 I Love to read industry related articles. One I recently came across dealing with video since this is one of our main services we offer was a survey that Cisco did. They estimate that by 2021, 82% of all consumer internet traffic will stem from video content, which will be viewed at a rate of a million minutes per second. As the video market grows, how are businesses and brands going to use the data and the numbers video is going to create to gain any market share? Here are some tips I found useful in creating or producing marketing videos. #1 Using the right insights can lead to great video successes. Personal insights or personal content which fits your audience is tough. Use what you know will work with your followers and expand on that. Using data that you know what works and does not work will help keep your content fresh. #2 Digital audiences and Old Skool TV audiences are in fact different. It is so important that you make sure you create separate content strategies for the two, in addition to developing content unique to each platform. You don’t want to us the same content from TV directly for social, because what audiences want to watch on their phones isn’t the same as what they like on TV. They want shorter, 2-5-minute clips. Also, if you are using video for TV or desktop viewing note that formatting is totally different with aspect ratio. Smartphone apps such as Instagram have a totally different aspect ratio. So, besides the shorter video, know how to edit so your visual story will actually fit. #3 Times and technology have changed You really have to as well. Trying a new format or social platform might not be what you’re used to, but it could result in great strides in your digital video efforts. Your TV shows won’t look the same on platforms like Facebook and YouTube, for example, and that’s actually quite good, because it presents individual opportunities to grow those properties online vs. just in a linear setting. I know, I am older than you may think and I am a old analog guy from television. Going into digital was a ice cold shower for me when I started. #4 Take Negative Feedback As A Positive For Fixing What Does Not Work. Some types of audience feedback, even the negative kind, are more useful for measuring and improving your content than other forms of engagement. This goes for all platforms you may use and getting your followers to those platforms. #5 Your Goal Is To Get Your Audience and Followers To Share And Like No matter how well you think your content will do, your audience’s preferences will ultimately show you what they care about. Your goal is to determine how to identify content that is not only worthwhile but meets their tastes. If you can take what you learn to create content that’s both highly shareable and highly worthwhile, you’ll be nearer to the sweet spot of successful digital video. #6 Make Sure Your Branded Video Content is Real and Authentic Branded Content has been known for its ups and down. It works as long as it’s done in an authentic and truthful bonding way. Use branded content to create that engagement and interaction. It is OK to tug on your viewers emotions, make them ask questions, and smile. #7 Know Why Certain Video Content Worked Well And Capitalize! If you find a winner with your videos that is getting a lot of shares or likes, find out why by the data. Your followers have a reason why they enjoyed it. Focus on those videos and create similar content. -Roy TAGS: #video, #social media, #digital video, #brandiing, #marketing
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A recent report stated that only 9% of small businesses have created their own You Tube channel. As YouTube usage continues to soar, don't let your business be one of the ones that are left behind. It does not take all that long to get your channel up and running. And once it is up, fresh content is very key to get customers or clients to your channel to grow your business.
Today, I would like to take a moment to help you go through the steps to get your You Tube Channel up and running. As always, feel free to reach out to us if you have any problems. Having a fantastic content strategy on YouTube will help you build your brand’s identity, showcase your products, and connect with your audience in fresh and exciting ways. So with all that in mind, let's take a look at what you need to do. To create a YouTube account for your business, you’ll need to first create a personal Google+ profile as well as a Google+ page for your business. Once you have that taken care of, you’ll be ready to get your YouTube channel. 1. Login to the Google+ account associated with your business and head over to the YouTube Channel Switcher. 2. You should see your personal account as well as the option to create a new account for your Google+ business page. Click on your business page. 3. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm that you’d like to create a channel for your business. Click ‘OK’. 4. Another pop-up will appear notifying you that your YouTube channel and Google+ page will now be connected. Click ‘OK’ again. 