 Video is the best performing content type on social media - it outperforms all other post types on social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. No doubt you've heard and read this over and over again, but if you're not utilizing video, you should be considering it, as it can have a significant impact on your overall digital marketing performance. Of course, not everyone has the capacity to create standout video content, but it should still be a consideration. All the usage stats and trends point to this. But within the broader video trend, there are now also emerging patterns of behavior worth noting which can elevate your video efforts even further. For example, the popularity of the stories format has led to change in the creation and distribution of vertical video - which, in itself, is a relevant trend. The hype around live-streaming has lessened, but it still generates high levels of engagement. These, and more, may be key shifts of note for your video strategy. To shed some light on this, A study I found from the folks at SocialInsider recently did a deep dive research of more than 9 million video posts on Facebook, from a total of 92 thousand Facebook business Pages. Based on this massive scope, they had put together a comprehensive update on key Facebook video trends. Here are some of the highlights from the study they conducted. It should be noted that while vertical video for whatever reason is still considered the go-to format for social platforms like Facebook or it’s counter-parts, Instagram and IGTV, are starting to conceded that there are those out there who still love to shoot in landscape and that landscape allows for better framing and content. The concessions are showing by the fact that IGTV has put the landscape option in its recent app update. Still vertical is the #1 preferred format. 1. Stories and the emergence of vertical video As noted, the rise of Stories has changed video consumption - but just how big an influence it's had may surprise you. According to the report, vertical video is now the most used video format on Facebook, which could make it a more significant consideration for marketers, based on shifting consumer habits and expectations. Vertical videos are generating more engagement on Facebook - and engagement is key to maximizing your Facebook performance, with the News Feed algorithm rewarding posts that garner more comments, likes and shares with increased organic reach. If you've not considered vertical videos in your content planning, it may be worth giving them another look, and incorporating Stories-type updates into your approach. 2. Vertical video engagement - by vertical Another element of the report shows which industry segments are maximizing their use of vertical video. Its little surprise that highly visual sectors like fashion and travel top the list, but it's also interesting to note the relatively low usage in the 'Recreation and Sports' sector, which, you would think, would have a highly visual product that would lend itself to vertical presentation. 3. Video length is less relevant The bottom line I found is this. While video length remains an important consideration, it's far less about how long your video is, and far more about the relevance and quality of your content. The study showed significant variance in engagement on super short videos (less than a minute in length) as opposed to those longer than a minute in duration. But other than that, the response rates are very similar. It showed a variance of less than 0.1 in overall engagement activity. Again, ideal video length should be determined by the content, not necessarily an overarching target. If you need to create a video that's three minutes long to share your message, then you should, while a minute-long video may cater to your audience needs just as well in some cases. The other consideration to keep in mind here is Facebook's recent algorithm change which will reward videos that keep people engaged - "especially on videos that are at least three minutes long". If you're looking to publish regular, episodic videos, in order to build a video following, then this is another aspect to factor in, but we don't have any data on the actual reach impacts of this change as yet. This consideration is also different in regards to video ads, as it's more of a challenge to grab people's attention with an interruptive message, but in terms of the videos you share with your Page fans, it's best to create videos as long as you need, then measure the responses of your specific fans to each. 4. Live-streams show higher levels of engagement The last point from the study is the report is that live-streaming still sparks more audience engagement - even if, as noted earlier, some of the early streaming hype has died down. That makes sense, people can respond and interact in real time on live-streams, but it is a point that should be highlighted, especially given the potential reach benefits of increased post engagement. If you're looking to reignite your Facebook strategy, and boost brand awareness on the platform, live-streaming should be a consideration. Not everyone is comfortable going live, not everyone feels like they have something to share, or feels confident having a conversation through a camera. But it is worth keeping in mind in your planning. If you're looking to maximize your video efforts, or considering adding video into your content mix, it’s definitely worth taking note of these trends, and factoring them into your thinking. I myself being in the business am not completely sold on vertical format for everything video, but I can see where it has it's purpose. I tend to mix it up but prefer landscape for many of my projects. Just saying... -Roy Taqs: #socialmedia, #video, #digitalvideo, #verticalvideoshooting, #facebook, #instagram, #igtv
