Tag: Video Marketing

#TechIsTheNewAwesome – Utilizing Live Video for Online Marketing

If you’ve been watching the trends in digital marketing, then you won’t be surprised to hear that video currently makes up 74%  of all web traffic. Just look at your own social media feeds and you’ll see lots of videos as you scroll through. And if you look closely, you’ll notice that they’re not just ads. There are videos of news stories, self-help information, humor and a variety of other content.
There’s a good reason for all that video: it works! It’s engaging, has been proven to make the message easier to remember, and those who see it tend to stick with the content longer. Forbes reports that by 2019 video will claim more than 80% of all web traffic. Video traffic is high across all platforms – video views on phones and tablets now account for about half of all traffic. As video has become more popular, more platforms are making it available to their users.

Facebook Live, Twitter’s Periscope, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat all provide easy ways to share video. And you don’t have to spend a fortune to produce it. Smartphones have made it easy for anyone to produce high quality live streaming experiences for their social media feeds.
If you haven’t been using video as part of your marketing strategy yet, you might be wondering how to make it work for your company. Let’s say your tech support or customer service lines have a question that is frequently asked. A live how-to session that explains the problem can give your customers the chance to learn more about the product and interact with your experts. Other ways to engage your audience include live streaming events that you sponsor, a “behind the scenes” look at your business, and inspirational testimonies by customers.
Of course, nothing is quite as simple as it sounds. If you grab the camera and just start broadcasting  without a plan, chances are you won’t get the results you’re looking for. You need to treat video like your other marketing initiatives: you need to choose the right platform for your business, craft the message you want to convey, learn about the tools and determine how you will measure success.
Take a look at how others in your industry are using video. If video isn’t widely used in your industry yet, check out leaders in other industries. Buzzfeed is considered one of the best at streaming, and brands like Starbucks and Mashable incorporate live video as part of their marketing strategy.

With a little homework and lots of practice, you can successfully weave live streaming video into your overall marketing strategy. Once you hit on the right formula for your business you’ll find that your customers are more engaged, your message is hitting the right points, and you may even have some fun.

Live video is one my passions. If you have an event coming up and would like to get some live coverage for your social platforms, give us a shout at The Social Media Advisor! Let’s show the world how AWESOME you are.
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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.



#AwesomeStorytelling – Share Your Passion With Videos

One of the most effective ways to get your audience on board with your passion is by making great storytelling videos. With social media giants like Facebook and Instagram pushing video content, now’s the time to connect visually with your viewers.


How do you do that?

With awesome storytelling, of course!

An infomercial will turn off your readers, but a compelling story will keep them hooked. Stories are great ways to teach, engage with, and create emotional responses in your audience.

You don’t have to sit in front of the camera and talk for ten minutes. As a matter of fact, that can actually be detrimental to your video’s success. Instead, incorporate other visuals that help tell your story. You can use regular things like slides, but also consider recording additional footage that enforces your story. This is called B-Roll, and it’s wonderful. If your passion is horses and horse rescue, showing B-Roll footage of horses running at dawn, or the recovery efforts of a recent rescue can lend power to your voice.

Here is a fantastic video by filmographer Peter McKinnon on how to incorporate B-Roll in your video. Some key takeaways are to use your B-Roll to help tell your story, think about how your world is a part of your passion, and use it to make your story more powerful.

If you’re camera shy, you can develop videos that incorporate B-Roll, slides, and more with a voiceover by you.

You can also take advantage of platforms and the way they push videos. Instagram Stories, for instance is a great way to show your daily passion through video. Jesse Driftwood is an excellent Instagram Stories user, and he gives some incredible tips on how to take your storytelling to the next level. Keep in mind that Instagram Stories are temporary, but you can create the video with whatever software you choose and then upload it, so your Stories stay with you. You can release them on other platforms, as well, but the daily connection with your passion can be told through daily footage, excitement for your day, and, as Jesse says, by making everyday things in your life a “character”.

Whatever way you decide to tell your story, make sure you keep these key point in mind:
  1. A story has a beginning, middle, and end. Whether it’s ten minutes on YouTube or fifteen seconds on Instagram Stories, you need to follow this logic. A cliffhanger now and then is okay, but do it too often, and your audience will become exasperated.
  2. Music is necessary. Make sure you adjust the volume levels appropriately, and that the music fits the story you tell.
  3. Shoot video footage with as much stabilization as possible. There is nothing more jarring than shaky cameras. There are some amazing phone and camera mounts out there. If you create “selfie” types of videos, make sure you have three points of contact with the stick and you’ll see a huge difference in the shakiness factor. You can also try a stabilization system like steadicam or any other type of gimbal device. Basically, it uses counterweights to keep your video steady so you can walk, talk, and without the jarring stepping motions.
  4. Put your best foot forward. In video, appearances are just as important as content. So make sure you’re camera ready before you begin.