5. Well now look at that. You’re now the proud owner of a YouTube business channel. Customizing Your YouTube Channel Now that you’ve set up a YouTube channel for your business, you now need to get it looking at the very least, functional with good graphics and easy to navigate. Here are a few easy things that you can do to give your channel a more professional look and make sure that your customers know how to find you online. Channel Icon By default, your Channel Icon will be linked to your Google+ profile photo. I know hardly anyone uses Google+ much anymore but that is the nature of the beast. Although your image only needs to show up as a 98 x 98 pixel icon, it’s recommended that your picture should be a JPG, BMP, PNG, or non-animated GIF and at least 800 x 800 pixels. Channel Art Adding channel art is a great way to show off your brand’s personality and create a more visually engaging YouTube profile. Your Channel Art should be under 4MB and at least 2048 x 1152 pixels (although YouTube recommends going with 2560 x 1440 pixels for best results on all devices). Details and Description To unlock all of the customization options for your channel, you’ll need to click the gear icon in the section beneath your Channel Art. A pop-up titled ‘Channel settings’ will then appear. Look for the ‘Customize the layout of your channel’ option and enable it. Click ‘Save’. You’ll now be given a wider range of options sorted into five tabs: Home, Videos, Playlists, Channels, and About. Click on the About tab to edit your business details. Under description, give a brief outline of your business,your products, and services. Be sure to also include your contact email as well. For your social media links, include all of your business’ social media profiles (you can get your links to appear over your Channel Art by adjusting the drop down menu). On the right hand side, you’ll find a section titled ‘Featured Channels’ where you can feature other YouTube channels that are owned by your brand or managed by your employees. While this section may not be useful to you yet, once you expand your YouTube presence it will definitely come in handy. Using Great Content Now that the basics of setting up your channel is done, you need videos right? Your videos should be an integral part of every business’ content marketing strategy - it’s a fantastic way to provide your customers with high-quality, informative, and entertaining content that keeps them coming back again and again. So, with that in mind, let’s explore how you can use video to build an audience for your brand. Here are some of the different types of content your business could be using. Educational Content More and more, people are turning to YouTube to learn new things. In fact, searches for “how-to” videos are growing by 70% year over year which means that there is an expanding opportunity for businesses to capture new audiences by providing educational content around their products. Videos that teach new skills are great for building trust with your audience. If you build trust, you build potential customers. Educational content doesn’t have to be limited to teaching people how to fix your products either. You can also create video tutorials that show customers how they could be using your products to solve everyday problems. Brand Storytelling When it comes to creating compelling video content, few things are more effective than great storytelling. Inspiring videos that fit into your business’ identity are perfect for communicating your brand’s image and ideals to a wider audience. These types of inspirational videos should be geared towards building a lifestyle around your brand and showing customers that when they purchase your products, they aren’t just buying a thing - they’re buying an experience. Marketing your brand (not you) is going to go a ling way in creating not only identity but followers as well. Entertainment Building a YouTube strategy around fun videos that cater to your audience’s interests is one of the best ways to capture viewers’ attention and focus it onto your products. While their sense of humor may not be for everyone, funny or entertaining videos are undoubtedly effective. Everyone likes a good laugh. Keep those videos short however. Today's tuber surfers don't spend a lot of time on any one video and you got to capture their attention in about the first 3 seconds. Optimizing Your Videos for Search Staying on top of your YouTube SEO is critical if you want to get your videos noticed. Every minute, 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube, so you need to be doing everything you can to stand out from the crowd. Every element of your videos - from the title to the description to keywords - can have a huge impact on how prominently they get featured in search results. Here is how you can improve your ranking on You Tube and get in front of viewers when they need to see you most. Keywords Before you start optimizing your videos, you should narrow down which keywords you’ll be focusing on. Think about which keywords someone might search to come across your video and run them through a keyword planning tool to make sure that they’re popular search terms. This can also be a solid source of inspiration for future videos - it’s a good idea to experiment with keywords and build future content around popular search terms in your industry. Engagement One of the most important things that YouTube takes into consideration when determining the quality of your video is its engagement. Encourage your viewers to leave a comment, subscribe, share, favorite, or hit the ‘Thumbs Up’ button after they’ve finished watching to increase your chance of showing up higher in search results. If you want to boost your engagement levels, try running a contest. Giveaways and contests are an excellent way to increase viewer participation and connect with your audience. When YouTube is determining your rank, it will also take your video’s view count into consideration. To increase your viewers quickly, make sure that you’re distributing your new videos through your email list and all of your business’ social media channels. Format The actual format of your video also plays a role in your overall search ranking. Although Youtube can’t watch your videos to determine their content, there are a few other things that it looks at to make an "educated" guess. • Filename: Be sure to include your target