Video marketing

3 AI Video Tools That Are Great for Marketing Agencies

Sam Francis — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 09:03:13 +0000

Video isn’t just part of the marketing playbook anymore – it is the playbook. From short-form content that drives traffic to polished explainers that turn maybe into yes, video has become the loudest, clearest way to say what your brand is about.

But creating great videos at scale? That’s where most agencies hit a wall. Deadlines pile up, budgets stay tight, and clients expect Hollywood with a Canva budget.

Enter AI-powered video tools. They’re making it easier for marketing agencies to produce videos that look sharp, sound professional, and land with audiences – without needing a camera crew or a three-day shoot.

We’re cutting straight to the good stuff with three tools that are actually worth your time and make a real difference in your workflow.

HeyGen

Let’s start with the one tool that’s on everyone’s radar for a reason. HeyGen isn’t just good – it’s the kind of tool that makes you wonder why you were doing it the old way in the first place.

If you need video content that feels personal, persuasive, and incredibly polished, HeyGen gets it done in a fraction of the time and effort you’d normally expect.

What makes it stand out? For one, its lifelike presenters. This isn’t just some stiff talking head with robot energy. These digital presenters feel human enough to fool you at first glance – and that’s the whole point.

You get natural movement, realistic facial expressions, and voices that don’t sound like they were spit out by a GPS. Add to that a wide selection of languages and tones, and suddenly your agency is producing global-ready content without the headache of casting or studio time.

Here’s where it gets even better. Once you’ve written your script and picked your on-screen talent, everything happens inside an interface that doesn’t require a tutorial.

Seriously, your intern could figure it out in 10 minutes. You upload your copy, drag and drop visual elements, maybe adjust the layout a bit – and then boom, your video is ready to go. There’s no wrestling with clunky software or waiting hours for rendering.

And yes, if you’re wondering where the magic happens, it’s HeyGen.com. Once you try it, it’s hard to go back. The ability to create videos that feel like they came from a live shoot – without ever leaving your desk – is a game changer.

Their AI avatar feature in particular is something you just have to see to believe. It’s not hype. It’s just that good.

Runway

Next up is Runway, and it earns its place here because of one thing: flexibility. Sometimes a client wants a clean, professional training video, and sometimes they want a surreal promo featuring a cat driving a convertible through a neon cityscape. Runway can handle both without flinching.

The platform is built for creative control. You’re not locked into templates or forced into awkward design choices. Instead, you get tools that let you tweak, stretch, remix, and rebuild your video visuals however you want.

Need to remove a background, generate new footage from text, or reimagine an existing clip with a different vibe? You can do all of that, and it won’t feel like you’re building IKEA furniture with missing screws.

Runway is especially good when you’re working with scraps. Maybe your client only gave you vertical iPhone footage of their office tour. You can clean that up, sharpen the visuals, add transitions that look intentional, and drop in text overlays that don’t scream “last-minute.”

And it moves fast. Whether you’re turning a bland testimonial into a dynamic highlight reel or adding voiceovers and sound design without opening another app, the process stays tight.

Even when the content itself is experimental or offbeat – yes, even if your client suddenly decides they want Donald Trump deepfaked into a sales pitch – you’ve got tools that can keep up.

Runway isn’t the flashiest name in the AI video world, but that’s kind of the point. It does the job well, doesn’t make a mess, and keeps your team moving forward instead of fiddling with plugins and patchy exports.

Synthesia

For agencies that handle a lot of business-to-business work or internal communication projects, Synthesia is your quiet workhorse. You’re not making viral TikToks with it – you’re making clean, professional videos that explain processes, introduce products, or train employees.

The kind of stuff that clients expect to be “boring” until you show them a Synthesia version and suddenly, they’re impressed.

This tool isn’t built to dazzle – it’s built to deliver. You pick a presenter from their large lineup of digital humans, drop in your script, select a background or upload your own branding elements, and you’re ready to publish.

It’s all about taking what used to be a clunky PowerPoint or dense PDF and turning it into a video someone might actually watch. And for marketing agencies, that kind of transformation is gold.

Clients love it because it makes their messaging feel sharp and modern. Agencies love it because it saves hours. A

nd let’s be honest, we’ve all had clients who email the dreaded “Can we change just one word in the video?” at 4:45 p.m. With Synthesia, you can just swap the word and re-export. No drama, no reshoots, no editing timeline nightmares.

It’s especially effective for content that needs consistency across languages and markets. Want the same training video in five languages? Done. Synthesia’s multilingual capabilities keep your branding on-point no matter who’s watching.

The Wrap-Up

Marketing agencies have always had to juggle creativity with efficiency. These tools make it a lot easier to do both without having to compromise on quality.

Whether you’re chasing high engagement, working under a tight deadline, or just trying to make video less of a time-suck, these three platforms will get you there – fast, polished, and without the usual stress.

LinkedIn Video Strategy: Becoming a Respected Industry Leader

Michael Stelzner — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:54:05 +0000

Struggling to get noticed on LinkedIn despite sharing valuable content? Wondering how to use video to establish authority and become the go-to expert in your field?

In this article, you'll discover how to craft a powerful LinkedIn video strategy that builds credibility, fosters genuine connections, and positions you as a respected leader in your industry without feeling salesy or forced.

Why Should Marketers Focus on LinkedIn Video?

LinkedIn itself is actively encouraging native video content with clear signals that the platform wants to promote video creators. In fact, just before this interview, LinkedIn expert Louise Brogan received an email from LinkedIn telling her that her next post should be a video.

Typically, when social media platforms want to encourage specific content types, they boost that content's visibility when users post it.

Beyond the Linkedin algorithm advantages, LinkedIn native video marketing creates a powerful human connection that text alone simply cannot match. When you appear on camera, your audience can see your facial expressions, hear your tone of voice, and connect with you as a person. These human elements accelerate relationship-building with your audience.

Video also offers a significant opportunity to differentiate yourself on LinkedIn. While the platform has traditionally been text-focused, the widespread adoption of AI for content creation has led to a flood of AI-generated written posts. Video content remains distinctly human in an increasingly AI-dominated content landscape.

The Strategic Benefits of LinkedIn Video

The impact of strategic video content on LinkedIn can be substantial. Brogan shares examples of clients who have achieved remarkable results:

A PowerPoint design consultant, Fiona Walsh, recorded twelve instructional videos in just half a day. After posting these videos, she was invited to speak at a conference in Europe based solely on the visibility gained from her LinkedIn videos. This exposure also led to significant business opportunities, including a €10,000 contract with a company that discovered her through her video content.

For business pages, Brogan notes that video content consistently outperforms other content types. One client's LinkedIn company page analytics showed significantly higher engagement rates for video posts compared to text-only updates.

A motorcycle company apprenticeship trainer created four videos about his journey and the value of apprenticeship programs. These authentic, story-based videos became the company's best performing content of the year, effectively promoting their apprenticeship initiatives while establishing thought leadership in this area.

What To Consider Before Using Video on LinkedIn

Before hitting record, Brogan emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation. This foundational work is essential for creating video content that resonates with your audience and achieves your business objectives.

Think Like a Thought Leader

When planning your LinkedIn video strategy, adopt a thought leadership mindset. Focus on sharing valuable insights, expertise, and perspectives that position you or your team members as authorities in your field.

For example, Brogan's PowerPoint design client created videos sharing tips and best practices for slide design. These videos established her as an expert in her niche, attracting both peers in her industry and potential clients seeking her expertise.

Similarly, her apprenticeship trainer client shared his journey from apprentice to trainer, providing valuable insights about apprenticeship programs from both the apprentice's and the company's perspectives. This authentic storytelling positioned both him and his company as thought leaders in the apprenticeship space.

Identify Who Will Appear on Camera

For company accounts, consider which team members would be most effective on camera. This person might be the CEO, but often, subject matter experts within the organization can be even more compelling. Look for people who:

Have specific expertise in areas relevant to your audience
Can communicate naturally and authentically on camera
Represent the values and mission of your organization
Have stories and experiences that would resonate with your audience

If you're a solopreneur or representing your personal brand, you'll likely be the one on camera. In either case, Brogan emphasizes that authenticity is more important than polished performance skills.

Consider Your Content Types and Stories

Before recording, think about the types of content that would provide value to your audience while highlighting your expertise. Possibilities include:

Behind-the-scenes looks at your business operations
Educational content showcasing your expertise
Customer success stories
Product demonstrations
Industry insights and analysis
Personal journey stories that relate to your professional expertise

For product-based businesses, Brogan suggests simple behind-the-scenes content: “You could literally do a walk around in your factory or your warehouse and show people behind the scenes because people love that human connection, and we're nosy.”

One of Brogan's clients, Port City Signs, created videos showing its process from design concept through production to installation. These videos, which simply documented their everyday work, became their most popular content because they satisfied viewers' natural curiosity about how things are made.

The PREP Framework for Creating LinkedIn Video

Brogan has developed a comprehensive framework called PREP to guide the creation of effective LinkedIn videos:

Plan your content
Record your video
Edit for clarity and impact
Publish and repurpose

Let's explore each step in detail.

#1: Plan: Crafting Your Message and Strategy

The planning stage lays the foundation for successful video content. This involves determining your video's purpose, target audience, key messages, and call to action.

Brogan recommends structuring your LinkedIn videos with these key elements:

Start With a Hook: Begin with an attention-grabbing statement or question that immediately interests viewers. Your hook is crucial because capturing and holding an audience's attention on social media is increasingly difficult, which is why LinkedIn recommends keeping videos under two minutes.

Tell a Story or Share Insights: The main body of your video should deliver value through storytelling or information sharing. Brogan notes, “If you can tell a story or share some data or insights into your industry, I find that works really, really well with people.”

For example, a strengths coach might open with a fact about specific strengths and then share a story about how a client leveraged those strengths to overcome a workplace challenge.

End With a Call to Action: Every video should conclude by directing viewers to take a specific next step. The CTA might be as simple as “Follow me for more content like this” or something more specific like “Check out the guide in my featured section” or “Message me for the free download mentioned in this video.”

Rather than creating stand-alone videos, consider developing a series of related videos around a central theme. This approach encourages viewers to return for subsequent content and creates a more comprehensive resource on your chosen topic.

For example, VPS created a series of nine videos on employee engagement, with each one addressing a different aspect of the topic. This approach allowed for in-depth exploration while keeping individual videos concise and focused.

#2: Record: Creating Quality Video Content

When it comes to recording, Brogan emphasizes that you don't need professional equipment to create effective LinkedIn videos. However, attention to a few key factors can significantly improve quality.

While LinkedIn itself gives somewhat conflicting advice—in some cases suggesting that all you need is a phone camera and good lighting, while in other instances recommending more elaborate setups—Brogan recommends focusing on these essentials:

Good Lighting: Aim for light on your face, preferably natural light from a window.
Clear Audio: Invest in a decent microphone for better sound quality. “Having a clear audio really helps,” Brogan emphasizes.
Stable Camera Position: Ensure your camera or phone is securely positioned.

Brogan uses StreamYard for remote recording sessions with clients, which offers several advantages.

It allows for interviewer-interviewee setups, making subjects more comfortable by giving them someone to talk to rather than just a camera; records high-quality video that can be easily edited later; captures separate audio and video tracks for more flexible editing.

“A lot of my clients aren't going to go out and invest in proper lighting and everything, and that's absolutely fine,” notes Brogan. The focus should be on authentic content rather than perfect production quality.

For those recording on their own, Brogan suggests:

Having another person off-camera to ask questions to make the recording feel more conversational.
Using a teleprompter app if needed for script reading
Placing reminders near your camera (like a post-it note saying, “Look into the camera lens”)
Ensuring a quiet environment by turning off fans and closing windows to minimize background noise

Brogan notes that many people feel nervous about appearing on video and shares her tips for making subjects more comfortable:

Conduct a pre-recording conversation to help them prepare
Assure them that mistakes can be edited out later
Have them talk to a real person rather than directly to the camera
Break the recording into manageable segments rather than trying to capture everything in one take

#3: Edit: Refining Your Video for Maximum Impact

Editing transforms raw footage into polished, engaging content. LinkedIn recommends keeping your videos under two minutes, and Brogan suggests aiming for a video length of 60-90 seconds. This length is more likely to maintain viewer attention and increase the chances of complete views, which benefits your content's visibility.

She recommends Descript as an accessible tool to edit videos, especially for those without raw video editing experience.

Descript converts your video into a text transcript, allowing you to edit the video by simply editing the text. This approach makes video editing as intuitive as editing a document:

Upload your video to Descript
Wait for the AI to generate a transcript (usually takes about a minute)
Edit the transcript by selecting and removing unwanted sections
Create compositions (separate video clips) from your selections

Descript's AI capabilities enable several helpful functions.

The Clean Up Audio feature has light, medium, or heavy settings to automatically remove filler words, repeated phrases, and mistakes.

The Create Social Clips feature generates multiple short clips from longer recordings, with options for different aspect ratios for landscape or portrait clips. LinkedIn increasingly promotes vertical video formats, similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels. This vertical format appears prominently in the dedicated video tab on mobile devices (currently available in the United States and expanding to other regions).

The Add Captions feature generates and edits captions to ensure accuracy.

Brogan strongly recommends burning captions directly onto your videos rather than relying on LinkedIn's auto-caption feature. This ensures that captions appear for all viewers, regardless of their personal settings. Adding custom captions is particularly important because:

Many people watch videos with the sound off.
Viewers may speak different languages or have different accents.
AI auto-captions often misinterpret words, especially with non-American accents.

#4: Publish: Maximizing the Value of Your Video Content

The final stage of the PREP framework involves not just posting your video but strategically leveraging it to create additional content.

When publishing your video on LinkedIn, consider these recommendations:

Schedule Strategically: Use LinkedIn's native scheduling feature to post at optimal times for your audience.
Write Compelling Accompanying Text: Create a text post that opens with a strong hook (ideally one line), highlights key points from the video, and includes a clear call to action.
Be Careful With Links: LinkedIn's algorithm tends to limit the reach of posts containing external links. Instead of including a link in your post, Brogan suggests directing people to your featured section or inviting them to message you directly for resources.

Google’s Zanele Matlala is the YouTube lead for Africa who plans and optimises end-to-end video solutions for marketing teams across the region. Eunice Worifah is a principal analytical lead at Google, based in New York City, where she partners with leading brands to unlock growth through data-driven marketing strategies and advanced measurement solutions. She recently shared her insights around improving media effectiveness and measurement maturity with some of sub-Saharan Africa’s brands and marketing executives at an event in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The traditional marketing funnel is one-dimensional. Marketers work to move consumers down the stages of awareness, consideration, and conversion. However, this process inadequately accounts for the new set of consumer journey behaviours — streaming, scrolling, searching, shopping — that make video the crux of any successful full-funnel marketing strategy.
These video-centric behaviours are fundamentally changing how consumers shop and digest digital content. Video is so powerful that 76% of South Africans say YouTube helps them decide what to buy.¹
Today, full-funnel video marketing is more informed, strategic and trainable in the era of media effectiveness. However, there has been a historical lack of awareness around what makes a profitable full-funnel strategy, partly due to rapidly changing technology and consumer behaviour.
Here’s how top marketers implement media effectiveness and full-funnel video marketing into a blended strategy:
CMOs, here’s why video is a marketer’s full-funnel hero
Seventy-eight percent of South Africans say YouTube is TV,² showing how penetrable video is across media and marketing consumption. For marketers, this insight is invaluable. It presents brands with the opportunity to meet them where they are and develop platform-specific content instead of shooting in the dark with mass dissemination.
Makro, a grocery retailer in sub-Saharan Africa, took that opportunity to heart with a full-funnel video campaign using Demand Gen to drive awareness and YouTube Shorts to increase consideration. Makro improved across the funnel, including a 41% increase in video watch-time, 8% higher conversions, and a 20% increase in revenue value; meaning it brought in more profitable conversions.

Video marketing also presents CMOs and their teams with the ability to measure how ads and broader campaigns are contributing to their marketing objectives. Performance is ingrained into the platform at every stage of the marketing funnel. In fact, YouTube extends reach by fueling 18% more search demand.³
This allows businesses to move consumers down the funnel towards conversions, without the fog that has previously dimmed marketing’s contribution to growth and profit.
Baking media effectiveness into your full-funnel video strategy
The power of your video marketing strategy is only as good as your media effectiveness maturity. Effective brand measurement involves metrics that sit within three pillars: quantity, quality, and outcomes.
Quantity: This is all about reach and efficiency. Is your message reaching a wide enough audience of people with the potential to become customers? This is about creating ads, such as in a Video Reach Campaign, that reach enough of the right people.
Quality: The quality of your message affects the performance of your campaign. Are you improving brand recall and brand awareness? Are consumers moving down the funnel? By remarketing to people who’ve already engaged with your content, you can improve brand recall and consideration.
Outcomes: Do your marketing efforts meet your business goals? In other words, is your chosen conversion metric, such as sales or leads, being met? Travelstart, a flights and holiday booking platform in sub-Saharan Africa, set the example of connecting their business goals to their marketing objectives. By refocused their marketing towards performance, it saw a 50% increase in revenue per booking.
Quantity benchmarks may include views, on-target reach, and frequency. Quality benchmarks may include video completion rate, brand lift, search lift . Lastly, outcomes involve business drivers such as leads, cost-per acquisition (CPA), or return-on-ad-spend (ROAS).
Measurement tools to optimise your video marketing strategy
Each funnel step has measurement tools and features to support implementing the three pillars.
For the upper and mid-funnel stages: Awareness and consideration
Incrementality testing: Search Lift studies give you the percentage increase of people who searched for your brand or product after seeing your ad. This is key to understanding the influence of an ad. It gives three-dimensional value to a static metric like reach, which simply tells you how many people saw your ad and not how they behaved after.
Experimentation: Video experiments measure which version of an ad resonated best with your chosen audience. This takes the guesswork out of deciding which creative went furthest to achieve your marketing objective.
Remarketing lists: By tracking interactions from engaged users who have already watched your video ad, you can create remarketing lists to retarget them. This increases brand recall by keeping your brand top of mind and maximises the effectiveness of each ad.
For the lower-funnel stage: Conversion
Data-driven attribution: When consumers go on complicated journeys to make a purchase, being unable to assign which ad helped make the purchase weakens your media effectiveness strategy. Data-driven attribution looks at every interaction along a singular shopper’s journey to tell you which keyword, platform, interaction, or type of creative led to a sale. Data-driven attribution is enhanced when paired with Google Analytics.
Incrementality testing: Conversion Lift studies are a type of incrementality testing that measure how many conversions, such as online sales, came directly from your ad. This helps optimise budgets to campaigns that are leading to conversions over ones that aren’t. Consider using Conversion Lift when users are closer to your primary conversion action such as in the lower-consideration or conversion stages through Demand Gen and Performance Max campaigns.
Conversion Tracking Tags: This is a tracking tool that helps capture the revenue value of each conversion — not just the fact that it happened. It also helps with cross-channel attribution. For example, if a person saw your video ad on YouTube but converted through a Search ad, Floodlight captures this information. This allows you to measure which ad led to meeting your business goals.
Mastering full-funnel video starts with testing and learning
It’s clear that media effectiveness does not have to be a murky concept shrouded in confusion. And a culture of testing is key to this success: advertisers who experiment at least 15 times a year saw a 30% increase in performance in that year, followed by a 45% increase the following year.⁴
Start your full-funnel video journey by mixing and matching creatives with different audiences in a cyclical fashion to foster improved marketing and measurement maturity.

An AI video ad is making a splash. Is it the future of advertising?

Bill Chappell — Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:46:08 +0000

In just 30 seconds, the video sprints from one unlikely scenario to another: a pot-bellied partier cradles a Chihuahua; a bride flees police on a golf cart; a farmer luxuriates in a pool full of eggs. Oddball details fill the screen, like a sign reading "Fresh Manatee."

"Kalshi hired me to make the most unhinged NBA Finals commercial possible," the video's creator, P.J. Accetturo, said on X.

The Kalshi ad had a high-profile debut, appearing in the YouTube TV stream of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 11. That placement, and the over-the-top content, might suggest weeks of work by a team of ad agency creatives, film crews and actors at far-flung locations. But Accetturo says he used AI tools instead, taking just two days to create an ad whose tone flits between internet memes and Grand Theft Auto.

One week after its streaming debut, the video also racked up more than 3 million views on Kalshi's X account. It's also raising questions about how AI might reshape advertising budgets.

"We are incredibly pleased with the outcome and effectiveness of the ad so far," Kalshi media representative Jack Such told NPR. "It has generated a lot of buzz on social media."

Accetturo, an advertising veteran, says AI will be a big part of the industry's future. Experts who spoke to NPR tend to agree, even if they're not yet sure how much the technology might displace jobs.

Like earlier advances, AI "will lower the entry barrier for some of the smaller brands" who can't afford a traditional video ad campaign, according to Alok Saboo, a professor of marketing at Georgia State University.

An AI ad that's a good fit for its subject

Kalshi describes itself as a "prediction market," but its similarity to betting platforms has drawn scrutiny from gambling regulators. In the ad, Kalshi users shout their picks for who will win the NBA title: Oklahoma City or Indiana.

The ad's tone and placement make sense to marketing analyst Debra Aho Williamson — although she admits that, not having heard of Kalshi before, it took multiple views to decipher just what was being advertised.

"Once I figured it out, I was like, OK, this is perfect," says Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights, a Seattle-based research and advisory service that focuses on artificial intelligence.

"You in 30 seconds showed multiple ways that you can wager on just everyday things," along with the excitement of rabid fan bases, she says of the ad.

A similar video featuring human actors could have captured the same energy, she says — "but because they did it with AI, they're getting a lot of attention."

How can AI make a wild video ad?

The process began with Kalshi giving Accetturo a list of themes, ideas and bits of dialogue, Such says. He then turned those concepts into a script and AI prompts — the instructions that tell AI systems what kind of content to generate.

Accetturo shared many of his prompts and revisions online, explaining how he used Google's Veo 3 AI video generator to create the ad. In a tweet, Accetturo said he also employed AI to help create the script, citing products from Google and Open AI.

"I co-write with Gemini (or ChatGPT) asking it for ideas, picking the best ones, and shaping them into a simple script," he wrote. He uses Gemini to convert the script into a detailed, shot-by-shot prompt for Veo 3. If the resulting video isn't what he's looking for, he puts the prompt back into Gemini, and asks for changes until he's satisfied with the AI-created footage.

The next step is to use video editing software to arrange each of the video clips together and add music.

"This took about 300–400 generations to get 15 usable clips," Accetturo said. He added, "Just because this was cheap doesn't mean anyone can do it."

So, how much did the AI ad cost?

Accetturo says the Kalshi ad ran alongside spots that likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and months to produce, while his ad took two days, and cost much less.

Kalshi's Jack Such declined to disclose Accetturo's fee for creating the ad. But, he added, "the actual cost of prompting the AI — what is being used in lieu of studios, directors, actors, etc. — was under $2,000."

Then there's "media time," the price marketers pay to get the ad in front of viewers. But as production costs fall, so does the price of experimentation.

"To me, I think the economics come down to just being able to execute more quickly and more economically, multiple types of ads, just try things," Williamson says. "I mean, why wouldn't an advertiser want to just put a few concepts out? Try them with a small group of people, see if it works. And if it doesn't, then move on.

"That to me, I think is the way of the future."

How might AI change advertising?

Both Williamson and Saboo compare the buzz around AI to the hype that CGI effects once enjoyed. And they note that this isn't the first AI ad to run during a big event. But previous attempts, like Coca-Cola's revamping of a classic ad, fell flat. Williamson points to a study she was involved in last year that found young people seem skeptical of AI.

"When we asked [Gen-Z and millennial] consumers in August of last year, how positively do you feel about ads generated with AI, only 48% said that they felt positively towards AI-generated advertising," she says.

As for how today's marketing students see AI, Saboo says it's a mixed picture.

"The students on one hand are using these tools to improve whatever they are doing," Saboo says. "But as they move into the workforce, they are constantly being reminded of them having to compete with these tools. We like to tell them that in the end, whether they like it or not, they have to be good at them. They have to eventually think of [AI] as an extended version of Google or computers, or any of the tools that came before."

Williamson says that by sharing how he uses AI, Accetturo is helping to demystify a new and developing technology.

"I really applaud him for being as open about his methodology and how he was able to create the ad," she says. "Because I think everybody can learn from that. Consumers can learn, but then the advertising industry can learn, too."

In addition to lowering production costs, Saboo predicts AI will make it cheaper for marketers to personalize ads to target specific locations and audiences.

"You may see a different version of the ad than I can see," he says.

Asked about Kalshi's future plans, Such says the company wants to use AI in future advertising campaigns — but, he adds, "we will not completely abandon more traditional forms."

As Saboo puts it, "in the end, humans want to connect with humans."

Why Mobile Content Drives Sales: An Analysis of Today’s Customer Decision Journey

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:11:36 +0000

Have you ever made a purchase after seeing a social media ad? What about after reading a blog post, or getting a promotional email? If you answered “yes” to any of these scenarios, you’re a digital consumer, and this article is all about you and your online habits.

Unfortunately, many businesses are stuck in a traditional mindset when it comes to their understanding of the customer decision journey. Too often, their approaches to reaching customers are outdated and rely on face-to-face interactions that are hard to come by in the age of the Internet. After reading this article, hopefully those businesses will see the error of their ways. Let’s get started!

The Sales Funnel

Traditionally, the customer decision journey has been presented as a funnel. Consumers move linearly from one stage to the next, following a set of predetermined steps that your business has decided will lead to purchase.

This made a lot of sense in years past—a prospective customer might see a catalog for your product, call and ask a few questions, come see the product in-store, and then make a purchase. The potential steps in the consideration process were limited, simply because there were only so many ways to acquire information about a product or service.

Today, that’s obviously not the case. Consumers are more digitally-connected than ever before, and smartphones provide access to a wealth of information that was previously unheard of.

The Customer Journey Map

One implication of this digital shift is that the customer decision journey doesn’t always fit into the traditional funnel anymore. A model that has taken its place is the “customer journey map” which is a more flexible, less linear option. It takes into account the fact that prospective customers jump around the sales funnel, skipping ahead and then cycling back to fit their needs at any given moment.

The graphic below gives an example of a customer journey map. You can see how there are many, many avenues for a consumer to enter the sales process, and the pathway to making a purchase is much less obvious.

Source: BrightVessel

Mobile Makes More Touchpoints Possible

Smartphones, for their part, have completely altered the tasks that are included in these customer journey maps. Mobile devices are increasingly critical in the purchase decision. There are all kinds of statistics to support this shift, but here are a few of the most striking. One study found that one-third of people now make their purchasing decisions exclusively on mobile, meaning that they never conduct a search on a desktop device, make a phone call, or show up in-store.

Google’s research found that 56% of people who research on mobile devices make up their minds quickly, making a purchasing within just one hour. Google also found that mobile searches are critical even for people who still purchase in-store, with 82% of smartphone users reporting that they consult their phones for purchases they’re about to make in a physical location.

Finally, mobile e-commerce has been steadily increasing its share of total e-commerce. The graphic below from Statista (using eMarketer data) illustrates the fact that mobile e-commerce is expected to exceed $710 billion by 2025, up more than 60% compared to 2019.

Source: Statista

The Mobile + AI‑Search Effect: Transforming the Customer Journey

The rise of AI‑driven search tools (like Google’s Generative AI and mobile assistants) has turbocharged the mobile impact on customer journeys. No longer is mobile just a convenient access point—it’s evolving into a first‑stop, comprehensive knowledge hub for users seeking instant answers. Instead of broad “awareness” and “discovery” stages, many consumers now use AI‑powered mobile search with queries like “Best waterproof blender under $100 near me” or “What lens should I use for landscape photography?” They expect direct, curated product recommendations complete with key benefits, pros/cons, and even local availability within seconds. This expectation significantly shortens the traditional decision funnel.

From Passive Browsing to Active Sourcing

Mobile users increasingly rely on AI‑enhanced search engines and chatbots that integrate data from e‑commerce listings, reviews, and social media. The immediacy of this approach has transformed pre‑purchase behavior. What once required multiple searches, deep page dives, or switching between apps now happens in a single conversational interaction. If a brand’s content isn’t structured for succinct answers (such as FAQs, product attributes, or local stock info with schema markup), it may be filtered out entirely from purchase consideration.

Bridging the Gap Between Online and Offline

When users research via mobile, they often prioritize near‑me inventory, price comparisons, and availability. AI search tools surface “in stock nearby” data, prompting immediate foot traffic or clicks—drastically compressing the path-to-purchase. A local retailer or business that fails to feature optimized store‑level content (e.g., “in-stock” feeds, click-to-call, business hours) risks being bypassed altogether by consumers seeking fast solutions.

Implications for Content & Sales Strategy

To thrive in this landscape, brands need to leap from static mobile pages to mobile‑first, AI‑optimized contentecosystems:

FAQ Schema & Structured Data: Enables AI engines to surface your product as the top short‑form answer.
Chat‑enabled Micro‑experiences: Integrate mobile chatbots that field queries and direct users to product pages, store info, or conversion pathways.
Real‑Time Localized Content: Maintain updated inventory feeds and location‑specific pages so that “near me” queries surface accurate, timely results.

