ago, but only with still images. The company says carousel ads can now be a combination of pictures and/or video and must include three to five content pieces. The maximum length for videos in this format is 60 seconds, which is standard for all Instagram users. Instagram... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “With more video being created for vertical viewing (in large part thanks to Snapchat), video distribution platform Virool is launching a mobile vertical video ad unit. Called Video Reveal, the units appear dynamically inline within editorial content on mobile devices, including iOS and Android. The company claims it is the first vertical mobile video ad available via programmatic. Video Reveal ads are sold with 100 percent guaranteed viewability. The ads pause when less than 50 percent of the pixels are in view. The units also include social sharing icons, and advertisers... [...]