keywords in the name of the file that you’re uploading. Youtube will pay attention to it. • Length: YouTube considers longer videos to be of higher value, so try to make them as substantial as possible. • Title: The title of your video should be concise, descriptive, and feature your target keyword near the start. • Description: The longer the description, the better. Add as much content as you possibly can - include a detailed overview of everything in your video and any relevant resources that your viewers might need. Your keywords should also show up in your description. • Tags: You don’t have to overload the tags on your videos to get a better ranking, but do your best to include your target keywords and a handful of other associated terms. Tips and Tricks After covering everything above, you should be on your way to building an audience and maximizing your business’ potential on YouTube. However, if you’re feeling a little adventurous, I’ve put together some nifty YouTube hacks that you can use to increase your subscribers and generate more traffic for your website. Add a Watermark A watermark is perfect for driving new viewers back to your channel and encouraging them to subscribe. These customized images will be overlaid on every one of your uploads and link back to your channel, making it easy for new viewers to find more of your videos. To add a watermark to your videos, take a look at your channel page and click on ‘Video Manager’. This should take you to the Creator Studio where you’ll be able to access some more in-depth settings for your account. Once you get to the Creator Studio, click on ‘Channel’ in the sidebar. A drop down will appear under ‘Channel’. Click on ‘Branding’ and then ‘Add a Watermark’. You’ll now be able to upload an image that will show up in the corner of every one of your videos. Enable an Automatic Subscription Prompt It’s important to not only be driving people to your YouTube channel, but to also be encouraging them to subscribe while they’re there. Whenever you provide a link to your channel, add “?sub_confirmation=1” to the end of your channel’s URL and a pop-under will automatically appear on your channel prompting visitors to subscribe. Link Merchant Cards to Your Website As long as your account is verified, in good standing, and following YouTube’s community guidelines, you’ll be able to add Merchant Cards to your videos. If you have a e-commerce type of store, you can use Merchant Cards to link your viewers directly to your store to buy the items featured in your videos. If you want to add Merchant Cards to your videos, just head to your Video Manager and click on ‘Edit’ for the video that you’d like to add a card to. At the top of your screen, several tabs will appear. Click ‘Cards’ and then ‘Link Cards’ and then add in the information for your products. I hope the above tips will help you get into the world of video for your business using You Tube. Good luck! -Roy  Three quarters of all mobile traffic will be used for video in 2023, according to a recent report by telecommunications equipment company Ericsson. That’s up from just over half of all traffic today.
Not only will that be a bigger share but also a huge opportunity for your busiiness, as more people watch more video on their smartphones. Overall, worldwide mobile data traffic will increase to 110 exabytes per month in 2023, according to Ericsson, or the equivalent of 5.5 million years of streaming HD video. It’s eight times the 14 exabytes per month we used in 2017. What does this mean for consumers? Well, obviously, we’ll need a bigger data plan. Currently, smartphone owners around the globe use on average 2.9 gigabytes of data per month, making 2GB to 5GB data plans the most popular. But as average usage rises to 17GB by 2023, bigger or unlimited mobile data plans will be necessary. More mobile video traffic also means there will be an increased emphasis on mobile video for advertisers. Social media consumption on mobile is also rising, but not as fast as video. Therefore, social media will represent a smaller share of mobile traffic in 2023 — eight percent — than its current 12 percent of mobile traffic. Video is here to stay and it is growing at an alarming rate. Social Media and Video will always be mated in platforms however video will be the big brother as technology progresses. -Roy FDMC Digital Media LLC  Being that our firm works with digital video on an almost daily basis, we do a lot of reading and research on the platform. Digital Video is growing at a rapid pace and the platforms that deliver the media is ever changing as well. Recently we came across some interesting statistics we wanted to share. Consumers will dramatically increase their overall time spent watching digital video from the rest of this year to 2021. That is a given. A data based company called Activate recently evaluated extensive data on creators with over 10 million views on YouTube and found that 24% of these creators account for 71% of views. Over on Facebook, 26% of creators account for 77% of views. Both of these groups of top creators have over 50 million views on these social video platforms. Activate’s analysis of the data confirms that influencers and media companies make up 97% of YouTube views in this group of top video creators with more than 50 million views. And 98% of Facebook views come from influencers and media companies. Brands only make up 3% of the views on these platforms. Influencers are defined as personalities, celebrities or public figures with significant social presence. Media companies are defined as organizations whose primary business model is in production and/or distribution of content. This includes some professional influencer entities that have moved upstream.