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Mobile video consumption is steadily eclipsing TV and desktop screen share into 2019 – and video ad dollars are following suit. Video ads on mobile devices are already expected to exceed $29 billion globally this year. But a new report from PubMatic, a global ad publishing platform, has found that nearly 50% of video ads were viewed on a mobile device – up from 40% in 2018. If growth continues at this rate, mobile devices are slated to become the preferred platform for video ad placements by the end of the year. Mobile and video: The perfect marriage While the leap in video ad spend isn’t a result of mobile alone, mobile devices continue to devour ad dollars and attract impressions – so it’s not a surprise that video mirrors the growing trend. Mobile spend flowing through PubMatic’s platform in the first quarter 2019 increased 29% from 2018. Likewise, mobile impression volume saw a steep increase, growing 35% from the year prior. Why you as a business should care! The surge in video ad spend – particularly across mobile – highlights the impact of more efficient technology and rapid data speeds. With faster connections and 5G technology looming on the horizon, users, advertisers and media publishers are increasingly leaning on mobile to usher in powerful, interactive content in the form of video. Nonetheless, advertisers should recognize that mobile video formats aren’t the universal solution for all brands, despite the uptick in consumer trends. For brands looking to lift sales or build awareness, advertisers need to identify audience behaviors and deliver campaigns in line with consumer engagement. Summary Whether you are a small business with limited media resources or a large one, mobility is where all advertising is slowly but steadily heading toward. If you have not done so already, start gearing your advertising budget and resources toward this platform. Some reconfiguration will be necessary simply because the end result technically is different. (examples, time, format, use of subtitles, ect) We are a society on the go so should your video ad spend! -Roy Tags: #mobility, #video, #advertisiing, #videoadvertising
 Facebook recently stated that it's tweaking its News Feed algorithm to reward creators who publish video content that sees longer average watch times, and generates more repeat views. At the same time, Pages posting unoriginal or repurposed video content are going to be penalized through limited access to visibility and monetization. Facebook is taking a nod from how YouTube works with its monetization partners. But for small business using the platform to promote their business, monetizing is not their main focus. Keeping their brand and their marketing strategy intact is. If you do not have or use a dedicated video team, this could turn out to mean more work for you to get anyone to watch your content. Essentially, Facebook will now reward Pages which build loyalty, get views, and post original content. So as a small business owner that may post videos randomly and do not have access to an agency to keep slapping up content, what does that mean for you? Loyalty Simply put, Facebook is focusing on video content which keeps viewers coming back for more. That means that, going forward, Facebook will prioritize videos that users seek out via Search, or by visiting a creator’s Page. This will apply to the News Feed, Facebook Watch, and Facebook’s “More Videos” recommendations. So, how can businesses ensure their audience remains engaged over time, and coming back for more? Here are a few ways to do just that:
The new update also rewards content that gets users to keep watching for at least one minute. Specifically, Facebook says that it will, “add more weight in ranking to videos that keep people engaged, especially on videos that are at least three minutes long.” Here are a few things to keep in mind when curating longer video content on Facebook:
Facebook recommends sharing content that “you wrote, shot, edited and published yourself, or with the support of a production partner.” (Sounds a lot like YouTube) Original content that compels users to tag their friends, or share your videos, and encourages meaningful conversation, will be ranked highly. Here are some easy ways to make sure your content is authentic, and gets optimum visibility:
-Roy Tags: #video, #smallbusiness, #facebook, #socialmedia
Keeping The Content Fresh and Correct.          Holding On To Your Customer Base!5/13/2019  As marketers, we all tend to think that our content is always great. We provide value in a fun, memorable way, speaking to our audience in a manner that they enjoy. While it would be great if that were true, the sad reality is that if we aren’t careful, our content can do more harm than good. And since both paid and organic success on social media hinges on a high-quality content strategy, it's important for brands to understand what their audience does and doesn’t want to see. Want to keep your social media audience happy and engaged? Avoid these common mistakes. A recent study I found conducted by Adobe includes the following items that seem to upset consumers.
