by Marelise da Silva | Dec 17, 2015 | Visual Marketing, Website Optimization
Many studies are conducted daily on the impact various types of communication have on people and it can be quite complicated stuff. One thing that’s a no-brainer though is that pictures sell stories. Research shows that 93% of our communication is visual – images are quick to consume and easy to remember (why movies are easier to recall than the book). Writing posts for your blog is an important marketing tool for your business, so you want to get it right, right? Using images to break up text is an easy way to keep the short attention span of your average reader a bit longer, as well as making your post memorable.
If you can remember three things when creating a post, it’s more likely to be shared (because people like to be helpful and will share anything that resonates with them). These three things are: Keep your post simple; Use beautiful graphics; Provide helpful information. An important step if you want to follow these three guidelines is to create a style guide for yourself and use it whenever you post anything.
A style guide consists of a colour palette, the mood and feel of the brand, font choices and types of image. When choosing a colour palette, pick two or three colours and be consistent. Using the same colours will help people recognise and identify with your brand. The mood could be playful, serious, inviting, controversial, safe, comforting – once the mood has been identified, ensure it ties in with the rest of the style (serious brands would not use a colour palette of hot pink and lurid purple, would they?). As with colours, pick two or three fonts for your brand and keep it simple. When it comes to images, tell a story with consistent images and graphics. With sharing in mind, it’s important when using images in your blog posts to make sure they’re easy to share – use Open Graph images.
Titles are hugely important too, since they are the attention grabbers. Using keywords is valid, but write for humans, not programmes. Meta titles become the subtitles when shared on social media, so they count too.
There are a number of online design tools to help create your own templates, resize designs and add professional effects to your images, such as Canva, MonkeyPic and Adobe Creative. For those with more time, Lynda.com provides online tutorials in design and there is always a lot to watch on YouTube. Remember, people love to share and to be helpful – there’s a wealth of information on the Internet.
In addition to online tools, there are many Apps for use on your smart phone. Your mobile device images can be enhanced, labelled, edited or filtered and then shared across all devices. Some good ones are: Word Swag, Over App, PS Express, Adobe Colour and Camera Awesome.
There’s a lot you can do to improve the visual side of your marketing, but it is time consuming and takes a bit of practice.
Use the services of a digital marketing company like WSI
If your business is too small to warrant the employment of a full time social media strategist, you might want to think about outsourcing. The experienced marketers at WSI can effectively manage your social media marketing, content marketing and content creation. Why not contact them today to find out their views on visual marketing?
by Marelise da Silva | Oct 22, 2015 | Visual Marketing
Like most things internet related, the speed at which new apps and tools are released can leave you reeling. You’ve just got a handle on the latest, greatest, when a competitor releases a bigger and better product. Staying current with digital marketing trends is a full-time job.
Facebook announced just last week the launch of its new live-streaming app, Live. Hardly surprising, since the launch of Meerkat, followed quickly by Periscope (Twitter) and Stre.am thereafter. One would think the market would be flooded now with apps offering the same service, but multiple live-streaming apps can exist side-by-side, since they each have various features, differentiating themselves from one another.
So in case you haven’t got a handle on the latest social media apps out there, here’s a short summary:
Meerkat: Following its launch at the end of February, this platform went from obscure to almost viral in one week. With 18 000 users in the first week, Meerkat has shown its quirky fun side to the world and looks set for success. It provides a simple way to live-stream video and get an audience for those videos, by using the Twitter platform (an unofficial but tight integration). The app automatically tweets when a stream is launched. One of the keys to its success, is its ephemeral nature – once the live stream is over, it cannot be seen again, creating a missing-out fear. So far, it has largely been ‘played’ with, but it has a scheduling feature created with businesses in mind. Marketers like the simplicity of the platform – they can just jump on, without first having to create a new profile which needs to be maintained.
Periscope: This product was acquired by Twitter, reportedly for close to $100 million. This app enables people to stream live videos from their mobile devices, much like Meerkat. Since their Android app release in May, they seem to have overtaken Meerkat in the live-streaming race. Collectively, Periscope users watch about 40 years of video each day.
Stre.am: Launched soon after Meerkat, this more flexible app allows users to live-stream videos from their iOS or Android devices and share it in real time over Twitter, Facebook, Google+, email and text messages. One can also shoot 15 second ‘reels’ that are available for 24 hours. It enables real time messaging during the live-stream, allowing people to communicate with the person broadcasting.