How Brands Can Find the Right Content Partners to Work With The data shows that there is a greater ratio of influencers to media companies on YouTube (83% influencers to 17% media companies) and a roughly even ratio on Facebook (52% influencers to 48% media companies). So, if brands are looking for the right content partner to reach the right audience, and get more engagement for less spend, then they need to look in different categories on different platforms. Activate analyzed the top five YouTube influencers by subscribers in four categories: How-to & Style People & Blogs Comedy & Entertainmen and Gaming. They concluded: Top web video influencers range across content areas and platforms. Combined, these influencers have over 70 billion views on YouTube. And all of these influencers have a strong presence on a second platform, ranging from Instagram (13) or Twitch (5) to Facebook (2). Activate also analyzed data for the top U.S. media company creators on YouTube and found 49% are in the Entertainment category 22% are in Music & Dance and 9% are in News & Politics. Next, Activate analyzed for the top U.S. media company creators on Facebook and found 61% are in the Entertainment category and 10% are in News & Politics Web video platforms satisfy different content preferences along with media companies which will need to play to each platform’s strengths. Their analysis extends beyond YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch; it includes Instagram and Snapchat, too. The research summarizes that attracting theses these creators and to capture user attention, web video platforms are attempting to move into each others’ turfs.” So, watch initiatives like YouTube Red, YouTube Live, YouTube TV, Facebook Live, and Facebook Watch like a hawk. The video segmentation matrix is shifting almost in real time i.e. day to day. Social Video and the Shift to Live-streaming Activate also analyzed live streaming. The medium has exhibited rapid growth in views and time spent. It shows Twitch, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, as the leader in this category (with 743,000 average live streaming viewers), followed by YouTube Live (with 318,000), Facebook Live (with 61,000), and Periscope (with 23,000. Activate also predicts” Live-streaming creators will use crowdfunding platforms, such as Patreon, to monetize directly through fans. The data given to Activate was provided by Tublar Insight Labs. -Roy If your business uses videos in their marketing strategy (which you should if you do not) part of the key element of that video to tell a story. Every video, no matter what the message you are trying to convey needs a story behind it.
How To Break Through to Your Customers “storytelling” in the marketing world is talking at consumers. And, since the “Mad Men” era, brands have used advertising to broadcast their stories at a large audience of consumers. But, it’s stopped working. There are over 600 million devices running ad block software, and the message from consumers is clear: Stop interrupting me – I don’t want to see your ads. At the same time, consumers are constantly connected and literally have the power to make or break a brand at their fingertips. So how do you break through and engage with consumers?” This is a good question.… it is time to put consumers at the center of our efforts; it’s time to be great story-makers or story tellers. “story-making” is the combination of “art, science, and necessity” that was developed as a response to a “society where the pace of technology and information exchange only continues to speed up; and where consumers only allow brands a few mere moments to make or break a relationship.” Consumers Value Experiences Over Things A recent study by Mastercard and retail sales data supports that today, consumers value experiences over things. Mastercard’s Priceless campaign – now in its 20th year – was founded on the insight that experiences matter more than things, but the way it is executed today is much different. Mastercard has evolved its Priceless strategy from a single traditional advertising campaign to a holistic experiential-led marketing platform. What Mastercard has done to change the way they present their information is: 1. Focusing on consumers’ passions, 2. Building experiential platforms. 3. Creating products/technologies that change lives for the better. Mastercard: Storytelling and Sponsored Videos Sponsored videos are also part of Mastercard’s “holistic experiential-led marketing platform.” The brand has 76 partners that have made 798 videos, which have a total of 45.5 million views and over 1.3 million engagements. Now, that’s taking story-making to a level that traditional storytellers only reach once in a blue moon. It’s the difference between creating a priceless experience for your customers that they want to share with their friends, family, and colleagues and merely telling a story – even one with emotion – about the features and benefits of your products or services. That’s a very big idea. Remember to use story-telling in your next marketing video. Engagement with your audience is so essential and you have very little time to capture their attention in this day and technical age. (portions of this article are from Tubular Insights weekly) -Roy  Snapchat had signed up more US users for its app than its rival Instagram has since the beginning of the year, but new data shows those figures are quickly disappearing.
