Avishai Sharon, Co-founder & CEO of TrenDemon, discussed their software on ILTV:

How Do You Connect Content Marketing to Sales?

My personal background was heading a marketing agency for many years and one of my biggest struggles was how do I prove our value and our effort to our customers and how do you connect the impact of what we call content marketing to business goals and to sales? When we couldn’t find an easy way to show that correlation three and a half years ago we went ahead and founded TrenDemon to help companies do just that.

We connect their marketing efforts, which today rely mostly on content, you want your audience to consume valuable content, as opposed to just advertising. The big challenge is how do you attribute those efforts to sales? There’s actually a prior problem, how do you actually map the customer journey? How do you track those different touch points into one picture?

Reverse Engineering Successful Customer Journeys

The first thing we do is look at all the different touchpoints that a customer has had over his lifecycle. We ask the question, not just where do they come from, but how deep was their engagement? Did they actually watch the video? Did they actually read the article? Then you can start reverse engineering those successful journeys and say what’s common about all of these successful journeys.

What we found, and this is the interesting thing, we’re working with over 90 companies today worldwide and the vast majority of content the companies produce, over 90 percent, is ineffective at driving business goals. As you guys know it’s very expensive to create quality content and it takes a lot of effort.

If People Read the Right Content They Will Covert to a Sale

The second interesting thing is that if you do manage to find those 10 percent and you find a way to get it in front of the right people you’re actually able to improve dramatically your results. So there’s not just a correlation between what buyers did beforehand, there’s also a causation, a causal relationship, that if people read the right content at the right time they’re more likely to follow a path. We’re not probably as sophisticated as we believe that we are.

We’re a SaaS company, a cloud-based solution. We’re working a lot in the US and one of our biggest markets and growing markets is Japan. They’re investing a lot of content and a lot on technology. Essentially, because we look at the customer journey and not necessarily specific languages we can operate in any environment which allows us to grow pretty much anywhere. As long as they have content, which means that they’re producing something other than just advertising, they want people and audiences to actually engage with what they’re producing and they do have some business outcomes that they’re looking to measure.

About TrenDemon:

Founded in 2013, TrenDemon is the world’s leading content marketing attribution and optimization solution, helping marketers prove and improve their content’s impact.

TrenDemon insights can help you uncover your content marketing ROI, impact on business goals, and engagement to help guide the content strategy. Our optimization units will help you increase conversions and shorten time to convert on your owned assets.

TrenDemon proudly serves a wide range of customers, from Fortune 500s and brands to SaaS, B2B, and financial companies and is backed by leading VCs.

Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, discusses how B2B influencer marketing can be a highly effective force in driving leads and conversions for companies. Lee was interviewed by Tim Washer at the 2019 Content Marketing World Conference & Expo:

Influencer Marketing Is Powerful Because Of Influence Itself

Influencer marketing is powerful because of influence itself, not about the people. Influence has always been a factor in being persuasive and being effective as a communicator, as a marketer, and really being able to tap into the dynamics of that. The psychology and sociology of that is something that is everlasting, it’s evergreen. While there are trends in terms of tactics that come and go, there’s this consumerization of B2B. B2C influencers are misbehaving and have fake followers, etc. and some of that’s leaking over into B2B. But I think that’ll reconcile a little bit and kind of clean itself out. In the future brands are going to be looking at influence as a really key component of their holistic marketing strategy internally and externally.

A lot of people when they think of influencer marketing they think of a Kardashian or some people think of something like Baddiewinkle, a 90-year-old woman who wears hip-hop clothes and now has her own makeup line on Sephora versus someone like Tamara McCleary interviewing an executive at Dell about the right IT infrastructure for doing edge computing. That’s really what it’s about in B2B.

B2B Influencers Actually Have To Have The Main Expertise

One of the big differences between B2B and B2C influencers is that in B2B you actually have to have the main expertise. You actually have to be knowledgeable and have a depth of that expertise in what it is that you’re influential about. It’s also important to have a network for distribution and a place to publish your content. It’s great to have a personality and that’s less common in B2B, where you have charisma. Well, lack of personality is a form of personality I suppose. 

The good thing is that we’ve figured out ways to coach folks that have that domain expertise and an active following but they’re not necessarily used to being social. We are coaching them in how to activate themselves and to pull out the best of what they have to share in a way that’s very promotable. Many of them start to open up a little bit after we show them how to do it.