Visual content rules the roost on social media, and it's crucially important to ensure that all of your content is visually appealing, where possible. If creative design isn’t your forte, lean on a team member to help you out, or consider starting with a template from a platform like Canva. Which is free to use. At the end of the day, you're creating content with a view to convert social media consumers into customers, and your efforts simply won’t be as effective if your material is unattractive. Be clear, concise and accurate with your language. Have another team member review your content for quality just to be safe. Perfection is not a feasible goal, but keep in mind consumers want easy to understand and digest content. Personalization is an amazing thing - however too much of it is just plain creepy. The key to not turning off consumers is being relevant to their situation, but not so exact that it freaks them out. Facebook has had a lot of bad press about data sharing, so you wouldn’t want your marketing message to get overshadowed by someone feeling like you are spying on them. As a counterbalance to point three, consumers do actually prefer content that relates to their specific question or personal situation. It's important to create content with an audience in mind, so that everything you publish will appeal to them in some way. The relevance and relatability of your content will position your brand as a resource for consumers -Roy Tags: #contentmarketing, #contentwriting, #content, #socialmedia, #marketing
 Whether or not to put service rates on your website is a decision each service provider has to make. Should you leave the prices off or should you list the rates for prospects to see? There are pros and cons to both scenarios. We offer services obviously with our company and we choose not to post our rates because each production, web design, or other offerings we have varies from client to client. That does not mean however that posting your rates may in fact benefit your business. The benefits of putting rates on your website: Sets the expectation of your price: Putting your rates on your website helps you weed out people who can’t afford you. It will help you avoid wasting time on sales calls with people who aren’t your ideal client. Sets the expectation of what’s included: You can make it very clear what service comes with each rate if you create packages. The prospect can make decisions on what service will be best for their budget before even talking to you. Taking this approach saves you and the prospect’s time. Gives you the ability to sell passively: Have you ever been in a situation where you were interested in a service but the website says to call for details? This adds an extra step to the rate shopping process. A customer may sign up for the service without talking to you if the price is right. The benefits of not putting rates on your website: Gives you room for negotiation: The prices for your service may change depending on who you’re working with. You may charge a corporation a different price for a service than you would charge a mom and pop store. This gives you space to get details about a prospect before you name a price. Let’s you customize: Not putting rates for each service on your site gives you a chance to customize packages. On a sales call, you can get an understanding of what the prospective needs so you can sell a service package that’s tailored to them. Leaving prices off of your site gives you quite a bit more flexibility in this regard. Helps you express the value of high-ticket services: Prospects may scoff at very high-ticket service offerings when the price is listed on the website. There’s no context behind the price. For these services, a sales call may be necessary to learn their needs and explain how the value and your experience backs up the price point. Keeps your competitors Guessing: Sadly, but a part of doing business, you all know as well as I do that if you don’t put your prices out there, most of the time, your competition does not know what you are charging for your services. Everyone crawls each competitors’ websites or social platforms just to see what they are up to. If you are not doing this, you need to. How else are you going to better your business or stay “in the game”? In Summary You can always do both pricing strategies to test which method performs better. Do a mix of both by listing a starting price on your website. This gives the prospect an idea of what you charge but also leaves some room for negotiation. If you set a starting point for your prices, stand firm in how much you’re charging. And remember that negotiating your prices down can cause the client to undervalue your work. Any freelance or service-based business provider will tell you that low paying clients can be high maintenance and not worth the trouble. -Roy Tags: #websites, #marketing, #advertising, #pricing