Brands and video marketers who want to step up their live content game don’t need to look any farther than Facebook Live. The broadcasting platform, which was officially introduced in April 2016 to all Facebook users, has become a favorite destination for the site’s users when they’re looking for live content to entertain and inform them. However, the same type of content that works on YouTube Live, Instagram Live, or even Snapchat or Twitter won’t necessarily be what works best on Facebook Live. Depending on your particular brand, you’ll want to tailor a strategy specifically to the streaming platform to maximize your reach and marketing potential, and make the most out of your Facebook Live video content. Fortunately, there are at least eight types of content which perform well on Facebook Live. Consider these options when you’re looking for ways to launch or improve your live video strategy: AMAs/Q&As Ask Me Anything (AMA) and Question & Answer (Q&A) content is a shoe-in for Facebook Live, as many brands boast audiences which use Facebook on a daily basis. AMAs and Q&As are a direct way to communicate with your fans, but make sure they don’t become stagnant. Set a new theme or topic for each session you conduct, or bring on a collaborator or person of interest to answer your fans’ most burning questions. Behind-the-Scenes Nine times out of ten, consumers only see the forward-facing side of your brand, the side that markets to them and wants to impress them enough to purchase your products or services. But if you use Facebook Live to take them behind-the-scenes, you’ll find brand loyalty and interest will grow. You can do this by showing them preparations for a red carpet event, revealing the process of how their favorite product is made, or by letting them follow along with a particular employee’s daily duties. Breaking News Live streaming is digital media’s answer to traditional live television. As such, it’s only natural for many consumers and social media users to default to platforms like Facebook Live for their news, instead of turning on the TV set. In fact, Pew Research discovered 66% of adults regularly use Facebook to get their news. Use this to your advantage, especially if news is a big part of what your brand covers. Do your best to start broadcasting as soon as a story hits, and talk about the facts as well as your brand’s thoughts or reactions to the news. Challenges Everyone loves a good challenge! If your brand has an idea for a competition or challenge which can be broadcast live, don’t hesitate to do so on Facebook. You’ll attract your fair share of viewers, but you’ll also reap the benefits of views on the archived live stream, too. Encourage your audience to share in the challenge at home (if they’re safely able to) and report on their experiences in real-time using the chat feature. Demos/How-Tos While how-tos might be one of YouTube’s most-searched video types, they’ve become incredibly popular on Facebook Live, as well. You can use the live streaming platform to not only demonstrate how your own product or services work, but also to show how to perform tasks related to your industry. Doing so builds your reputation as a helpful, trustful brand. Events or Appearances The biggest problem with events and appearances used to be their localized nature. But now brands can use Facebook Live to stream such events to viewers around the world. Bringing a big event or celebrity appearance to your Facebook page means you’re reaching consumers who might otherwise not be able to attend the event in person. Interviews Interviews are an easy win for brands who want to connect with their fans, and Facebook Live is the perfect platform to stream them. You can keep things internal and interview executives and employees within your brand, or bring in persons of interest, celebrities, or influencers whom you know your audience will tune in to watch. Product & Service Announcements Much in the way live streaming events and appearances allows viewers to tune in regardless of their location in the world, product and service announcements can also be made via Facebook Live to immediately inform consumers of your newest offering. You’ll get to see fans’ reactions in real time, and answer any of their questions within chat to help them better understand the new product or service. Try using these tips on your next Facebook Live broadcast. And remember, you can use Facebook Live both from your mobile app and your desktop. -Roy Garton FDMC Social and Digital Media LLC www.floridadudemarketingconcept.com Did you know that one third of on line activity is watching videos? Really, it is.