B2B Influencer Marketing Adds Up To Nurture and Conversion

In the planning stages (with a client looking to promote something) we’ll look at the topics that are important around the announcement and how it affects customers and how customers will think of that news and how it’ll affect or change their lives. Those topics are then what we want to be influential about. We’ll use those keywords or topics to search our network using influencer marketing software to find who is influential around those topics, who’s publishing content, who self-identifies around that topic, and whose audience is actually activated around that topic. We find those people who have trusted voices with an active community and we invite them to collaborate on content and give their opinion about the announcement. 

We co-create content with them in concert with brand messaging. So now instead of people just ignoring the press release we actually have storytelling happening with these different voices. You have this intersection of one or two or three or four influencers talking about this topic and those audiences intersect and cross. They intersect across channels too. Your customer is hearing this credible message not only from the brand but also from people that they trust in different channels. That all adds up to yes. That all adds up to nurture and ultimately conversion.

The rise of YouTube Influencer Marketing

In recent years, YouTube has evolved from a mere video-sharing platform into a cultural juggernaut with a profound impact on consumer behavior. Content creators, often referred to as influencers, have amassed dedicated followings and wield significant influence over their audiences. Brands are now recognizing the value of collaborating with these influencers to leverage their credibility and reach.

Understanding YouTube Influencers

YouTube’s influencers are individuals who have built a substantial online presence and a loyal fan base through their content. From beauty gurus and tech reviewers to travel vloggers and gaming enthusiasts, these influencers cover a broad spectrum of niches. Their authenticity and relatability are key factors driving their influence – audiences perceive them as peers rather than distant celebrities.

The power of authenticity

One of the core strengths of YouTube influencer marketing lies in its authenticity. Unlike traditional advertisements, influencer-generated content frequently seamlessly integrates brand messaging into the creator’s own style. This approach feels more organic and less intrusive, resonating better with viewers and fostering a sense of trust. As a result, the audience is more likely to engage with the content and consider the promoted products or services.

Strategies for successful YouTube Influencer collaborations

Achieving effective results through YouTube influencer marketing requires a well-thought-out strategy. To maximize the impact of your collaborations, consider these key tactics:

• Identifying the right influencers: Thoroughly research potential influencers whose content aligns with your brand values and target audience. A fitness brand, for instance, would benefit from partnering with fitness enthusiasts who can authentically promote their products.

• Building genuine relationships: Cultivate meaningful relationships with influencers by engaging with their content and understanding their audience. This paves the way for more authentic collaborations and long-term partnerships.

• Co-Creation of content: Involve influencers in the content creation process, allowing them creative freedom while ensuring your brand message is effectively conveyed. This collaborative approach enhances the content’s appeal and resonance.

• Diversifying content formats: YouTube offers a variety of content formats, from tutorials and reviews to vlogs and challenges. Diversifying the types of collaborations helps keep the audience engaged and entertained.

• Tracking and analytics: Utilize YouTube’s analytics tools to monitor the performance of influencer campaigns. Metrics such as views, likes, comments, and conversion rates provide valuable insights into the campaign’s effectiveness.

How to deliver tangible results

The pivotal question for any marketing strategy is its ability to drive results. There are several avenues through which you can achieve your marketing goals with YouTube influencer: 

• Increased brand awareness: Collaborating with influencers exposes your brand to a wider and highly targeted audience, leading to increased brand recognition and recall.

• Audience engagement and interaction: Influencers foster a sense of community among their followers, leading to higher levels of engagement and interaction with your brand.

• Enhanced credibility: Endorsement by a trusted influencer enhances your brand’s credibility and establishes it as a reliable choice in the eyes of the audience.

• Boosted conversions: Well-executed influencer campaigns can drive traffic to your website, leading to higher conversion rates and improved sales figures.

• SEO and online presence: YouTube is the second-largest search engine, and influencer collaborations can improve your search rankings and online visibility.

The future landscape of YouTube Influencer Marketing

As technology continues to evolve, so will the landscape of influencer marketing. Advancements in AI, data analytics, and content creation tools will likely shape the way brands and influencers collaborate. While the fundamental principles of authenticity and audience engagement remain paramount, several key trends and developments are poised to shape the trajectory of this burgeoning marketing strategy:

• Data-Driven decision making: With the increasing availability of data analytics tools, brands, and influencers alike will have access to more robust insights about audience behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns. This data-driven approach will enable more precise targeting, content optimization, and campaign refinement.

• Long-Term partnerships: Brands are likely to move away from one-off collaborations in favor of long-term partnerships with influencers. These extended relationships allow for more authentic storytelling, continuity in messaging, and a deeper connection with the influencer’s audience.

• Integration of AR and VR: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies are set to reshape the way influencers engage with their audiences. From virtual try-ons to immersive product demonstrations, AR and VR will create innovative avenues for influencer marketing campaigns.