In sum, mobile is no longer just a screen; it’s a real‑time decision accelerator. With AI search underpinning user behavior, your content needs to serve up immediate answers, guide users via structured responses, and bridge seamlessly to conversion.

Understand Your Touchpoints and Optimize for Mobile

So, what does this mean for today’s businesses? There are two main takeaways that we’d like to highlight. First, understanding the different touchpoints in the mobile sales journey is critical. In today’s digital landscape, you need to know all the different locations your customers are seeking out information online, on top of all the ways you deliberately communicate with them (email campaigns, targeted ads, your website’s blog, etc.).

The beauty of the customer journey map is that the process of transitioning your existing funnel to a map forces you to consider all those mobile sales touchpoints, and the desktop and physical touchpoints that you might be more used to prioritizing. You also have to notice the ways they interact and overlap, which is hugely important.

With non-linear purchasing patterns, your customers could need a variety of types of information at any given touchpoint. For example, one person on the FAQ page of your website may have just found out that your company existed, while another might be seconds away from making a purchase. Your content needs to satisfy both of those people.

When you go to create content for these channels, your map will help guide the messaging you choose to employ. You’ll have more of an understanding about how to align your content to what your audience needs at any given moment.

Our second key takeaway is that this digital shift means that all of your content needs to be optimized for mobile devices. This is an absolute must. If your audience is browsing on mobile devices, but they can’t see half of your content, or the formatting goes away, or the pages take 10x longer to load, they’re going to miss out on the great information you’ve curated for them.

What’s more, search engines are increasingly prioritizing mobile content in the algorithms that rank your site. Ensuring that your content is equally optimized for both desktop and mobile devices alleviates these potential problems from arising.

With your new-and-improved customer journey map and these two key takeaways, you’re sure to see the impact that mobile can have for your business.

Need Help Creating Mobile Content That Drives Sales?

Lemonlight is your best bet. Our video content is known to engage customers throughout the customer decision journey and deliver results that keep our clients coming back. Having produced over 16,000 videos across a wide range of industries, we’re confident we can work together to build assets for a successful mobile video marketing campaign. Get started by contacting one of our creative producers below.

Facebook Video Marketing: How to Reach More Viewers?

Chris Bates — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 06:21:13 +0000

I have been working with Facebook video for clients since 2016, and wow, has the landscape changed! Facebook remains the undisputed heavyweight for video marketing in 2025, with its massive user base of 3+ billions active users. No other platform offers this reach.

Numbers don't lie – videos rack up 8 billion daily views on Facebook. That's a billion with a B! My clients are constantly shocked when I share this stat. It's why I push video so hard in their marketing plans.

Here's something that surprised me when I started analyzing client data: a whopping 85% of Facebook users watch videos silently. This completely changed how I approach video creation now, making visuals and captions absolute must-haves.

The clincher for my skeptical clients? Video ads consistently pull double the clicks of static images. That engagement boost alone justifies the extra production effort.

Types of Facebook Videos That Perform Best

I have tested dozens of video formats with my clients, and certain types consistently outshine the rest. What works best varies by business goals, but there's a clear pattern in the data.

From my experience, UGC (user-generated content) wins the authenticity battle every time. Nothing beats real customers genuinely excited about your product. I have watched engagement triple for brands that switched from polished production to authentic customer videos. One of the easiest ways to improve your Facebook views is by purchasing from SocialPlug.

1. Product Showcase Videos

I always tell clients that product showcases are essential, especially for e-commerce. These videos are your digital showroom.

People won't buy what they can't properly see or understand. I have had clients boost conversion rates by simply showing their products from multiple angles with clear demonstrations.

I found that good product videos directly address the main objection to online shopping: "But what if it's not what I expect?" They show real dimensions, materials, and functionality – things static images simply can't convey.

2. Behind-the-Scenes Content

My favorite strategy lately has been behind-the-scenes videos. They humanize brands instantly.

I had a client in the clothing industry who started showing their design process and ethical manufacturing. Their engagement shot up because people connected with the real humans making their clothes.

I have noticed Facebook's algorithm loves authentic content. In my testing, these unpolished, genuine videos consistently reach more people than highly produced commercial content.

3. Tutorial Videos

Nothing says we're experts quite like a helpful tutorial. They've become my go-to for establishing client authority. For complex products, tutorials are absolute gold. I worked with a tech gadget company whose returns dropped 30% after we created simple how-to videos.

The trick I have learned is keeping tutorials simple and digestible. When we break complex processes into clear steps, viewers actually watch to completion and remember the content.

Technical Best Practices for Facebook Video

After managing hundreds of campaigns, I have identified technical factors that dramatically impact performance. These aren't just theoretical tips – they're proven tactics from real campaign data.

1. Mobile-First Format Optimization

The data from my campaigns is crystal clear: 65% of Facebook video views happen on mobile. This isn't just a stat – it completely changes how I approach video creation.

When I analyzed smartphone usage patterns, I found that 94% of users hold their phones vertically. This is why I now shoot all client videos in portrait orientation (9:16 ratio) first, then adapt for other formats if needed.

The difference in engagement is striking. Vertical videos simply take up more screen real estate, creating a more immersive experience that keeps viewers watching longer.

2. Hook Viewers in the First Few Seconds

I have watched thousands of video analytics reports, and the pattern is clear: you have 2-4 seconds before someone scrolls past. That tiny window determines success or failure.

Facebook's autoplay feature actually makes this more challenging. Videos start playing as users scroll, but without sound. You can't rely on powerful narration or music to grab attention.

My most successful client videos use pattern interrupts – visual surprises, on-screen questions, or immediately showing a relatable problem. Anything that makes thumbs stop scrolling.

3. Caption All Videos

The revelation that changed my video strategy forever: 85% of Facebook videos play without sound. This isn't optional information – it's essential to success.

I now insist all client videos include captions. In A/B testing, captioned videos consistently outperform non-captioned ones across every metric.

While Facebook offers auto-captioning, I have found it's worth paying for professional captioning. AI captions often contain errors that make your brand look careless. The small expense pays big dividends in viewer retention.

Strategic Approaches to Facebook Video Marketing

Beyond technical specs, I have developed strategic frameworks that consistently deliver results. These approaches connect creative content directly to business outcomes.

1. The "Aha" Moment Segmentation Technique

I stumbled onto this technique by accident, but it's transformed my approach to video marketing. The "aha" moment is when viewers truly "get" your value proposition – that critical turning point in every successful video.

I start by mapping where this moment occurs in our videos. For a recent client, it happened around the 36-second mark of a 56-second video – roughly 64% through.

This insight lets me build custom audience segments based on whether viewers reached this threshold. The difference in conversion rates between these segments is dramatic – often 5x higher for those who've seen the "aha" moment.

2. Create Videos for Each Funnel Stage

I once made the mistake of using the same video content throughout the customer journey. The results were mediocre at best.

Now I create stage-specific video content. Top-funnel videos focus on broad problems and entertainment value, introducing the brand without hard selling.

Mid-funnel videos highlight what makes my clients different, directly addressing comparison shoppers who are weighing options.

Bottom-funnel content goes in for the close with strong CTAs and specific offers. The specificity is crucial – these videos need to eliminate final purchase hesitations.

3. Optimal Video Length Strategy

Facebook allows videos up to 240 minutes, but my testing shows brevity wins nearly every time.

For feed videos, I have found the sweet spot is 15-60 seconds. Anything longer sees dramatic drop-offs in completion rates.

Stories need to be even tighter – 15 seconds max per segment. Facebook automatically chunks longer Stories, but viewer retention plummets with each segment.

Campaign Optimization Techniques

Creating great videos is only half the battle. I have learned that how you deploy them determines ultimate success or failure.

1. Choose the Right Campaign Objective

I wasted thousands in ad spend before realizing this crucial fact: the campaign objective you select fundamentally changes how Facebook displays your videos.

Video views campaigns maximize viewership at the lowest cost. I use these for awareness goals when reach matters most.

Conversion campaigns optimize for purchases or sign-ups. They reach fewer people but drive specific actions. The higher CPM is justified by actual business outcomes.

Brand awareness campaigns optimize for recall. These are measured through surveys and engagement patterns, reaching those most likely to remember your brand long-term.

2. Leverage Video View Audiences

The most underutilized Facebook feature I have found is retargeting based on video engagement. It creates incredibly responsive audience segments.

I build custom audiences from people who've watched specific percentages of client videos. The sweet spots are typically 25%, 50%, 75%, and 95% completion.

The conversion rates for these segments consistently outperform cold audiences. They've self-selected by demonstrating interest in your content, creating a natural qualification mechanism.

3. Testing Creative Variables

My biggest campaign breakthroughs have come from systematic testing of video elements. Small tweaks often yield shocking performance differences.

I test one variable at a time for clear insights. Opening hooks, on-screen text, music, and CTAs are the elements with the greatest impact in my experience.

Facebook's A/B testing tools make this process straightforward. They automatically distribute traffic and measure performance differences, taking the guesswork out of optimization.

Future Trends in Facebook Video Marketing

After a decade in social media marketing, I have gotten pretty good at spotting emerging trends. Here's where I see Facebook video heading in the coming months.

Google is rolling out new tools to create dynamic video ads, optimize listings, and manage brand content — all in one streamlined platform.

Four new AI-powered updates aimed at supercharging how brands create content, capture attention, and convert clicks to customers, all through smarter automation and immersive visuals, were unveiled at Google Marketing Live 2025.

1. Next-gen creatives: Lights, camera, Veo

Google is upgrading its creative suite with cinematic AI tools:

Image-to-video transformation, now powered by the company’s Veo model (recently demoed at I/O), lets advertisers convert still product shots into motion-driven visuals. It’s live in Merchant Center and coming soon to Google Ads.
AI outpainting, the same tech used to expand “The Wizard of Oz” visuals at Las Vegas’ Sphere, now allows marketers to extend the frame of existing videos, making them feel larger-than-life. This is available in App campaigns and rolling out more broadly by year-end.

Bottom line. All creative tools are being centralized into a new Asset Studio, a Google Ads workspace where marketers can access image and video generation features, test formats, and generate on-brand visuals, including lifelike scenes of products in use.

2. Smarter listings, smarter campaigns

Google’s Product Studio is getting a proactive AI boost.

A new feature called “generated for you” analyzes real-time trends to suggest campaign ideas, optimized titles, and relevant product offers. This is meant to give merchants a creative jump-start.
It builds on Product Studio’s existing tools for background removal, upscaling, lifestyle scene generation, and video creation.

Bottom line. Merchants get help with visuals and ideas that align with what’s trending across Google.

3. Reimagining the brand hub

Merchant Center is evolving into more than just a listing tool. It’s becoming a brand and content HQ:

Retailers can now claim and customize brand profiles on Search, complete with curated images, updated videos, and refreshed product descriptions.
Later this year, new video management tools will help brands centralize video content from across their site, YouTube, and social media, while AI suggests ways to tailor that content for promotions and seasonal moments.

Bottom line. Google says this will enable seamless content syncing between platforms, tightening the feedback loop between storytelling and sales.

4. Shoppable video ads at scale

Google is testing immersive video ad formats that blend storytelling with shopping.

Currently piloting in the U.S., these interactive video ads allow users to watch, listen, and shop directly from the content. Think product discovery that feels more like TikTok than traditional search.

Bottom line. Google is stepping up its game to become a true TikTok alternative.

Why we care. With billions of products competing for attention online, Google’s latest tools are designed to help marketers tell richer stories, shape brand identity, and reach shoppers with next-level creative — all with a heavy dose of generative AI.

What to watch: As Google weaves AI deeper into every layer of the shopping journey, expect more tools that blur the line between content creation and commerce.

Video Marketing Statistics By Usage, Social Media, Consumption And Facts (2025)

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 06:04:28 +0000

Introduction

Video Marketing Statistics: Video marketing has emerged as a cornerstone of digital strategies, leveraging the power of visual content to engage audiences and drive business growth. As video consumption continues to rise, companies across various industries increasingly adopt video as a critical component of their marketing efforts. The statistics surrounding video marketing reflect its growing influence, with metrics highlighting the effectiveness of different video formats, audience preferences, and the impact on consumer behavior.

From how-to guides to thought leadership pieces, video marketing is an essential tool for brands looking to connect more dynamically and impactfully with their target audiences.

Editor’s Choice

A significant 68% of marketers needing to incorporate video into their strategies intend to begin utilizing this medium in 2024.
Video marketing continues to be a cornerstone of the digital sphere, adopted by more than 90% of enterprises.
In the same year, adoption is poised for significant growth, with nearly 70% of current non-users intending to incorporate video into their strategies.
Around 85% of video marketers are poised to either sustain or escalate their investment in video content throughout 2024.
69% of marketers have allocated a budget towards video advertising, while the remaining 31% have opted to depend solely on organic reach.
Nearly half of marketers (49%) perceive an upward trend in video marketing costs, contrasted with 29% who observe a decline in expenses.
General Video Marketing Statistics: 21% of marketers perceive that the expenses associated with video marketing remain relatively stable.
90% of marketers report that video marketing has yielded a substantial return on investment, underscoring its effectiveness as a strategic tool in their campaigns.
A substantial 88% of marketers utilizing video content report that it has significantly enhanced user comprehension of their offerings.
In the current year, approximately 86% of video marketers report that utilizing video content has significantly boosted their website traffic.

General Video Marketing Statistics

A majority of video marketers, around 87%, attribute video content to enhancing their lead-generation efforts.
Meanwhile, 87% of marketers report a direct boost in sales attributable to the strategic use of video content.
82% of digital marketers report that utilizing video content has effectively prolonged visitor engagement on their websites.
On the other hand, 66% of marketers specializing in video reports said that utilizing this medium has significantly decreased support inquiries, marking an all-time high and reflecting a notable 13% increase from the previous year.
As per Video Marketing Statistics 2024, around 91% of individuals have engaged with an explainer video to gain a deeper understanding of a product or service.
After watching a video, almost 82% of people were convinced to buy a service or product.
What Is Long-Form Video Content?
How long is long-form, anyway? Different platforms place the distinction between long and short-form videos at different points. For instance, YouTube Shorts can now be up to 3 minutes long. But if you asked a typical TikTok user whether they’d consider a three-minute video short, they’d look at you like you’ve lost your marbles.

In short (no pun intended), there is no clear definition of long-form and short-form video content. I like to look at it this way – if it makes more sense to measure it in seconds, it’s short. If you measure it in minutes, it’s long. In more concrete terms, anything up to 90 seconds would be considered a short-form video.

You Might Also Like: Your Shortcut to Short-Form Video Advertising Success

Long-Form Video Statistics

As I already mentioned, long-form video content doesn’t have much going for it statistically. Shorter videos have better view-through rates, are more likely to go viral, and are generally the preferred format among viewers. In fact, according to Yagura, over 70% of consumers prefer short videos when looking for information on products and services.

But once you look beyond the mere statistics, things take on a different dimension. For example, Wistia noted that videos between 30 and 60 minutes convert the most viewers. As they explained, the most likely reason for this is the fact that longer videos attract people who are actually interested, rather than your average doom-scrolling user.

Needless to say, most statistics that put short-form content on a pedestal really look at videos as mere marketing tools, and don’t take into account content for content’s sake. Because once streaming services come into play, the numbers look much different.

The number of users on SVOD services, which have traditionally been long-form-focused, has been growing steadily. Predictions indicate that the user penetration rate will exceed 20% by 2029, amounting to 1.7 billion worldwide users. In other words, users still watch and enjoy longer content formats far and wide.

Recently, there has been talk of a rising trend of short-form video content on OTT streaming services. However, this context typically defines short-form as videos under 10 minutes.

When and How to Use Long-Form Videos

Now that we’ve established what long-form video content is (as much as possible), let’s take a closer look at the best ways for publishers to use it.

Long-Form Videos in Marketing

Digital marketing is the main culprit behind long-form content’s declining reputation. And not for no reason. It is definitely not best suited for paid campaigns. Ad fatigue is already a major issue marketers face. The last thing internet users want to see is a 90-second or longer video ad.

That said, longer video formats aren’t without a place in the digital marketing landscape. They are an excellent brand awareness-raising tool. Product presentation videos, explainer videos, and how-tos are excellent ways to introduce the audience to your brand and keep them engaged throughout a longer video.

Internal Communications

Another area where long videos thrive is internal comms. I’m talking about things like employee onboarding, training videos, webinars, and so on. These are formats where it is often important to convey larger amounts of information, and short-form videos simply don’t fit the bill.

OTT and VOD

By far, the best use of long-form video content is OTT streaming. Binging on shows and movies is still the go-to pastime activity of so many of us, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Of course, in order to use long-form videos for VOD and OTT streaming, you need a library of exclusive, engaging, and purposeful content. In most cases, an OTT service is the goal of video production, rather than a byproduct of an existing library.

In addition to content, you will also need a good OTT app in order to make the most out of your streaming efforts. With TargetVideo’s OTT Builder, you can create user-friendly, reliable, and fully branded apps for all channels in a matter of minutes. Reach out to our sales team to find out how!

Benefits of Long-Form Video Content

With most of the statistics being in favor of short-form content, you may be tempted to give up on long formats altogether. But before you make any rash decisions, let me remind you of all the advantages that long-form videos bring.

Better Monetization Opportunities

If you’re producing and/or distributing content in order to monetize it, you’re likely already aware of the benefits of longer videos. It is very difficult to sell a subscription for short-form videos. And don’t even get me started on PPV.

However, as Netflix and other streaming services have shown us, people are more than willing to pay a subscription fee for long content. And if you own exclusive content, you can also consider monetizing it through PPV or other TVOD models.

But even if we only focus on AVOD, long-form still takes the cake. Longer videos simply provide more real estate for instream video ads. Publishers can also get away with longer ads than they would in a playlist of shorts.

More Room to Tell a Story

According to Mailchimp, using storytelling in videos boosts audience engagement, establishes an emotional connection, improves the performance and shareability of your content, and drives potential conversions.

Whether we’re talking about explainer videos or customer testimonials, you’ll have a much easier time telling a story if you have enough time to tell it. Sure, some stories can be told in 90 seconds or less, but those really worth telling will have no problem retaining your audience’s attention for longer.

More Meaningful Engagement

People might be more inclined to watch short videos. But think about it – how many of the endless list of reels you doomscrolled through last night before bed do you actually remember? It might be difficult to attract initial attention with a longer content format, but once a viewer is hooked, they are more likely to stay hooked.

Content Recycling

Long videos mean more content to work with. A great thing about having a library of longer content is the vast amount of recycling options.

Cut up your long videos into meaningful, short video clips. These can be invaluable for content promotion, PPC ads, or social media posts. And we all know how much social media loves videos!

In addition to clipping long videos into shorter ones, you can also recycle your live streams and make them available for on-demand watching later.

Challenges of Using Long-Form Content

While there are some clear benefits to using long-form content, I’d be lying if I said it’s without drawbacks. Here are the main challenges publishers can expect when producing and distributing longer content.

Production Time and Expenses

The most obvious drawback of long-form content is that more footage means more production resources. I’m talking both in terms of time and money.

Additionally, while short-form content creators can usually get away with using an iPhone and a ring light, audiences usually expect a higher production value in long-form videos.

Video Hosting & Technology

Production is only one part of managing a video library. In order to distribute content to a wider audience, you’ll need video hosting services, as well as the right video tech – from a reliable video player to a CDN.

This is where choosing the right video platform plays a big role. Publishers should keep their needs in mind when shopping around for platforms.

Have a large video library you want to monetize through ads? The TargetVideo platform provides the entire infrastructure necessary for content management, distribution, and ad monetization. With an adaptive HTML5 player, integrated ad server, and an array of engagement tools, the platform meets the needs of even the most demanding publishers.

Catching the Viewers’ Attention

I already mentioned that the engagement publishers get from longer videos is typically more meaningful. However, that doesn’t change the fact that grabbing initial attention is still a hurdle. The viewer needs to be ready to commit a certain time in their day to watching your content.

An effective hook, a clear message, and proper promotion are just some of the things I recommend using in order to grab – and retain – attention.

Long-Form Video: Pros and Cons Overview

To sum up, here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of using longer content formats:
Pros:
Cons:
Make the Most Out of Your Long-Form Strategy

So, we’ve established what long-form content is and isn’t, how and when to use it, as well as come challenges you can expect to encounter along the way. All that’s left to do now is launch your long-form strategy.

Need help making the most out of your long-form content library? TargetVideo is here to provide the support, technology, and infrastructure you need to successfully broadcast and monetize. Reach out to our sales team to find out more.

Long-Form Video: FAQ

How long is a long-form video?

The definition of long-form video content varies from one platform to another. In general, it is all content that is over 90 seconds long, but some platforms place the threshold at 3 minutes.

Does long-form video advertising perform better?

Using long-form video advertising is generally not considered the best practice. However, in some campaigns and for certain purposes, long-form video content can prove to be an invaluable advertising tool.

How to distribute long-form videos?

The best way to distribute long-form videos is through a mixture of owned and shared channels. If you have your own library, consider launching an OTT app and distributing the content through it.

Harnessing Creative Intelligence in the New Era of Video Advertising

Sun, 04 May 2025 13:25:00 +0000

From the early days of television commercials to the current era of digital marketing, the video advertising industry has continuously evolved to keep pace with changing consumer behavior and technological advancements. Today, one of the most significant developments is the rise of creative intelligence – the integration of AI-driven analysis with creative storytelling. This innovative approach is revolutionizing the way businesses create and deliver video content, enabling them to connect with their target audiences more effectively than ever before.

Understanding Creative Intelligence in Video Advertising

What is Creative Intelligence?

Creative intelligence is a term that describes the combination of data analytics and creative insight to shape advertising strategies. It involves leveraging AI technologies to analyze vast amounts of data on consumer behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns, and using those insights to inform creative decisions in video production. By understanding what resonates with their target audiences, businesses can craft more compelling and effective video content that drives conversions and achieves their marketing goals.

The Role of AI in Creative Intelligence

AI technologies play a crucial role in enabling creative intelligence in video advertising. Machine learning algorithms can analyze massive datasets to identify patterns and trends in consumer behavior, such as viewing habits, engagement rates, and conversion metrics. These insights can then be used to optimize video content for specific target audiences, ensuring that the right message reaches the right people at the right time. Some examples of AI applications in video advertising include:

Sentiment analysis to gauge viewer reactions and emotions
Predictive modeling to forecast campaign performance
Personalization engines to deliver tailored content recommendations

By leveraging these AI capabilities, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their target audiences and create video content that resonates with their preferences and behaviors.

Integrating AI-Driven Analysis with Creative Storytelling

The Synergy Between Data and Creativity

While AI-driven analysis provides valuable insights into consumer behavior, it is only one piece of the puzzle. To truly harness the power of creative intelligence, businesses must integrate these insights with compelling storytelling and creative execution. Data analysis can inform creative decisions such as messaging, visuals, and pacing, but it is the human touch that brings these elements together into a cohesive and engaging narrative.

Successful campaigns that have utilized this synergy between data and creativity include:

Nike’s “Dream Crazy” campaign, which leveraged data on social justice trends to create a powerful message about athletes as change agents.

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which used personalization data to create individualized product labels that resonated with consumers on a personal level.

By combining data-driven insights with creative storytelling, these campaigns were able to connect with their target audiences on a deeper level and drive significant business results.

Tools and Technologies for Creative Intelligence

To effectively integrate AI-driven analysis with creative processes, businesses need access to the right tools and technologies. There are a variety of platforms and solutions available that can support creative intelligence in video advertising, such as:

Adobe Sensei: An AI and machine learning framework that powers intelligent features across Adobe’s creative and marketing products.
IBM Watson: A suite of AI services that can analyze unstructured data, such as video content, to extract insights and inform creative decisions.
Google Analytics: A web analytics service that provides data on audience behavior, engagement, and conversion metrics.

When selecting tools for creative intelligence, it is important to consider factors such as data integration capabilities, ease of use, and alignment with campaign goals. By choosing the right tools for their needs, businesses can streamline their creative processes and achieve better results from their video advertising efforts.

Innovative Strategies for Enhanced Video Campaigns

Personalization and Targeting

One of the key benefits of creative intelligence is the ability to create personalized video content that resonates with specific target audiences. By leveraging AI insights into consumer behavior and preferences, businesses can tailor their messaging, visuals, and calls-to-action to the unique needs and interests of different demographic segments.

Some techniques for creating personalized video content include:

Dynamic video templates that can be customized with individual viewer data
Micro-segmentation based on behavioral and psychographic data
Localization and cultural adaptation for global campaigns

By delivering targeted, personalized content, businesses can increase engagement, build stronger connections with their audiences, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Enhancing Engagement and Retention

In addition to personalization, creative intelligence can also be used to enhance viewer engagement and retention in video advertising. By analyzing data on viewing patterns and drop-off rates, businesses can identify opportunities to optimize their video content for maximum impact.

Some strategies for increasing engagement and retention include:

Attention-grabbing openings that hook viewers within the first few seconds
Emotional storytelling that creates a connection with the audience
Interactive elements that encourage viewer participation
Optimal video length and pacing based on platform and audience preferences

By crafting video content that is both engaging and retentive, businesses can increase the effectiveness of their advertising efforts and achieve better ROI.

Measuring Success and ROI

To truly harness the power of creative intelligence, businesses need to be able to measure the success and ROI of their video campaigns. This involves tracking key metrics such as views, engagement rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated.

Some tools and techniques for measuring video advertising performance include:

Google Analytics and other web analytics platforms
Social media analytics and insights
A/B testing and multivariate testing
Attribution modeling to understand the customer journey

By regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics, businesses can gain valuable insights into what is working and what is not, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their video advertising strategies.

Challenges and Considerations

Balancing Creativity and Automation

While AI-driven analysis can provide valuable insights and support creative processes, it is important to strike the right balance between automation and human creativity. Over-reliance on AI can lead to generic, formulaic content that lacks the unique perspective and emotional resonance that only human creators can provide.

To maintain a human touch in AI-driven campaigns, businesses should:

Use AI as a tool to inform and enhance creative decisions, not replace them entirely
Foster collaboration between data analysts and creative teams
Continuously test and iterate based on both data insights and creative intuition

By finding the right balance between creativity and automation, businesses can create video content that is both data-driven and emotionally compelling.

Privacy and Ethical Concerns

As with any use of consumer data, creative intelligence in video advertising raises important privacy and ethical concerns. Businesses must be transparent about their data collection and usage practices, and ensure that they are complying with relevant regulations.

Some best practices for ethical data usage in video advertising include:

Providing clear and concise privacy policies and opt-out options
Anonymizing and aggregating data to protect individual privacy
Using data only for the purposes for which it was collected
Regularly auditing data practices to ensure compliance and integrity

By prioritizing privacy and ethics in their data usage, businesses can build trust with their audiences and avoid potential legal and reputational risks.

The Future of Video Advertising with Creative Intelligence

Emerging Trends and Innovations

As creative intelligence continues to evolve, we can expect to see a range of new trends and innovations in video advertising. Some potential developments on the horizon include:

Increased use of AI-generated content, such as deepfakes and synthetic media
Greater integration of AR and VR technologies for immersive video experiences
More sophisticated personalization and targeting based on real-time data
Expansion of shoppable video and other interactive formats

By staying ahead of these trends and incorporating them into their video advertising strategies, businesses can remain competitive and continue to engage their audiences in new and innovative ways.

Preparing for the Future

To fully harness the potential of creative intelligence in video advertising, businesses need to start preparing now. This involves investing in the right tools and technologies, building data-driven cultures within their organizations, and continuously experimenting and iterating based on insights and results.

Some key steps businesses can take to prepare for the future of video advertising include:

Developing a clear data strategy and governance framework
Fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing between creative and analytical teams
Investing in training and upskilling for both creative and technical roles
Partnering with experienced video production and marketing agencies like Lemonlight

By taking a proactive approach to integrating creative intelligence into their video advertising strategies, businesses can position themselves for success in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Let Lemonlight Help You Harness Creative Intelligence

At Lemonlight, we understand the power of creative intelligence in video advertising. As a leading video production company, we have helped over 4,500 brands across every industry elevate their video marketing strategies and achieve their goals. With over 30,000 videos produced for our clients, we have the experience and expertise to help you harness the potential of creative intelligence and take your video advertising to the next level.

Our experts will work with you to understand your unique needs and goals, and develop a customized video production strategy that leverages the latest in AI-driven analysis and creative storytelling. With Lemonlight as your partner, you can create video content that engages your audience, drives conversions, and achieves measurable results.

10 Tips for Publishers: How to Increase Your Video Ad Revenue

Sun, 04 May 2025 13:19:00 +0000

While video advertising is one of the major revenue drivers for publishers, maximizing earnings requires more than just embedding ads into content. With how user behavior has changed over the years, recent ad tech advancements, and the increasing competition in the market, publishers need a strategic approach to get the most out of their ad inventory and boost their video ad revenue.