 It is crucial for small businesses to start creating and incorporating video as part of their content marketing strategy. It has been said that 80% of all internet traffic will be video by the beginning of 2020. Now I don’t know if it will be that high, but even at 50% or 60%, you are missing out on a lot of potential customers if you are not using video. Businesses ask us all the time, “What Can I do to create a good video and how do I do it?” You don’t have to make a huge video production out of it but if you want to, you can always hire us! Here are 10 good tips to help you come up with ideas for making a great business video for branding, marketing, or just good-will. 1. Prоduсt Reviews Sіmіlаr to customer testimonials, a product review іѕ оnе where a сuѕtоmеr reviews оnе of уоur ѕресіfіс рrоduсtѕ оr services; hеlріng роtеntіаl сuѕtоmеrѕ mаkе a dесіѕіоn. 2. Behind thе Scenes Tour Vіdеоѕ Gеt mоrе uр-сlоѕе and personal wіth уоur customers and prospects by unveiling your соmраnу аnd allowing thеm tо understand exactly whо уоu аrе. 3. How We Make it Vіdеоѕ You саn сrеаtе vіdеоѕ thаt show hоw уоu mаkе a specific product thаt уоu sell. This would be limited to specific tуреѕ оf businesses, оf соurѕе. 4. Photo Slіdе Shоw Videos If your соmраnу’ѕ products оr services саn be rерrеѕеntеd by іmаgеѕ, put tоgеthеr a montage in PowerPoint аnd turn it into a video marketing ѕlіdе ѕhоw. 5. Staff Intrоduсtіоn Videos Help consumers connect with your ѕtаff bеfоrе thеу even come in tо vіѕіt уоur establishment by іntrоduсіng them оn vіdео. 6. Induѕtrу Interview Vіdеоѕ Prоvіdе value tо уоur сuѕtоmеrѕ аnd рrоѕресtѕ bу interviewing vаrіоuѕ еxреrtѕ іn уоur company оr іnduѕtrу. Thеѕе аrе grеаt fоr dіѕсuѕѕіng іmроrtаnt topics іn the еуеѕ оf your tаrgеt audience. 7. Helpful Tірѕ Vіdеоѕ Helpful tірѕ vіdеоѕ аrе grеаt fоr ѕhоwіng оff уоur expertise, аѕ well аѕ buіldіng сrеdіbіlіtу and аuthоrіtу ѕtаtuѕ іn your industry. Create videos tо аnѕwеr some оf the common ԛuеѕtіоnѕ уоur customers have. 8. Vіdео Artісlеѕ Do уоu hаvе a whole lot оf blоg роѕtѕ or аrtісlеѕ that you’ve written? Brіng thеm bасk tо lіfе bу соnvеrtіng them іntо vіdеоѕ and share thеm асrоѕѕ the wеb. 9. Vlogging Videos A “vlog” is ѕhоrt fоr “vіdео blog.” In ѕhоrt, instead of роѕtіng written articles tо your blоg, уоu can сrеаtе a library оf video роѕtѕ оn ѕіmіlаr tорісѕ. 10. Tutоrіаl Videos Provide уоur audience with value-packed specific training rеlаtеd to your іnduѕtrу; if thеrе’ѕ a product or service thаt саn be bеttеr еxрlаіnеd with a tutоrіаl, create a step-by-step vіdео tо hеlр them out. I hope these tips help you get your digital media campaign going and off to a great start! -Roy Tags: #video, #videoproduction, #marketing, #advertising, #socialmedia, #branding
 I recently came across an article that hit home even for my business. And that is content creation. Content marketing can be a great way to position your brand as a thought leader and build a reputation for your product or service, but content must engage your target audience in order to be effective. More and more companies are finding that focusing on the needs of their audience is the basis of a strong content strategy. In fact, 90% of the top-performing B2B content marketers put their audience’s informational needs ahead of their company’s sales message, according to research from the Content Marketing Institute. However, knowing you need an audience-first approach is only half the battle. Content creation typically one of the biggest challenges business face when it comes to content marketing. Focus on educating rather than selling A smarter approach is to create a piece of content that uses your company’s expertise to inform readers about a topic that’s relevant to your industry -- regardless of whether or not they buy your product. Done well, this approach still generates leads and sales. Content that is more educational than promotional in nature is among the most important qualities of content reviewed during the purchasing decision making process, Be specific -- and honest Another important quality of content that decision-makers consider before a purchase is that it speaks to readers’ specific needs or pain points. One way to forge a connection with readers is by focusing on these pain points -- especially if they’re something your brand has also dealt with. An honest account of how a brand has worked to overcome issues that its target audience commonly deals with can build trust, and it’s a lot more compelling than content that reads like marketing copy. Let the function dictate the format Once you’ve found the perfect topic to engage your audience, you also need to consider which format best suits the people you're trying to reach and the information you’re presenting. Oftentimes, one topic can be presented in multiple ways. A blog post that summarizes a webinar is a quick read and more shareable than an hour long recording. The same information can be condensed even more into an attention-getting infographic that makes a complex topic more accessible. I hope some of these tips I found and shared will help your business next time you need to do do a content campaign piece. -roy Tags: #contentcreation, #contentwriting, #marketing, #branding