• Sustainability and social impact: Influencer marketing is likely to align more closely with social and environmental causes. Brands that demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability and social impact will find resonance with both influencers and their socially conscious audiences.

• AI-Generated Content and Personalization: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to play a significant role in content creation and personalization. Brands could utilize AI to generate content ideas, optimize posting schedules, and tailor messages to individual audience segments.

• Globalization and cultural sensitivity: As influencer collaborations transcend geographical boundaries, brands will need to navigate cultural nuances and ensure their messaging is culturally sensitive and relevant to diverse audiences.

• Inclusivity and diversity: Brands that champion inclusivity and diversity will be more likely to resonate with modern audiences. Collaborating with influencers from different backgrounds and celebrating diverse perspectives will become a hallmark of successful campaigns.

• Interactive engagement and gamification: Interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, and challenges will create more immersive experiences for audiences, fostering higher engagement and encouraging active participation.

Conclusion:

YouTube influencer marketing has proven its potential to revolutionize brand promotion and audience engagement. The ability to tap into the creativity and authenticity of content creators provides businesses with a powerful tool to achieve their marketing goals. By carefully crafting strategies, fostering genuine relationships, and harnessing the influence of YouTube creators, brands can navigate the dynamic digital landscape and position themselves for success in the ever-expanding realm of influencer marketing.

In an era where consumer trust and engagement are paramount, YouTube influencer marketing presents an unparalleled opportunity for brands to make a lasting impact. As the lines between entertainment and advertisement continue to blur, influencers serve as the bridge that connects brands with their audiences in a more human and relatable way.

Remember, achieving your marketing goals with YouTube influencers involves more than a mere collaboration – it’s about co-creating compelling narratives, fostering genuine connections, and tapping into the authentic voices that resonate with your target audience. So, whether you’re a startup seeking rapid growth or an established brand aiming to reinvigorate your image, embrace the power of YouTube influencer marketing and embark on a journey of meaningful brand engagement and success.

Social media influencers can and do make significant sums to promote various products and services in sponsored videos. Amazon wanted to tap into that, sending emails to influencers offering to pay them for videos featuring two or more of the company’s products.

Unfortunately, according to Fortune, the company offered $25 per video, which is roughly one-tenth of the going rate. The company also shows how out of touch it was in the sheer number of videos it asked for. In the email creators received, the company was asking for up to 500 videos for $12,500.

“I don’t think everyone has 500 Amazon items sitting in their homes,” Jazmine Flores told Bloomberg.

“Because I’m in the beauty/skincare niche, I have to be careful, do my research, and it takes a whole lot of time to produce, write, model, act, do my own hair and makeup all while being a homeschooling mother of two,” she added. “It shouldn’t be treated as a side gig.”

From promoting a product or service, increasing engagement with clients, or extending their reach on social media platforms, video content marketing is flexible and accessible. In addition, it presents an influential lead over your competitors when executed right and built with a superior online video editor.

Significance of Video Marketing For Your Business

Video digital marketing engages your potential clients by conveying a compelling story about your product interactively and bringing life to your products.

While a high-quality photo and a brief description provide a fundamental view of your product, a video can convey all of the elements and advantages, explaining why the clients should be interested in purchasing your product. Listed here are some reasons why video marketing can prove beneficial for your business growth.

Videos Are an Excellent Way to Describe Your Product

Online video content assists potential customers in learning more about your product. According to a recent report, 94 percent of online marketers believe using video content helps improve user knowledge of a product or service.

In addition, clients will only purchase your goods when they know better about your product and how they can use them. Unsurprisingly, video content exceptionally provides better visuals and helps companies clearly describe how things work.

Video Content Provides a Higher Return on Investment

The return on investment (ROI) from your video marketing depends on numerous factors, including how well you have managed your content design and the quality of your promotional videos.

However, 83 percent of respondents say that video marketing provides them with a higher return on investment. In addition, while many online marketers think of video as a costly and time-consuming process, you can use a video maker or an online video editor, making it effortless to create video fast without a considerable budget.

Video Marketing Can Help Boost Your Conversion Rates

Yes, it is a fact. Recent research indicates that using videos in your online marketing campaign can help boost your conversions by around 14%. An excellent way to use video on your landing page can be an explainer video for your products or services. This is an excellent option for your client to watch a quick video to know all about what your product or service does, usually in an entertaining or eye-catching way.