10 Tips to Increase Video Ad Revenue

Whether you’re looking to improve ad fill rates, optimize placements, or boost user experience, by following my 10 actionable tips, you will unlock new monetization opportunities and increase your overall video ad revenue. So, let’s get started!

Broaden Your Reach: Diversify Your Video Content

Let’s start with your content. If you want to run instream video ads, having high-quality ad inventory is essential for maximizing ad revenue. But how do you achieve this? The key is to offer diverse and engaging quality videos.

A mix of how-to guides, news segments, product demos, and user-generated content (UGC) can keep your library fresh and appealing to different audiences. This not only boosts viewer engagement but also attracts advertisers looking for a variety of ad inventory. Variety drives value — both for your audience and your advertising partners.

No content? No problem. TargetVideo’s exclusive Video Library gives publishers access to thousands of monetizable quality videos across various niches — auto, sport, DIY, home & living, parenting, fashion, and so much more!

Find the Sweet Spot: Optimize Video Length for Maximum Revenue

Video length matters. Long-form videos (7-15 minutes) allow for multiple instream ad placements but require more viewer attention. Short-form videos (under 60 seconds) are quick, engaging, and ideal for web and mobile. However, they offer fewer ad-serving opportunities. So, which content format should you choose? The most common practice for publishers is to use short-form content since it is faster to produce and widely consumed. But how do you then get the benefit of long-form content (ad-serving opportunities) from short-form video?

It’s simple: playlist features like TargetVideo’s Playlists help publishers create an endless loop of relevant videos, i.e., continuous content flow, giving them more ad-serving opportunities. Thanks to our AI tool for video tagging, you can automatically create a playlist full of short-form videos covering one category or niche, boosting overall audience engagement and revenue.

Go Programmatic: Automate and Optimize Your Ad Sales

One of the fastest ways to scale video ad revenue is through programmatic advertising. Programmatic enables publishers to automate the buying and selling of ad inventory. This approach allows you to serve more ads without manually negotiating for each ad placement, which is particularly efficient for small to mid-sized publishers.

In addition, consider adopting the header bidding model. This model increases the competition for your inventory by allowing multiple demand sources to bid on your ad placements simultaneously. Publishers using header bidding often report a 20-30% rise in CPMs compared to traditional waterfall setups (sequential bidding). With programmatic, you can serve more ads and also secure higher ad yield from each impression.

Spread Out: Don’t Rely on a Single Ad Network

One of the biggest mistakes many publishers make is relying on a single ad network. No ad network can realistically cover your entire ad inventory, and depending on just one limits your revenue potential. I suggest using different networks since they offer different fill rates and demand sources. Having multiple partnerships can help you maximize revenue while maintaining consistent ad delivery.

Moreover, a diversified ad strategy reduces risk — if one network underperforms or experiences downtime, others can compensate. By integrating multiple ad networks, whether through header bidding, direct deals, or programmatic partnerships, publishers gain more control, improve competition for their ad inventory, and ultimately drive higher yields.

Strategic Positioning: Optimize Your Ad Placements

Ad viewability significantly impacts your ad revenue — the higher the viewability, the more you can earn. That’s why optimizing your ads for maximum visibility is crucial. One of the key factors impacting viewability is ad placement. Data shows that ads placed above the fold achieve a 73% viewability rate, while those below the fold drop to just 45%. So, to maximize performance, you should position your ads as high on the page as possible. However, be mindful of Google’s strict above-the-fold ad policies; limiting placement to one ad in this area is recommended.

For video content monetization (instream video ads), placement within the video is just as important. Our internal research indicates that the best time to insert video ads is within the first 5 to 10 seconds of video playback to maximize engagement and ad effectiveness.

Boost Engagement: Leverage Interactive Features

The longer users stay and interact with content, the higher the chances of ad impressions and completions. And how do you boost video engagement? By integrating interactive features that can encourage deeper viewer engagement while at the same time helping you optimize ad performance. Here are a few of my suggestions on how to go about it:

Live Streaming — Live streaming offers real-time interaction and is one of the most effective ways to capture audience attention. Features like live chat, Q&A sessions, and polls transform passive viewing into an interactive experience, keeping users engaged for extended periods. The more they participate, the greater the opportunity for ad exposure — especially with pre-roll and mid-roll ad placements. However, this requires a monetization and player solution that supports live stream ad integration, so make sure that the platform you opt for has everything you need.

Content Recommendations & Playlists — Keep your viewers engaged after a single video ends with content recommendations and playlists. They help guide users to more relevant content, reducing bounce rates and increasing overall watch time. This, in turn, leads to more ad-serving opportunities.

Delay Autoplay Feature — A refined user experience can also lead to better ad performance. Instead of using the autoplay sticky players when a user visits your website, which immediately play content and ads, TargetVideo’s Delay Autoplay feature introduces a brief pause before playback begins, and publishers can set the delay time themselves. This allows users to engage naturally without feeling interrupted since the player is primarily click-to-play and then turns to autoplay only if the user does not click on it. This improves both viewability and engagement metrics. Our publishers using Delay Autoplay have reported increased time spent on-site and improved ad completion rates, making it an effective tool for boosting video ad revenue.

Publishers can enable this feature in the CMS by navigating to the player templates section and selecting the Sticky Player options. In this menu, activating Expert Mode allows them to customize both the autoplay delay and delay value.

By strategically implementing these interactive features, publishers can enhance viewer engagement, leading to higher ad fill rates, improved CPMs, and ultimately, more revenue.

Expand Your Reach: Video Content Syndication

Video content syndication is a powerful tool publishers use to distribute their content across multiple platforms. When done right, syndication not only boosts exposure but can also lead to higher fill rates as your inventory is being monetized across several sites. Publishers who syndicate their content often see an increase in both impressions and CPMs as their videos reach wider audiences.

Publishers can also partner up and syndicate video content to third-party websites, which opens the door for revenue share models — meaning you earn ad revenue from ads served within your content that’s featured on the partner’s website or platform, increasing your overall video ad revenue.

Think Mobile-First: Capture Viewers on the Go

Mobile accounts for approximately half of web traffic worldwide. Additionally, global mobile ad spend surpassed $400 billion last year. So, making sure your website and video content are optimized for mobile is definitely one of the best ways to increase your video ad revenue.

Vertical video formats, for instance, are becoming increasingly popular, especially on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. By using these formats that cater to mobile-first users, publishers can tap into new ad monetization opportunities. That’s why it’s important to choose a mobile-optimized and customizable video player that guarantees both smooth video and ad delivery on mobile and desktop devices.

The Right Angle for Your Audience — TargetVideo’s Vertical Video! Built for today’s habits, our vertical player helps you boost engagement and drive view-through rates by meeting your audience exactly where they are — right in the palm of their hand.

Prioritize Your Audience: Don’t Hinder the User Experience

User experience is important. Oversaturating your website with video ads isn’t exactly the way to go. This will make you lose your viewership and slow down website traffic. Instead, use video ads that naturally integrate with your website content through native video advertising. These ads perform significantly better and don’t hinder the user experience.

Similarly, implementing instream ads — pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads into your existing videos will help you improve ad viewability. But there is such a thing as having too many instream ads. For instance, ad podding (serving ads in sequence) is not the right solution if it can hurt your viewership and overall audience engagement. Always put your audience first.

Measure & Improve: Track Key Metrics for Better Performance

Having insight into your overall performance is the only reliable way to identify what brings in the most revenue. That is why having access to extensive video analytics and ad analytics is necessary for any publisher looking to maximize their income. The analytics tool you choose should cover some of the basics, for instance:

Comprehensive Tracking – Impressions, clicks, CTR, conversions, viewability, and engagement monitoring across formats and placements.

Real-Time Insights – Live data to spot trends, optimize strategies, and make timely decisions;

Fraud Prevention – Ad fraud detection and blocking to protect revenue and maintain industry trust;

Revenue Analytics – Revenue tracking by ad format and ad placement to identify top-performing ad inventory;

Cross-Platform Reporting – Ad performance measuring across devices (desktop, mobile) and platforms (web, app);

Seamless Integration – Data consolidation from ad networks and exchanges for a unified performance overview;

Privacy Compliance – Adherence to GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations for responsible data handling.

Boost Video Ad Revenue with TargetVideo’s Powerhouse Solutions

TargetVideo offers publishers everything they need to increase video ad revenue. Our lightweight and fully customizable HTML5 Video Player offers numerous engagement features that will help improve your AVOD strategy. In addition, with our TargetVideo Platform, you’ll be able to control every aspect of your video business — from streamlined management and distribution to extensive ad-based monetization features, TargetVideo’s got you covered. Get in touch with our sales team and get started!

Video Ad Revenue FAQ

1. How much money can I make from video ads on my website?

How much money you make from video ads will depend on your website traffic volume, location, ad formats (instream ads tend to have higher CPMs than outstream ads), viewability, and engagement.

2. Why is my video ad revenue low?

Your video ad revenue could be low due to several factors: low traffic, poor audience engagement, poor ad placements, low viewability, weak ad demand, slow loading, and bad user experience.

3. How to increase ads revenue?

There are numerous ways you can increase your video ad revenue: optimize ad placement for better visibility, use header bidding to boost competition for demand sources, improve site speed to reduce bounce rates, offer high-quality video content to attract premium advertisers, and partner with multiple ad networks for higher fill rates.

Reels vs. TikTok vs. YouTube Shorts: Where Should Your Business Be?

Sun, 04 May 2025 13:06:00 +0000

The internet's IN LOVE with short videos, and it's hard to ignore the phenomenon that has taken over our screens. You can't scroll for long without seeing one. The big question is, with Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts all out there, how do you pick the best platform for your business's videos?

Let’s figure out which platform (or platforms) is the perfect fit for your brand.

Tiktok

TikTok, it's a whirlwind, a fast and furious digital landscape where trends come to life and fade away in mere moments. It's real, it's raw, and yes, it's a bit of an obsession.

Vibe: Super trendy, fast-paced, and authentic. TikTok is your playground if you're looking to hop on the latest challenges, showcase your brand's personality, and reach a younger audience. It’s where anything has the potential to catch the public's eye.

Pros:

TikTok's algorithm is a master at getting your content in front of new eyes.
If you nail a trend, you could see your views skyrocket.
It learns what users like quickly, meaning your content gets seen by the right people.

Cons:

Keeping up can feel like a full-time job.
What works today might not work tomorrow.
Sometimes it feels like you're just watching a never-ending stream of people doing dances you'll never learn.

Best For: Businesses targeting Gen Z, those who want to build brand awareness through entertaining content, and those who love a good challenge.

Monetization Tips:

Participate in TikTok's Creator Marketplace for brand partnerships.
Run TikTok ads targeting specific demographics and interests.
Use TikTok Shop to sell products directly within the app.

Reels

Reels is an engaging feature of Instagram that combines fun and creativity. It allows users to create short, entertaining videos that can capture attention and showcase their unique style.

Vibe: Offers a polished platform that feels integrated within the Instagram experience while retaining a vibrant social atmosphere. Great for showcasing products, behind-the-scenes content, and educational videos. It’s where you can show off your brand’s aesthetic and build a community around your content.

Pros:

Perfect for businesses already active on the platform.
Good for building community. Engage with your existing followers and attract new ones.
Offers more creative control than TikTok.

Cons:

Standing out can be a challenge.
Keeping up with Instagram's algorithm updates is a constant battle (because they always change!)

Best For: Businesses already established on Instagram, those who want to showcase their brand's visual aesthetic, and those who want to reach a diverse audience.

Monetization Tips:

Instagram Shopping Integration:
- Tag products directly in your Reels. This allows viewers to tap on the product and purchase it without leaving the app.
- Create shoppable Reels that showcase your products in action, demonstrating their features and benefits.
Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Reels:
- Collaborate with influencers or other brands to create sponsored Reels that promote your products or services.
- Clearly disclose any sponsored content using Instagram's branded content tools.
- Find influencers that target your specific demographic.
Instagram Ads:
- Run targeted ad campaigns using Reels placements to reach a wider audience.
- Use compelling visuals and engaging content to capture attention and drive conversions.
- Target users that have engaged with your reels in the past.
Affiliate Marketing:
- Partner with other businesses to promote their products or services in your Reels and earn a commission on sales.
- Use affiliate links in your bio or story to direct viewers to the product page.
Drive Traffic to Your Website or Landing Page:
- Use Reels to promote your website, blog, or landing page.
- Include a clear call to action (CTA) in your Reel or caption, such as "Link in bio" or "Swipe up."
Instagram Live Shopping:
- Use reels to promote your instagram live shopping events.
- Use reels to create hype around product drops that will be happening during your live shopping events.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts is focused on the long-term strategy. It's essential for establishing a meaningful and sustainable presence on the largest video platform in the world.

Vibe: More educational and informative than the other two. Great for tutorials, product demos, and repurposing existing YouTube content.

Pros:
- Massive YouTube Platform Integration
- Drives traffic to your longer videos and build a loyal audience.
- YouTube is a search engine, meaning your Shorts can be discovered through relevant searches.

Cons:

- - Building an audience can take time.
  - The editing features are still catching up to Reels and TikTok.

Best For: Businesses focused on creating educational content, those who want to build a long-term presence on YouTube, and those who already have a YouTube channel.

Monetization Tips:

- Enable YouTube Partner Program monetization (ads) on your Shorts.
- Use Shorts to promote longer YouTube videos and drive traffic to your channel.
- Utilize YouTube's affiliate marketing features.

So, Which One Is Right for You?

The reality is, what works for one business won't necessarily work for another. It boils down to your individual goals, the audience you're aiming for, and your overall content plan.

Here's our take: If you can post your short-form videos to Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, absolutely do it!

Each platform is like a different room in a huge networking event. You wouldn't just stay in one room. You'd want to mingle and meet as many people as possible. These three platforms are where your potential clients are hanging out, and you never know which one they're browsing when they stumble upon your content.

Manually uploading videos to Reels, TikTok, and Shorts takes time, no doubt. But it's worth it. You gain the ability to fine-tune every aspect of your content. You can customize your captions, hashtags, and even the video content to better connect with each specific audience. It's about being strategic rather than just spreading content everywhere.

Bottom line? You need videos that people actually want to watch, not just any videos. And you need to learn the ropes of each platform to really make them work for you.

We understand the struggle.

Being a business owner is a rollercoaster. You're not just the creative genius behind your product or service. You're also the marketing manager, the customer service rep, the accountant… the list goes on! If managing your social media, especially on creating videos for your business, feels like it's taking up too much of your precious time, that's where we come in.

Video Advertising vs. Video Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Sat, 03 May 2025 13:03:00 +0000

Marketing and advertising are often confused for each other. They sound like they cover the same scope of work, and because some industries and companies use the terms almost interchangeably, people get confused. It’s inevitable!

Today, video advertising and video marketing have fallen victim to the same misconceptions. They sound like the same thing, so they must be interchangeable, right? Not quite. We’re here to set the record straight: video advertising and video marketing are different terms, with different goals, metrics, and other factors to consider.

Ready to learn the difference? Here’s everything you need to know about video advertising vs. video marketing.

Defining Video Advertising and Video Marketing

Video marketing and video advertising are pretty similar. They’re both marketing initiatives that most brands should (at the very least!) experiment with, and they both leverage video’s unique ability to drive results.

Thankfully, the definitions help paint a clearer picture of where they differ. Here’s the simplest definition of both terms:

Video advertising focuses on driving immediate sales and conversions with targeted video ads. It leverages platforms like YouTube Ads and Facebook Ads to reach the target audience.

Video marketing aims to build brand awareness and engagement using video content across a variety of marketing channels. As you can probably tell, its scope is broader, with a longer-term goal than video advertising. (More on that below!)

With that distinction in mind, let’s take a closer look at the core drivers behind video marketing campaigns and video advertising campaigns.

Objectives and Goals: Sales vs. Brand Building

One of the most important differences between video advertising and video marketing lies in their objectives.

The goal that drives video advertising is relatively immediate and transaction-based. A successful video advertising campaign will generate conversations as quickly as possible, driving sales with direct calls-to-action.

Video marketing tends to have a broader scope and a longer-term horizon. As a result, its goal is to build a foundation for long-term sales and ongoing customer relationships. A successful video marketing campaign will typically enhance brand recognition, forge a connection with the audience, and nurture leads through the customer journey.

One caveat to understand here: since video marketing is addressing the customer journey as a whole, successful video marketing campaigns will often see a boost in conversions. The difference? Boosting conversions is the primary goal of video advertising, while it’s often a secondary goal of video marketing.

Call-to-Action: Direct Response vs. Engagement

Because the end goals are different, video advertising and video marketing also approach calls-to-action differently.

Video ads are targeting conversions, so they typically include explicit calls-to-action. The aim is for the viewer to take an immediate next step at the end of the video. As a result, they’re usually invited to make a purchase or sign up for a service within the video’s CTA. In general, video ad CTAs tend to fall into the “direct response” category.

Video marketing content tends to have subtler CTAs, often focused on engagement rather than conversion. Video marketing CTAs might encourage viewers to subscribe to a channel, share the video, or visit a website for more information. These CTAs are still driving viewers further along on the customer journey, but they don’t typically push for a conversion directly.

Budget and Cost Considerations: Paid Media vs. Owned and Earned Media

Video advertising is a paid media strategy, which means it will require an ongoing budget to support ad placements. In addition to the production costs for your video ads themselves, you’ll have pay-per-click costs (or other ad spend models, depending on your platform(s) of choice) to account for.

Video marketing can be more cost-effective in the long run because it leverages owned media and earned media. Instead of paying to reach your audience, you can rely more heavily on organic reach and shares to get your desired results.

Of course, you’ll still have the up-front costs to produce the video content itself, but video marketing tends to be more affordable once your assets are created. With video advertising, that’s when the spending really begins.

Metrics and KPIs: Conversions vs. Engagement

Finally, video marketing and video advertising rely on slightly different success metrics and KPIs.

Given the “conversions” theme behind video advertising, it’s not surprising that video ad success is typically gauged by conversions, ROI, and click-through rates. In contrast, video marketing relies on metrics like views, shares, likes, comments, and brand sentiment to determine engagement and audience resonance.

Of course, there’s some overlap (i.e., a video marketing asset that seriously boosts conversions is still a win!), but it’s important to judge the two asset categories differently when you evaluate campaign success.

TikTok Alternatives for Small Business Marketing

Fri, 02 May 2025 11:31:30 +0000

With TikTok’s uncertain future in the United States, consider one of these alternative platforms to promote your brand's content.

For many small businesses, TikTok is a powerful marketing tool that helps reach highly targeted audiences with minimal ad spend. But with the uncertainty surrounding TikTok's future in the United States, business owners can't afford to rely on a single platform for audience engagement and sales.

While TikTok is currently accessible after a brief ban in mid-January 2025, there's no guarantee it will stay that way. Whether the app is banned again or changes under new ownership, now is the time to explore TikTok alternatives for your short-form video content so you can keep your brand visible and growing.

9 TikTok alternatives to consider

While you may not enjoy the same reach and exposure as you would on TikTok, these other platforms are great places to repurpose and repost the short-form video content your business has created.

Facebook

With over 3 billion monthly active users, small businesses can take advantage of Facebook's global reach for their products and services. In addition to its large user base, Facebook reels allow users to post video content like the short-form clips you post on TikTok, and the platform also supports longer-format videos. Plus, Facebook has targeted advertising options so you can reach your desired audience through demographics, interests, and behavior settings.

Flip

Relative newcomer Flip has a similar interface as TikTok and features many product review videos. With a limit on heavily sponsored content, Flip prioritizes authenticity and high-quality items across the platform. Once users see a product video they like, they can make their purchases directly in the app, supplying an added level of convenience for shoppers and another sales channel for businesses.

Instagram

Rivaling TikTok for the spot as the most downloaded app, Instagram is a good alternative because of its user base. While TikTok generally targets a younger audience, Instagram caters to a broader range of age groups, giving it a leg up in terms of overall reach. Like Facebook reels, Instagram's reels feature is a natural fit for repurposing TikTok video content.

Now is not the time to make any permanent decisions about your social media strategy, particularly when it comes to TikTok. Keep up to date on where your audience is traveling to, what platforms are growing, who owns them, and what is happening on them.

Molly Machado, senior corporate communications leader

Lemon8

Lemon8, which describes itself as a "lifestyle community app powered by TikTok," has seen a surge in popularity in recent months. It allows users to share curated lifestyle photos and videos, drawing comparisons to Instagram, TikTok, and even Pinterest. One caveat to keep in mind is that Lemon8 is owned by TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance. Since concerns over foreign ownership are at the heart of the ban, Lemon8 could potentially become restricted like its sister app.

Likee

Much like TikTok, Likee focuses on short-form video sharing and creation. The Singapore-based app comes with a host of filming and editing tools, including music, filters, and visual effects. Creators can also host live streams and even monetize their content through SuperLikes from their followers.

Though LinkedIn may not be the first place that comes to mind for video content, the networking platform offers a unique opportunity for businesses to share thought leadership and connect with a professional audience. With a maximum video length of 10 minutes, you can provide in-depth educational or industry-specific content that showcases your brand and expertise.

Pinterest is a great platform for discovering and sharing content with like-minded individuals and businesses while growing an engaged audience. Home to 537 million active users per month, businesses can upload repurposed video content as shareable pins, which can be saved to boards and reshared by others to increase engagement and brand visibility.

RedNote

RedNote is quickly becoming one of the most popular TikTok alternatives in the U.S. market. Focusing on authenticity, helpfulness, and inclusivity, RedNote enables users to share valuable content, including short-form videos, images, and text, with a "global village." It offers a layout similar to TikTok, enabling brands to easily connect and build relationships with users worldwide without a steep learning curve.

YouTube

YouTube isn't just for long-form content — you can also share short-form vertical videos on the platform with YouTube Shorts. These bite-sized videos can range from 15 seconds long to a maximum length of three minutes, perfect for repurposing your TikTok content.

Best practices for small business video marketing

Whether you're pivoting away from TikTok or simply expanding your reach, a strong video marketing strategy can help you stay visible in an ever-changing digital landscape. Here are some best practices to guide your approach:

Create content that serves your audience. Before hitting record, ask yourself: What does my audience want to see? Conduct keyword research on Google and YouTube to discover trending topics. Answer frequently asked customer questions through how-to videos, product demos, or expert tips. The more valuable and relevant your content is, the more engagement you'll generate.
Choose a platform that fits your brand. Not all social platforms work for every business. Molly Machado, a senior corporate communications leader and a romance author noted that your social media strategy should be both sustainable and "the path of least resistance" for you as a business owner. "Focus on the platforms that feel the most natural for you and your brand to participate in, and try to find ones you enjoy the most," Machado added.
Balance scripted content with live engagement. Tutorials or promotional content can benefit from a well-written script, but off-the-cuff live videos can boost engagement, provide real-time interaction, and showcase your authenticity. If you're comfortable going live, use it to connect with your audience, answer questions, and get instant feedback on your content.
Optimize for search and accessibility. Search engines favor video content, so include keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and captions. Add subtitles for accessibility and to capture viewers who watch without sound. Consider cross-posting videos to your website, email newsletters, and other social platforms to maximize your reach.

Regardless of which platforms you choose for your video content, it's important to be adaptable and stay informed of updates.

"Now is not the time to make any permanent decisions about your social media strategy, particularly when it comes to TikTok," Machado told CO—. "Keep up to date on where your audience is traveling to, what platforms are growing, who owns them, and what is happening on them."

The more adaptable you are, the better positioned your business will be to future-proof its marketing strategy and maintain strong connections with its audience — regardless of where they move next.

Why video production alone isn’t enough anymore

Fri, 02 May 2025 11:27:11 +0000

We started Sunday Treat with an indie filmmakers mindset and a passion for fun, high-quality video. Now, with creative strategy and performance marketing wrapped around production, the team delivers campaigns that entertain, engage, and prove their value.

Before Sunday Treat was born in 2021, my background was video production alongside my long-time collaborator and now co-founder Oli Clubb. As indie filmmakers, we had a knack for approaching the business with the efficiency, high standards, and creative values of a film shoot. The last four years have been a wild ride that has seen us expand the team to eight full-time with a £1.6m turnover and dream clients like Google, Canon, and Revolut. We knew that when setting up a business we needed to have a niche and we found that with the idea of ’find the fun’ from our comedy backgrounds: it was a natural fit for the fun dynamic energy we bring to all our client projects and it refers to our commitment to bring a fun energy into both the working process and all of our work output.

The indie filmmaking spirit still runs through everything we do but a few years into growing the business we realized that amazing video content wasn’t enough anymore. Not on its own.

With 75% of ad revenue going to digital platforms, we needed to understand and execute the strategy behind our content. What resonated with audiences, how could we optimize our content to perform on different channels? How could we define what success looks like, track that success, and ultimately prove it so clients could confidently continue and expand the campaigns we were working on together?

Creative strategy

The shoot is no longer the starting line, through collaborating with freelancers and eventually hiring our own in-house talent we now can help clients define KPIs, conduct social listening, build content pillars around it, and form the creative with a clear vision of who the campaign is speaking to and where.

Whether it’s brand awareness, direct sales, app installs, subscriptions, or e-commerce conversion; our strategy work ensures every concept is tailored to a specific outcome. We’re not guessing what audiences want. We’re analyzing behavior, tapping into trends, and shaping messaging that connects emotionally and commercially. It means the ideas are stronger, the shoots are sharper, and the content is built with intention from the outset.

Performance marketing

Performance marketing is all about optimizing our content for the social channel it’s ending up on across formats, hooks, durations, CTAs, and animation styles. There’s no point in spending the money on a campaign if we’re not doing this work, measuring the performance and retargeting down on what is working well. Not only this, we can creatively iterate on what is doing well by making new assets across platforms.

Ultimately, performance marketing is all about looping back to those original KPIs we set and proving ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). If we’re doing this right then we’ve proved our value and our clients will continue our campaigns and create new ones as a true partnership.

We started Sunday Treat with a load of camera gear, a sense of humor, and an amazing creative team to bring our ideas to life. That hasn’t changed, but what has changed is how we help our clients get results - real measurable outcomes. I’m excited to continue building on these services and evolving our end-to-end model as a strategic partner with our clients.

How To Create High-Quality Videos On A Budget (Yes, it is Possible)

Fri, 02 May 2025 11:23:25 +0000

Video content is no longer optional—it’s essential. But for many communicators, marketers and business owners, the idea of video production conjures up thoughts of location fees, studio lights and big-budget crews. Fortunately, the reality is much more accessible. With the right strategy and a few smart tools, professional-looking videos can be created without breaking the bank.

Why Video Deserves a Spot in the PR Strategy

Video continues to be one of the most effective tools in a communicator's toolkit—and the numbers back it up. According to 2025 research by Wyzowl, an explainer video company:

83% of consumers want to see more video content from brands this year
87% of viewers have been convinced to purchase after watching a video
98% of people have watched explainer videos to learn more about a product of service
91% of people say video quality impacts their trust and perception of a brand

Those are high percentages, and they all point to the effectiveness of business videos. The last stat is key: Video quality does matter. But don’t let that scare you; “quality” doesn’t have to mean expensive. With a thoughtful approach, even budget-friendly videos can leave a professional impression.

Types of Video Content That Drives Results

Before diving into production, it helps to know what kinds of videos offer the most "bang for the buck." Here are a few cost-effective formats that can make an impact:

Explainer videos: These break down how a product or service works. From how-tos to troubleshooting guides, these videos help customers help themselves.
Product demos: How does a business's product or service work? What does it do? These work well both as brand-created content and through influencers, partners or user-generated content (UGC).
Testimonials: Build trust through real stories. Testimonials serve as powerful social proof and don’t require fancy production—just authenticity.
Brand storytelling: Helping customers connect to a brand through storytelling is vital and can boost sales. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, people are 55% more likely to buy from a brand if they love its story. Video is one of the best ways to tell that story.

Budget-Friendly Video Tips

You don’t need a Hollywood budget to create standout content. Viewers appreciate authenticity over showmanship, especially on platforms like TikTok. Try these practical, cost-saving tactics:

Maximize footage: Shoot with repurposing in mind. Long-form videos can be broken down into bite-sized content for social media, email campaigns and more.
Use B-roll strategically: Supplement your footage with B-roll—scenic or contextual shots that set the scene. Communicators can film it themselves, or find free or low-cost stock options online.
Storyboard before you shoot: Planning is everything. Outlining your video’s goal, scenes and script can save time, reduce reshoots and ensure your message stays focused.
Leverage free resources: Royalty-free music, stock images and user-friendly video editing platforms (like Canva, CapCut or DaVinci Resolve) can make your content feel polished without the high price tag.

