YouTube Adds Cards, Making Videos More Interactive

Last week, YouTube launched a new Cards feature this week that is seen as the evolution of annotations. Items to note on these new cards are below:

• Allow creators to add interactive, Google-now like pop ups on videos.
• Can inform and link viewers to: merchandise, fundraising, other videos and playlists, websites and fan funding.
• Available on mobile (a big win)

As marketers develop Cards it is essential ensure these cards are truly adding value in the user journey of discovering video content. These cards should not disrupt the viewing experience unless it can provide unique and interesting interactivity—a feature that annotations for the most part have not supplied.

You can learn more here.

Bringing "How To" Videos to Vine and Instagram

After an extremely successful Black Friday Vine program, Lowes continues to evolve the campaign using consumer behavior and insights to drive creative, and effective, work. 

In the new campaign, Lowes:

• Evolves the “Fix in Six” campaign from small hacks to larger projects
• Showcases seemingly hard-to-do tasks in easy, digestable, 6-15 second videos
• Leverages existing user experience and platform functionality with a “Tap thru” engagement
• Breaks projects into steps that viewers can pause turning the quick video into a tutorial
• Educates audiences on how to use the feature and videos

Now, with the influx of the use of the mobile app and utility of the Vines, there is an opportunity to take this in-store and purchase the items needed for this DIY project. 

To learn more about the new campaign, see Lowes on Instagram, Vine and within this article.

Nielsen to Track Amazon and Netflix

Streaming content has shifted the way we as consumers, and marketers, consume television and syndicated content. To show the staying power of streaming content, Nielsen announced that they will begin to measure premium streaming video TV programming from Netflix and Amazon starting next month.  The Nielsen tracking of SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) programming will be done through audio. Plus, it will not be accessible on mobile.  

With this integration, advertisers and content creators will be able to look at their programs and see how streaming content is impacting viewership. This means, that until next month, networks and content creators did not have true understanding to how their videos performed across these platforms.

Some details on this update are below:

·         Nielsen will analyze this content without the cooperation of streaming services.

·         The programming that is measured will come from, and be available to, existing Nielsen clients.

·         To date, subscription video-on-demand services have declined to publicly disclose their viewership.

For more information, click here and here.

2014 Marketing Resolution: Break Through The Digital Clutter

Image from: IMI

As users’ newsfeeds become overcrowded and saturated we must evaluate the best ways to be seen and heard, online. Below, you can find some key tips from a series of articles and ebooks that we can explore when creating and amplifying compelling content:

1. Get into the mindset of a publisher by looking for content that supports our niche, and then give users a fresh perspective on it.
• Likeminded brands are posting similar content so anything produced needs to be cool and captivating.
2. Add muscle by including multimedia elements to create richer content.
• Provide a balance of snackable and long-form content.
•  Magazine-style narratives and multimedia experiences provide long-form experiences rather than the quick-hit meme. Ensure how the multimedia content will be viewed on mobile and within search
3. Leverage paid and organic SEO so content can be found.
• Answer the specific needs of niche audiences but the only way it will be read is if it’s found, paid media is one piece of that puzzle.
• The other piece of the puzzle is crafting content with SEO and content marketing in mind.

Curating content that fans can get excited about paired with the right paid media strategy and SEO, will help marketers garner impressions and lengthening reach.  As we move into a new year, we will see brands and companies continue to test new tactics and initiatives.

For detailed articles and information on breaking through the clutter, please see the ebook and articles below:

How to Make Content That Stands Out

What Makes Content Stand Out? Hint: originality is key

9 Steps to Creating Good Content for Your Brand

Creating Custom Content for Each Social Platform

In order to have a high performance, multi-platform social media campaign, Brands must do their best to understand each social platform and how its audience consumes media in order to provide rich, engaging content.

While there is no fool proof formula, this infographic developed by My Clever Agency provides tips on how to make the most effective social posts.
A few highlights include:

• Facebook: Use simple imagery posts that can be easily seen on mobile devises as 70% of fans view posts on their phones 
• Twitter: Retweet relevant content for your audience and be sure to leave 20 characters so people can add content
• Pinterest: Images that do not have a human face are shared 23% more while images with red or orange get double the repins
• Google+: Use full sized images to make posts stand out on the page compared to thumbnails
• Although not mentioned, using “Auto-Awesome” (a tool from Google that enhances images) on photos also helps increase engagement
• Instagram: Reply to people who have liked/commented to drive two way conversations
• Vine: Use popular hashtags such as #loop and #howto to gain the most engagement
• Tumblr: Like and reblog posts to interact and ensure visibility throughout the site