Therefore, it is valuable to hold your finger on the pulse here. In addition, video content invariably changes. Key trends that you can try include a product video (a live demo) and product reviews. This content becomes engaging for clients, and by having them on your online marketing, you can drive sales and boost your conversions more than you would ever expect.

The Future of Video Marketing Is Bright

As technology proceeds to pivot and change, how we employ it too. For video marketing, that implies more forms than ever to make your online audience receptive and engaged to you and your business.

It is crucial to understand how videos can be deployed to significantly influence one-to-one promotional videos to live streams. With the future of AR, VR, and online video streaming services at your disposal, it is the ideal time to get into video content marketing, remaining updated on the most advanced ways you can convey your message to your audience.

Video Content Engages Even the Laziest Audience

Video content has become an excellent tool for understanding, but it is also effortless to consume. Modern life is too busy to go through lengthy product descriptions or explore in-depth services. The contemporary client likes to see their preferred product in action.

Video preference is one of the most significant driving forces of employing video in your video content marketing. In addition, video marketing can help you attract a wide base target audience, and it operates on numerous levels.

Video Marketing Is Your Email Campaign’s Best Friend

Compelling viewers to open your email in this fast-paced, modern world is a significant challenge. However, according to a study, just using the word ‘video’ in your email subject line can improve your CTR (Click-through rate) by 200-300%

It is why more and more online marketers are now using interactive video content in their email campaigns. This could indicate anything from showcasing a product that a client has rejected to a welcome email for your first-time clients to build a relationship.

In addition, engaging video content within your email marketing strategy can assist you in engaging, persuading, and informing your target audience. Also, as it is well-known that online users love watching videos over any form of media, why not leverage its benefits to boost your business growth.

Google Prefers Optimized Video Content

Apart from videos being excellent elements in numerous online marketing campaigns and being a fantastic tool to provide information, another significant advantage for online marketers is better ranking on search engine results pages.

In addition, if you take the time to guarantee that your video content remains SEO optimized, with an engaging and appropriate thumbnail, good quality content, and eye-catching title, your video marketing can bring plenty of organic traffic to your website. It can likewise improve your search engine ranking and earn higher views in the process.

Final Words

In a nutshell, video marketing online businesses is a significant factor. It is a reinforcement mechanism for those companies that have just started their online journey. The most meaningful side of video marketing is that it transforms how online users see your products or service. Therefore, while creating exceptional video content, it is better to understand your strengths and execute them.

This way, you can drive on your way towards achieving heights and growth you never imagined. Also, video marketing can help you drive higher organic traffic to your website that boost your business visibility, and help you become more profitable.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg touted the success of Reels in the company’s recent earnings call, saying it was contributing to a 24% rise in the amount of time people were using the app.

“Reels continues to grow quickly on both Facebook and Instagram,” Zuckerberg said. “Reels also continue to become more social with people resharing Reels more than 2 billion times every day, doubling over the last six months. Reels are also increasing overall app engagement and we believe that we’re gaining share in short-form video too.

“Our investment in recommendations and ranking systems has driven a lot of the results that we’re seeing today across our discovery engine, Reels, and ads,” he continued. “Along with surfacing content from friends and family, now more than 20% of content in your Facebook and Instagram feeds are recommended by AI from people, groups, or accounts that you don’t follow. Across all of Instagram, that’s about 40% of the content that you see. Since we launched Reels, AI recommendations have driven a more than 24% increase in time spent on Instagram.”

Reels is particularly important for Instagram and Facebook, as the short-form videos compete with TikTok, which is one of the fastest-growing social media app and a significant threat to Meta’s platforms.

Zuckerberg went on to say that AI was helping drive monetization across both Facebook and Instagram.

“Our AI work is also improving monetization,” Zuckerberg added. “Reels monetization efficiency is up over 30% on Instagram and over 40% on Facebook quarter over quarter. Daily revenue from Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns is up 7x in the last six months.”

It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, in which case TikTok should feel quite flattered.

Avishai Sharon, Co-founder & CEO of TrenDemon, discussed their software on ILTV:

How Do You Connect Content Marketing to Sales?

My personal background was heading a marketing agency for many years and one of my biggest struggles was how do I prove our value and our effort to our customers and how do you connect the impact of what we call content marketing to business goals and to sales? When we couldn’t find an easy way to show that correlation three and a half years ago we went ahead and founded TrenDemon to help companies do just that.

We connect their marketing efforts, which today rely mostly on content, you want your audience to consume valuable content, as opposed to just advertising. The big challenge is how do you attribute those efforts to sales? There’s actually a prior problem, how do you actually map the customer journey? How do you track those different touch points into one picture?