Busting Myths About Video Production Costs

There’s a lot of outdated thinking around video creation. Here’s the truth:

You need a professional studio: Ever watch TikTok? You don’t! With natural lighting, a clean background and a good script, an office—or even a home—can become a production set.
You need expensive gear: A smartphone may be all that's needed. (Apple has a whole campaign called “Shot on iPhone” to prove it.) Many newer phones shoot in 4K and come equipped with powerful editing tools. Add a basic tripod for stability and ring light for lighting, and you’re good to go.
Video is only for big brands: While national brands may dominate primetime ad slots, small and mid-sized businesses and organizations can win on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube— especially with authentic, value-driven content.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Budget Hold You Back

Video is one of the most engaging content formats available today, and it’s well within reach for companies of all sizes. With smart planning, accessible tools and a bit of creativity, any team can start producing high-quality videos that inform, inspire and convert.

Start small. Experiment. Learn. And most importantly—hit record.

What I Now Know About Video Marketing After 8 Years

Fri, 02 May 2025 11:10:02 +0000

Eight years. Eight years of navigating the ever-evolving landscape of video marketing.

It feels like just yesterday I was fumbling with lighting setups and struggling to get the audio right. Back then, I thought I had it all figured out. I had big ideas about viral videos and instant success. Now, looking back, I realize how much I didn't know.

I've come to realize that the real magic of video marketing isn't what I initially thought it was.

The Illusion of Vanity Metrics

I’ve seen videos with millions of views that did absolutely nothing for a business. Zero. Nada. It’s a harsh reality check.

We get so caught up in the allure of big numbers, but those numbers don’t always translate to dollars in the bank. What really matters is the audience that cares. The people who engage, who ask questions, who trust you enough to become customers. Those are the folks you want. Conversions, engagement, building genuine trust – that’s where the real power lies. It’s about quality over quantity. Every. Single. Time.

Video as a Standalone Marketing Strategy

Video works best when it's part of your marketing strategy.

You can't just throw up a video and expect magic to happen. You need to integrate it with your email marketing, your website, your social media, your sales funnel – everything. It's a whole ecosystem, and video is a crucial part of it.

Your videos should support your other marketing efforts and guide your audience through the entire customer journey.

Video Marketing Is for Everyone

It’s not just for big brands, it's for everyone.

Small businesses, solopreneurs, creators. Video marketing is for everyone. You just need to find the right approach for your audience. You don't need a huge budget or a fancy studio to create impactful videos. You can use your smartphone, free editing software, and a little creativity to tell your story.

Also, don't limit your videos to just social media. Videos belong on your website, in your emails, in your ads, and everywhere else you connect with your audience. Think about how you can use video to educate, entertain, and engage your audience across all your platforms.

But Here's the Biggest Lesson I've Learned...

You don't have to be perfect.

You really don't. In fact, trying to be perfect can actually hurt you. People are tired of seeing polished, airbrushed, fake versions of reality. They want realness. They want to see the human behind the brand. It builds trust. And trust is everything. Video marketing is about storytelling, connecting, and providing value. It's about showing your audience who you are and what you do. It's about being authentic and relatable.

Eight years has taught me that video marketing is about more than just making pretty videos.

It's about building genuine relationships, telling compelling stories, and providing real value to your audience. It's about being human, being authentic, and being strategic. And that's something worth remembering, no matter how long you've been in the game.

Paid Video Distribution: Why You Need It and How to Use It (2025)

Isaiah Shelton — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 08:36:16 +0000

You got through your production cycle and created a spectacular video, but your video production process isn’t quite over. What do you do with the video you’ve made? The answer, of course, is to distribute it! But distribution doesn’t just mean broadcasting it to a local cable station or sharing it with your Instagram followers. There are tons of distribution channels to help you distribute your video, and it’s up to you to decide which one makes the most sense for your brand.

In the world of marketing, distribution channels get broken down into three categories: owned distribution, earned distribution, and paid distribution. Owned distribution is when you share via your own channels, like blasting your video out on your own website, social media, or email lists. Earned distribution is often thought of as press, and it includes things like getting your video featured in a big tech blog or picked up as part of a big cable news story.

Then, there’s paid distribution. Paid distribution is perfect when you’ve reached the limits of your owned and earned sources, and you need to push your video out to a new audience.

What Is Paid Distribution?

Paid distribution occurs when you distribute your content on a paid advertising channel. For example, a brand with a commercial in a national TV spot during the Super Bowl is one type of paid advertising, and a boosted post on Facebook is another.

Most platforms and websites use some form of paid distribution; it’s how we as consumers are able to access their content for free. And it’s also why so many websites put up anti-ad blockers on their pages—because the revenue they get from paid advertising is their bread and butter.

Paid distribution is a broad category to cover. But to start, does your brand even need paid distribution? After all, we mentioned owned and earned sources earlier, so couldn’t you just stick to those? The short answer is that you could…but it’s not that simple. You might be missing out on incredible opportunities to boost brand awareness or increase conversions.

One note before we go any further: your options for content distribution are not mutually exclusive, meaning that you can (and probably should) include owned, earned, and paid channels in your overall distribution strategy. Each type of channel has its own pros and cons, and including all three tends to round out an overall strategy to take advantage of the best elements of each option. That being said, let’s dive into everything you need to know as you make your distribution choices.

Why Do I Need to Pay To Distribute My Video?

When it comes to attracting new audiences with your video content, there’s no better avenue for reaching the right demographic than through paid advertising. It’s crucial for honing in on a specific audience demographic thanks to built-in targeting tools, which are available on virtually every distribution platform.

Using demographic tools like search engine optimization or demographic targeting on LinkedIn, you’re able to promote your video to the exact audience you’re looking to attract. This is especially valuable if you have a niche product or operate in a niche industry where your consumers fall into narrow target audiences that you can target intentionally on paid platforms.

However, the cost can be a major barrier to entry. Luckily, most advertising platforms offer flexibility based on how much you’re willing to pay and how many people you want to reach. Typically, you’ll have the option to set a budget that works for your financial standing. The only caveat is that, understandably, your video’s reach will be closely correlated to the budget you set. The more you spend, the more eyes on your content.

Ultimately, paid sources typically end up paying off—often increasing your video’s views when you first release it, then boosting its reach after your owned audience has already watched and shared it. Let’s take a look at a few of the most common channels for paid distribution for those who choose this tactic.

Paid Distribution Sources

Social Media Ads

Social media ads, including ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn, are one of the most powerful types of paid distribution you can use to promote your video. Take advantage of each platform’s unique ad-targeting features, like boosting posts to users who like similar content, or promoting posts to specific demographics based on their job titles and income levels.

Each social media platform has its own best practices and unique features, so if you have some wiggle room on your budget, experiment with all of them. However, if you need to limit yourself, the platform that will likely give you the most success is Facebook, as 95.8 percent of social media managers surveyed said Facebook ads gave them the best ROI of any social platform.

What video to use:

Promote commercials and promos via Facebook and Instagram ads to attract new audiences. Use testimonials or day in the life videos in boosted posts to engage your social traffic on Facebook or LinkedIn. Try customer spotlights or product reviews to re-target and nurture your prospects with ads across all social networks. Promote tutorial or FAQ videos to delight current customers who visit your socials after purchasing.

Client: Grand Manors

Search Ads

Search ads function around the use of keyword targeting. Though they don’t directly improve your long-term SEO status, they do help your brand stand out from the rest by ranking your ad above organic (non-paid) results. In other words—it’s a quick fix that temporarily places you above the companies that have the best SEO results for each keyword you bid on. Paid search ads can be especially effective in conjunction with SEO efforts. Like the logic for combining owned, earned, and paid distribution channels, targeting both paid search ads and organic SEO results helps to ensure that you’re positioned well in as many situations as possible.

Google’s Adwords program uses keywords to show text-based search ads to anyone who types in a specific series of keywords into a Google search. This isn’t just limited to words, however — Google can also use graphic display ads, YouTube Video ads, or in-app mobile ads to target the same keywords and searches across any type of medium. When promoting your video, using a YouTube video ad (like pre-roll ads) would be ideal.

What video to use:

With search ads, you want to promote videos that relate to common searches, or problems, potential customers might have. Try an educational video targeting a longtail keyword. Or promote a before and after video that shows your product or service in action. Take a second to think through what a prospective customer might be thinking and experiencing when they type in their search term, and then give them a video that meets their needs at that moment.

Client: Sisu

Influencer Outreach

Influencer marketing describes working with a social media “influencer” (an account or personality with a lot of followers) to promote a specific product or company. By paying or partnering with an influencer to promote your video, you tap into their audience directly by getting your video featured on their channel. Or better yet, you work with them to create a video that more naturally features your product.

What video to use:

Because influencer outreach often involves working with the influencer directly, you might want to tailor your video to the style of the individual influencer. Try using a promo video, a before and after video where the influencer tries your product and demonstrates the results or a testimonial video where the influencer tells their audience why they chose to work with you and what they think about your product.

Client: Meaningful Beauty

Native Advertising

A more traditional paid distribution channel, native advertising embeds your ads onto a third party website, either as part of a full article, snippet, link, banner, or thumbnail. Using a native ad platform like Outbrain or Taboola can syndicate your video content across hundreds or thousands of websites at one time, all related by content. If your video is promoting a health product, for example, native advertising will host your video on third party health and fitness blogs around the web, using the same sponsored link.

What video to use:

Try a tips and tricks video to attract users to your brand’s website for more info. Or try a brand video to promote your company’s aesthetic and mission statement. Industry videos also work very well for native advertising, so try promoting one that can be used on industry websites and publications.

Client: Din Tai Fung

How Best to Use Paid Distribution (Especially on a Budget)

Chances are, you’re not made of money. That’s why it’s important to be careful in deciding how to spend your paid distribution budget. After all, virtually every popular website, social media network, and search engine has gotten good at monetizing access to their traffic.

1. Assess your goal.

Before creating any type of video, at Lemonlight, we start by assessing our client’s marketing goals. From there, we can align the creation of any video content with their goal, ensuring a cohesive strategy throughout the marketing funnel. Before you begin to promote your video with paid distribution, decide what stage of the marketing funnel you’re targeting. If you’re not sure, learn more about the marketing funnel here.

2. Pick the channel that best fits your goals.

After establishing your goal, it’s time to pick the right channel. Here’s how we break it down.

Attract: All channels. Social media ads, search ads, sponsored content, influencer outreach, and native advertising are all great ways to get the word out, and by using paid advertising to promote your video, you can dramatically increase your traffic conversions.

Engage: Social media ads, sponsored content, and influencer outreach. Use the advertising tools on social media networks to boost posts and increase your reach. Then, you can repurpose any sponsored content or influencer outreach on your website.

Nurture: Sponsored content, native ads, and influencer outreach. You want to focus on paid distribution that adds value, so providing third party sources like influencers and sponsored content is particularly useful here, especially for sharing and promoting in your email marketing efforts.

Delight: Social media and search ads. Once you’ve made your sale, it’s all about staying top of mind. Use social media ads to stay on your customers’ radar and promote posts that keep them interested in your brand, even after they’ve got your product or service. Plus, search ads are great for getting these users to keep coming back to you.

3. Follow these best practices.

You’ve picked your goal and your channel. Now what? Each individual paid distribution channel is going to work differently, so go directly to the source to learn how to use each service. Here are a few quick tips we’ve collected to help get you started.

DO

Take advantage of the first few seconds. Be as attention-grabbing as possible. Your videos will autoplay on most social networking sites.
Focus your ads on a specific audience segment, not just the most views or clicks possible, and optimize based on your specific marketing goal.
Keep it short, especially on social media. We recommend videos between 15 and 60 seconds long for social ads.
Use Facebook, whether you’re on a budget or not. Facebook has some of the best targeting features and a massive user-base.

DON’T

Ignore mobile optimization. Always test your ads before pushing them live. Test your audio and always test them without sound, as most mobile viewers watch video content on mute.
Forget about Twitter and LinkedIn. Promoted tweets can target followers of similar accounts to your company, and LinkedIn can target potential customers by job title, seniority, or keyword.
Overlook the copy that goes with videos. Most people will read both the header and subheader copy for added context. Make sure the overall effect is cohesive and gives people useful information.
Try to fit everything in one ad. Try multiple different videos promoting different aspects of your product or services and see how they perform with your target audience. Packing multiple concepts into one video just gets confusing for the viewer.

Paid distribution is all about testing, recording the results, and adjusting accordingly, which means there’s a lot of trial and error. This can be tough on a budget, so make sure you start with a small test group and a small spend and work your way up from there. Then, increase your spend when you find a combination that’s cost-effective and leads to the most conversions for your brand. If you need more help, be sure to schedule a call with our team to help ideate video ideas based on your goals and we’ll guide you on the best platforms to engage your target audience.

2025 Video Marketing Strategies That Matter

Chris Savage — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 08:31:32 +0000

2025 is going to change the game for video marketing.

Authenticity, speed, and innovation will define who wins and who gets left behind. B2B influencers are reshaping trust and engagement, personalized video is transforming workplace communication, and AI is disrupting everything in sight.

Here’s the truth: the future of video isn’t waiting for you. If you want to lead, it’s time to hit “play.”

The Rise of B2B Influencers: Driving Trust with Video

Trust isn’t optional—it’s everything. And guess what? 81% of consumers won’t even consider your brand if they don’t trust it.

That’s where B2B influencers come in. They’re authentic, niche, and connected. They live in small online communities, delivering real value. And their secret weapon? Video. It’s personal, it’s human, and it builds trust faster than static content ever could.

2025 isn’t the year to sit this one out. Partner with influencers. Use video. Build trust and engagement like never before.

Personalized Video Messages Will Revolutionize Workplace Communication

Remote work is here to stay, but written communication misses the mark. It’s hard to feel seen or understood through text alone—we lose the human connection that matters most.

Enter personalized video. Whether it’s feedback, recognition, or big company updates, video conveys emotion and clarity that text never will. It’s not just about communication; it’s about connection.

In 2025, embrace video tools to strengthen your team. The payoff? Deeper connection and engaged employees who feel seen and heard.

AI’s Disruptive Role in Video Marketing

AI isn’t just a buzzword or trend anymore. It’s hitting mass adoption, changing how everyone works, builds, and creates.

Managing video assets at scale? Delivering metrics that matter? AI is making it all faster and easier. The best part? It’s leveling the playing field bringing advanced tools to startups and smaller teams.

But here’s the kicker: speed is the ultimate advantage. If you’re not thinking strategically and moving quickly with AI, you’re already falling behind.

Hitting Play on Your Video Strategy

2025 is going to reward the bold. The brands that embrace video trends—authenticity, influencers, personalization, AI—will lead.

This isn’t about keeping up. It’s about getting ahead. Hit “play” and start your plan for 2025 now.

The Real Deal with AI in Video Marketing

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 08:09:40 +0000

AI is stepping up its game, and video marketing is totally getting onboard with all these changes! Now, some of us might be a little nervous about what that means. The real question is: Is it going to be a game-changer or will it do more harm to us?

Let's break it down - the good, the bad, and everything in between!

1. Scriptwriting

Let's be honest, writing scripts can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. But with AI, things are getting a whole lot easier. Tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini (and a lot more tools we don’t know yet) can generate script ideas, write initial drafts, and even help you brainstorm different approaches. It's like having a super-smart writing assistant on hand.

The thing is, sometimes AI-produced content can feel a bit... well, robotic. It can lack that personal touch that makes your writing uniquely yours. Our tip? Mix it up! Use AI to get the creative juices flowing and then add in your own ideas. Add a dash of your own personality and voice to make it truly yours. After all, who knows you better than you?

2. AI Video Editors

With technology getting a lot more efficient these days, you might have heard about AI-powered video editing platforms, or well... you’ve been using them now. So what can we expect with AI tools for video editing?

Chopping Down Your Editing Time:

Think about the time it takes to edit a long video—cutting scenes or adding subtitles, well... it can be quite a task. AI can assist with this process, potentially reducing the time needed to complete these edits to just a FEW minutes. This might be helpful for editors looking to streamline their workflow.

There are many tools that can help with this, but one we've been loving is Capcut. It has a nifty feature that takes a long video and whips up a short-form version. How cool is that? To top it all off, it can add automatic captions to your videos, with a wide variety of text templates to choose from. Talk about a time-saver!

Friendly User Navigation:

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the complexity of traditional video editing software, you'll appreciate the simplicity of AI-powered editors. They're designed with beginners in mind, featuring user-friendly interfaces, drag-and-drop functionality, and clear instructions. This makes it easy to learn and start creating amazing videos right away.

Ready-made Templates and Formats:

AI video editors are awesome for a quick turnaround. They often have these pre-made templates, you know, like those Instagram Reel vibes or that trendy TikTok look. You just drop your footage in, and poof – instant video.

However, it really depends on what you're going for. If you need a quick, polished video and don't have a ton of time, those AI templates are a lifesaver. But if you're aiming for something truly special and want to put your own creative stamp on it, a little manual editing might be the way to go.

3. Ability to Generate Video

Seen that "ADD AI LABEL" button when you're about to post on Instagram (or perhaps on other social media as well)? Yeah, it seems everyone's hopping on this AI content train, doesn't it? It's a bit wild, and maybe even a bit daunting. BUT can you believe there is something such as this?

Text to video Generator

Imagine being able to create videos from just text. Now, with AI, you can! Type out your wildest ideas, and the AI will bring them to life in a video. And! There's a whole host of websites ready to help you do just that! I think in most cases you do need to add caveats in your descriptions that there is AI content involved, but it's so crazy.

Virtual Avatar Videos

How scary is Deep Fake?? I was totally weirded out when I'd first heard of it. I don't know if it's for the better or what but there are services out there that can take a sample of video you give them of yourself and the software can create infinite videos of you talking as if you'd recorded something IRL but you never did. There are others that create virtual avatars to be your stand in and speak whatever script you've prompted. Useful? Yes. Scary? Also yes.

What’s our verdict?

Since we haven't quite made the headfirst dive and are instead dipping our toes into AI, we can't quite give you a thorough verdict. It seems both scary and helpful. In many cases it's lowering the cost of entry into creating cool videos like when everyone got cameras in their pockets which is way cool! But like anything, it comes with its own challenges.

We don’t have control over it.

Sometimes, AI doesn’t quite hit the mark we were hoping for, which means we end up doing some manual tweaks anyway. It can leave us feeling a little let down, especially if the results don’t match what we originally aimed for. It’s all about adjusting our expectations and figuring out how to make the most of what AI has to offer!

Videos look the same.

You may have noticed a trend while browsing through videos—certain templates appear repeatedly, creating a sense of déjà vu. It can feel as though everyone is relying on the same format. If this approach doesn't resonate with you, consider embracing manual editing to infuse your unique perspective into your videos. Taking the time to personalize your content can truly make a difference and set your work apart.

Misinformation Spread

It's really something, isn't it? You're scrolling through TikTok and come across a video so lifelike you almost believe it. But then you look at the comments and - bam! Turns out, it's a sham. This is where it gets tricky. These AI-generated videos can spread misinformation like wildfire. So, let's be savvy. Let's think before we share. Because the truth matters, even in a 15-second clip.

Too Generic

We said it before, AI lacks human touch. AI excels at processing information and following instructions, but it doesn't have emotions, experiences, or personal opinions. It can generate text that's grammatically correct and factually accurate, but it might miss that subtle nuance, that touch of humor or irony that makes human writing so engaging.

The Horse and Buggy

It's the elephant in the room for a human run production company. Having relatively cheap tools that can do much of the work that used to be accomplished by humans will put some of us out of a job. Just like there aren't neighborhood horse and buggy shops next to typewriter stores anymore, industries change. While the AI tools are not quite at the point to take the guess-work out of everything, they will continue to get better and the video creation and video marketing landscape will continue to evolve. Right now, we still see there being value in human production companies. Many people that may want to start creating video will not necessarily have the desire or bandwidth to learn the basics of video let alone the AI tools and it will still benefit them to pay experts. But, for those that want to get started and have the time, desire and energy to DIY, they have so many more tools than before and do not have to rely on hiring out to create epic content.

AI can definitely give your video marketing a nice boost—it’s super handy. BUT! It’s not a magic wand. You’ve still got to roll up your sleeves, get involved, and use your creativity to make a video that really works for your business. Since it is currently technology that integrates but doesn't think on its own, it will be limited by the human operating it. Without the right prompts or a specific vision and intent, results will be so-so. The trick is to strike that perfect balance and use AI in ways that actually matter.

Video Monetization Models — Finding the Right Fit for Your Content

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 08:08:51 +0000

Every website publisher knows that video is the most powerful content type out there, reaching around 92% of internet users worldwide. But beyond engagement, video is also a key driver in revenue generation — if monetized properly. The right monetization model can make all the difference, shaping a publisher’s content reach, audience engagement, and overall content profitability. So, let me summarize all the possible video monetization models, and let’s see which ones best fit different types of website publishers.

Video Monetization Models — Pros and Cons

Monetizing your video content isn’t just about picking a revenue stream — it’s about choosing the right strategy to maximize profitability. From content paywalls and subscriptions to sponsorships and video ads, each model comes with its challenges and rewards.

SVOD — The Subscription-Based Model for Premium Content

Subscription video on demand (SVOD) allows users to access your videos anytime for a recurring fee, making it ideal for publishers with exclusive, high-quality videos that audiences are willing to pay for regularly. It offers steady revenue and fosters strong audience retention. However, SVOD works best for large publishers with a variety of premium content at their disposal — especially those in the OTT streaming space, like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.

When it comes to content niches, entertainment is naturally the first choice — live sporting events, shows, films, and similar. However, SVOD can also work well for on-demand educational video content (online teaching).

While the global SVOD market is expected to reach 700 million subscribers worldwide by 2026 — a 35% jump in just two years — it’s an oversaturated market that requires ongoing investment in both content quality and competitive pricing strategies. You’ll also need a distinct value proposition to make you stand out from your competitors.

Benefits

Ensures steady, recurring revenue

Keeps audiences engaged and loyal

Offers flexible pricing options

Setbacks

Highly competitive market

Only works with premium content

Requires continuous investment

Best for

Publishers with large content libraries

Media companies offering premium or educational videos

OTT businesses aiming for long-term viewer retention

TVOD — Pay-Per-View & Rentals for Premium Access

While transactional video on demand (TVOD) may not dominate the video monetization space like SVOD and AVOD, it has carved out a valuable niche, particularly for premium and event-based content. By mirroring the traditional box office model, TVOD allows publishers to tap into audiences willing to pay for exclusivity — whether it’s early access to films, limited-time releases, or niche content unavailable elsewhere.

This flexibility also extends to pricing structures, as you can experiment with rental windows, one-time purchases, and bundled content offers. Since digital consumption habits continue to evolve, TVOD presents a unique opportunity for publishers to maximize revenue while maintaining full control over their content distribution.

TVOD depends on individual purchases so revenue can be unpredictable. That’s why this model works best for publishers with frequent new releases, but for others, relying solely on TVOD can be a gamble. A good practice would be to combine it with AVOD or SVOD for a more stable revenue stream.

Benefits

Ideal for timely content (new releases, live events, exclusive premiers)

Flexible pricing: rentals, one-time purchases, and bundles

Offers flexible pricing options

Setbacks

Unpredictable revenue compared to SVOD

Requires constant fresh content

Limited audience reach

Best for

Publishers with frequent new releases

Content creators targeting niche audiences

Publishers looking to boost other monetization models

AVOD — The Power of Free, Ad-Supported Content

Unlike SVOD, which locks content behind a subscription fee, or TVOD, which charges per view, advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) offers a different approach — free content in exchange for viewing ads. This model benefits everyone: publishers generate revenue by running ads in their videos, while audiences enjoy unlimited access without paying a dime.

The AVOD market has been rapidly increasing each year and is expected to reach $66 billion by 2026, a 144% increase from 2020. Even industry giants that mostly relied on SVOD have taken notice, with platforms like Netflix and Disney+ introducing ad-supported tiers to capture this booming market.

AVOD offers publishers an easy way to generate revenue while keeping their video content accessible to a broader audience. Unlike SVOD and TVOD, it is easy to implement, requiring only a quality ad network to handle ad placement and targeting. This makes it particularly beneficial for publishers just getting started with video content, as users are more likely to watch free, ad-supported content than pay for an unknown service.

However, keep in mind that ad networks and monetization platforms have eligibility criteria. While some cater to smaller publishers, larger networks often require a steady flow of traffic to ensure profitable ad placements.

Benefits

Free for users, profitable for publishers

Works for both long- and short-form videos

Scales easily with growing demand

Works well with other monetization models

Setbacks

Unstable revenue due to fluctuating ad rates

Requires high traffic to be profitable

Ad fatigue risk if not optimized properly

Best for

Publishers with large or growing audiences

Media companies looking to scale without paywalls

Smaller to medium-sized publishers with quality content

Want to learn more about how to feature video ads in your videos? Check out our article on How to Earn More From Instream Ads to learn all about the setup and optimization.

Hybrid Models — Mixing AVOD, SVOD & TVOD for Maximum Profit

You don’t have to rely on just one monetization model — combining two or more models can significantly increase revenue and audience reach. A hybrid approach allows you to balance accessibility, exclusivity, and profitability, catering to both paying subscribers and ad-supported viewers.

For example, you can offer a free, ad-supported tier for general content. In contrast, you can reserve premium videos for subscribers and high-value, event-based content like live sports or exclusive releases you can monetize through one-time purchases. Many major streaming platforms, including Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube, already use hybrid models to diversify their income streams and maximize audience engagement.

Hybrid models are especially useful for publishers with diverse content libraries, allowing them to attract both casual viewers and dedicated subscribers. However, managing multiple revenue streams requires strategic planning. Poorly balanced models can lead to audience frustration or revenue dilution.

Benefits

Targeting different types of audiences

Flexibility in content distribution

Diversifies revenue streams

Setbacks

Requires careful content management

Can be resource-intensive to maintain multiple models

Too much free content can reduce subscriptions

Best for

Publishers with diverse content types and audiences

Platforms looking to combine free & paid access for scalability

Businesses aiming to optimize monetization through tiers

Video Content Syndication — Expanding Reach & Revenue

Video content syndication is a great solution for monetizing content or boosting your other monetization models. It benefits both large and small publishers — big media networks can distribute their videos across multiple websites, expanding their reach and gaining new viewers, while smaller publishers get access to high-quality content to engage their audience.

Syndication also opens up new ad monetization opportunities, as both parties share the ad revenue generated across different website assets. This makes it a smart strategy for publishers looking to maximize their content’s value without relying solely on their own channels.

Benefits

Expands audience reach and engagement

Provides fresh content for smaller publishers

Generates shared ad revenue with minimal effort

Setbacks

Requires partnerships with syndication networks

Less control over where the content appears

Revenue depends on traffic and ad performance

Best for

Large publishers looking to distribute content widely

Smaller publishers that need quality content

Media companies seeking additional revenue streams

Unlock new revenue streams with our ready-to-use video syndication platform — empowering publishers and ad networks to monetize traffic through premium content, advanced player features, and flexible monetization options. Contact our sales to learn more!

Sponsorships & Brand Deals — Monetizing Beyond Ads

With this approach, publishers partner directly with brands to feature sponsored content, product placements, or branded integrations within their videos. This model works well for publishers with an established viewership, as brands are willing to pay more for direct exposure from well-known publishers.

Just keep in mind that sponsorships can be a double-edged sword — too many, especially those that don’t match your audience’s interests, can hurt credibility!

Which Video Monetization Model Works for You?

Choosing the right video monetization model depends on multiple factors, from the size of your audience to the type of content you produce. Here’s how to determine the best fit for your business:

Publisher Size — Larger publishers with extensive content libraries often benefit from SVOD or hybrid models, using both subscriptions and ad-supported content to generate revenue. Smaller publishers, on the other hand, may find AVOD or syndication partnerships more effective, as they require less upfront investment while still providing a scalable revenue stream.

Target Audience — Understanding your audience’s behavior is key. Are they willing to pay for exclusive content? If so, SVOD or TVOD could be a great fit. If they expect free access, AVOD or hybrid models with premium upgrades might work better. Sponsorships and brand deals are ideal for publishers with engaged, niche communities that advertisers want to reach.

Content Quality & Frequency — If you consistently produce premium, high-value content, SVOD or TVOD could offer a stable income. However, if your videos rely on volume rather than exclusivity, AVOD or syndication will likely be more profitable. Live events and time-sensitive content perform well under TVOD, while diversified content libraries can thrive with a hybrid approach.

No single model fits all publishers — testing and adapting your monetization strategy is key to maximizing your revenue. Whether you’re focusing on ad-supported streaming, subscriptions, or a combination of both, I suggest choosing one that aligns with your overall content strategy, audience expectations, and business goals.

More Revenue, Less Effort with TargetVideo

TargetVideo offers website publishers everything they need to scale and earn revenue from videos. With our TargetVideo Platform, publishers have full control over content management, distribution, and monetization. Assign user roles for detailed content library management across your entire website network. Choose how and where to distribute videos and get actionable, real-time insights into their performance.

Additionally, our platform provides an array of ad setup options, allowing you to monetize your digital assets in any way you choose. Sell instream and outstream inventory, set floor prices, and toggle automated revenue optimization for the best results.

And if all of this seems like too much work, our Managed Ads service has got you covered — our team will take care of everything in your stead!