Live: Facebook’s dip into the live-streaming pool has a catch – at the moment it is only available to public figures with verified Facebook pages. Live-streams are posted via the Facebook Mentions iPhone app. The logic behind limiting the videos to celebrity posts, is that they will be able to focus on high quality content. Like Periscope and Stre.am, videos will be able to be viewed after the event ends.
Brands preferring a more professional look may stay away from these platforms, since the footage is often shaky and of a poor quality. The fact that it can reach a large audience very quickly, is possibly an overriding factor though.
WSI can help your business stay current
Staying up to date with these social media trends can be daunting. If your business is too small to support a team or person dedicated to digital marketing, why not contact WSI? Their team of experts can assist you in a number of ways, from advice on a digital marketing strategy, email marketing, website design, online reputation management and social media optimisation. Let WSI give your business or brand the edge.
by Marelise da Silva | Oct 15, 2015 | Visual Marketing, Website Optimization
So you want to know the secret to making a video or infographic go viral? You ask, is it possible? Well, not really – unfortunately no one can predict the reaction of humans. Who would have thought Charlie Bit Me would have got 825 millions views, or a sneezing panda having 216 million? There’s no accounting for taste, apparently.
This said, there are a few success stories out there. As usual, the answer is no quick fix, it’s hard work and perseverance. It wasn’t luck that got the Dollar Shave Club almost 20 million views. CEO Michael Dubin planned the video, filmed it in one day at a cost of $4 500 and strategically released it to coincide with the announcement of $1 million dollar funding and the relaunch of his website. It didn’t hurt, either, that Michael studied comedy – he felt humour was a powerful device to tell a story. And it worked! Even the Dollar Shave Club never expected it to go quite so big so quickly – their server crashed on the second day. With an annual revenue of $65 million, Michael Dubin is still smiling, with more products added to his exclusive club offering.
Another interesting success story is Girl Learns to Dance in One Year (Time lapse). Karen Cheng, an ad designer based in San Francisco decided to chronicle her journey of learning to dance over one year. Karen did a lot of marketing prior to releasing the video and she states that her video going viral was not an accident, but the result of hard work. She posted her video to Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Hacker News and asked all of her friends to share it. On the 2nd day of its release, bloggers who had seen the video on Reddit began writing about it. Blogs drive a lot of traffic, with millions of followers and readers, which is just what Cheng wanted. By Day 3, the video had made the YouTube front page and had got 1.8 million views. She shared her success story online and summed it up in six points:
- Release your video on a Monday or Tuesday, since most people watch YouTube at work – weekends and holidays are slow. If there’s a big breaking news story, that will also detract attention, so wait for the news to lose traction before releasing your video.
- See if there are any potential sponsors who might be interested in your video. Cheng wore different brands of clothing in her video, used various bits of music and an App to keep her committed to her goal. She contacted each company – some shared her video, some didn’t. But she says to try them all anyway.
- None of this matters if your video isn’t good. People share things that tap into their emotions, so make sure your video elicits awe, excitement, amusement, anger, anything…except of course, sadness and contentment. Or boredom.
- Tell a story: Cheng had a dream of learning to dance and felt strongly about showing people the hard work that comes before achievement. While she doesn’t claim to be a brilliant dancer, her video does show how practice pays off.
- Make the video short. People skip over videos longer than a few minutes (the time it takes to get busted watching YouTube at work). Give it a viral title – short, sweet and catchy.
- Work it. The fame from a viral video doesn’t last very long, so ensure the media can find you. Respond to as many emails as you can. Set up your website before you post, with an email sign-up. Be prepared.
Hoping a video will go viral is not good enough. That’s just luck. Psy Gangnam Style with its 2.3 billion views (why, oh why?) had its fair share of luck, but there was dedication behind that one too. Hard work and determination can pay off.
by Marianna Muscat | Sep 15, 2015 | Content Marketing, Visual Marketing
Video marketing is fast becoming a favourite means of marketing. Why? A one minute video holds the same value as 1.8 million words. Not only does a video speak a million words but it also reaches a vast audience, as about 100 million people watch online videos daily. Consequently a few myths about video marketing have been created. Here are five video marketing myths that have been busted:
- The duration of videos should be short. Most people have been informed that videos should not be longer than 2 to 3 minutes long. This is not true. The duration of your video will depend on many factors. For example, you should cater for each of your audiences depending on their need and level of knowledge on the respective topic.