Reverse Engineering Successful Customer Journeys

The first thing we do is look at all the different touchpoints that a customer has had over his lifecycle. We ask the question, not just where do they come from, but how deep was their engagement? Did they actually watch the video? Did they actually read the article? Then you can start reverse engineering those successful journeys and say what’s common about all of these successful journeys.

What we found, and this is the interesting thing, we’re working with over 90 companies today worldwide and the vast majority of content the companies produce, over 90 percent, is ineffective at driving business goals. As you guys know it’s very expensive to create quality content and it takes a lot of effort.

If People Read the Right Content They Will Covert to a Sale

The second interesting thing is that if you do manage to find those 10 percent and you find a way to get it in front of the right people you’re actually able to improve dramatically your results. So there’s not just a correlation between what buyers did beforehand, there’s also a causation, a causal relationship, that if people read the right content at the right time they’re more likely to follow a path. We’re not probably as sophisticated as we believe that we are.

We’re a SaaS company, a cloud-based solution. We’re working a lot in the US and one of our biggest markets and growing markets is Japan. They’re investing a lot of content and a lot on technology. Essentially, because we look at the customer journey and not necessarily specific languages we can operate in any environment which allows us to grow pretty much anywhere. As long as they have content, which means that they’re producing something other than just advertising, they want people and audiences to actually engage with what they’re producing and they do have some business outcomes that they’re looking to measure.

About TrenDemon:

Founded in 2013, TrenDemon is the world’s leading content marketing attribution and optimization solution, helping marketers prove and improve their content’s impact.

TrenDemon insights can help you uncover your content marketing ROI, impact on business goals, and engagement to help guide the content strategy. Our optimization units will help you increase conversions and shorten time to convert on your owned assets.

TrenDemon proudly serves a wide range of customers, from Fortune 500s and brands to SaaS, B2B, and financial companies and is backed by leading VCs.

Corporate Influence Networks

Almost all Fortune 500 corporations have some kind of alumni program because of its many benefits. Connecting with experienced professionals through networking opportunities may result in informative interviews, help with a career move, promotions, finding the best candidate for your business, and access to exclusive job posts, resume evaluations, and free resources. Alumni networks may establish a genuine community with deep bonds where members have access to mentors and business experts. Discounts on sporting events, bike rentals, gyms, museums, on-campus performances, bookshops, financial services, travel insurance, air travel, restaurants, clothes, and continuing education courses are among the other perks.

University Alumni Networks are Powerful

For various reasons, universities and businesses both invest in robust alumni networks. A 2.8-time boost in income per employee, a 4.5-time rise in product creativity, and a 6-time increase in employer attractiveness are just a few of the quantifiable advantages of investing in lasting connections. Businesses that actively interact with graduates report an increase in new business by up to 44%. Similar to engaged consumers, engaged alumni boost brand sentiment by 10% and serve as brand ambassadors who are at least five times more valuable than typical customers.

To raise money, prestigious universities like Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, NYU, PennState, UPenn, Princeton, University of Michigan, West Virginia University, and others invest in alumni networks. Additionally, many powerful people have affiliations with institutions and could be ready to recommend exceptional pupils, which might lead to a wealth of professional prospects. 

Objectives of Influence Networks

Corporate alumni networks at well-known organizations like Google, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, HSBC, Citibank, Accenture, Nestle, P&G, LinkedIn, McKinsey & Company, and others have a wide range of goals. These objectives include gaining access to a labor pool, encouraging recommendations or boomerang hires, fostering business growth, raising sales, establishing connections between mentors and mentees, and building a supportive environment. As one can see, corporate alumni organizations provide their parent companies with a variety of advantages, whereas higher education institutions mostly use alumni for fundraising.

When choosing which program to enroll in, business students and individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations should place high importance on the size and activity of a school’s alumni network. Entrepreneurs who attended their alma mater are more likely to get investors for their companies.

In Summary

Even the strongest alumni network, though, might go to waste if someone doesn’t make the most of it. It’s a good idea to get involved in the alumni magazine’s class notes column with personal or professional updates, join committees to reconnect with classmates, share your professional knowledge at alumni events, and meet other alumni for coffee or lunch for an informal meeting to learn about additional opportunities.

Conversely, to continually engage alumni, universities and businesses must improve their network. Offering members clear benefits, meeting local and distant members’ wishes, sharing college news, and providing incentives and gifts during events are some tried-and-true methods of alumni involvement. 

Musk has long been a vocal Twitter user, boosting cryptocurrencies, taking jabs at rivals and discussing upcoming Tesla features. His tweets have even landed him in hot water with the SEC, but that hasn’t slowed the CEO down.