Video Monetization Models FAQ

1. What kind of content can I monetize?

You can monetize episodic content, films/short films, daily vlogs, home videos, do-it-yourself videos, tutorials, original music videos, and more.

2. What are video monetization models?

Video monetization models are ways to earn from your video content; these include advertising video on demand (AVOD), subscription video on demand (SVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD), sponsorships, and hybrid models combining these approaches.

3. Which platform is best for video monetization?

The best platform for video monetization will depend on your size, content type/quality, and goals. For ad monetization and content syndication, a platform like TargetVideo is great for the job while SVOD models work well on platforms like Vimeo.

4. How do I monetize my video?

You can monetize videos by enabling ads (AVOD), setting up subscriptions (SVOD), offering pay-per-view access (TVOD), partnering with brands for sponsorships, or mixing some of the mentioned above.

YouTube trends to fuel your content strategy

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 05:37:18 +0000

Where can you go to learn something new, be entertained and find neverending lo-fi music streams? YouTube, of course.

If you haven’t put much thought into your YouTube marketing strategy, this is your sign to start. According to The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, more than three-quarters (78%) of all social users have a YouTube profile. YouTube is also the leading platform for long-form video content (and has been since its launch in 2005).

So, what was trending on YouTube in 2024? And how will the platform evolve in 2025? In this article, let’s dive into 13 current and emerging YouTube trends you need to know to fuel your video strategy.

Current and emerging YouTube trends

YouTube is a jewel in any digital marketer’s crown. But just like any platform, social media trends on YouTube come and go.

The challenge lies in keeping track of what trending YouTube content is on the rise, what’s currently making waves and which trends are already on their way out.

Use this list of 13 relevant YouTube trends to inspire your own content.

Short-form video

The ubiquity of vertical short-form video content on social media shows no signs of slowing down. According to The 2024 Content Benchmarks Report, 81% of consumers want to see more short-form brand videos.

If you don’t binge-watch TikTok videos or Instagram Reels daily, you likely know someone who does. YouTube’s take on the format, YouTube Shorts, is becoming more popular by the day. The platform now gets an average of 70 billion views daily (up from 30 million in 2021).

This mobile-first feature allows brands to reach new users, test different content styles and increase their following. YouTube also regularly releases new tools and features. One example is extending the duration limit for Shorts from 60 seconds to three minutes, giving marketers more creative freedom.

Pro tip: Repurpose your TikTok or Instagram Reel content for YouTube Shorts. This is especially useful if you want to attract a global audience—40% of YouTube Shorts users aren’t on TikTok or Reels. Just remove any platform watermarks first.

We love how beverage brand Liquid Death uses YouTube Shorts to create high-energy, entertaining content that aligns with their rebellious brand. They use a strong visual hook, quick edits and a unique subject to keep their audience engaged. In the video, YouTuber and vlogger Airrack flies Liquid Death’s fighter jet and plays a game of “Try not to blackout.” The rest of the video shows Airrack and his friends trying to withstand the G-force, to hilarious results.

Live videos

Live video isn’t new, but it’s also not out. A Statista survey found that a quarter (25%) of US adults watch live stream video several times a day. That’s a lot of time to make an impression.

YouTube has piloted some exciting new livestream tools. Watch With is a new tool that allows creators to provide live commentary, analysis and real-time reactions to games and events.

Their Multiview feature lets viewers watch up to four live programs simultaneously without switching between channels. The Coachella Music Festival used this feature to create a “first of its kind” viewing experience. Fans could watch performances from four of Coachella’s six stages at once and select audio from one stage at a time.

Social commerce

Social commerce functionality has been a major focus for many top platforms over the last few years. Experts predict that by the end of the year, there will be 110.4 million U.S. social media shoppers, nearly half of all social media users.

YouTube is no exception, with a full suite of shopping features, like the ability to tag and highlight products in videos and live streams. Newer features include Shopping Collections, which lets creators curate products around themes or topics. The Affiliate Hub is another addition, designed to connect creators with brands for affiliate marketing partnerships.

Activewear brand Popflex’s YouTube Shorts are a masterclass in social commerce. In this video, founder Cassie Ho shares a humorous yet informative behind-the-scenes look at how a new product—a low-rise running short—came to be. She shows the design process, highlights key benefits and features and offers a quick styling tip. While the product is tagged in the video, it doesn’t feel overly promotional, thanks to the value Cassie delivers.

Creator-led content

The creator economy is more than just a buzzword in the industry. Consumers trust creator-led content more than brand-created content. Creators humanize brands and offer an authentic voice.

Good creators understand and connect with their audiences, which, in turn, makes those viewers trust them. According to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report, nearly half (49%) of all consumers make daily, weekly or monthly purchases because of influencer posts.

Clothing brand REVOLVE pairs two popular influencers together—Vinnie Hacker and stylist Jason Bolden—with the latter offering fashion tips to the former. The video integrates the clothing very naturally while showing off their personalities.

Brand storytelling

Consumers love stories. Brands that use storytelling well connect with their audiences around shared values and experiences and convey authenticity.

One of the best ways to ensure your brand storytelling hits the mark is to leverage voice-of-customer feedback. Use social listening tools to track rapidly shifting consumer expectations and preferences. This will help your brand stand out in your industry.

Outdoor activewear brand The North Face takes brand storytelling to new heights by sharing short documentaries featuring athletes snowboarding, climbing and various other outdoor sports. YouTube’s long-form horizontal video format works perfectly to show off the cinematic nature of these videos.

Gaming and community content

Live streaming video games is an interactive, fun way to build community and loyalty first while promoting your brand and products in the background.

Even if you’re not a gaming brand, there’s a lot to learn from the popularity of this content. To get inspired, look at creators like Kelsey Impicciche, who has grown and cultivated a community of nearly a million YouTube subscribers who watch her play The Sims 4 and other games.

She engages her audience with unique challenges and series like her “100 Baby Challenge.” Kelsey also has a secondary channel where she posts unedited live streams—a great way to repurpose content with minimal effort. Lastly, she uses Shorts to post more digestible content, such as clips from her gaming videos or funny life updates, and Posts for important announcements, like merch drops or changes to her uploading schedule.

Relaxing or comforting content

Many of us have leaned hard into comfort content to relax and take our minds off things.

This phenomenon is also true on YouTube. People turn to the platform for videos that help them relax or feel comforted. A 2024 survey found that 39% of Gen Z respondents consider YouTube more relaxing than traditional TV, streaming platforms and movies.

Whether this means you’re watching a day-in-the-life vlog while making breakfast or have an ambient Lofi Girl video on while working from home, this trending YouTube content can help us all decompress from the stress of daily life.

Some YouTube creators have made it their brand. Kennedy (aka Cozy K) bills herself as a comfort creator, regularly posting vlogs or body-doubling videos of her reading or cleaning.

YouTube for the TV

In contrast to YouTube TV, the subscription service that offers live TV viewing across 85 channels on desktop, mobile and smart TVs, the YouTube TV app enables users to watch YouTube on their TV.

Viewers watch a billion hours of YouTube content on television daily. On top of this, the watch time for sports content on TV has grown over 30% year over year as YouTube is now a one-stop shop for clips, highlights and post-game interviews.

To make the most of this viewing format, take the time to get to know your TV audience. Understand how your content performs by looking at metrics like TV watch time, views, average view duration and new subscribers from TV.

Also make your content as ‘TV-like’ as possible by upping the production value and leaning into episodic content. For example, furniture company Wayfair created “Iconic Objects”, a series that explores the unique backstories of popular objects in home design.

In the episode below, host Becky Lynn, a YouTuber and interior designer, explores the history of the Crock Pot (and how the TV show “This Is Us” almost ruined its reputation).

Cross-platform storytelling and multiformat content

The content you create for longer horizontal and shorter vertical YouTube videos doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Short-form, vertical video is popular right now but that doesn’t mean horizontal video is dead. 96% of Gen Zers in the U.S. say they watch both short-form and long-form videos on YouTube.

Additionally, short-form video is no longer just for mobile audiences. Last year, views of YouTube Shorts on connected TVs in the U.S. grew by more than 75%.

In short, to maximize your reach, you need to tell stories across multiple formats. If you have a longer YouTube video you want to drive people to, create unique, bite-sized YouTube Shorts to promote it.

Lean into the nuances of each content style. Use Shorts to capitalize on viral trends or share quick tips. Create longer videos for more research-heavy, nuanced topics.

Fitness creator Taliyah Joelle is an excellent example of this multi-format approach. Her longer videos are primarily vlogs or educational how-to guides, whereas her Shorts are quick, digestible #GRWMs (Get Ready With Me) and workouts. She repurposes clips from her longer videos into Shorts to maximize her long-form content.

The new meme content

Trending sounds and videos from short-form video platforms have created a new way to meme.

As these platforms have evolved, so has their meme content. While lip-syncing to viral sounds is still prevalent, 2024’s most popular trends were more conceptual.

For example, the “suspect running challenge” or the “we listen, and we don’t judge” trend gave users a framework for humorously roasting a loved one or confessing something harmless (in theory).

However, the “Gen Z marketing script” trend was fun and simple for unexpected brands to take part in. Case in point: the National Oceanography Centre. The organization used the trend to highlight the centre’s key features in a funny and digestible way.

Pro tip: Some YouTube trends are evergreen. Some come and go. In addition to jumping on trending memes and audio, keep track of YouTube trending content and think about adapting those topics into stories that make sense for your brand to tell.

Explainers and video essays

Even in a social media landscape dominated by short, digestible content, many users come to YouTube for fun and helpful insights. The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report found that 66% of social users find edutainment to be the most engaging brand content, even more than skits, memes or serialized formats.

Notably, younger audiences love to watch deep-dive videos that offer more nuanced insights or thorough explanations around a particular topic. According to Google research, nearly three-quarters (74%) of Gen Z respondents said they often spend more time watching content that discusses or unpacks something than the thing itself (for example, a movie trailer, a new music video or a significant cultural event).

GRMNT is a company that offers made-to-order clothing and fashion design courses. It uses YouTube to share masterclass videos and explainers investigating the rise (and sometimes fall) of popular fashion houses like Burberry or Yeezy.

Reaction and commentary videos

Reaction and commentary videos have grown into their own content genre, spanning numerous subcategories—from reality TV recaps to album first listens.

Their popularity is undeniable. A Google survey found that 64% of people feel watching events like the Oscars or the Grammys feels incomplete without reactions, commentary and related content. Furthermore, 60% said they would rather watch creators break down a major event than watch the event itself.

Netflix created a reaction series with drag queens Trixie and Katya, “I Like to Watch.” In the series, they watch popular Netflix movies and shows and share their unfiltered takes. The series is successful because Netflix allows Trixie and Katya to be themselves. They share honest opinions—even when those opinions are negative.

This authenticity helps Netflix build trust with its audience. It also positions the company as a fun, self-aware brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Video podcasts

No longer an audio-only medium, more people are listening and watching podcasts on YouTube. In 2024, users watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly—and that’s just on televisions. YouTube is a great platform for discovery. According to a Cumulus Report, 84% of surveyed Gen Z monthly podcast listeners in the US have found a podcast on YouTube.

When users create a podcast on YouTube, they have access to many features to help promote their show, such as inclusion in the YouTube Music app and eligibility to be featured on YouTube’s dedicated podcast page.

Google data analysis found that podcasts with video—particularly those featuring hosts on camera—perform better than podcasts with static visuals. Shorter clips from the podcast can also be repurposed as YouTube Shorts to boost reach.

“Why Won’t You Date Me” is a long-running podcast by comedian Nicole Byer. Uploading video episodes to YouTube adds a new layer to the show’s storytelling and humor.

In the episode below, the set is decorated with Sonic the Hedgehog memorabilia to honor the guest, actor Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic in the movies. Nicole even wears a Sonic costume, making the visual experience as entertaining as the conversation.

How YouTube search trends can enhance your content

Does creating impactful YouTube content strategy feel like a guessing game? It doesn’t have to be. YouTube search trends reveal what viewers are actively looking for. Brands and marketers can use this data to create videos they know their audience will love—before they even ask for it.

For example, if you’re a social marketer for a food brand and see that “meal prep ideas” are trending, you could post a meal prep recipe video featuring your product.

YouTube is also the world’s second-largest search engine, powered by Google. Optimizing your content for YouTube search makes it more discoverable both on the platform and beyond, boosting your reach and streamlining content planning.

Here are a few popular ways to tap into YouTube search trends.

Sprout’s YouTube Listening

With Sprout’s YouTube Listening tool, brands can tune into exactly what their audience cares about most. Use it to uncover trending topics and hashtags, understand audience demographics and preferences, and identify relevant thought leaders and influencers.

YouTube’s Trending page

14 of the Best Video Marketing Tools to Promote Your Brand Online

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 05:29:20 +0000

Video content is an integral part of social media. For the past several years, video has been taking social media by storm. Video marketing has become a crucial element for any good social media strategy, and an effective one. If you haven’t dipped your toes into the vast world of video marketing, there’s no better time to start.

Video creation and video editing can be a powerful addition to your arsenal. Many social media managers, marketers, and content creators find video editing to be quite intimidating and time consuming. It’s true, using some other techniques without guidance can lead to hours spent on a single clip.

But are you taking advantage of all the incredible video marketing tools available online right now? Video marketing tools nowadays have so many tips, tricks, and shortcuts to help make the process accessible for workers of all skill levels. Anyone can make a sleek, professional, social-ready video with just a few clicks!

Compare Video Promo Maker Tools

Best for

Price

Rating

biteable

Boost your sales with stunning promo videos

WEBSITE

Creators, Small to Medium Businesses, Brands

Free

Powtoon

Powtoon helps create energized, fun, and attention-grabbing videos

WEBSITE

Fortune 500, Enterprise

Free
$89/month

Filmora

Video promo maker that allows everyone to add audio, special effects and more.

WEBSITE

Small to Medium Businesses

$7.99

Promo.com

The world's #1 online video maker

Creators, SMBs, Brands, Agencies

Plans Starting from $18/Month

Become a Partner: if you are looking to partner with us click here.

1. Movavi

The Movavi Video Editor Clips application works on both iOS and Android devices and, unlike many other mobile video editing options, it lets you crop videos for all types of social formats. In the Movavi free version, videos will be exported with a watermark. The premium version will start at $1.99 a month and that will remove the watermark and allow you to add custom logos, animated stickers, and other new features.

2. Promo.com

Promo does exactly what it sounds like it does: make promotional marketing videos. This platform works directly with Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. This online video platform can perform a bunch of basic video editing functions for free, and you can add licensed clip art, stock photos, music, and more. Like many platforms, Promo will also let you crop your video to whatever social network format you want. One of the biggest perks to Promo is their “swipe up” integration and their embedded links features, thanks to their official partnerships with social networks. Their premium plans start at $39.

Ratings

Features

3.8

Ease of Use

4.4

Support

4.3

Overall Score

4.2

Features & Pricing

Brand Overlay

Collaboration

Media Library

Social Sharing

Supports HD Resolution

Price on request

Pros and Cons

Intuitive and easy-to-use user interface

Library with pre-loaded media

Lots of flexible customization options

App may lag sometimes

2025 is here! Can you believe it yet?

While we're still figuring out our New Year's resolutions, the world of video marketing is already evolving but one thing still remains: video marketing is here to stay.

According to LocaliQ, nearly 60% of small businesses are already using short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. This trend is only going to accelerate in 2025.

Photo and statistics from LocaliQ

So, then, what can we expect from video marketing in 2025?

Hanna and Katie had a pow-wow and here's what we think:

1. Short-Form Video Series Getting Bigger

Short-form videos aren't just fleeting moments anymore.

Brands are starting to connect these short clips into captivating micro-series.

Imagine a 30-second teaser that leads to a series of follow-up videos, each adding a new layer to the story. This “micro-series” approach allows you to tell more complex stories in bite-sized chunks, keeping your audience hooked.

2. AI-Powered Video Creation

Short-form videos aren't just fleeting moments anymore.

Brands are starting to connect these short clips into captivating micro-series.

3. SEO for Videos will Still Be Important

While short-form videos are all the rage, don't forget about the power of SEO (Search Engine Optimization if you're just joining the internet and onine marketing game). Making your videos easy to find on search engines is crucial for increasing views. Here are a few tips:

Keyword Optimization: Use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
Video Sitemaps: Submit a video sitemap to search engines to help them index your videos.

Platform-Specific Strategies:

- - YouTube: Use eye-catching thumbnails and optimize your video descriptions.
  - Instagram: Write engaging captions and use relevant hashtags.
  - TikTok: Leverage trending sounds, keywords, and hashtags to reach a wider audience.

4. Longer-Form Vertical Video Takes Center Stage

Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are letting us make longer videos. It's a whole new world! Now we can explore topics in more detail, weave intricate narratives, and play with different video styles.

So what does this mean? With longer videos, you can create in-depth tutorials, captivating documentaries, and engaging vlogs… (things Katie will definitely watch… at 4x speed)

But on a serious note, this increased flexibility empowers creators to explore new creative avenues and cater to diverse audience preferences.

5. Shoppable Videos are a Game Changer for E-commerce

Imagine watching a video and being able to purchase products directly from it. Yep, that’s right, you CAN apparently click on products, learn more about them, and make purchases directly from the video.

This eliminates the need to navigate to a separate product page, making the shopping process more efficient and convenient! By making it easier for customers to purchase products, brands can drive more revenue. How cool is that?

6. Video Podcasting is the next big thing

Podcasts are thriving, and in 2025, adding video is no longer optional—it's your competitive edge. Video podcasts amplify your reach across multiple platforms, creating snackable content and fostering deeper audience connections.
Video podcasts give you SO much more to work with: shareable clips for social media, behind-the-scenes content, and a much deeper connection with your audience.

Let's be honest, sometimes just hearing about something isn't enough. We're visual creatures! That's why adding video to your podcast in 2025 is a marketing power move.

So there we go!

Video SEO: 10 Proven Strategies to Boost Your Video Rankings (2025)

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 05:10:04 +0000

With millions of videos uploaded across various platforms every day, it’s crucial to optimize your videos for search engines to ensure they reach your target audience. By implementing the 10 proven video SEO strategies below, you can significantly boost your video rankings and reach a wider audience. But first, let’s discuss the framework of SEO as an overall concept and how it can help your business.

The Importance of SEO for Business

In a noisy world, SEO is one of the best ways for businesses to be seen by their target audiences. Remember, when people use search engines, they’re doing a targeted search. They’re actively looking for what you’re offering, so making sure your site is the first one users see should be a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy.

A high ranking in search engine results can lead to increased traffic, brand awareness, and sales for a business. Good SEO performance can also help to establish a business as an authority in its industry, as well as improve the user experience of a website.

With improved content, better navigation structure, optimized images and faster loading times, customers are more likely to stay longer on your page, which increases the chances of them buying or availing your services. Additionally, with higher rankings on SERPs comes direct referral traffic from Google or other search engines that further helps boost sales conversions.

Local SEO for Small Businesses

This type of SEO is an important factor because it allows businesses to connect with potential customers who have already expressed an interest in the services or products that they offer. Optimizing a website for local search not only gives small businesses increased visibility, but also improves qualified leads, as customers will find them more easily when searching for specific keywords related to what they need. Furthermore, local SEO can help build brand awareness and credibility among those within the target market of the business by providing them with relevant information about what they offer and why they should choose them over any other competitors.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is of paramount importance in creating a successful website. It helps search engines understand the content on each page, which can significantly increase visibility and the likelihood of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). On-page SEO involves optimizing elements like title tags, alt text, headlines, URLs, meta descriptions, and internal links. Making sure these elements are optimized properly will make sure your website gets seen by more people and increases your chances of appearing in the top positions on SERPs. Overlooking things such as broken links can have the opposite effect.

In addition to SEO-specific factors, it is also important to focus on making quality content that is well-structured and easy to read for both humans and machines. Content should be tailored to the target audience’s interests and needs. Quality content should have keyword research done before writing so that topics are relevant to the target keywords; this helps ensure that search engines recognize the relevance of a given page and rank it accordingly.

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO is just as important as on-page SEO when it comes to optimizing a website for search engine results. It includes activities such as link building and social media presence, which can help increase the visibility and authority of a website. Building quality backlinks from other websites with high domain authority can be incredibly beneficial for increasing visibility in SERPs, as well as building credibility with potential customers. Link building helps to spread the word about your website and establish trustworthiness, since Google rewards websites that are seen by more people, have more links pointing to them, and are seen by other authoritative sources.

Additionally, having a presence on social media platforms can also help to grow visibility. By engaging with users online through comments and posts, you can create a loyal customer base that will share your content on their own social channels. This will lead to more traffic being driven to your site, which in turn increases the chances of ranking higher in SERPs. Social media marketing is also an effective way to advertise products and services by targeting specific audiences based on user interests or demographics. Not only does this drive traffic but it helps build relationships with customers and allows businesses to get real-time feedback from their target audiences.

If much of this information sounds somewhat familiar, you’ve probably taken some steps to boost your SEO. You may have created specific blogs and articles based on keyword research. You may have hired a technical SEO expert to help your pages index and crawl correctly.

What you may not know is that video can help your SEO ranking as well–in a very significant way.

10 Video SEO Tips

1. Conduct Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy, and video SEO is no exception. By identifying the most relevant and high-traffic keywords for your video content, you can optimize your videos to rank higher in search results. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find keywords with a good balance of search volume and competition. Once you have your target keywords, incorporate them naturally into your video titles, descriptions, and tags.

2. Optimize Video Titles and Descriptions

Your video titles and descriptions play a crucial role in both attracting viewers and informing search engines about your content. Craft compelling and keyword-rich titles that accurately represent your video’s content while enticing users to click. Keep your titles concise, ideally under 60 characters, to ensure they display fully in search results.

When writing video descriptions, provide a detailed overview of your video’s content, incorporating your target keywords naturally. Aim for descriptions between 200-300 words, as longer descriptions offer more context to search engines. Additionally, include calls-to-action (CTAs) in your descriptions to encourage viewers to like, share, or subscribe to your channel.

3. Create Engaging Thumbnails

Video thumbnails are the first thing viewers see when browsing search results or video platforms. An eye-catching thumbnail can significantly increase your video’s click-through rate (CTR). When designing thumbnails, choose high-quality images that accurately represent your video’s content and include text overlays to provide additional context. Tools like Canva or Adobe Spark make it easy to create custom thumbnails that stand out.

4. Utilize Video Transcriptions and Closed Captions

Video transcriptions and closed captions not only improve accessibility for hearing-impaired viewers but also provide valuable content for search engines to index. Transcriptions allow search engines to better understand your video’s content, increasing the chances of your video appearing in relevant search results. You can either manually create transcriptions or use automated tools like YouTube’s built-in transcription feature or services like Rev or Temi.

5. Optimize Video File Names and Formats

Before uploading your videos, ensure that your video file names include your target keywords. This helps search engines understand the content of your video before even processing the video itself. Additionally, choose video formats that are widely supported and provide optimal performance, such as MP4 or WebM. Compress your videos to reduce file size without sacrificing quality, ensuring faster loading times and a better user experience.

6. Embed Videos on Your Website

Embedding your videos on your own website provides several SEO benefits. It keeps visitors on your site longer, reducing bounce rates and increasing engagement. Moreover, embedding videos allows you to create a dedicated video sitemap, making it easier for search engines to discover and index your video content. When embedding videos, be sure to include relevant titles, descriptions, and transcriptions to maximize the SEO value.

Lemonlight.com

7. Promote Your Videos on Social Media

Social media promotion is a powerful way to drive traffic to your videos and improve their search engine rankings. Share your videos on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, and Instagram, tailoring your posts to each platform’s audience and best practices. Encourage your followers to engage with your videos by liking, commenting, and sharing them with their own networks.

To maximize the impact of your social media promotion, consider collaborating with influencers in your niche. Influencer partnerships can help expose your videos to new audiences and generate high-quality backlinks to your video content.

8. Build Backlinks to Your Videos

Backlinks are a key factor in SEO, and they’re just as important for video SEO. When other websites link to your videos, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative. To acquire high-quality backlinks, consider guest posting on relevant blogs or websites in your industry, including links to your videos within the content. As mentioned, you can also reach out to influencers or thought leaders in your niche, asking them to share or link to your videos if they find them valuable.

9. Analyze and Monitor Video Performance

To continually improve your video SEO efforts, it’s essential to track and analyze your video performance. Use analytics tools like YouTube Analytics or Google Analytics to monitor key metrics such as views, watch time, engagement, and traffic sources. By understanding how your videos are performing, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your content, targeting, and promotion strategies.

10. Continuously Update and Improve Your Videos

Finally, keep your video content fresh and up-to-date to maintain its relevance and SEO value. Regularly update your video titles, descriptions, and tags to reflect changes in search trends or new keyword opportunities. Consider repurposing existing videos by creating shorter clips, compilations, or updated versions that incorporate user feedback and analytics insights.

By continuously improving and updating your video content, you demonstrate to search engines that your videos are actively maintained and relevant to your target audience.

Five Common YouTube Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:35:30 +0000

Are your YouTube ad campaigns getting the results you want? If not, they might be falling prey to some common pitfalls. After years of auditing YouTube ad campaigns, we’ve identified five recurring mistakes that can drain your budget, reduce engagement, and leave your target audience unimpressed. But don’t worry! With a few smart adjustments, you can get your campaigns back on track.

Click to download our useful eBook on YouTube Common Mistakes below.

Here are five top mistakes you should look out for (with actionable tips to turn them around)…

#1 Poor Targeting: Missing the Right Audience

If you’re not zeroing in on the right audience, even the best video can flop. Weak targeting means your ad could be showing to viewers who aren’t remotely interested in your brand.

Pro Tips to Sharpen Your Aim:

Refine Audience Segmentation: Get specific with demographics, interests, and behaviours that match your ideal audience.

Utilise In-Market Audiences: Target people actively searching for pro
ducts or services like yours.

Leverage Custom Intent Audiences: Target users based on their recent Google searches, capturing people actively seeking information.

Exclude Irrelevant Viewers: Use negative keywords and exclude demographics that don’t align with your audience to avoid wasted views.

#2 Weak Creative Content: Not Grabbing Attention

A bland video won’t cut it on YouTube, where captivating content is king. Without eye-catching visuals or a compelling message, your ad risks being skipped in seconds.

Pro Tips to Keep Viewers Hooked:

Nail the First Few Seconds: Capture attention quickly with a strong opening hook.
Use High-Quality Visuals: The more polished your video, the more likely viewers will stick around.
Craft a Clear, Persuasive Message: Make sure your message is laser-focused and easy to understand.

We worked with Synergy Car Leasing to produce this attention-grabbing video, tailored for the interests and pain points of their target audience. We used motion graphics animation to dynamically illustrate this video’s message, along with a clear voiceover to convey the call-to-action.

#3 Neglecting Calls-to-Action: Leaving Viewers Guessing

What’s next for your viewers after watching your ad? If you don’t tell them, they’ll move on – leaving potential leads unconverted.

Pro Tips to Boost Action:

Be Direct and Persuasive: Guide viewers with clear, compelling CTAs, both in your video and its description.
Prompt Immediate Action: Use action-oriented language, like ‘Learn More’, ‘Sign Up’, or ‘Shop Now’ to direct them immediately to the next step.

Check out this social media video we produced for our client, Language Angels, which encourages viewers towards signing up for a free trial. Creating a clear visual and audio CTA was key to Language Angel’s successful campaign.

#4 Inadequate Budget Management: Money Missed, Campaigns Limited

A poorly managed budget can quickly lead to underwhelming results. It’s essential to keep a close eye on spending and allocate funds to ensure they’re effectively fueling your campaign.

Pro Tips for Budget Smarts:

Review and Adjust Regularly: Monitor campaign performance and make data-driven tweaks to maximise budget efficiency.

Prioritise Top Performers: Allocate more budget to high-performing ads while experimenting with underperformers to see if tweaks can improve them.

#5 Ignoring Performance Data: Missing the Mark

In digital advertising, data is your best friend. If you’re not analysing your results, you’ll miss chances to refine and boost performance.

Pro Tips to Stay Data-Savvy:

Track Key Metrics: Regularly check view rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to gauge effectiveness.

A/B Test to Fine-Tune: Experiment with different versions of your ads to see what resonates best with your audience.

Optimise Based on Insights: Use performance data to adjust and improve your campaigns for maximum ROI.

By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing these tips, you’ll be on track to creating YouTube campaigns that engage your audience and deliver results.

If you’re ready to enhance your campaign’s performance and achieve the improvements you’re aiming for, get in touch with our digital team for a free campaign audit and tailored expert advice.

Animation Explainer Video Production – An Ultimate guide (2025 Edition)

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:29:00 +0000

Explainer Videos are useful for a top-of-the-funnel for Attract and Educate
Duration should be around 90 seconds
Think of it as your sales pitch, so try to answer user’s all apprehensions

If you have a new concept/ idea which needs to be presented to its prospective users in an interesting manner then nothing works better than an animated explainer video.

For example – Squatty Potty created an explainer video and got 31m views so far

Squatty Potty helps its users in correcting their pooping posture. And then created a simple explainer video to convey this ‘not so simple’ solution.

