You know you need to create content for your website or blog in order to build your audience and promote your business, but you’re stuck because you think you can’t write. Well, don’t give up yet, because you don’t need to be a great writer to create compelling and effective content. Try a few of these ideas.
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3 Impacts of Video Marketing For Business
Marketing is an ever evolving machine. You cannot just think of it as a set of steps and rewards based on what you do. Sure, you could try to fit your internet marketing plan into a box that will have you receiving marginal results, but you’ll find that if you isolate your reach to just a small portion of the online audience, you will lose out in the long term. If you are not diversifying your reach, you are already two steps behind your competition. No matter what kind of business you’re in, no matter what you’re doing on the web, video marketing is going to impact your reach exponentially. All it takes is one well-crafted video to gain leverage on the web right now. When you take a look at this from a different angle, you will realize that there are 3 major impacts of uploading and promoting videos right now.
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Choosing a Format for Your Information Product
Have you been wanting to create an information product, but struggling with the decision about which media platform you should use? There are three basic ones to choose from – text, video and audio – and almost unlimited combinations and variations of those formats.
So which is best? The best media choice when you are creating a product is the one your audience likes best. Are they readers? Do they like to listen to audio while they work out? Does video help them best absorb information?
The topic will also influence your choice of media. Video is often best when you are showing how to do something. Other topics may do well in any of the three formats.
But here’s the thing: You might immediately bristle at the thought of using one or two of those forms of media. For you, maybe writing is a struggle. Or you might hate the sound of your voice – or worry about how you will look on camera. Maybe you are uncomfortable with the technical aspects of audio and video and think they may be “too hard” for you to do.
Writing Videos Your Audiences Want to Watch
Note from Cathy: Although I always enjoy reading Dan’s articles, this one is especially timely. I am in the midst of making a bunch of videos, some based on material I have created in the past, such as speeches and other presentations, and this is good advice.
Whether you are starting with existing material or writing everything from word one, brevity is important. Keep your videos short and sweet. Dan suggests a maximum of 240 words for a video of two minutes. That is a good general rule, but some of us talk faster. To calculate your speed, open a document in Word, set a timer to one minute and start reading out loud at a natural speed. When the timer goes off, select all of the words you read, then check the word count.
Include your introduction and call to action in your word count. Many people use a pre-recorded intro or outro with their videos, usually about 10 seconds long. If you do, you may want to reduce your word count a bit to stay under two minutes for the total video.
The script I wrote for the public speaking video by Professor Puppet is a bit over 300 words for a video that is 1:40. But he talks pretty fast! (The total time for the video is 2:24 because of a long call to action outro, something that will not be used on every video I do but I wanted on this one.)
If you are not sure how many words to put in your script, follow Dan’s guideline of about 240 words or less for two minutes or less.
When in doubt, cut it out!
Now on to Dan’s article: [Read more…]
A New Breed of Social Media Sharing – Vine and Your Business
If social media marketing is part of your overall marketing strategy (and it should be!) you know that it can be difficult to get an audience’s attention with the same old social media outlets. Asking questions that have few responses or trying to write posts with personality is no easy task. Lucky for you, a burgeoning new social media platform can help reinvigorate your online presence. Twitter is the owner of the fun and easy social video sharing app Vine. The app was just released in 2013 for iOS users and has recently been made available for Android operators. So what makes Vine standout? The app allows subcribers to upload 6 second videos that can be shared to their Vine feed, Facebook and Twitter. With sound capabilities and video looping Vine is a unique social media tool that can get your audience’s attention with creative video imagery.
Here are 5 reasons Vine can be helpful in marketing your business.
1. Visually appealing
You don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to show off your brand. A creative 6 second video can be produced with simple clicks of your smartphone. Filtered photos with dull captions are a thing of the past as your Vine video can include many unique elements that loop over and over. From drawing and painting to constructing text out of food, the possibilities are endless.
2. Start a conversation
Since Vine videos can be embedded into Twitter feeds or Facebook it’s even easier to produce a trending topic. Not only will your business show their creative side but your audience can as well by asking a question that can then be answered through their own uploaded videos.
3. Show off a product/service
This may be the most influential use of Vine as your audience can literally see what your company has to offer. A 6 second video clip of a new item or a quick scene of your employees hard at work beats reading the usual About page on the company website.
4. Cliff Hanger
Getting your audience to return can be done by creating a series of related videos. The power of the looping video can be used to capture your audience’s attention and build anticipation for an upcoming promotion or event.
5. Be seen
6 seconds is not a lot of time so make it count. Vine can allow your audience to see your company and brand outside of the boring world of text content. The audience can see your company wish them a good morning or feel the excitement of a Friday afternoon. So don’t be afraid to make a connection when your business uses Vine.
John Gumas is the Founder and President of Gumas Advertising, a San Francisco advertising agency that has been providing branding, advertising and marketing services for challenger brands since 1984.