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... [...]

Ellen Bartolino says, “Video has quickly become one of the most powerful mediums for sharing your message: 78% of people watch videos online every week. What’s more, 55% of people watch videos online every day. But like any new marketing tactic, video needs to be done right to have an impact on your business. This means creating the right videos to be used at the right time to reach the right audience. How do you do this? Start by focusing on the buyer’s journey. The buyer’s journey is the active research process a buyer goes through leading up to a purchase. It includes... [...]

Tamar Weinberg says, “Still on the fence about Snapchat? The company confirmed to Bloomberg that it is a force to be reckoned with, as users are watching 10 billion videos a day. Snapchat has seen a boom in its video activity due to its “Stories” feature, which enables content creators to share photos and videos of their lives from within the previous 24 hours. Stories have a wider window for accessibility, as other content on Snapchat disappears as soon as it’s watched. With a 24-hour window, users could access the video more than once within the time frame, which gives these particular... [...]

Ben Lemmers says, “Sales and Marketing haven’t always had the best relationship. In fact, their relationship in many organizations can sometimes be described as that of two diverse organisms living together in a way that benefits only one. B2B companies’ inability to align sales and marketing teams around the right processes and technologies costs 10% or more revenue per year, according to IDC, so one of the largest opportunities to improve business performance can come from aligning these teams. Doing nso improves ROI, productivity, and growth. In fact, B2B organizations with... [...]

Jodi Harris says, “Video is a powerful storytelling medium: Not only can it serve as a prime proving ground for your business’ promotional campaigns, influential ideas, and experimental content efforts, video’s emotionally resonant combination of sound, motion, and visuals can also help you drive deeper, more satisfying relationships between your brand and its audience. Video’s value proposition Videos are among the most versatile tactics content marketers can leverage. For starters, they can be cooked up, loaded up, cut up, and served up in a wide variety of ways. They can: –... [...]

Matt Byrom says, “With 91 percent of businesses citing that they plan to increase or maintain their spending on video in 2016, it’s evidently clear that video marketing is not just a passing trend, but one of the very best ways to connect with your audience. Everywhere you look, people are sharing videos, or even making purchases after they’ve watched a video. But what happens when your video doesn’t get shared, or produce any sales? It could be that you’re making one of these classic video marketing mistakes. 1. Creating One-Size-Fits-All Video Content The key to... [...]