We have known for a while now that video is only increasing in popularity, but I don't think people truly realize the huge influences of video content. Here's some perspective: did you know that 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week? In addition, over half of video content is viewed on a mobile device. What's interesting, though, are what those stats mean contextually. Think about the turnaround of social content these days. By the time you've come up with a good idea, created it, and then posted it to your Facebook page or YouTube channel, people are onto the next thing. Sad but that is the world we now live in. No attention span because people are just too busy and trying to absorb all this “stuff” in their heads. When people (brands especially) think about video, they think about it as a long-form, high value piece of content. And the truth is, video is a high value piece of content. It just shouldn't be thought of as an asset that requires thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and months of work to create. Video is no longer a "professionals-only" content piece. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat (and its long-lost cousin, Vine) have made the barrier to entry for video extraordinarily low. SMB’s still need us video production professionals but yes, those apps do a pretty good job. Which means, if you want to get into the video content game--and you should--then what's equally as important as coming up with good video ideas is your process for getting from start to finish as quickly as possible. In the world of social media, speed is as important (if not more important) than the idea itself. Honestly, the same could be said for the blogging world--and really all social content, period. It's a game of attention with a very short lifespan. It's just that video has been such a "luxury" type of content for so long that the vast majority of brands still consider it out of reach. They think, "Well, we don't have the equipment or we don't have the budget to make something professional," so they don't even try taking a step in that direction. Meanwhile, Instagram personalities are vlogging their daily lives on video in their Stories and not only attracting the most attention, but reducing the barrier of entry. Video doesn't need to be a big production anymore. But it's also about business goals. The vision has never been about just creating one amazing video, assuming the world will stop, look at it, and clap their hands. Social doesn't work that way. You need to create video content, quickly and easily. It's the consistency that drives business. Try and figure out what drives your customers. What drives your brand and put those thoughts into your video. Here's another stat that proves the value of social video from a business perspective: videos on landing pages can increase conversions by 80% or more. The habit of consistency is what differentiates the "one-hit wonders" from the brands, businesses, and influencers that create content on a regular basis--and actually build audiences around their video content. Consistency. That's what your video strategy should be based around. Remember, don’t spend months on a video project and no, you don’t need thousands of dollars anymore to hire equipment and an advertising agency to get your video out. You can do it! And if you feel you can’t reach out to us. We are happy to help. Roy Garton FDMC Social and Digital Media LLC www.floridadudemarketingconepts.com  While live streaming has been around for a while now, only in the last year or so has this particular form of online video become immensely popular. In fact, according to livestream, 81% of internet and mobile audiences watched more live video in 2016 than they did in 2015. Additionally, research from MarketsandMarkets predicts the video streaming industry as a whole will be worth around $70 billion by 2021. It should come as no surprise, then, that YouTube has recently upped its game to cater to this burgeoning interest in live video. The platform’s live streaming feature, which last year expanded to mobile devices for select users, has grown rapidly in popularity.
If your business has yet to experiment with YouTube Live for your video marketing purposes, you’d find no better time than right now. However, before you dive in blindly, you should make sure you’re following some of the best practices for this platform. Doing so will not only help you get the most return on your efforts, but also ensure you’re properly capitalizing on everything YouTube Live has to offer your brand. For streams, you want to schedule in advance, instead select “Events,” which gives you the ability to preview your stream before it’s live, have backup redundant streams, and start and stop the broadcast at any time. Like impromptu streams, you will be able to fill in your title, add a description, and more. Scheduled streams can be up to 8 hours long, and their archived videos can also be set to private in your Video Manager. On mobile, the process for going live is a little different. Users will load up the YouTube app on their phones, select the capture button, and click “Go Live.” They can then enter a title, take a small thumbnail photo, and edit various privacy, age restriction, chat, and promotion-based settings before starting their broadcasts, which are saved to the creators’ channels when the stream ends. YouTube Live: 10 Tips and Best Practices! Now that we’ve covered what YouTube Live is and how it works, it’s time to delve into some tips and best practices for the platform. Note that some of these suggestions only apply to the desktop version of Live vs. the mobile one, and vice versa; you should also be aware that as Live develops and grows, any of these best practices could end up changing. So staying on top of the latest news around YouTube Live will, of course, ultimately help your brand find success on the platform. You’ll also want to test different live stream lengths and content types to see what most resonates with your audience. For example, in Tubular’s Q1 2017 State of Online Video report, gaming content ranked as the most successful type of live programming at 53%; technology (15%) and news and politics (12%) content is also popular with audiences. Depending on your brand’s industry and goals, see if you can’t incorporate these genres to help grow your viewership. To get the most out of your and your audience’s YouTube Live experience, follow these tips and best practices: #1 Aim for Quality This should go without saying, but you want to make sure your live streams are the highest quality (both visually and audibly) they can