That’s it for video storytelling! What kind of video did you want to make? Are there any areas you’d like me to expand on?

Remember that telling your passion in the form of storytelling is just one way to be awesome in storytelling.




Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!
Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

#2017Trends – Video on a Budget (How Live Video Will Make You an Influencer in Your Industry)

The hottest trend for influencers in 2017 will be video marketing. Live video options hit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter last summer, and the trend is still going strong. With 1.442 billion monthly mobile users on Facebook and the 600k skyrocket of Instagram active Instagram users since the introduction of ‘Instagram Stories’, live video can’t be ignored.

But how do you create live video that doesn’t suck the life out of your viewers? You want to be an influencer in your industry, and that means your live video can’t be amateur hour. It also can be done without breaking the bank budget-wise.

Here are some key ways to create video on a budget and become an influencer in your industry:

1.      Know the limits of your camera. Your smartphone or streaming device needs to be clear and focused on you or the event you’re tracking. Shaky phones, hands, and scenery can jerk the viewer out of their comfort zone. Stabilize your phone using a tripod, if possible.

2.     Prepare, prepare, prepare. You are giving a speech or presentation to the world. Should you do it off-the-cuff? Unless you are a king or queen of improv, the answer is no. Practice before the live event, know what you want to say and how you’ll say it. Practice in front of your recording device multiple times so you can see how you do. Are you staring at the camera? Looking off screen? Constantly twitching? Awkwardly looking around? Do you tap your pencil as you talk? These things are important. If you look nervous and uncomfortable, it’s hard for viewers to be confident and you lose that influence you’re trying to gain.

3.      Record your live event! You can record your live event using independent apps such as Replay Video Capture. Keep in mind that the only way to record it is through another phone, desktop, laptop, or tablet. Recording while streaming on your phone is almost impossible since you have to stream from the Facebook mobile app (sorry, no browser options yet). You can offer up a reply to subscribers of your page or newsletter, save it for future use, and release it on your video social networking site (such as YouTube).

4.      Have a goal before you start your live event. You need to know what you want to gain from your audience before you begin. There should either be a call-to-action, informational, or an instructional component that will benefit your viewer. A great example of an instructional video is one where you assemble or use a product from your company (or another company, if you’re reviewing a product). Informational could be reporting live from a convention or other event. A call-to-action could be to sign up for your newsletter, webinar, buy a product, try a product, or more.

5.      You can have pre-recorded content in your video. Ensure that over 90% of it is live or else you will lose the confidence of your viewers. Use a free app like Adobe Spark Video to create your video intro and outro, or, if you are reporting on an incident or event, use Adobe Spark Video to compile those clips to be aesthetically pleasing for the viewer.

The sky is the limit when it comes to influencer marketing and live video. Be prepared for the best and worst. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll be.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!
Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

The Scoop on Periscope!

Social Seven – Social Media Podcast
With Erin Cell of Socially Powered and Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor


The Scoop on Periscope!

Incorporating images and video into your online marketing is essential! But, have you thought about building relationships using stream? Periscope is a fun tool to do so! Periscope is a live streaming tool that can be used for online marketing and relationship building.

Periscope was announced at Social Media Marketing World 2015 and is a hot new tool. Everybody at the Friday sessions were #scoping. All the morning sessions were scoped as well. People were stopping and scoping others in the hallways. There were lots of conversations on Periscope versus Meerkat. Periscope is Twitter’s version of this type of tool. It is a live-streaming video app. It can be accessed through an app on your phone or through an Internet browser.

Periscope has great interaction. People can ask you questions during the scope and anyone can join without needing a specific link.  They can send comment instantly. Also, viewers can tap the screen to send hearts to the people on the video as a way to approve or appreciation what is being filmed.

The most important thing about video is being able to meet people. You get to interact with someone, hear how they speak, see how they talk with their hands. It’s all that relatable Like, Know, Trust stuff. That is the way of marketing right now with the images and video components that people are using. If you aren’t incorporating these into your marketing, you have a flat brand. Video is one of the absolute most important tasks you should be doing. 

Periscope is not only a flat video that you are watching. You can also interact with it. You get to have an engaging experience with a brand or an individual.

How are you using Periscope to build your brand and spread your message? Follow us on social media to find out when our Social Seven podcast is streaming live!

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