In one of his latest tweets, Musk teases the possibility of trading in his jobs as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX for that of social media influencer.

In all likelihood, this is just another one of Musk’s famous attempts at humor — but only time will tell.

From promoting a product or service, increasing engagement with clients, or extending their reach on social media platforms, video content marketing is flexible and accessible. In addition, it presents an influential lead over your competitors when executed right and built with a superior online video editor.

Significance of Video Marketing For Your Business

Video digital marketing engages your potential clients by conveying a compelling story about your product interactively and bringing life to your products.

While a high-quality photo and a brief description provide a fundamental view of your product, a video can convey all of the elements and advantages, explaining why the clients should be interested in purchasing your product. Listed here are some reasons why video marketing can prove beneficial for your business growth.

Videos Are an Excellent Way to Describe Your Product

Online video content assists potential customers in learning more about your product. According to a recent report, 94 percent of online marketers believe using video content helps improve user knowledge of a product or service.

In addition, clients will only purchase your goods when they know better about your product and how they can use them. Unsurprisingly, video content exceptionally provides better visuals and helps companies clearly describe how things work.

Video Content Provides a Higher Return on Investment

The return on investment (ROI) from your video marketing depends on numerous factors, including how well you have managed your content design and the quality of your promotional videos.

However, 83 percent of respondents say that video marketing provides them with a higher return on investment. In addition, while many online marketers think of video as a costly and time-consuming process, you can use a video maker or an online video editor, making it effortless to create video fast without a considerable budget.

Video Marketing Can Help Boost Your Conversion Rates

Yes, it is a fact. Recent research indicates that using videos in your online marketing campaign can help boost your conversions by around 14%. An excellent way to use video on your landing page can be an explainer video for your products or services. This is an excellent option for your client to watch a quick video to know all about what your product or service does, usually in an entertaining or eye-catching way.

Therefore, it is valuable to hold your finger on the pulse here. In addition, video content invariably changes. Key trends that you can try include a product video (a live demo) and product reviews. This content becomes engaging for clients, and by having them on your online marketing, you can drive sales and boost your conversions more than you would ever expect.

The Future of Video Marketing Is Bright

As technology proceeds to pivot and change, how we employ it too. For video marketing, that implies more forms than ever to make your online audience receptive and engaged to you and your business.

It is crucial to understand how videos can be deployed to significantly influence one-to-one promotional videos to live streams. With the future of AR, VR, and online video streaming services at your disposal, it is the ideal time to get into video content marketing, remaining updated on the most advanced ways you can convey your message to your audience.

Video Content Engages Even the Laziest Audience

Video content has become an excellent tool for understanding, but it is also effortless to consume. Modern life is too busy to go through lengthy product descriptions or explore in-depth services. The contemporary client likes to see their preferred product in action.

Video preference is one of the most significant driving forces of employing video in your video content marketing. In addition, video marketing can help you attract a wide base target audience, and it operates on numerous levels.

Video Marketing Is Your Email Campaign’s Best Friend

Compelling viewers to open your email in this fast-paced, modern world is a significant challenge. However, according to a study, just using the word ‘video’ in your email subject line can improve your CTR (Click-through rate) by 200-300%

It is why more and more online marketers are now using interactive video content in their email campaigns. This could indicate anything from showcasing a product that a client has rejected to a welcome email for your first-time clients to build a relationship.

In addition, engaging video content within your email marketing strategy can assist you in engaging, persuading, and informing your target audience. Also, as it is well-known that online users love watching videos over any form of media, why not leverage its benefits to boost your business growth.

Google Prefers Optimized Video Content

Apart from videos being excellent elements in numerous online marketing campaigns and being a fantastic tool to provide information, another significant advantage for online marketers is better ranking on search engine results pages.

In addition, if you take the time to guarantee that your video content remains SEO optimized, with an engaging and appropriate thumbnail, good quality content, and eye-catching title, your video marketing can bring plenty of organic traffic to your website. It can likewise improve your search engine ranking and earn higher views in the process.

Final Words

In a nutshell, video marketing online businesses is a significant factor. It is a reinforcement mechanism for those companies that have just started their online journey. The most meaningful side of video marketing is that it transforms how online users see your products or service. Therefore, while creating exceptional video content, it is better to understand your strengths and execute them.

This way, you can drive on your way towards achieving heights and growth you never imagined. Also, video marketing can help you drive higher organic traffic to your website that boost your business visibility, and help you become more profitable.