possibly be to provide your viewers with an enjoyable live experience. We’ll outline ways you can do this in more tips below; for now, keep quality at the top of your mind. Of course, a beautiful, problem-free live stream isn’t a guarantee, especially if you’re using the mobile YouTube Live option (thanks, wi-fi!), but that doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to ensure your broadcast is in the most tip-top shape it can be. #2 Promote Early If you’re not planning on doing an impromptu live stream, you can schedule one in advance via the “Events” option. This allows you to promote your YouTube Live stream far ahead of it actually going live. Using social media or your brand’s email newsletter, you can let your audience know when you’ll be broadcasting live. You can also create a live stream trailer to promote on your YouTube channel, in other YouTube videos, and across your social profiles. Finally, consider updating your channel art to promote the upcoming live stream. #3 Use the Right Equipment As part of your efforts to ensure your live stream is high quality, make sure you’re using equipment which can handle the broadcast. For example, you’ll need to have the following:
To use YouTube’s recommended settings for your live stream, check out this help article on which bitrates, resolutions, and encoder settings are best for your live stream. Note that broadcasts conducted through the “Stream now” option won’t require you to choose a bitrate as YouTube will automatically detect your encoder’s settings. Also, make sure to provide information like metadata, title, thumbnail, description, and even closed captions if you want your stream to be found. Some of this is required, and is in your best interest to provide, anyway. However, the most important requirement to follow is clearing the rights to any third-party content (i.e. music, graphics, images, etc.) you might be using in your live stream. #5 Plan Ahead and TEST For pre-planned live stream events, it’s important to plan and test out all of your equipment to ensure streaming works the way you want it to. Some experts suggest testing at least two weeks in advance if you have the time; at minimum, you should test 24 hours before your live stream to ensure bandwidth quality, technical functionality, and redundancy. Test all video and audio settings and tools you plan to use in-stream for at least 30 minutes straight, and turn off any firewalls your computer may be running to ensure the best connection to the internet as possible. Also, make sure you pick the right kind of streaming before you go live. As noted above, using the “Stream now” option gives you up to 12 hours of continual broadcasting, but the “Event” option is only 8 hours. Therefore, if you’re planning a live stream longer than 8 hours, you’ll need to use the “Stream now” option or your content won’t be saved past those 8 hours. Finally, keep in mind the YouTube Video Editor only allows editing of videos 3 hours or less, so if you want to be able to edit your livestream post hoc, you’ll need to keep it under that time frame. As for mobile live streams, you should make sure you’re on the strongest internet connection possible before going live. To further prevent interruptions, try setting your phone to airplane mode, which should block incoming calls and texts that would interrupt your stream and draw your attention away from your live event. #6 Include In-Stream Content While you obviously have a reason to be doing a live stream in the first place, you want to make sure the broadcast is as engaging for your audience as possible, as well as growing your brand’s presence on YouTube. The easiest way to do this is by including in-stream content during your live event. For example, include both visual and verbal calls-to-action if you want to draw your viewers’ attention to a particular link or action, like asking them to subscribe to your channel. Just remember that if you use third-party content, you must have the rights to show or play it in your stream. #7 Start Ahead of Time Starting your live stream a few minutes early will enable you to check the integrity of the live stream and your equipment before getting started. You’ll also be able to send out final promotional social posts or emails to help generate more interest in your broadcast. If you enabled chat, starting early also allows users to jump into the chat screen and talk with each other before you officially dive into the content portion of your stream. #8 Monitor Feedback During the live event, make sure you’re paying attention to the chat box. Sometimes you may receive feedback to help you improve your stream, like a viewer telling you to move your microphone closer to your mouth so they can hear you better. If you’re not able to keep up with chat yourself, make sure other team members from your brand are available to help monitor and respond to users’ comments. #9 Always Have a Plan B If you’re unable to have two encoders for redundancy’s sake, and something with your live stream fails, you’ll need to have a plan B. In the case of a desktop-based live stream, you might have your laptop next to your desk computer to use as a backup, or you could opt for YouTube Live on mobile. If you’re live streaming via the mobile version, you may not be near a computer should your broadcast fail; however, you can do your best to move to a position with better wi-fi or make sure you have a mobile wi-fi device to keep your stream rolling. #10 Capitalize on the Finished Stream Hitting the “stop streaming” button doesn’t mean you’re done with your work. If you want to make the most of the broadcast you just conducted, consider adding it into a playlist of related content, or starting a new playlist solely for your live streamed content. You can also edit your stream and turn it into smaller highlight videos for distribution on your channel, or embedding on outside sites. Finally, make sure to promote your live stream archive and related clips via social media, your newsletter, or your website. Always keep in mind that while "Live Streaming On You Tube is great, doing pre-recorded events for your brand is still the real way to go. Live events is obviously exciting and allows for you to create urgency, interaction and other call to action but also mistakes can happen. I hope this helps and as always email me or hit me up on how FDMC can help you! Roy Garton FDMC Social and Digital Media LLC www.floridadudemarketingconcepts.com Video Marketing has become increasingly important for small businessesof all sizes. And YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for posting and sharing those videos.