 LinkedIn's new reaction buttons LinkedIn sometimes takes awhile to move or catch up with it's rivals. In 2018, the social network for professionals finally got around to launching their version of Snapchat Stories while in February of this year it launched a live video platform. (in beta and by invitation only.) Now LinkedIn has added some more reactions alongside its “like” button, giving you more ways to express how you feel about posts that turn up in your feed. The new buttons include symbols for celebrate, love, insightful, and curious. LinkedIn displayed all this news on a Tweet last week. LinkedIn used Twitter for the unveil. Kind of weird but whatever works, right? Each of the reactions pretty much does what they say on the icons but in a LinkedIn blog post as a follow-up, Cissy Chen gave a overview in an effort to avoid any confusion. “You can use celebrate to praise an accomplishment or milestone like landing a new job or speaking at an event, or love to express deep resonance and support, like a conversation about work/life balance or the impact of mentorship,” Chen wrote. “Insightful can help you recognize a great point or interesting idea, while curious lets you show your desire to learn more or react to a thought-provoking topic.” And it sounds like the LinkedIn team did some good research for their final selection of their chosen reactions. It searched for the most popular one- or two-word comments used on LinkedIn posts, and also conducted “global research” with LinkedIn members to ensure the symbols were useful and universally understood. The new Reactions are beginning to roll out now and will be available globally in the coming months for the LinkedIn mobile app and on the web. LinkedIn is attempting to capture more of its Millennial and even younger users as the platform becomes more of a community of young professionals than a hiring site that it was when it first started back in 2003. It still is just that but LinkedIn has matured way past that stage now as a very competitive Social Media Platform that it’s new owner, Microsoft can take advantage of. Tags: #linkedin, #reactions, #socialmedia, #contentwriting, #reactions
This recent study I ran across from eMarketer is just one of many reasons’ businesses need to embrace digital video. If you are a small business owner, it does not matter. Even on a smaller scale, smaller budget smaller everything, you can still use video for your social platforms. Advertisers and marketers now understand in our mobile society how effective digital media is and are spending millions using it. Where is your ad money going? Check out this report. I condensed it to highlight just some of the talking points. The US ad market will hit two major milestones in 2019: It will be the first year that advertisers spend more on digital than on traditional media, and the first time that Google and Facebook’s share of digital ad spending declines. That’s due to Amazon, which will continue to chip away at the duopoly. How much will US advertisers spend on digital advertising in 2019? We expect US digital ad spending to reach $129.34 billion in 2019, accounting for 54.2%of total media ad spending. An accelerated decline in traditional media advertising, particularly TV, has led digital to overtake traditional slightly earlier than we previously predicted. What formats are driving US digital ad spending growth? Video will continue to be the major driver of growth, especially on social media. Twitter is one platform that has particularly benefited from video advertising, with its total ad revenues returning to growth in 2018. Spending on OTT platforms like Hulu and Roku will also boost digital video ad spending this year. What will happen to the duopoly in 2019? This year will be the first time that Google and Facebook’s combined share of the digital ad market will drop. That said, they will remain the largest digital ad sellers in the country, making up nearly 60% of digital ad spending in 2019, or $76.57 billion. What about Amazon? Amazon’s ad business is growing faster than we (and everyone else) expected. In 2019, advertisers will spend $11.33 billion using Amazon’s platform; not as much as on either Google or Facebook, but enough to start making a small dent in the duopoly. KEY STAT: In 2019, US advertisers will spend $129.34 billion, or 54.2% of their media ad budgets, on digital ads. By 2023, that figure will reach 66.8% Summary As you can see, digital media (video) is huge. We at FDMC Digital Media can assist your SMB to capture your deserved market share you may be missing in the digital platforms. While this report obviously is using figures on a national scale, your small business in your local area is part of that mix. Feel free to reach out to us. You probably have many questions and we have the answers. -Roy TAGS: #advertising, #marketing, #digital media, #mobility, #video
 I recently came across a great article from Social Media Today about how embrace the demographics of Twitter to your marketing advantage. Here in part, is part of that great study! (from Social media today) Twitter gender demographics How many Twitter users are women and how many are men? The answer varies by region. Globally, more men use Twitter than women. But in the United States, more women use Twitter than men.
Where are Twitter users coming from? Consistent with many of the other major social networks, most reside outside the United States.
How old are Twitter users? Not very old, it seems. But also not very young. Marketers can bet on finding millennials on the platform, as well as some of the under-50 crowd.
How much money do Twitter users make on average? The answer is “more than average,” which is pretty standard for social media users across the board.
Along with higher than average incomes, Twitter users are also highly educated. This makes sense as the two demographics usually go hand-in-hand. But in general, Twitter (along with LinkedIn) is known to be a popular social network among the highly educated.
-Roy Tags: #twitter, #branding, #marketing, #social media, #social platforms
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