LinkedIn introduced Stories last year as a way for professionals to share short videos that would disappear after 24 hours. Liz Li, Senior Director of Product at LinkedIn, says the company was surprised to learn that some people wanted their videos to have more permanence than Stories provides.

You wish videos could live on your profile, not disappear. In developing Stories, we assumed people wouldn’t want informal videos attached to their profile, and that ephemerality would reduce barriers that people feel about posting. Turns out, you want to create lasting videos that tell your professional story in a more personal way and that showcase both your personality and expertise. 

Feedback also indicated that many users wanted tools to create more engaging videos.

LinkedIn appears to be listening to the feedback and plans to kill off Stories by the end of September. The company will then take the feedback and lessons its learned, and roll them into a new and improved video experience.

We’ve learned a ton. Now, we’re taking those learnings to evolve the Stories format into a reimagined video experience across LinkedIn that’s even richer and more conversational. We want to embrace mixed media and creative tools of Stories in a consistent way across our platform, while working to integrate it more tightly with your professional identity.

YouTube is the undisputed king of video platforms. The company recently crossed the milestone of two million creators in its monetization program — the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) — and is revealing just how much it has paid those creators over the last three years.

Creators who are part of YPP can make money and earn a living from their content on YouTube with ten different monetization features (and we keep adding more), from advertiser revenue to selling merchandise. Over the last three years, we’ve paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies. 

With $7 billion in ad revenue in Q2 20201 alone, YouTube’s report is an impressive glimpse into just how important the platform is to Google’s overall business.

Twitter is looking to help businesses bring e-commerce to their Twitter profiles with a new feature called Shop Module.

Shop Module is designed to let businesses showcase their products at the top of their profile page. Businesses will be able to use the feature to create a carousel of their products for people to browse.

Bruce Falk, Product Lead, Goldbird, described the feature in a blog post:

The Shop Module is a dedicated space at the top of a profile where businesses can showcase their products. When people visit a profile with the Shop Module enabled, they can scroll through the carousel of products and tap through on a single product to learn more and purchase — seamlessly in an in-app browser, without having to leave Twitter.

We’re starting small with a handful of brands in the United States. People in the U.S. who use Twitter in English on iOS devices will be able to see the Shop Module.

Some see Twitter’s announcement as part of the larger evolution of the e-commerce industry.

“Social commerce solves the agility challenges brands have experienced within other e-commerce platforms,” Eric Dahan, Open Influence CEO/Co-Founder, told WebProNews. “Moving forward, we don’t expect this evolution of e-commerce to slow down. 64 percent of small businesses plan to continue their new e-commerce strategies in 2021.”

Twitter plans on rolling the feature out to a handful of US-based brands. English Twitter users in the US on iOS should soon start seeing Shop Module.

Facebook has been facing increased pressure from rivals, such as TikTok and Clubhouse, and is facing its slowest growth rate in company history. As a result, the company is increasingly looking at different ways to increase engagement and continue attracting content creators and users alike.

The latest endeavor, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, involves paying out $1 billion through 2022.

“We want to build the best platforms for millions of creators to make a living, so we’re creating new programs to invest over $1 billion to reward creators for great content they create on Facebook and Instagram through 2022,” wrote Zuckerberg. “Investing in creators isn’t new for us, but I’m excited to expand this work over time. More details soon.”

It will be interesting to see if Facebook’s efforts yields results.

Twitter rolled out Fleets late last year in an effort to encourage conversation. The idea was to create a way for people to share their thoughts or feelings without the commitment of a permanent post.

Unfortunately, it appears Fleets were better as an idea than a reality, and adoption has not matched Twitter’s expectations.

We built Fleets as a lower-pressure, ephemeral way for people to share their fleeting thoughts. We hoped Fleets would help more people feel comfortable joining the conversation on Twitter. But, in the time since we introduced Fleets to everyone, we haven’t seen an increase in the number of new people joining the conversation with Fleets like we hoped. Because of this, on August 3, Fleets will no longer be available on Twitter.

The company says it will apply what it’s learned with Fleets in an effort to improve the overall Twitter experience.

Instagram has introduced Live Rooms, doubling the capacity of its Live on Instagram feature.

Instagram previously allowed creators to go live with a single individual, meaning a livestream only had a total of two people in it. With Live Rooms, creators can now go live with up to three people, bringing the total participants to four.

We hope that doubling up on Live will open up more creative opportunities — start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials with your following, or just hang out with more of your friends.

Live Rooms is designed to help creators monetize their social media presence even more, building on existing features. The company recently made it possible for Live viewers to buy badges to support their favorite creators. Viewers can also take advantage of the Shopping and Live Fundraisers features.