If you have a YouTube channel for your small business, or are thinking of starting one, here are 20 ideas for type of content you can post. Hope you enjoy them! Video Ideas for YouTube Product Spotlights If your business is a product-based one, you can use YouTube as a platform for highlighting specific products such as widgets, bar glasses, Tiki patio furniture.. Product Announcements Then when your business comes out with new products, you can create videos that offer a preview of all the new features. Product-in-Action Videos Video can be a great way to show your products in action. This is especially relevant for products like video games. PlayStation often posts game play videos for the games available on its device. Locally you can do the same with your proucts. Product Explanations If your product is something that might require a bit of an explanation, you might also consider creating videos aimed at simply explaining it to beginners. This can help them get acquainted enough with your offering to gain interest. Product Comparisons You can also create videos that compare multiple products to help your customers make more informed choices. An example would be if you sell air conditioners, you might show the difference of various sizes of the conditioners as to how many rooms it would cool. This would help your customers out! Collection Videos If your business releases collections of products, like lines of clothing or similar items, you can also create videos around those releases, Say you offer a new line of home made soap here is your chance to make it a premier star out of it. Mini Movies Your YouTube content can certainly be intended to inform or persuade. But don’t forget to entertain your audience as well. Lego does this with mini movies that feature some of its popular product sets. You can do it for your business as well. Having good editing software here is something I would suggest highly. Special Offers You can also share information about special offers or limited time promotions so that your YouTube viewers are constantly up-to-date with your offerings. Customer Stories To create more engagement with your customers and share content that’s relevant to your audience, you can create videos that share some of your customers’ stories through interviews or similar formats. I did this for a local insurance company and it worked out well. Behind the Scenes Videos You can also create videos that show some behind the scenes views of your company or products. Doing a "Meet The Staff" video or "A day In The.." with one of your route drivers is another example. Company Milestones When your company reaches a big milestone, or has a big accomplishment, you can create a YouTube video to celebrate and share the news! How-to Videos People often watch videos to learn how to accomplish certain tasks. So you can make these helpful videos in a way that includes some of your products or services. Tips Videos You can also create videos that offer simple tips on a particular subject. If you are a real estate person (and boy do we have real estate people all of a sudden here) you could do a video on tips on preparing your home for sale or showing. Tips such as painting or yard work. You get it. Discussion Videos Similar to how you might discuss various topics on a blog, you can create a video where you simply share your expertise or some thoughts on a particular topic. Let's say you own a gym and you do a series of videos on fitness or running. This would be a great example of discussion videos. Contests Video can also be a great format for showing off content from your audience, especially if you can collect clips from people as part of a contest. GoPro is one example of a company that has done this well but make sure you follow all laws before doing this. Inspirational Videos Even if a video doesn’t directly relate to your products, it can still offer value to your target audience. Inspirational videos can sort of break up all those videos that specifically relate to your products or services. Assist a non-profit for example and shoot some video be kind and don't make a big commercial about yourself out of it. Regular Series If you create enough video content regularly, you can turn it into a web series. Red Bull does this with some of the behind the scenes content it shoots with various extreme sports stars as an example. Influencer Videos You can also partner with influencers relevant to your audience and ask them to star in your videos as a way of creating quality content and growing your audience. Examples would be factory reps or distributor reps that you buy your products from for re-sale. Holiday Greetings On or around holidays, you can also make special videos intended to show some festive spirit and have some fun, We had a blast making a bunch of these for some of our customers last year. Yes, you can get them done professionally if you wish. Funny Videos You can also simply have some fun with your audience by posting funny commercials or other video content on your YouTube channel. Brevard County Sheriff's Office has been getting thousands of hits and national publicity doing these while bringing up awareness on crime protection and safety. I hope you enjoy these tips and if our company can be of any assistance to you in getting you started, please call or email us. We are YouTube certified partners and we can help you with that next video project as well. Roy Garton FDMC Social & Digital Media LLC www.floridadudemarketingconcepts.com |
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