In order to simplify Animation Explainer Videos for Organizations, we have created this ultimate guide to answer all your questions

Check out – Top 25 Global Video Marketing Disruptors

What is the Animation Explainer Video making process?

Step 1: Scriptwriting for Animation Videos

Concept/ Script is the king in any video.

So we should not take this lightly and spend a good amount of time writing a good script.

A good script is one that can convey your value proposition effectively to your target audience and invoke an emotional response to buy/ try your product.

Important Tip:

Step 2: Animation Video Production

Once the script is finalized, it goes into production where explainer video creator creates animations/ graphics and adds the voice over.

Step 3: Feedback incorporation

Once the first draft is done, we have the chance to check the audio-visual format of the text content we wrote. We can give our feedback and suggest changes to the producer.

The animated explainer video company would then make these changes and send you the revised drafts. Once all the changes are incorporated, your final video is ready.

What is the cost of creating an animated explainer video?

In order to understand the cost, let’s first understand the elements that contribute to an explainer video cost:

Duration of Animation
Types of animation
Amount of customization or tool-based
Voice over quality

Based on the above parameters, an animation video could cost $300 to $1800 for 60 seconds.

Things we should figure out as a brand from a video marketing perspective

What one thing we want our audience to remember after they watch the video
What exact action do you want our audience to take after they watch the video
What are the apprehensions of your Target Audience about using your product?

What qualities to look for in an Explainer video production house or agency?

Creative Scriptwriting –

Video is a creative audio-video content and the main reason we outsource this service is because of Creativity hence it should be the biggest filter. You can check the animation video production company’s previous work to gauge that or ask for a concept note.

Price –

This is obviously an important factor and as usual a tricky one. Too high would not be good for your pocket and too low might not fulfill your video creation agenda.

Professional Project Management –

This is the most underrated factor while selecting an explainer video maker but we realise once we go through the first process.

By professionalism, we mean – delivering on time and delivering the same quality which was promised.

Many times companies make the mistake of going for the low animated video cost option and start suffering because of an unprofessional attitude of the animation video production house. Delivering on time, quality promised and proper communication are the criteria not to be taken lightly.

Video Marketing and Distribution Knowledge –

Video marketing doesn’t just end with the creation of the video. Actually, it starts with it.

And as a business, we want this video content to give us the desired results. For this, the video needs to be distributed/ promoted/ marketed well enough. We can always ask for some ideas from an animated explainer video production company.

Bonus Tip:

Here are the Top 40 Video Production Companies in India

Explainer Video Marketing and distribution checklist

Do YouTube SEO properly – Just do not publish it on YouTube.
Link it in your email signature – You are sending emails to so many people. So why not use that as a distribution medium for your video?
Share on all social media channels with proper thumbnail, description, hashtags, etc. Adding it in the ‘Story’ will get some more eyeballs
Give the video an initial push by asking all your colleagues to share on their social media profiles.
If you can find relevant and active Facebook and LinkedIn groups, you can share the video there as well.

Visual memories are the strongest memories. Create such memory about your product/ company in user’s mind through a Video

How to Unlock Your Creative Potential to Revamp Your Video Strategy

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:18:23 +0000

Creative fatigue is a common challenge for both brands and the agencies that support them. With the demand for fresh and engaging content year-round, it’s easy to hit a creative block and struggle to produce something new and impactful. In this post, we’ll explore strategies to overcome this creative drought, with a focus on how partnering with a professional video production company can reignite your content ideas and keep your creative momentum going.

But first, let’s discuss some things you can do on your own.

Get Back to Basics

Getting back to the basics every now and again will help keep your feet on the ground and keep your mind focused on what you need to achieve.

Take a step back from the creative elements themselves and consider why you are creating video content for your brand in the first place. Brainstorm ideas and keywords about your brand and see where the thought process takes you. Think about your product or service, the target audience you’re trying to reach, and what you are looking to achieve by creating the type of video content that you do.

Find existing content that you’re proud of and works well. Rewatch this old content and consider why you are proud of it and why it works well. Consider repurposing some of this old content into something new, but if there’s anything you would do differently now, use that as inspiration for your next video.

Research Your Competitors’ Content

Competitors can be more than just a thorn in your side. If you’re struggling for inspiration, take the time to research the kind of video content that your competitors are creating, and find out what’s working well for their audience.

Knowing who your competitors are and following the content that they’re creating can give you a new insight into what is working well in your industry. For all you know, your competitors could be creating video content targeted at a sector you haven’t considered, or they may have come up with a novel way of presenting themselves that their audience loves.

That’s not to say that you should replicate what your competitors do, but watching their content can set the creative cogs turning again. It may even bring forth ideas you never would have considered otherwise.

Now let’s discuss the value that partnering with a long-term video vendor can do for sparking your creativity.

Reconnect With Your Audience

Reconnecting with your audience is key to reigniting your creativity, and a professional video production partner can make this process even more effective. Over time, as they gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s preferences, they’ll be able to anticipate what resonates best with them. Their expertise allows them to craft content that speaks directly to your target audience, leveraging insights from previous campaigns and metrics to ensure each new piece of content hits the mark. Whether it’s conducting surveys, interviews, or analyzing past performance, a video production partner can take the lead in creating strategies that realign your content with your audience’s evolving expectations.

Use Deadlines and Limits

Deadlines and limits can be powerful tools for breaking through creative block, and a professional video production partner can help you manage these constraints effectively. They’ll not only set realistic deadlines but also ensure that the creative process remains focused and productive. With their experience, they know how to balance creativity with efficiency, helping you avoid the overwhelm that comes with limitless possibilities. By working closely with you, a production partner will create clear expectations and provide the structure needed to deliver high-quality content on time, every time.

Conclusion

While there’s plenty you can do on your own to combat creative fatigue, don’t hesitate to invest some of your brand’s budget in mitigating this risk long-term. A trusted video production partner can be invaluable in helping you maintain fresh, engaging content that resonates with your audience. At Lemonlight, we’ve produced over 25,000 videos for brands and agencies across every industry, and unlike many production companies, we offer a dedicated in-house creative strategy team. We’re here to fill in the gaps whenever you need, providing the support and expertise to keep your content strategy strong, consistent, and impactful. Give us a call and let’s discuss your next video project!

How to Use Scenario-Based Learning to Train Your Sales Team?

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 07:17:11 +0000

Transform Sales Training Through Interactive Scenario-Based Learning

eBooks and articles won’t help you master a job alone. Some jobs, like sales training and marketing, require real-life experience and exposure to different situations. For instance, it could be training your teams for a new product or guiding the customers through the sales journey.

88% of managers who underwent such training saw improvements in decision-making, while 90% of them reported improved collaboration ability.

Every use case is unique and, hence, requires a different approach to catering to customer demands. This is where scenario-based learning can be very helpful for sales teams.

Now, what is scenario-based learning, and how does it help the sales team in polishing their skills? Read this guide as we talk about scenario-based learning, its benefits, use cases, and real-life examples.

What is Scenario-based Learning?

Scenario-based learning is a strategy that offers a video-based module through a storyline, which helps them with critical learning, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. It is the most useful strategy for sales teams that want to acquaint their employees with different types of scenarios and customer queries.

Companies use scenario-based learning to train employees of different tiers, from leadership to tech and sales.

Here’s an example of Scenario-based learning:

“A company wants to train its customer service employees in a situation where the customer requests a new feature, which a competitor provides. Team leaders can create a video module to train their employees on this specific scenario and boost their skills.”

Why Scenario-based Learning Works for Sales Training?

Scenario-based learning is effective team skill training that allows sales teams to replicate and relate to real-world examples and how they will react to the situation. Here’s why SBL works for the sales teams:

Offers quick & effective learning

Practical scenarios and relatable characters offer learners an effective learning experience and situations that they can grasp. These interactive scenarios motivate learners to perform actions and solve problems. Sales teams can discuss these situations and offer solutions that help them enhance their skills.

Enhances problem-solving & decision making

Exposing your employees to different scenarios that they may often encounter with customers can enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills. There is no definite solution to a problem. Hence, companies must train their employees with different solutions for a scenario.

Improves collaboration

Most sales teams are tied together and often tasked with group activities. Scenario-based learning encourages brainstorming and group discussions by offering different perspectives on different situations. This leads to enhanced employee retention and strong team building.

Personalized learning

Scenario-based learning is a flexible training approach that can be customized to an industry or organization’s needs. This offers more personalized learning for employees, enhancing the training outcomes. Personalized learning shortens the training period and allows trainees to face real-world customers.

What are the Different Types of Scenarios?

Organizations use various types of scenarios in their learning modules so that employees can adapt to them. (You never know what may come.)

Different types of scenarios based learning include:

Problem-solving scenarios

This type of scenario helps learners analyze the situation, diagnose the problem, and find possible solutions. It works best for situations involving client and stakeholder interactions and their dissatisfaction. Most problem-solving courses have a set of questions from which users can select an answer and receive feedback from the top leadership.

Example: A company witnesses a decline in sales and higher churn rates. Customer service teams and sales teams can be trained, posing this situation and how it can be resolved.

Critical-thinking scenarios

Critical thinking scenarios encourage team members to evaluate information, make arguments, and use different perspectives to reach a conclusion. The learners are presented with ‘why’ and ‘what-if’ situations to create conclusions.

Example: Say, a sales manager is trained to achieve targets. They may use critical thinking scenarios to improve interaction with the stakeholders and leaders with logical arguments and rational conclusions.

Decision-making scenarios

In decision-making scenarios, team members are presented with different choices and must decide which path to take. Each choice often has different consequences, helping team members consider the outcomes of their actions.

Example: A customer requests a refund just outside the standard return period. The team member must choose between enforcing the policy, offering a partial refund, or giving an exception, weighing the impact on customer loyalty, policy integrity, and future business.

How to Create Engaging Scenario-Based Videos with Hippo Video?

Viewers retain 95% of a video’s message compared to 10% when reading the text version. For scenario-based learning, the video should capture the learner’s interest in a way that relates to their situations.

Creating a scenario-based tutorial video shouldn’t merely involve using disoriented animated objects with a computerized voiceover. Instead, it should depict the moving characters and represent situations more realistically with a humanistic voiceover.

If you’re looking to create a more realistic and engaging training module, that’s when AI video maker like Hippo Video shine.

Hippo is an AI-powered video maker that lets you create realistic videos aligned with your industry. With a simple prompt, you can create scenario-based learning videos for employees.

Later, you can customize these videos for each team member by adding their name, role, or specific challenges.

Its pre-made templates and lifelike avatars bring your scenarios to life with gestures, expressions, and realistic voices. You can even customize video backgrounds, adjust to video accents, and establish an emotional connection with the learners.

Best Practices to Create Interactive Scenario-based Learning:

To create interactive scenario videos, it is important to stick to certain best practices:

Identify your audience’s learning objectives: Identify their roles, skill levels, and knowledge gaps. Define specific, measurable objectives that align with what they need to accomplish or improve in their roles.

Design realistic scenarios: Create scenarios that closely mirror real-life situations the learners may encounter. Leverage the Hippo’s AI prompts to create scenarios that align with your training needs.

Use interactive elements: Use interactive elements such as realistic characters, branching decisions, and storylines. You can also add interactive quizzes and polls within the video to test your team’s knowledge and keep them engaged.

Focus on personalization: Personalize the training videos to gauge learners’ interest and address them by their name or role.

Collaborate with the trainees: After each session, interact with the trainees and gather their feedback on these training videos. Use a form to collect feedback and what can be improved in the future.

Conclusion

Scenario-based learning enhances corporate training by offering engaging and interactive elements to the learners. With Hippo video, these videos can be customized to tailor to specific businesses and use cases.

The platform uses Gen AI to enhance video creation and create a learning environment that hones critical thinking and decision-making skills. Scenario-based learning emerges as one of the most powerful strategies for improving team performance and ROI in the long term.

Further, Hippo video integrates with a stack of tools, including CRM tools, sales software, marketing and sales enablement tools. Start with Hippo video for free and create interactive videos in multiple languages.

Video Marketing Trends for 2025: What You Need to Know

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 07:21:03 +0000

Somehow, 2025 is only just around the corner – and with an imminent new year, what better time is there to reflect on emerging video marketing trends?

We all know that the digital landscape is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay on top of technology updates and the latest customer behaviour.

Video marketing has become a central element in digital strategy, serving as a powerful tool for boosting engagement, broadening reach, and enhancing conversion rates. Looking to maintain your competitive edge? Well, here’s your go-to guide for the Top Nine Video Marketing Trends for 2025, with insights on how businesses like yours can leverage them to drive engagement, maximise reach, and optimise conversions.

As you’re interested in video trends, don’t forget to also take a look at our other blog about PPC Trends for 2025!

1. Short-Form Videos: Capturing Attention, Fast

Listen up – attention spans are declining! But we already know this, and that’s why short-form videos (video under 60 seconds) have been dominating our social feeds – TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Like it or not, we’ve all been sucked in to watching video after video at some point. In 2025, this trend will only accelerate as audiences crave bite-sized, engaging snippets of content that cut the fluff and get straight to the point.

Why Short-Form Works: These videos are quick, entertaining, and perfect for mobile viewing – which is where most video traffic happens.

Brands Using It Well: Successful brands are creating snackable content that communicates their message in seconds.

Your Next Move: Create dynamic, attention-grabbing short-form videos that resonate with your audience. At Ginger Digital, we’re experts in producing short, powerful video content tailored to your brand – take a sneak peek at what our clients are doing.

Here’s an example of a social media video we produced for Synergy Car Leasing, featuring short and snappy content with our motion graphic animation to engage viewers at the top of the sales funnel.

2. LinkedIn Video and Image Ads: Maximising B2B Potential

As LinkedIn expands its influence in B2B marketing, video and image ads are proving to be game changers. Video ads succinctly convey your brand story, while image ads grab attention in the professional feed.

Why They Work: LinkedIn videos increase engagement, fostering deeper connections with a professional audience. Image ads are great for promoting specific services or products.

Your Next Move: Integrate video and image ads into your LinkedIn campaigns to showcase your expertise. At Ginger Digital, we not only offer PPC support, but specialise in LinkedIn PPC, with a creative team on hand to craft eye-catching ads, tailor made to make an impact on LinkedIn’s busy feed. Interested in finding out more? Drop us a line here.

Here are some examples of striking image ads we produced for some of our clients below.

3. Interactive Video: Engaging Like Never Before

Interactive video is revolutionising viewer engagement by allowing audiences to interact with content in real time. By adding clickable options, quizzes, and more, you can create immersive experiences that resonate deeply with your audience. This trend is only growing more popular as brands look for ways to create immersive experiences that resonate with consumers.

What It Is: Viewers can click, choose, or engage with elements within the video, making them active participants in the experience. Check out our Ginger interactive video here for more of an idea.

Why It’s Trending: This format keeps viewers engaged longer and drives higher conversion rates.

Your Next Move: Add interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and clickable product links to your videos. Ginger Digital can help you create captivating interactive videos that truly engage and captivate your audience.

Here’s an example of our interactive video we created for our client, Language Angels. Flatten that fourth wall separating your video from the viewer, and incorporate an interactive element into your marketing. For Language Angels, it was important to provide an interactive tool that reflects the engaging nature of their language learning tool aimed at primary schools.

4. User-Generated Content: The Authentic Edge

As consumers crave authentic content, user-generated content (UGC) continues to grow in popularity. UGC involves customers or fans creating video content about your brand, products, or services, making it an excellent way to build trust.

Why UGC Works: It’s relatable, genuine, and often more persuasive than traditional ads.

Top Platforms for UGC: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even review sites lead the way.

Your Next Move: Encourage your customers to create videos displaying your products and services. Offer incentives or run competitions to inspire them. Ginger Digital can help you build UGC campaigns that drive results.

5. Accessibility in Video Content: Reaching All Audiences

As video consumption grows, ensuring your content is accessible to all audiences is becoming a crucial consideration. Accessible video content allows everyone, including people with disabilities, to engage with your brand effectively.

Why It Matters: Accessibility is not only a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, but it also broadens your audience reach and enhances user experience.

Best Practices: Incorporate features like closed captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts to make your videos more inclusive.

Your Next Move: Evaluate your current video content for accessibility and implement these features. At Ginger Digital, we can guide you on how to create videos that everyone can enjoy.

Here’s a case study video we filmed with James Latham, who we work with closely to optimise their video and PPC marketing. Take a look at or accessible, easily viewable video graphics and subtitles…

6. Sustainability and Social Impact Storytelling: Connecting with Purpose

Consumers are increasingly motivated by brands that align with their values. Video marketing that highlights a company’s sustainability efforts, ethical practices, or social impact will resonate with conscious consumers in 2025.

Why It’s Effective: Transparency builds trust. Consumers want to support brands that are making a difference.

Your Next Move: Share your brand’s sustainability stories or social initiatives through video content. This could be in the form of documentary-style storytelling, behind-the-scenes insights, or customer testimonials.

7. SEO and Video Search Optimisation: Boosting Discoverability

With video content continuing to grow, optimising your videos for search engines will be crucial in 2025. Video SEO ensures your content gets discovered by the right audience, driving more organic traffic to your site.

What to Focus On: Keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags. Transcripts and captions also improve searchability and accessibility.

YouTube as a Search Engine: As the second-largest search engine in the world, YouTube optimisation will be vital.

Your Next Move: Prioritise optimising your videos for SEO, making them easier to find. Our team at Ginger Digital can help you with a comprehensive video SEO strategy.

8. Vertical Video: Optimised for Mobile

With the rise of mobile-first platforms, vertical video has become the standard format for many social media platforms. And this trend shows no signs of fading, with consumers spending more time on mobile than ever before.

Why Vertical? Easier for mobile users to consume without rotating their devices. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Stories, and Facebook Stories thrive on vertical video.

Your Next Move: Ensure your video content is mobile-optimised and consider a vertical-first approach for social media platforms.

Below an example of a vertical social media video we produced for our client, Language Angels, to promote their language learning platform by targeting decision makers on Language education resource spending in Scotland. The footage was shot by the client, and we added the graphics and subtitles.

9. Data-Driven Video Strategies: Informed Content Creation

In 2025, data will continue to play a critical role in video marketing. Using insights from video performance analytics will enable brands to create more targeted and effective content.

What to Track: Engagement rates, watch times, conversion metrics, and audience demographics.

Your Next Move: Develop a data-driven video marketing strategy that optimises content based on performance. At Ginger Digital, we offer detailed video performance analytics to ensure your content is always improving.

Read all about our interactive video here – pull in your viewer to better interact with your video, and receive monthly reporting without lifting a finger.

Video Trends for 2025 Wrapped

Video marketing is evolving faster than ever and staying on top of the latest video trends is crucial for business success. Moving into 2025, brands that embrace short-form content, interactive videos, and accessibility in their strategies will gain a significant competitive advantage.

At Ginger Digital, we’re passionate about helping businesses stay ahead in the video marketing game.

Get in touch to discuss how we can help to elevate your video strategy for 2025, or click here to learn more about our free video marketing audit for your business.

How To Boost Real Estate Sales with AI Video Marketing?

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 07:15:13 +0000

Boost Real Estate Sales with AI: The Power of Video Marketing

If one picture is worth 1,000 words, then one frame (or one second) of video is worth 30,000. Well, that’s why video marketing has become a popular marketing material for marketers and brands.

The real estate industry is no exception. Real estate videos are creating more buying and selling opportunities across the industry. Whether it’s a virtual tour of the house or aerial footage of a property, real estate videos have become an invaluable source for buyers and sellers.

If you’re worried about hiring a professional videographer, fret not. Today, AI is making this process faster, easier, and more personalized. Read this blog as we share practical tips on using AI videos in real estate and the best practices for creating AI videos.

What is Real Estate Video Marketing?

Real estate video marketing is a strategy that uses videos to promote and sell properties. It involves creating video content that showcases a property’s features, layout, and highlights to attract potential buyers.

These videos range from simple property walkthroughs to more detailed presentations, including aerial drone shots, neighborhood views, and virtual tours. Real estate videos allow homeowners to showcase their properties virtually so that buyers can filter their listings accordingly.

Why videos are important for real estate marketing?

According to Statista, in 2022, about 99 percent of home buyers between the ages of 24 and 57 used the Internet to find homes. While most online activity isn’t face-to-face, buyers prefer a more realistic view of the property before physically visiting it.

Video is a great way to bridge the gap between an online search and a realistic view. Real estate agents have observed an increase of 403% in inquiries when using videos to showcase a property.

Here’s a handful of reasons how videos help realtors and homeowners in reaching out to the right buyers:

Boosts trust

Most property listings fail to capture the buyer’s trust because of the quality of the images and the short bios. Buyers and even search engines prefer listings with clear images and long property descriptions.

Real estate videos allow owners to display their properties, evoking a sense of personalization and removing the ambiguity of doctored images.

Helps reach more people

Video content allows the lister to expand its reach beyond any geographical location. Buyers can comfortably tour the property before traveling to a distant locality. These videos can be shared on social media, websites, and other online platforms, making it easier for more buyers to view the property.

Reaches buyers at all levels

Videos work the same for every buyer. Whether it is a new buyer or a past client, real estate videos give buyers a visual tour from the comfort of their homes. They make it easier for buyers at all levels to understand the features of the home and see if it fits their needs.

Types of Real Estate Marketing Videos

What’s even better about the videos is their variations. Realtors and homeowners can create various types of videos, which is a better alternative to visual images.

Listing Videos

Listing videos are the most popular type of marketing videos for real estate agents. They provide a guided tour showing the layout, aerial footage, and best features of the property.

Video listings have also become popular since they give prospective clients insights into the listing, which is the same as the open house but with more convenience. Listing videos work for buyers at all parts of the sales funnel so that agents can use them for all.

Introduction Videos

Real estate introductory videos are simply the top-of-the-funnel videos that real estate agents can use to build trust. This type of video works best for attracting new clients and showing them who you are and why you are worth trusting.

An introduction video can be a simple sit-down video, a face-to-face video, or a video of the agent taking the home tour.

Clients or Testimonial Videos

Client or testimonial videos work as digital word-of-mouth marketing for homeowners. Buyers tend to trust videos featuring real clients and their experience with real estate agents.

A testimonial video consists of a Q&A or a short feedback from previous happy customers.

Customers can easily record these videos, and real estate agents can use them on their websites or social media.

How to create Personalized Videos for Property Listings?

Here’s a thing: you don’t need a professional photographer or a videographer to record and edit videos. Here’s our step-by-step guide to creating personalized videos for your real estate marketing videos:

Plan your shots

Start by running your camera through different angles and to different portions of the house. Think about the most important areas of the property that potential buyers would want to see.

Create a list of elements that you would want to record in your video. Start with the exterior of the house and include portions like the front yard, the entrance, or the garden. Move to the interior and plan on recording shots for the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and any special rooms like a home office.

Write a script

Once you’ve planned the shots, it’s time to write a great script. The script should blend with the recorded video shots. Write down a brief introduction, and then describe each part of the house as you would if you were giving a tour in person.

Keep your language simple and brief down the property features as bullets. Make sure to include the amenities, accessibilities, and every other detail in your script. If you’re not sure about how to start with a script, use the Hippo AI script generator to create sales or marketing scripts.

The AI script generator offers various predefined prompt templates that you can use to generate your script. It lets you set your brand voice along with all the information, like key talking points, value propositions, and all the details.

Add voiceover to your video

A voiceover adds a personal touch to your video by talking to the viewers in the background. It delivers a clear and concise message, evoking an emotional connection with the viewers.

A video with a text overlay and background music wouldn’t garner as much attention as a video with a text overlay and a confident voiceover. As you show each room in the house, use your voiceover to guide viewers through the property.

A voiceover helps the viewer feel like they are on a tour with you, making the experience more engaging and informative. You can either record your voice or use AI voiceover software to generate a human-like voice.

Shoot exterior and interior home footage

When you’re ready to film, start with the outside of the home. Walk slowly to capture wide shots of the house and its surroundings.

Show the front door, the landscaping, the driveway, and any special features that make the exterior inviting. Then, move inside and film each room, making sure to highlight the best features.

Try to shoot in natural light, as it makes the home look brighter and more welcoming. Also, keep your camera steady to make the footage smooth and professional.

Add a personal touch with a visual presenter

This is especially important if you are creating an introduction video. A visual presenter adds a face to your video. We understand that not everyone is camera-friendly, and hiring an actor every time could be pricey.

Using an AI video editor like Hippo gives users a sense of personalization. Hippo allows you to add a static avatar to the video or a dynamic AI avatar to an existing video shot. For example, if you’ve already shot the home tour video, use the dynamic 3D avatar with human-like body movements, along with hand gestures that sound real.

Convert any listed property URL to a video

After you have all your clips, it’s time to edit them together. Use an AI video editor like Hippo AI to arrange and sort the video clips. With just a few clicks, you can delete the filler words and make your videos more engaging.

You can seamlessly generate videos from the link. To proceed, simply add the link and choose an avatar. Following these steps will help you create a video that looks professional and makes a strong impression on potential buyers.

Real-World Examples of Successful Property Listing Videos

Looking for some inspiration? We’ve gathered some amazing examples of real estate marketing videos that you can use as inspiration for your listing videos.

Little Fish Properties

Dual Occupancy Homes – 16 Elimatta Road Carnegie

Aerial drone footage is the hallmark of any real estate video. The aerial shot covers the radius of the locality and gives an idea of the covered area of the property. The next shot captures the property from every angle, involuntarily moving through its interiors.

The video captures close-ups of important interior elements, such as the kitchen sink and storage area. The camera doesn’t move much but allows the viewers to get a sense of space and room size.

The slow shots give a deeper view of each space so that viewers can get a real experience of the home tour. Overall, the video feels simple, with a mix of clips and background music.

Amy Youngren’s Virtual Tours

We’ve got all the starry eyes for 89 McGill Street.

Amy’s virtual home tour is unique in its approach. It shoots the videos at eye level instead of using long, wide drone shots. This works well for shooting city apartments, where drone shots don’t make much sense.

The camera moves along the viewer’s line while Amy takes a walking tour of the apartment. This video works well to gain engagement because of its low-key camera work and the real presenter who takes the viewer through the home tour.

Best Practices to Create Real Estate Marketing Videos

Creating a real estate marketing video won’t take much time if you stick to certain best practices. Here are some of the best practices to follow for creating an amazing marketing video:

Use AI Tools

Recording and editing the videos may be time-consuming and might not touch the perfection. Thanks to AI video generators and editors that offer various recording and editing features.

Hippo, for example, lets you record videos by simply setting up the webcam or mobile device without worrying about blurred recordings. Even if you have an existing video, you can use Hippo to trim, crop, or add a background voice to it.

Hippo gives access to basic editing features like trim, crop, text overlay, and green screen, as well as advanced editing features such as voiceovers, BG music, and virtual background.

Use branding templates

Adding a brandable logo, an intro, or an outro to your video can boost engagement and trust among viewers. It also helps viewers remember your brand name and return whenever they need you.

A good practice is to use branding templates instead of adding intros and outros repeatedly for every video. For example, Hippo offers a template builder that creates a preset intro and outro and allows you to add a sales page. You can also add customized interactive elements such as in-video CTAs, forms, polls, surveys, and branching.

To add further branding, Hippo allows users to add personalized thumbnails to the videos. These include GIFs or using prospects’ names if it is a personalized email campaign.

Create Outreach strategies

You need a robust outreach strategy to generate quality leads and close deals. Once you’ve created a perfect video, use it on your website and social media channels to display the property listing. Using Hippo video, your real estate marketing videos can be seamlessly embedded into a web page or used on a social media channel.

Hippo offers integration with a range of CRM and sales software, such as Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, and others. Users can embed videos into CRM and share them with prospects to close more deals.

Conclusion

An impeccable video is a blend of an engaging script and clear camera shots followed by sharp editing and customization. While manually scrambling these parts of the video creation would be challenging, an AI video editor like Hippo makes the task easier with its range of features.

It allows users to arrange the camera shots, re-write a script, and edit videos through voiceover, background overlays, and smooth transitions. Above all, you can leverage otis video flow to generate videos within minutes.

Looking to start with your first real estate marketing video? Try Hippo for 7 days and start boosting your sales using the personal videos at scale.

The Top 10 Hooks to Make TikTok Marketing Work (Updated 2025)

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 07:10:13 +0000

TikTok has fast emerged as one of the most dominant social media platforms even despite looming legal issues. With over 1 billion active users, it has quickly supplanted Facebook and Instagram as the social network of choice for users worldwide.

Its concept of short-form videos allows brands, individuals, and creators to upload a wide variety of content to the platform for users to scroll at their leisure. Videos ranging from skits, dance routines, unboxing videos, product reviews, and more are just a sampling of the types of content that gets uploaded on a daily basis.

With so many consumers flocking to it, it can be difficult for businesses to know where to start or understand how to attract customers. The sheer volume of options can mean that audiences will move on from one video to the next without giving any thought to it at all.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the best way for brands and businesses to keep viewers hooked and prevent them from scrolling to the next videos on their feed.