Instagram says it is working on additional options, such as moderator controls and audio features that it hopes will continue to aid content creators.

TikTok has agreed to pay $92 million to settle a lawsuit in the US over its privacy practices.

TikTok quickly rose to be one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and was the first Chinese app to gain its level of worldwide success. With that success, however, came greater a degree of scrutiny. The app has repeatedly been accused of violating child privacy, uploading videos to China without user consent and being a threat to national security.

The company has settled a lawsuit filed by TikTok users in the U.S. District Court in Illinois. Illinois has already established itself as a privacy haven, with Facebook recently settling a lawsuit filed against it in the state.

“While we disagree with the assertions, rather than go through lengthy litigation, we’d like to focus our efforts on building a safe and joyful experience for the TikTok community,” TikTok said Thursday, according to NBC News.

The settlement requires court approval.

TikTok has found itself in trouble with the European Consumer Organisation BEUC, as a result of multiple infractions against EU consumer laws.

TikTok has faced repeated criticism for breaches of privacy, especially in regard to the privacy of minor children. The company has also faced ongoing criticism, scrutiny and lawsuits over its privacy practices in general.

The latest troubles come from the EU, as TikTok is accused of violating several EU consumer laws, according to the BEUC, including a failure to properly protect children.

The BEUC’s investigation found that a number of TikTok’s ‘Terms of Service’ were unfair, ambiguous and favoring TikTok to users’ detriment. The same is true of the company’s copyright terms, which give TikTok “an irrevocable right to use, distribute and reproduce the videos published by users, without remuneration.”

The BEUC took issue with how TikTok administers the coins people can purchase to reward their favorite content creators, retaining too much control over exchange rates.

The company’s handling of user data is also misleading, with TikTok not properly informing users — especially children — of how and why their data is being collected and how it’s being used.

Most egregiously, the company is failing to protect children and minors from potentially harmful content and and hidden advertising.

The BEUC wants “authorities to launch a comprehensive investigation into TikTok’s policies and practices and to ensure that TikTok respects EU consumer rights. The company should properly inform consumers about its business model and data processing activities and stop imposing unfair terms and practices on its users. TikTok should also stop keeping its users in the dark about the financial consequences of buying virtual gifts for their favourite idols and improve the fairness of this service. In particular children and teenagers, who form an important part of Tik Tok’s audience must be adequately protected regarding their exposure to marketing, hidden advertising and inappropriate content.”

Given the EU’s strong privacy and consumer legislation, TikTok’s run of fast and loose privacy practices is likely coming to an end.

The US government has been working to ban TikTok for some time. The Trump administration has accused TikTok of being a security threat, and made it clear that only a sale to an American company would prevent an outright ban. Oracle, with Walmart joining it, emerged as the winning bidder. Per the terms of the deal, however, Oracle would only gain a 20% stake in the company. Meanwhile, China signaled it would oppose a deal it felt was unfavorable to the country’s image.

Meanwhile, TikTok was left in limbo as it tried to work out a deal with the US government as the deadline approached. The company won an injunction, with at least one judge even questioning if the ban was legally viable.

Not willing to give up the fight, the US government is now appealing the injunction, according to Reuters. The Justice Department is bringing the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Given that Judge Carl Nichols — when granting the injunction — said the government had “likely overstepped” in its decision to ban TikTok, this case could redefine the limits of the government’s authority.

Twitter is taking steps to ensure advertisers feel safe on its platform, a vital step for the company’s long-term growth.

One of the biggest challenges social media companies face is balancing individuals’ right to express themselves with companies’ efforts to protect their brand. Facebook ran afoul of advertisers in June when the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found many ads from high-profile companies placed alongside content that would be deemed racist and offensive. As a result, Coca-Cola, The Hershey Company, Levi Strauss & Co, Verizon, Mozilla, Upwork, REI, Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, The North Face and Eddie Bauer were just a few of the companies that pulled their advertising from the platform.

Twitter is working to prevent that kind of scenario, with a new focus on brand safety, according to Business Insider.

“We want every brand to feel confident advertising on Twitter,” said Sarah Personette, Twitter VP of global client solutions, in an interview. “Brand safety is a critical component to that.”

The company has committed to audits by the Media Rating Council. Certification by the MRC is considered the gold standard, providing some assurance the platform’s systems are operating without bias. Twitter is also planning to announce third-party partnerships in the coming weeks, aimed at promoting brand safety.

At a time when Twitter is working to stay relevant amid the onslaught of newer platforms, and is trying to walk the moderation tightrope, this is a critical step for the company’s success.