- Effective videos are expensive. Many videos go viral on platforms such as Youtube which cost little to nothing to upload.
- A video must be creative, exciting and more. Simple communication is often sufficient to convey your message. The level of creativity naturally depends on the nature of the topic or cause.
- Video marketing is mainly for lead generation. Not only can you educate and inform your audience quicker and more effectively but online videos can add credibility to your company. Lead generation is merely one of the powerful tools of online videos.
- Videos should go viral to be effective. This is not only very hard to achieve but it is more often than not viral quality due to a shock, or at times inappropriate content. It will inevitable not add value to your brand image. However humour is often effective for greater traffic rates and less harmful to your image.
The time to make video a part of your marketing strategy is now. It can form a vital part of brand awareness and personal interaction between parties such as businesses and their clientele.
Call on WSIOMS for Video Content Marketing today
Contact WSIOMS for all your content marketing related queries and requirements.
by Marelise da Silva | Sep 3, 2015 | E-mail Marketing, Visual Marketing
Video marketing has taken over the world of digital marketing and can be greatly beneficial to any business. However it requires having all the information needed to compose successful video in e-mail marketing material. There are many ways to create these materials by using professional copywriting services as well as applying SEO principles. Additionally video in e-mail can be just as viable. Here are few statistics you need to know about video in e-mail marketing:
Do you want to know how videos can increase the chances of an effective marketing e-mail? Here’s how videos in e-mail can increase your marketing aims:
- 55% increase in click-through rates.
- 44% more time spent reading e-mails.
- 41% more email sharing and forwarding.
- 24% increase in conversion rates.
E-mail setups that support video in e-mail:
- iOS devices
- com
- Apple Mail
- Thunderbird 13
Linking your e-mail to a specific page is the actual marketing aim and this can be done in the following ways:
- 29% of marketers link to a video to a landing page.
- 23% use the video embed method.
- 21% link the video to a sharing network like YouTube.
Video Types Bestsellers:
- 28% in favour of training courses.
- 22% opt for product demos.
- 17% make use of customer testimonials
- 5% invest in brand image messages.
These statistics allow you to make informed decisions with regards to all video in e-mail types of marketing. It aims to provide information that can ensure the most optimal outcome for your business when using video in e-mail.
Call on WSIOMS for email and video marketing today
Contact WSIOMS for all your SEO requirements.
by Marelise da Silva | Jul 21, 2015 | Content Marketing, Visual Marketing, Website Optimization
Videos and content marketing: We have all seen videos go viral and wondered what sort of social media marketing magic was used. Luckily there is no trick or magic to make a video or online account “go viral” – there is however a clear formula and a variety of tips which can make it possible. Most viral videos present an emotional experience or something shocking or surprising to viewers. Of course the content of the video can only be seen if it is properly marketed and below are a few tips to getting your video on its way to going viral:
- Share, share and share some more. A video cannot go viral if it cannot be shared. How it travels is important and if you include basic features such as social media links to help viewers share their experience with others, half the battle is won.
- Make it undeniably like-able. Now, we aren’t talking about making it possible to like the video on Facebook, although this is something you should already be doing. Make sure the video is funny, emotional or eye catching. If it’s not likeable, chances are it won’t be shared and its road to going viral will be obscured.
- Keep it short and sweet. Let’s face it, nobody online wants to spend an extended period of time watching a video, even if it’s funny. Keep it short and sweet and leave them wanting more. You have at least 5 seconds to grab their attention and then maintain it for a brief time after.
- Communicate a story. Humans love stories. We like to follow stories with characters and we always want to know what happens in the end. Design your video to follow a story line and it will certainly create interest in the content.
That’s it. Now you have a short, entertaining and interesting video which is likeable, you just need to share it with people who would care about the content. These people will share it with other like-mined people and before you know it, your video has gone viral.
Content marketing – getting videos noticed with the help of WSI
At WSI we specialise in content marketing and various other forms of digital marketing. If you want to get your video and other content noticed, we can assist. Our team of professional online marketing consultants will present you with viable marketing options and ensure your objectives are met.
To learn more about our content marketing services, contact us at WSI via email or telephone today.