What Are Hooks?

In video marketing terms, a hook is a concept or an idea that grabs the attention of the listener and gets them to pay attention to what you have to say. When it comes to social media, a hook is incredibly important, as viewers are continually scrolling through their feeds.

There has to be something to grab their attention and prevent them from continuing on to the next thing. This can be something visually compelling; however, nothing works better than a well-placed and written hook to grab the viewer’s attention and keep them interested in what you’re offering.

The Top 10 Hooks to Use on TikTok in 2025

TikTok is a platform that thrives on engagement. The algorithm rewards factors such as rewatches, comments, and likes, so videos that can generate engagement are bound to be rewarded. As such, we have curated the top 10 hooks that should get your viewers to stop scrolling and start paying attention to your content. Keep in mind that these are just the openers; the core content is still up to you and will ultimately determine the success of any campaign.

1. Wait! Don’t go anywhere, I wanna show you something.

This hook immediately conveys a sense of urgency and sets up a conversational relationship between the audience and the speaker. The speaker understands that the viewer is in control of the platform but is sincerely asking for just a moment of their time.

It introduces the audience to a bit of mystery and opens up the door to the sell. After this, the speaker has a brief window from which to cash in on their audience’s attention. If, however, the content is a bit boring or off-target, the viewer is likely to bolt at the earliest possible time and move on to the next video.

2. 3 Tips to get rid of X

Everyone loves tips and tricks. That’s why this hook works so well, especially on TikTok with its superb targeting algorithm. For example, if you are a cook or into the cooking lifestyle, odds are that you will be targeted by food related content. Therefore, this hook will work great because everyone is interested in learning tips about their particular niche.

3. This is for X people, so if you’re not move on…

Exclusivity sells. By immediately making it seem like you are only speaking to a specific segment of people, your audience will want to be included in that group and start paying attention. This will especially work if you word it in an aspirational way such as, “This is only for high-end sellers…” or “This is only for the best of the best…”

Everyone likes to think of themselves in a positive light, so they will immediately assume that you are speaking directly to them.

4. I just got my package from X…

Social proof is a fantastic way to let your audience know that your claims are valid. By using this hook, you are letting them know that you, yourself, received this product and are not just a spokesperson. This type of hook works great for unboxing videos and other types of videos where you use the product to show its effectiveness.

5. I tried every X so you don’t have to… and here are the results

The web is full of products that claim to be the best for their specific niche. By using this hook, you immediately distinguish yourself as a subject-matter expert who has done the research, tested all the competitors, and settled on a particular product as the best.

You certainly need to be careful that you don’t disparage competitors or make specific claims that may be illegal. However, this hook is fantastic to grab the attention of consumers that are looking to avoid doing the research themselves and get expert advice from your ad.

6. Things TikTok made me buy

TikTok has become a trusted source of not only entertainment, but also e-commerce. By beginning your videos with this hook, you immediately tap into the cache that TikTok provides. Everyone is looking for the hot new thing, and if you position your product as that new “it” product on TikTok, you are sure to attract other TikTok users to purchase it as well.

7. What I ordered vs. what I got

Comparisons are a great way to hook your audience, leaving users with a sense of anticipation. This particular hook is great if you’re doing an unboxing video or any other type of review video where you’re looking to showcase a product and its features.

Oftentimes, viewers will stick with a video for a very long time just to see what the final product looks like. However, be aware that if the final payoff is lackluster, you’ll likely lose that viewer for all future videos that you distribute.

8. If You’re Like Me and Do X, Then This One is For You…

This hook is ideal if you have a subject matter expert speaking from a place of authority. By having this in the opening of your video, it immediately creates a connection between the viewer and the speaker, then quickly makes a transition to your video’s content. Your audience will recognize themselves and their behavior in that opening line and be compelled to stick around for the remainder of the video.

9. I just got my X product and I am so excited…

Enthusiasm is incredibly important on any social media platform and TikTok is no different. As a video-first network, TikTok is, primarily, an entertainment vehicle. As such, viewers expect the content that they view to be uplifting and positive. Never shy away from being excited about the product that you are selling or having an overall exuberant attitude. It will pay off with dividends.

10. Things I wish I knew about sooner – part X

Back to the subject matter expert. When you speak from a position of authority, people will listen – especially when you’re speaking about hard-earned lessons. As such, this is a great hook when you’re looking to give advice or give tips about a particular subject. Your audience is likely to stick around for the entire video when they think that the lesson that they are about to learn came from someone who has been around the proverbial block a time or two.

TikTok is Probably Here to Stay

With more and more social media platforms playing catchup, it looks like TikTok will continue progressing as a huge player in the video marketing landscape.

As such, brands and organizations had best learn the proper tools to produce videos and techniques to engage their target audiences to entice them to watch and interact with their content.

By utilizing hooks properly, content creators can ensure that their videos engage the right audiences early and keep them watching their videos rather than swiping through to their competitors. And if you need help crafting short-form content for TikTok or another platform, our team of experts know what it takes to stop the scroll. Just reach out and let’s begin crafting a project that truly meets your goals for the upcoming year.

Video Marketing Tips To Boost Your Sales

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 07:09:06 +0000

You've been diligently creating videos for your business, but it feels like they're not making a significant impact on your bottom line, sound familiar?

You've even spent hours filming, editing, and uploading, only to see a disappointing number of views and little to no sales.

Many businesses struggle to turn video content into REAL sales.

The key to successful video marketing lies in strategic planning and execution. It's not just about creating videos, it's about creating videos that resonate with your target audience, drive engagement, and ultimately, boost your sales.

1. Define Your Video Goals

Before you start filming, it's crucial to have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve with your videos.

Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales?

For example, if you're launching a new product, you might create a series of videos that highlight its features and benefits. Or, if you want to build brand awareness, you could create a series of short, entertaining videos that showcase your company culture.

Once you've identified your goals, you can create a content strategy that aligns with your overall marketing objectives.

2. Target Your Ideal Customer

Gone are the days of shotgun marketing... today, it's all about precision.

By targeting your ideal customer, you can create content that resonates with their specific needs and interests.

To do this, you need to understand your target audience's demographics, psychographics, and pain points. Once you have a clear picture of your ideal customer, you can tailor your video content to their preferences.

3. Think of Your Videos as First Impressions

Your videos are often the first impression that potential customers have of your brand. That's why it's important to invest in high-quality production values. Good lighting, sound, and editing can make a big difference in the overall quality of your videos.

People are more likely to watch and share videos that are visually appealing and easy to understand. So, don't be afraid to experiment with different formats, styles, and techniques.

On the flip side, don't let the fear of doing a bad job keep you from starting. Just because you don't have professional equipment doesn't mean you can't make a good video. Use your phone and put yourself in front of a window (where the window light is ON you, not BEHIND you!). Close the door to minimize background noise and voila.

4. Mastering the MAP Framework

The MAP Framework provides a structured approach to video marketing. It stands for:

Messaging: Craft a clear and compelling message that resonates with your target audience. What story are you trying to tell? What emotion are you trying to evoke?
Artistry: Focus on the visual and auditory elements of your video. Use high-quality footage, engaging visuals, and captivating music to create a memorable experience.
Promotion: Once your video is ready, it's time to share it with the world! Use social media, email marketing, and paid advertising to reach your target audience.

By following this framework, you can create videos that are both informative and entertaining.

Video marketing is an ongoing process.

It takes time, effort, and experimentation to find what works best for your business. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. Keep testing, learning, and refining your strategy.

These are just a few tips to help you get started. If you have your own unique approach that works for you, that's fantastic! There's no one-size-fits-all solution to video marketing but the key is to experiment, learn, and adapt.

Innovations in Attribution: How AI and Machine Learning are Revolutionizing Video Advertising Metrics

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 07:09:06 +0000

The article below has been contributed by an external guest writer and does not reflect TargetVideo’s practices, business model, or attitudes toward innovations in attribution or other topics.

Video advertising is more popular than ever.

The problem?

Traditional attribution methods don’t always make measuring video performance easy. Siloed data, delayed visibility, and poor segmentation can hinder this process and lead to wasted resources and missed opportunities.

Luckily, AI and machine learning are revolutionizing how advertisers understand video ad performance.

In this article, we’re taking a closer look at how AI-powered tools bring innovations in attribution modeling and offer real-time insights and better customer targeting. We’ll also look at how these innovations boost your ROI. (And how AI can help you make more strategic decisions.)

What is AI-Driven Attribution, and Why Is it Important?

The video marketing industry grew by 20% in 2023 alone.

But, while 91% of businesses use video marketing, understanding its effectiveness is still an issue. In fact, one in ten ‌video marketers doesn’t track ROI at all.

AI-driven attribution streamlines this task.

It uses AI-powered tools to track and analyze customer interactions. Unlike conventional metrics and analysis tools, it can process vast data sets across multiple marketing channels simultaneously.

Doing this in real time provides valuable insights into which touchpoints drive the most conversions.

AI-driven attribution also unravels complex customer journeys. It can show you exactly how different channels are helping you achieve your goals. With these real-time data-driven insights, you can optimize marketing spend by focusing your resources on the most impactful strategies. (No more ‌tactics that just waste your time and money.)

Its advanced feature set also predicts ‌which factors may improve viewer engagement and user experience, enabling you to deliver more engaging video content.

As a result, you’ll find it easier to create more compelling video ads that maximize engagement rates.

8 Innovative Ways AI and Machine Learning are Changing Video Advertising Metrics

AI-powered attribution is transforming how advertisers measure and optimize their video marketing strategies.

These powerful tools redefine accuracy and efficiency in the video creation workflow. They show you exactly what makes high-quality videos so your campaigns have the most impact.

Here’s how AI and machine learning are transforming video advertising metrics:

1. Enhances Attribution Modeling

AI-powered tools enhance attribution modeling in a way conventional tools can’t.

As we mentioned above, with cross-channel attribution, AI can track a customer’s journey across multiple devices and channels in real time. This makes it far easier to pinpoint exactly how each touchpoint affects conversion rates.

Unlike the old “last-click” model, AI also supports multi-touch attribution. This considers all key moments that lead to a conversion — not just the last trigger point.

This means you can see which channels truly drive results across whole campaigns. You’re not just relying on the last promotional link that sealed the deal.

With this knowledge, you’ll know where to focus your efforts.

The result? More accurate campaign performance measurement and improved ROI.

2. Offers Real-Time Visibility

AI-powered video marketing tools offer real-time visibility into campaign performance.

These up-to-date insights mean you can make immediate adjustments to improve results. You don’t need to wait until the end of a campaign that isn’t working. You can switch it out to use methods that are driving results.

What’s even more incredible is that you don’t have to do this manually.

AI video advertising tools use dynamic creative optimization. This feature analyzes individual viewers’ behavior and click-through rates and changes the ads on the spot.

AI can also handle bid optimization in real time. It factors in who’s watching, when, and on what device. Using this real-time data, it adjusts ad bids to make sure you get the best ROI. The AI can also use this data automatically to ‌improve campaigns as it goes.

3. Identifies Audience Segments

AI-powered tools can analyze large data sets to improve audience segmentation.

AI analyzes demographics, interests, and behaviors to create extremely precise audience segments. With a deeper understanding of these metrics, you can better target ads and deliver more personalized video content to each segment.

This targeted approach boosts click-through rates and conversions. It also improves attribution by highlighting which touchpoints work best for each audience.

AI can also find lookalike audiences. (These are untapped users with similar attributes and behaviors to your current customers.) This feature can significantly expand your reach if you capitalize on it.

4. Streamlines Publisher Processes

While undeniably useful for advertisers, AI can also improve the overall advertising landscape on the publisher side. TargetVideo’s AI tool for video categorization automatically separates content into IAB-standardized categories and assigns appropriate tags to videos.

This helps more precisely target contextual ads in programmatic and, by extension, boosts both the publisher’s monetization efforts and the advertiser’s ROI.

5. Improves Data Integration and Connectivity with APIs

In the past, video ad data was often siloed.

However, storing it in separate, isolated systems can make accessing, analyzing, or integrating with other data sources difficult. It also limits the accuracy of your insights.

Now, AI-powered video marketing tools use integrated data to work better.

With a reliable API gateway, your data flows smoothly between video production platforms, CRM systems, and analytics tools. Integration like this helps AI access richer data sets at multiple touchpoints. As a result, you see more accurate metrics and a more holistic picture of the customer journey.

6. Provides Deeper Customer Insights

Understanding who interacts with your advertising and social media videos is essential for tailoring your ads and content.

When you combine AI tools with platforms like Salesforce Data Cloud, you unlock deeper insights into customer behavior. These tools offer granular metrics that give you a richer understanding of how characteristics and behaviors influence video engagement.

Using this data, AI can create a complete customer journey. It connects marketing videos to conversions for more precise attribution models and better decision-making.

With this feature, you can produce captivating videos that resonate with your target audience in a personalized way to drive conversions.

7. Streamlines User Authentication

To obtain accurate information about how people interact with video ads, it’s important to make the user’s experience as smooth as possible. Single sign-on (SSO) helps with this.

SSO allows users to log in just once and be automatically signed in across multiple platforms. This makes it easier to collect their data because everything is synced and consistent. It also reduces errors, like duplicate data or missing important info.

In short, understanding how SSO works helps improve the accuracy of AI analysis by ensuring the data is reliable and consistent across platforms.

8. Reduces Ad Fraud

Ad fraud skews metrics, which can result in wasted resources. AI combats this by identifying and preventing fraudulent activities.

For example, AI can detect and block click fraud. This means that only genuine clicks contribute to click-through rates. As a result, attribution models are more accurate since the AI filters out invalid engagement.

AI can also spot viewability fraud. (This is when ads are counted as impressions but aren’t visible to users.) By flagging ‌video ads that don’t get views, AI improves metrics like viewability rate and impression frequency.

With less ad fraud, you get more reliable data. As a result, you can better refine your marketing video production strategies.

9. Offers Predictive Insights

AI predictive analytics give advertisers a glimpse into the future. They offer valuable insights to shape video marketing strategies based on historical behavior and trends.

By forecasting trends, AI unlocks proactive optimization. Marketers can adjust campaigns before issues arise to promote better real-time performance and resource use.

AI can also perform sentiment analysis. This metric gauges how video content impacts a customer’s brand perception. When you track sentiment over time, you can refine ad strategies to meet customer needs. You can also address negative feedback and stay on trend with current interests.

What’s more, AI can predict Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV).

This helps you concentrate efforts on high-value segments. No more wasting time on customers who are likely to drop off.

As a whole, predictive insights help advertisers make smarter, more informed decisions on future video campaigns. This encourages more conversions, saves time and money, and enhances campaign ROI.

AI in Digital Advertising is Here to Stay

AI is transforming video ad attribution.

It makes it more precise and effective, offers real-time visibility, and gives you deeper customer insights. This helps you create marketing videos that reach the right audience at the right time.

And with less ad fraud and predictive insights into the future of your campaigns, you can see better returns and implement even more effective strategies.

Promote Your Brand With TargetVideo

Ready to take your video ads to the next level? TargetVideo is an all-in-one solution for advertisers looking to promote through innovative video ad formats. With an extensive network of premium publishers across popular verticals, you’ll be sure that your message reaches the right people – every time.

Speak to the experts at TargetVideo today. We offer everything advertisers and publishers need to grow their digital business.

Innovations in Attribution FAQ

1. How does AI help improve video ad attribution?

AI enhances video ad attribution by making it more accurate and data-driven. It uses complex algorithms to track customer behavior and engagement across multiple platforms so you can understand which ads are driving results and why.

2. Can AI really predict the success of future ad campaigns?

Yes. AI tools analyze large data sets, identifying trends and patterns that humans might miss. This predictive analysis can give you insights into how future campaigns might perform so you can adjust your strategy in advance for better results.

3. How does AI reduce ad fraud?

AI can detect suspicious patterns in ad engagement, such as click fraud or bots that artificially inflate views or clicks. By recognizing these patterns, AI helps make sure you’re only paying for genuine interactions, boosting your ROI.

4. Do I need technical skills to use AI-powered video ad tools?

Not necessarily. Many AI tools for video advertising are user-friendly, with intuitive dashboards and automated features. But to get the most out of these tools, consider TargetVideo.

5. Will AI replace human creativity in video ad creation?

No. AI is a tool that complements human creativity by providing data-driven insights and optimizing the process. While AI can help with tasks like editing, targeting, and distribution, it doesn’t replace the creative thinking that goes into producing engaging content.

About the Contributor

Ioana Wilkinson
Ioana is a business strategist and content writer for B2B tech and SaaS brands. She also helps aspiring entrepreneurs build remote businesses. Born in Transylvania and raised in Texas, Ioana has been living the digital nomad life since 2016. When she’s not writing, you can catch her snorkeling, exploring, or enjoying a café con leche in Barcelona!

The Importance of Attention Metrics in Digital Advertising

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 06:53:19 +0000

While traditional metrics like viewability have long been the go-to measure, a growing body of research shows that attention measurements provide a far more accurate and meaningful understanding of how consumers engage with ads.

If you’re a brand looking to make the most of your ad spend or a publisher seeking to maximize your ad inventory, attention metrics can help you measure and enhance the effectiveness of your efforts. So, let’s dive into why attention metrics matter now more than ever.

What Are Attention Metrics?

Attention is a relatively new IAB-recognized metric, which focuses on measuring how much the user is engaged or focused on the served ad. These can include interactions such as swipes or scrolls since they indicate a deeper level of engagement, and view duration — monitoring for how long the user engaged with the ad; this gives you insight into whether the viewers are watching (completing) or skipping through the ad.

More advanced attention metrics that have recently emerged, like eye tracking, use technology to follow the viewer’s gaze and confirm whether they are actively looking at the ad. Similarly, cognitive response metrics, based on neuroscience, measure brain activity to assess how well the ad resonates with the audience in terms of memory retention, emotional engagement, and brand recall. Lastly, we have interaction depth — the extent to which users explore an ad’s additional features, such as for example, embedded content.

Attention vs. Viewability

Viewability, which measures whether an ad is potentially seen, falls short of capturing whether the ad was actually noticed or engaged with. For instance, a recent study by Integral Ad Science (IAS), conducted in partnership with Neuro-Insight, used attention measurements to determine how context and tone matching in CTV advertising can significantly enhance brand impact. The research showed that ads that align with the content the users watch — both in tone and context — can increase brand impact by up to 49%.

This only goes to show that capturing a viewer’s attention is much more than just making sure the ad is visible on screen. Attention metrics go beyond surface-level insights by assessing how long viewers engage with an ad and even how their brain responds to it.

By focusing on attention rather than viewability, advertisers can ensure that their message not only reaches the right audience but resonates with them in a meaningful way. This approach ultimately drives higher ROI for brands and boosts the potential ad revenue for the publisher.

Attention Metrics vs. Traditional: Better Measurement for Advertisers

Traditional advertising metrics like ad impressions, clicks, and CTRs offer limited insight. While they show how often an ad is seen or clicked, they reveal little about the quality of that interaction. High numbers can give a false sense of success; users may be clicking out of curiosity or by accident, leaving advertisers uncertain about true ad effectiveness. Attention metrics are a whole different story. By tracking how long and closely users engage with ads, these measurements provide a clearer picture of ad performance.

Attention Metrics Help You Adapt

It’s no secret that attention spans are shrinking year by year. And online user behavior is changing at a rapid pace. Advertisers and publishers need to regularly create and update content to make it both impactful and attention-grabbing. This is where attention metrics come into play, as they give you a fresh outlook on user behavior.

Take ad repetition in digital advertising for example: while once dismissed as spammy and ineffective, IAS attention research shows that aligning ads with content can make ad repetition work to your advantage. With ads matched to tone and context, brand impact remains strong, even with repeated views — up to 82% higher than generic ads.

Want to seamlessly match your video ads with surrounding video content? With Matched InStream, your ad is placed within an editorial video that’s carefully chosen to align with your ad’s content (as well as the target website). Learn more about Matched InStream and our other advertising products here.

The takeaway for advertisers and publishers is clear: attention metrics can change how you view your current strategy and common industry practices, and enable you to fine-tune future ad campaigns and content strategies more effectively in terms of audience behavior. After all, the goal for advertisers is to drive conversions and create loyal long-term customers and not just get their ads out there.

Similarly, with content that captures and holds user attention, publishers can keep users on their sites longer, increase engagement, and strengthen their AVOD strategy to command higher CPMs and attract premium advertisers looking for quality ad placements.

TargetVideo — All-In-One Solution for Brands and Digital Publishers

TargetVideo provides advertisers and brands with a premium network of website environments, boasting over 1BN views monthly across a diverse range of content segments. Our advertisers can feature their ads in relevant video environments in categories such as sports, automotive, parenting, DIY, health, food, and more. In addition, we offer a wide range of instream and video seeding placements to choose from.

For our publisher partners, TargetVideo offers two comprehensive solutions. Our TargetVideo Platform is perfect for those who want full control over their content management, syndication, delivery, and monetization. And for those looking for an end-to-end solution, our Managed Video Player takes the work off your hands. Our team handles it all — from content selection to ad setups, it’s all done by us!

Attention Metrics FAQ

1. What are attention metrics?

Attention metrics are metrics that measure the actual attention a user is paying to content or ads, beyond just seeing them.

2. How do you measure attention?

You can measure attention with eye-tracking, time spent viewing, interaction rates, scroll depth, click-through rates (CTR), and new techs like facial recognition or neuro-based tools.

3. What is the 7-second attention span?

The 7-second attention span is the idea that digital audiences have a very short window of focus. Typically around 7 seconds, before they lose interest or move on to other content.

4. What is the difference between viewability and attention metrics?

Viewability measures whether an ad is visible on a screen for a certain amount of time. While attention metrics track actual attention, such as how long and how actively a viewer watched the ad.

Want to Create an Amazing Holiday Video? Here’s How to Get Started

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 06:42:06 +0000

The holidays are still a little ways away, but with those hints of pumpkin spice and creamy eggnog already in the air, you know it won’t be long before you’re opening presents and ringing in the new year.

This time usually marks one of two things for companies big and small: a time of more relaxed, heartwarming initiatives that coincide with the feelings of togetherness customers have around the holidays, or a time of high-stress, ROI-first initiatives marked by an increase in sales, advertising spend, and customer acquisition. In either case, you want to make sure you’ve got the right content at your fingertips that will help you accomplish your marketing goals.

Knowing how fast the holidays tend to sneak up on everyone, it’s important to think about what your holiday marketing plans are when it comes to video from an early start. Since video itself can take so long to get just right, especially when you don’t already have a trusted video production partner, making sure you have something you can be proud of as well as integrating it seamlessly with your other campaigns can take a lot of time. So, even though we know it feels too early – it really isn’t!

That’s why we’re breaking down everything you need to know about creating the perfect holiday video. From video ideas to ways to ensure its success, we’re giving you the low down so you can get started as soon as possible!

Knowing What Type of Holiday Video to Create

The type of video you create will depend on your team’s overall marketing goals for the season. Do you want to delight your audiences with some fun content that shows off your brand personality? Or do you want to use video to increase your fourth quarter sales and conversion rates?

It’s important to make this distinction because not all videos are created equally. A behind-the-scene video from your office holiday party, for instance, may not do much for your sales numbers. On the other hand, a promotional video announcing a limited-time holiday coupon code may not delight your internal employees. Gear your strategy around who your target audience is and what action you want them to take.

If your holiday marketing will focus on delighting your audiences and giving them an inside peek at the company, here are some video ideas that could work for you.

Do you hang up festive decorations each year? Do employees bring in special knick knacks and decorate their desks? Humanize your brand by showing how your office is getting ready for the holidays, from putting up office streamers to wearing outrageous holiday sweaters. Tie it together with a fun holiday song or grand finale.

Create a quick day in the life video of your office Santa Claus. Does he drive in every morning? Grab coffee? Is working at your office his “day job”? As Christmas approaches, show his excitement build. Does he hand out presents? What happens on December 26? Use a fun, humorous video to bring Santa to life.

This is one of the best ways to instill a positive brand association. Think about it. When’s the last time you received a personalized video message from a company you bought something from? Receiving a quick “Hello” and “Happy Holidays” via video will warm the heart of anyone who sees it. Focus on past clients or prospective clients and keep it short – use their name and be sincere. Pick a list of recipients who are mostly likely to spread positive word of mouth.

Low Effort, High Reward Ideas

What’s better than doing something good for others? Host something like a charity drive, which is low effort and high reward, or work on raising money for an organization of your choosing. Film your efforts, which will not only help raise company morale, but will bring a smile to the face of anyone who sees it – and the organizations you help!

Go around asking your entire team this question and create a beautiful montage of their holiday answers. This is a low-budget way to create amazing content that will really resonate with your audience, creating positive brand association and an emotional connection.

If your marketing goals focus more on user conversion and revenue, you might want to stick to more product-related messaging. Here are four examples to help you do just that!

Got a special coupon, discount, or giveaway offer for the holidays? Create an announcement video that outlines the benefits of your offer and lets viewers know how to claim their deal.

With people creating tons of holiday-themed content this time of year – think family gathering photos, dressed up pets, amazing food and recipes, and more – the holidays give you the perfect opportunity to engage your audience. Use video to launch a holiday-themed contest where your fans can submit their own photos or videos, which not only helps spread goodwill among your audience, but gives you tons of user-generated content you can use throughout the season.

Could your brand or service be specifically tied to the holiday season? For instance, outerwear, kitchen appliance, and air travel companies can easily create campaigns around the holidays. Entice users to create a their own holiday traditions using your product or service. Create beautiful video examples, launch a unique hashtag, and see how many users you can get to participate.

Have any of your customers had an exceptional experience using your product? Whether their testimonial is related to the winter season or not, you can create a great, season-inspired theme and tie it to your company’s work. It might be about giving back, it might be about easing the life or work process of someone stressed during the holidays – the narrative of your testimonial could be almost anything, but the power of the testimonial itself could be just the thing to convince users to buy.

Get Started Early

You already know how hectic and packed seasonal calendars can be. You likely have numerous campaigns going leading up to the holidays, and figuring out how and when you should start planning your video can be overwhelming. That’s why getting started early is crucial!

Depending on when you want to launch your holiday video, you should give yourself somewhere between six and nine weeks for the strategy and implementation stages.

If you want to promote your holiday video starting early or mid-December, you need to start planning it around early or mid-October.

Of course, you may want to shoot something more personal on an iPhone that doesn’t require a lot of high-quality effects or equipment. If that’s the case, you should ideally start filming in mid or late November, still giving you plenty of time to download your video, make any simple edits, and promote it where ever you want to.

Give yourself somewhere between six and nine weeks for holiday video strategy and implementation.

Again, how you promote your video will differ based on your marketing goals, and will definitely change how many resources you put behind each campaign. For instance, if sales is your goal, you’ll likely need to spend more behind paid advertising.

Distribution Tips

Regardless of your goals, a few distribution best practices remain essential in promoting any holiday video.

Social Media – Posting your video organically across social media platforms is the best way to increase your video views and video engagement rates. Post your video everywhere you can, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and more. Depending on the content and goal of your video, platforms like Reddit and Tumblr may even be a good place to post your video for that extra kick in organic viewership. Use hashtags and tag any relevant profiles or companies – the more you engage with others, the more they’ll engage with you!

Email – Whether you want site conversions, sales, or your goal is just to spread good cheer, promoting your video via email is also an effective way to reach your target audience. It’s especially great as a nurturing tool, since anyone who’s given you their email address is already (at least somewhat) interested in your company. Nurture that relationship with warm holiday wishes or a special holiday discount.

Paid Advertising – Dedicating a small budget to the promotion of your video via paid ads could also help you get your message across. Paid ads are best spent on videos promoting a specific deal or product, but you could also dedicate a few dollars to promoting a heartwarming holiday message, which could help increase your brand awareness.

Need Help with Holiday Video Content?

The holidays are such a fun time for brands and consumers alike. It’s also the perfect time for you to test new creative angles and show off your brand’s personality. Take advantage of this time to further your marketing goals, whatever they may be, and stay miles ahead of your competitors. Using video can help you do just that, and we’re here to help you decide which type of video content is best for meeting your goals. Just schedule a free call with one of our experts and we’ll go from there!

Sales Funnel Video Strategy: Choosing the Right Videos

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 06:36:54 +0000

Are you ready to turn prospects into clients? From awareness to conversion, selecting the right video content at every stage of your sales funnel is key to driving conversions and measurable ROI.

Let’s be real: we all know it’s important to implement the right content at each stage of your sales funnel to convert prospects into high-quality clients. In today’s world of YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, video has become a crucial tool for sales and marketing. It can create engaging introductions and compelling calls to action that drive conversions and deliver measurable ROI. Keep tuned to discover how strategic video implementation can elevate your sales funnel and unlock those valuable leads.

Throughout each stage of the sales funnel, we should be using video to serve specific roles to guide potential customers from the awareness stage, right through to purchasing.

Watch Neil, our Managing Director, break down video marketing throughout the sales funnel…

Below are examples of different types of video you can use at each stage of your sales funnel:

Top of Sales Funnel: Awareness Stage

Here, it’s all about building brand awareness. The top of the sales funnel is where potential customers first learn about your product or service. At this stage, you should deploy the following kinds of video:

Explainer Videos: Perfect for introducing your brand to a wider audience about your product and/or services.
How-To Tutorials: Engage and educate – people love to learn! Impart some of your wisdom related to your product/industry to draw prospects in.
Thought Leadership Content: Share your expert insights to build credibility and engage your audience.

Here’s an example of what kind of video works well in the awareness stage: This is an explainer animated video we produced for Synergy Car Leasing to help them raise awareness of their van leasing services:

Middle of Sales Funnel: Consideration Stage

Help prospects evaluate your offering:

Product Demos: Show off your product’s features and benefits. Allow your audience to see it in action and understand its value in reducing their pain points.
Webinars: Dive deep into engaging content – webinars are a fantastic way to provide value and answer questions in real-time.
Case Studies: Highlight real-world success stories, because these help to build trust and address any potential doubts your audience might have.
Testimonials: Share stories from happy customers, as personal experiences can be very persuasive and build credibility.

Here’s an example of what kind of video works well in the consideration stage: This is one of our own case study videos – Stuart Devoil from James Latham discussing their experience with our video marketing services:

Bottom of Sales Funnel: Decision-Making Phases

This is the stage where potential customers make their final choice regarding your product and/or service. So, any video used at this point must support in their decision-making process:

Personalised videos: Tailor content to address specific needs or concerns of viewers, helping nudge them toward making a decision.
FAQ videos: Answer common questions that might be holding potential customers back, because this will help clear up any last-minute doubts.
Video sales letters: Present a strong call-to-action, and make it compelling so your audience has a reason to act now.
Product walkthroughs: Offer detailed guides on how to use your product, as this will be the final push to help seal the deal.

Here’s an example of what kind of video works well in the decision-making stage: We worked with Topa Thermal to create value content to use in an existing PPC campaign that we are running for them:

Ready to Transform Your Video Marketing?

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about selecting the right videos for each stage of your sales funnel. Interested in the cost of including video marketing in your strategy? Then check out our Decoding Video Costs and Investing in Impact blogs.

If you have any questions about incorporating videos into your sales funnel or wish to discuss a video project, don’t hesitate to reach out. Give us a call or send us an email – we’re here to support you and help you achieve your goals.

Content Gamification Turns Marketing Into a Playground for Engagement

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 06:18:00 +0000

You know that feeling when you open a game on your phone to kill five minutes and suddenly realize an hour has passed? Games have the power of pulling us in so deeply that time seems to disappear. But it’s not merely a mindless escape — games tap into a fundamental need for play that all humans have, no matter their age.

Tie that same concept into content marketing, and you’ve got gamified content. In other words, content that incorporates common features found in games, like puzzles, points, leaderboards, and badges. It’s surprisingly useful for hooking audiences and boosting long-term engagement.

Here’s a look at why gamified content works so well in brand marketing and ways to start playing with it.

What is content gamification?

Gamified content infuses your marketing with game-like elements to make it more interactive.

It doesn’t necessarily turn it into a full-blown game (although it could!), but it adds features like challenges, rewards, and leaderboards that encourage active participation and ongoing engagement. It turns your audience into players who can’t wait to take on the next challenge you throw at them, all while boosting loyalty, engagement, and brand recognition.

The psychology behind gamified content

Gamified content taps into a fundamental aspect of human nature: our drive for play.

It’s hard to underplay the importance of play in our lives. Dr. Stuart Brown, psychiatrist and founder of the National Institute for Play, says that “the drive to play is as fundamental as our drives for food and sleep.”

Our brains have play circuits that can become activated by playful things around us. Our attention immediately latches onto opportunities to play, and we almost can’t resist joining in on the fun.

By definition, play is a fun activity. We’re playing simply for the joy of it—not to earn money or achieve a tangible goal, but because the act itself (even if it involves some friendly competition) is pleasurable.

This pure enjoyment activates the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine (a.k.a. the “feel-good” hormone”) that helps us sustain interest and attention, per the Mayo Clinic. It’s a natural response that turns ordinary activities (like reading a blog post or checking the stats on our fitness tracker) into highly engaging experiences we can’t get enough of — just what content marketers need to boost engagement and drive deeper connections with their audience.

Benefits of gamified content marketing

Gamification takes content marketing from static to dynamic by weaving in playful elements your audience can connect with. It’s like transforming your blog, newsletter, or social media channels into a playground where people can take on challenges, earn rewards, and track their progress.

That can lead to new high scores in the performance of your content. According to the market research company Mordor Intelligence, gamified content boosts engagement and loyalty by an average of 30 percent. It notes that Extraco Bank saw a seven-fold increase in client acquisitions after gamifying its content. And after one Asian Pacific retailer added a gamified mission board with personal challenges to its app, it saw a 60 percent bump in customer engagement.

These stats prove that gamified content isn’t a gimmick — it’s a smart strategy for serious results.

What is gamification in marketing?

OK, you get that gamification can help you level up your content marketing, but what does that look like in practice?

Don’t think of it as turning your entire blog or app into a video game. Instead, think about infusing your content marketing with game-like elements that make it more interactive and stimulate a sense of play. Gamification of content could include:

Challenges: Encourage your audience to accomplish certain tasks, such as completing a scavenger hunt on your social media feed.
Quizzes: Let your audience test how much they know about a subject related to your brand (like whether they’re using the right coffee brewing method for their taste).
Leaderboards: Bring a bit of friendly competition to your content marketing with a leaderboard that shows which users have earned the most loyalty points, written the highest number of reviews, or completed the most quizzes.
Badges and achievements: Reward your audience with digital badges for completing certain actions, like watching a complete series of your brand’s videos, attending a webinar, or correctly answering trivia questions.
Contests: Encourage your audience to submit user-generated content by participating in a competition, like a photography contest, where the winner gets their image featured by your brand.
Website games: Add simple games to your site, like trivia questions, spin-to-win wheels, or matching puzzles, where users can win coupons, access exclusive content, or earn other rewards.
Progress trackers: Let users track their progress through a series of tasks, like completing a set of tutorials or training modules, with a progress bar or checklist that leads to a reward when they finish.

You don’t have to use every content gamification trick in the book. Even sprinkling in one or two clever elements can elevate your content.

Get inspired by these content gamification examples

Want to see how brands have leveled up their content marketing through gamification? Check out these standout content gamification examples that prove a little play can lead to big results.

Duolingo incentivizes persistence with streaks

Duolingo keeps users hooked on language learning with its clever use of streaks. This feature tracks the number of days in a row a user has done a lesson in the app through checkmarks — and it’s a big deal for the brand’s audience.

The brand says that thousands of its users post their Duolingo streaks on social media every day and that more than 6 million people are on a streak of at least seven days. Not only does that lead to more loyalty and brand recognition for Duolingo, but it also advances its mission of helping users learn new languages. Its data shows that users who complete a seven-day streak are 3.6 times as likely to finish their entire course.

Nike Run Club creates competition with leaderboards

Nike Run Club’s leaderboards add a competitive edge to running, motivating users to hit new personal records and outrun others. By tracking and displaying runners’ distances, times, and achievements, the app lets users see how they stack up against their friends and the broader community.

This friendly competition is a key driver of engagement on the app — research shows Nike Run Club’s leaderboards turn running into a fun, social experience that keeps users coming back to take on new challenges and see how they stand against the competition.

The Cheesecake Shop boosts engagement with games and quizzes

The Cheesecake Shop, a franchise that sells cakes across Australia and New Zealand, used gamified content to keep customers engaged during their busy holiday season. They used elements like personality quizzes, trivia, scratch-and-win games, and secret codes to connect with their audience. The result? Around 94,000 clicks, 56,000 entries in campaigns, and overall strong engagement at a time of steep competition.

HubSpot scores websites for B2B brands

Gamified content isn’t only useful for consumer-focused brands — it can be used in B2B settings, too. Case in point: HubSpot’s Website Grader. It turns webpage analysis into a gamified experience by scoring a user’s website on performance, mobile-friendliness, SEO, and security.

Naturally, a user who earns a subpar score in certain areas will want to make improvements (using HubSpot’s tips, tools, and lessons, of course!) and then run the analysis again to watch their grade climb higher.

You don’t need a full-on game to power up your content — just a few playful elements can drive serious engagement. Whether it’s a leaderboard, quiz, or badges, gamified content can turn casual users into loyal fans eager for a new challenge, ultimately boosting engagement with your brand. Let the games begin!

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs about content gamification

How can I measure the success of gamified content?

Success can be measured through engagement metrics like time spent on your site, repeat visits, social shares, and conversions tied to specific gamification elements. Tracking leaderboard usage, quiz participation, and progress on challenges are specific ways to see if gamification is driving results.

Can gamification be overused?

Yes, overusing gamification or making it too complicated can overwhelm or frustrate users. It’s important to balance fun with simplicity, ensuring the elements enhance user experience rather than becoming an obstacle.

How do I ensure gamified content aligns with my overall brand strategy?

Gamified content should support your brand’s goals, messaging, and values. Ensure that any challenges, rewards, or game elements feel consistent with your brand voice, aesthetics, and what your audience expects from your content.

9 Best SEO Tools for B2B Content Marketing Success

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:14:59 +0000

For B2B marketers, staying ahead of the competition often hinges on how effectively you leverage data and insights. The right B2B SEO tools can be a game-changer, helping content strategists not only understand an audience but also fine-tune strategy and drive more qualified leads.

Whether you’re a seasoned SEO content strategist or just getting started, or you’ve hired a SEO strategist from Contently’s talent network, using the software at your disposal can make the difference between getting lost in the search engine shuffle and rising to the top of the rankings. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best SEO tools that can empower your B2B marketing efforts, ensuring your strategy is both effective and efficient.

Best free B2B SEO tools

Google Analytics

Let’s start with the most obvious: Google Analytics. Likely, you are already using it. If not, there are several reasons why you should.

First, what better tool than one developed by the same search engine on which you want to rank? Second, unlike many tools that provide data based on proprietary algorithms that estimate keyword traffic, Google Analytics gives you hard data on actual visitors hitting your website.

Oh, and it’s free!

Beyond that, Google Analytics offers a wealth of search engine optimization features and benefits: multiple traffic statistic options, real-time audience tracking, site visitor behavior views, conversion reporting…the list is endless.

Integrating Google Analytics into your content management system is as simple as dropping in a few lines of javascript into the portion of the HTML. WordPress users don’t even have to do that; there are simple plugins, like Google’s own Site Kit, to make this process much more simple.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is another must-have SEO tool, and it’s also free. It enables you to research and discover relevant keywords, get search volume and forecast data, and determine keyword cost.

The only drawback is that you must have a Google Ads account to access the tool. However, you don’t have to use Google Ads; you can just register for an account. You can find Keyword Planner under the “tools and settings” option in the navigation bar.

7 More Essential B2B SEO tools

1. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a robust SEO platform that lets you discover new keywords and monitor ranking progress. In addition, you can track competitors’ keyword rankings and backlinks and complete a website audit to find SEO issues.

B2B content marketing managers will love the content discovery feature that finds the most popular articles on any topic. And it’s perfect for developing an SEO-focused content calendar.

Ahrefs has a variety of plans to suit your team’s needs, but most marketing teams will need a more robust plan than the basic version. They do offer a suite of free SEO tools that offer some help (but they aren’t as robust as a paid account).

Ahrefs pricing: Lite ($129/month), Standard ($249/month), Advanced ($449/month)

2. Semrush

Semrush is a favorite tool among SEO professionals and content marketers. Like Ahrefs, it comes with a comprehensive set of platform features and benefits, including keyword research, competitive analysis, a suite of content marketing tools, rank tracking, and much more. While similar to Ahrefs, Semrush only gives statistics for Google searches, while users can conduct keyword research for multiple search engines using Ahrefs. On the other hand, Semrush offers more detailed keyword reporting than its competitor.

You can use a few of Semrush’s tools for free, but to conduct more searches or access its more robust tools, you need to pay for it.

Semrush pricing: Pro ($139/month), Guru ($249/month), Business ($499/month)

3. AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic (ATP) is another keyword discovery tool that takes a slightly different approach to providing information about what customers are searching for.

The first step is to enter a keyword. ATP then utilizes a visual mind map-style functionality to reveal relevant keywords—you can click on any of those to show even more keywords.

According to the developers, AnswerThePublic “listens” to autocomplete data from search engines like Google, then lists every useful phrase and question people ask about your keyword. It’s free to use, but you can upgrade to a paid version with more features.

AnswerThePublic pricing: Individual ($11/month), Pro ($99/month), Expert ($199/month)

4. Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider is a must-have for B2B marketers aiming to boost their website’s technical SEO performance. It efficiently crawls your entire site, identifying issues like broken links, duplicate content, and poor site structure that could hurt your search rankings. Its ability to handle JavaScript-heavy sites and generate XML sitemaps ensures your content is fully optimized for search engines.

Additionally, Screaming Frog’s integration with Google Analytics and Search Console offers deeper insights into your site’s performance. With a user-friendly interface, customizable options, and bulk editing capabilities, it’s a powerful tool that helps B2B marketers make data-driven decisions to stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Screaming Frog offers a free version of the tool that can crawl up to 500 URLs, but to get the most out of its capabilities, you’ll want to upgrade to the paid tier.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider pricing: $259 per year, per license (each user requires a unique license)

5. BrightLocal

BrightLocal is a crucial tool for B2B marketers focusing on local SEO, offering a comprehensive suite tailored to enhance local search visibility. With features like rank tracking for specific locations, citation monitoring across directories, and review management, BrightLocal ensures your business stays competitive in local markets. Its local SEO audit helps identify issues that could hinder your visibility, allowing for quick optimization to boost search rankings.

The tool also excels in competitive analysis, offering insights into local competitors’ performance and highlighting missed keyword and citation opportunities. Additionally, BrightLocal’s citation management and review response tools streamline your local SEO efforts, ensuring consistency and accuracy across all platforms. With customizable reports and data visualization, marketers can easily track progress and make informed decisions to dominate local search results.

BrightLocal pricing: Track ($39/month), Manage ($49/month), Grow ($59/month)

6. SimilarWeb

SimilarWeb is essential for B2B marketers looking to outmaneuver competitors and understand their audience. It offers powerful competitive analysis tools, allowing you to compare traffic, analyze competitors’ keywords, and explore shared audience segments. With in-depth audience insights, including demographics and browsing habits, marketers can craft highly targeted campaigns that drive results.

The tool also provides comprehensive traffic analysis, revealing where your visitors come from and how they engage with your site. Additionally, SimilarWeb keeps you updated on industry trends and offers SEO audits, keyword research, and ranking tracking, making it a critical asset for optimizing your SEO strategy.

It’s one of the pricier tools available, but it provides a wealth of data organized in easy-to-follow charts that are great for presentations.

SimilarWeb pricing: Starter ($125/month), Professional ($333/month)

7. Clearscope

The last tool on the list, Clearscope, was developed primarily with content marketers in mind. Give it a target keyword, and the platform locates and analyzes top-ranking content, then recommends relevant terms, word count, readability, and other optimization factors.

Users copy and paste their content into Clearscope’s text editor. It grades the content based on the recommendations. Users then modify the content to achieve the recommended score to improve its ranking.

Clearscope is the most expensive of all the tools on this list, and they don’t offer a free trial.

Clearscope pricing: Essentials ($189/month), Business ($399/month)

Choosing the right B2B SEO tools for your content strategy

Identifying the right SEO tools is crucial for B2B marketers who want to maximize their impact and drive measurable results. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to determine which tools align best with your specific business needs.

That’s where the SEO content marketing experts at Contently come in. We’re here to help you navigate the landscape, choose the most effective tools, and integrate them seamlessly into your strategy. With Contently by your side, you can confidently optimize your SEO efforts, ensuring your business stands out in a crowded digital marketplace.

Ask the Content Strategist: FAQs about SEO tools

What criteria should a business use to decide between free and paid SEO tools?

Businesses should consider their specific needs, budget, and the scale of their SEO efforts when choosing between free and paid tools. Free tools may be sufficient for smaller businesses or those just starting, but paid tools often offer more advanced features, better support, and scalability, making them more suitable for larger enterprises or businesses with aggressive growth plans.

How do these tools integrate with each other or with existing marketing software?

Many SEO tools, such as Google Analytics, Ahrefs, and Semrush, offer integration capabilities with other marketing software like CRM systems, content management systems (CMS), and data visualization platforms. Integrating these tools can result in more streamlined workflows, centralized data, and the ability to make data-driven decisions across different marketing channels.

What kind of support or customer service is available for these tools?

Support varies widely across different tools. For example, free tools like Google Analytics offer community forums and documentation but lack dedicated customer service. Paid tools like Ahrefs and Semrush typically provide more comprehensive support, including live chat, email support, and sometimes dedicated account managers, which can be crucial for resolving issues quickly and efficiently.

The Future of L&D with AI Video Tools

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:02:30 +0000

Elevating L&D with AI Video Tools

Imagine the traditional Learning and Development (L&D) programs as a dusty library, filled with towering shelves of text(y) training manuals. Though it’s as dependable as gravity for learners to seek information, it is not something that inspires them to keep learning as a continuous activity.

Imagine an AI-powered video tool like a futuristic librarian who, with an AI-magic wand, transforms scripts into stunning videos, data into engaging stories, and complex topics into multiple, easily digestible microvideos. Sounds impossible?

Today, we have many text to video platforms that make creating personalized, scalable, and engaging training videos as effortless as writing a video script. No more green screens, expensive studio setups, and editing expertise — just brilliant ideas and a dash of AI magic.

This is the dawn of a new era in L&D, where learning becomes an interactive journey tailored to each individual’s needs and preferences. Let’s explore how this will transform the once-static L&D landscape into a vibrant, dynamic ecosystem for growth and development.

The Current State of L&D: Challenges and Limitations

L&D departments today operate in a complex and rapidly evolving landscape, facing a multitude of challenges that hinder their ability to deliver effective training and development programs.

Creating Engaging Content

A primary hurdle for L&D teams today is creating content that resonates with a diverse workforce. Because catering to different learning styles, generational preferences, and cultural nuances requires a deep understanding of the audience, which is often difficult to achieve. And churning out video content that ticks all the boxes is a resource-intensive task.

Scaling Content

Scaling content to meet the needs of employees in various roles and geographic locations is another major obstacle. Developing tailored learning experiences for different departments, job levels, and regions requires substantial resources and expertise. Moreover, the shift towards flexible work arrangements and the need for platform-agnostic content has intensified the need for versatile learning solutions, putting L&D teams under increased strain.

Video Content Production

Video learning has become increasingly popular among learners. However, producing high-quality videos is resource-intensive. On average, producing one hour of e-learning video takes about 130 hours and costs approximately around $2200, which is a significant investment for many organizations (Source). Additionally, the technical expertise required for video editing, production, and distribution can be a bottleneck for usually compact L&D teams.

Measuring Impact

Demonstrating the return on investment (ROI) of L&D initiatives remains a persistent challenge. Quantifying the impact of training on business outcomes is crucial for securing budgets and support. However, traditional metrics like completion rates and satisfaction surveys may not provide a complete picture of the impact of training programs.

Addressing Skill Gaps and Filling Them

Identifying and addressing critical skill gaps within the organization is an ongoing challenge. Plus, rapid evolution of technology necessitates continuous upskilling of L&D professionals to leverage emerging tools and platforms effectively. Following traditional video creation methods L&D would feel like walking on a hamster wheel, but getting nowhere.

Why do You Need AI Video Tools in L&D

The Forgetting Curve, a phenomenon studied since 1885, highlights our tendency to rapidly lose learned information. Within a week, learners often retain only 10% of the initial content. To counteract this, effective learning strategies must prioritize information retention.

Videos offer a compelling solution. Their visual and auditory components engage multiple senses, enhancing memory and comprehension. AI-powered video platforms or tools further streamline the video creation process, making it easier to produce engaging content.

Below is a memory pyramid that shows why you need videos in L&D:

The pyramid clearly demonstrates that videos are far more effective for long-term retention. By incorporating videos into your L&D programs, you can significantly boost employee knowledge and skills.

Here are a few benefits of text-to-video AI that L&D teams can use to meet the diverse needs of their learners and drive business success.

Video Personalization

Personalized content can make learning more engaging and effective, as learners feel seen and understood. And with Text-to-Video AI, creating personalized videos based on individual learner needs, preferences, or learning styles is significantly easier. This way, when content is relevant and tailored to specific needs, learners are more likely to retain information.

Production Scalability

Text-to-Video AI can produce videos at scale, allowing L&D teams to create a large volume of content without significant manual effort. Creating new videos or refreshing the existing ones, all of it can be done quickly, meeting the demands of fast-paced learning environments. AI can ensure a consistent level of quality across all videos, even with increased production volume.

Accessibility

Text-to-Video AI can create videos in multiple languages, voices, and accents, accommodating diverse learners and global workforces. Plus, automatically equipping videos with captions and subtitles makes content accessible to learners with hearing impairments. Additionally, modern AI platforms like Hippo Video are compatible with different devices and systems, enabling employees to learn effortlessly on the go.

Cost and Time

As we’ve seen above, creating video learning content is a resource-intensive task. But AI-powered tools lower overall costs associated with video production by obviating the need for expensive equipment, studios, and professional crews. Moreover, they streamline the entire workflow, from conception to deployment, enabling L&D teams to rapidly churn out training materials, ensuring employees stay up-to-date with the latest information.

Video Content Updatability

AI-powered video generation tools are a boon when it comes to video content updatability. By automating much of the creative process, these tools enable rapid content updates, version control, localization, and scalability, which was once unimaginable. This empowers L&D teams to produce more flexible, adaptable, and updatable videos, especially in areas where frequent and timely changes are essential.

Consistency in Production

L&D videos are produced for a wide variety of topics ranging from employee onboarding to sales training and security compliance — and in large quantities. Given the diversity of subjects, maintaining consistent branding and messaging across all training videos is crucial. Text-to-Video tools help ensure a uniform tone, look, and feel, enhancing the overall learning experience and creating a cohesive, professional training environment.

Localized Content for Diversified Workforce

By tailoring training materials to specific cultural contexts and preferences, you can ensure that learners from diverse backgrounds can relate to and understand the content. This not only improves communication but also fosters a more inclusive and engaging learning environment. Additionally, localizing content helps you reach a global audience and expand the reach of your training programs.

In-depth Analytics for Informed Decision-making

A video provides a close-up look into your learners’ minds. Metrics like total views, unique viewers, average watch time, and more help to gauge overall video popularity and engagement. Heatmaps and CTRs help to identify moments of interest and disengagement within videos. By analyzing completion rates and quiz scores, you see how well learners retain information. These data points in different combinations and permutations help L&D teams to tailor learning paths, measure ROI, and identify hotspots of training programs.

The Future Landscape L&D: A Hippo Video Perspective

Hippo Video’s Text-to-Video platform offers a promising future for L&D content. By combining human expertise with AI capabilities, these AI tools can create engaging, personalized, and scalable training materials that meet the evolving needs of learners. However, besides embracing this technological advancement, it is crucial to prioritize ethical considerations to drive positive outcomes in learning and development.

Powerful Duo of Human + AI

Hippo Video’s ability to generate lifelike videos from text is a testament to the synergy between human creativity and AI technology. While humans provide the content and context, AI handles the technical aspects of video production, such as lip-syncing, facial expressions, and voice modulation. This collaboration allows for the creation of engaging and personalized content at scale.

Progress-based Suggestions

One of the key advantages of AI-powered L&D platforms is their ability to tailor content delivery to individual learner preferences and progress. By tracking learner behavior and performance, these platforms can suggest relevant content, ensuring that learners stay engaged and motivated. This personalized approach can also help organizations identify knowledge gaps and provide targeted interventions.

Interactivity

Text-to-video tools can enhance learner engagement by incorporating interactive elements into training content. For example, quizzes and polls seamlessly integrated into videos provide opportunities for learners to test their understanding and apply their knowledge. This interactive approach can also make learning more enjoyable and effective.

Preferred Form of Learning for Gen Zs

Gen Z, immersed in a diet of visual content, has a strong preference for video learning. A Pew Research Center study underscores this inclination, revealing that 95% of Gen Z individuals believe technology enhances their learning. Text-to-video tools, adept at creating visually engaging and dynamic content, are well-suited to cater to this demographic’s preferences of learning style.

Ethical AI Considerations

As with any AI-powered technology, ethical considerations are paramount. Organizations must ensure that text-to-video tools are used responsibly and in compliance with relevant regulations. This includes adherence to data privacy standards such as GDPR, SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISOC. By prioritizing ethical AI practices, organizations can build trust with learners and maintain a positive reputation.

L&D Use Cases with Text to Video AI

Compliance Training Videos

AI tools can quickly generate videos for various compliance topics, such as anti-harassment, health and safety, and more. Hippo Video’s interactive elements can help you incorporate quizzes, scenarios, and simulations into compliance videos to enhance learner engagement and retention.

New Employee Onboarding Videos

Create personalized welcome videos for new hires, introducing them to the company culture, team members, and expectations. Automate the creation of videos explaining company policies, procedures, and systems. Incorporate interactive elements, such as clickable hotspots, to guide new hires through complex processes.

Performance Review Videos

Performance Review videos can provide personalized and constructive feedback to employees. These videos can highlight strengths, areas for improvement, and specific recommendations. Additionally, AI can assist in creating performance goal-setting videos, outlining individual objectives and strategies. Furthermore, AI-powered tools can generate recognition and reward videos, celebrating employee achievements and fostering a positive work environment.

Security and Compliance Videos

AI-generated videos can create engaging training materials on cybersecurity, phishing prevention, and data protection. For example, a video could simulate a phishing attack, demonstrating how to identify and avoid malicious emails. AI can also be used to develop videos for emergency preparedness drills and incident response procedures.

Customer Service Training Videos

Videos with realistic customer service scenarios can help customer service agents develop empathy, problem-solving skills, and effective communication. From routine inquiries to complex complaints, AI-generated videos can effectively explain product features, benefits, and troubleshooting tips. By equipping agents with accurate and helpful information, these videos contribute significantly to providing exceptional customer service.

Conclusion

The global AI video generation market is poised for explosive growth. According to Grand View Research, the market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.7% from 2024 to 2030.

As technology continues to advance, AI-powered tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated and accessible, revolutionizing the way we create and consume visual content. By embracing AI video generation, L&D teams can save time and resources, enhance creativity, improve learner engagement rates, and stay equipped with current skills and trends.

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of Text to Video AI in your L&D efforts? Start your journey today by signing up for a free trial, or contacting our team.

The post The Future of L&D with AI Video Tools appeared first on Hippovideo.io.

How to Create YouTube Thumbnails Viewers Can’t Ignore

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:01:40 +0000

Millions of videos are uploaded every day, but one thing determines
whether your video gets seen or completely overlooked.

YOUR THUMBNAIL!

Think of it as your video’s front door. If it doesn’t catch their eye, they won’t step inside. A boring thumbnail can kill your video, whereas a clickable engaging thumbnail will skyrocket your video.

Today I’m revealing the secrets about how to create a great thumbnail that will not only stop the scroll, but will make viewers want to click on it and watch the video.

Steps to create a clickable engaging thumbnail using Pixelmator Pro on the Mac.
It’s only 49.99 for a lifetime copy.

After you’ve opened up Pixelmator Pro on your Mac, choose “all templates” if you don’t want to start your thumbnail design from scratch.
Alternatively, select a blank document with 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high.
Scroll down to see the YouTube thumbnail templates that you can use. There’ll be under YouTube video thumbnail. You’ve also got templates here for YouTube channel Art.
Click the arrow to the right to see more templates.
I’m going to start from scratch, so I’m going to use the custom template of 1920 by 1080.
Click create.
Let’s create the background first.
Click on the brush to see the color fills
If you click on the arrow… you’ll see gradient fills…I selected blue/purple gradient.
You can change the gradient by clicking on the arrow under gradient
Click on this image to show or hide the gradient handles.
I can move these handles around to change the gradient
Now I’m going to add a face to my thumbnail. Here’s a screenshot of me smiling in my video.
I’m gonna drag this image onto my document.
To remove the background, so I just show my face, I click on the image and click on this background removal icon. Now it’s removing the background.
Now I can just drag the image to where I want it
Enlarge it by just clicking on the handles and dragging it.
If I want to sharpen the image, click on the effects icon
Click add effect
Click sharpen, then click sharpen again.
I can increase the intensity and the radius.
If your image contains multiple subjects and just want to just keep one of them, use the rectangular selection tool.
Click on the image,
Go to tools, select “rectangular selection”.
Create a rectangle around the image you want to preserve.
Click on the background removal tool…now it’s removing the background.
If you want to erase some of the image like a hair strand, use the erase tool.
Click on the erase tool, and now you can erase some of the hair strands.
To save the image to your desktop, go to file, export, save the PNG file so you preserve the transparency.
Here’s the saved image on my computer.

Now I’m going to add the text, “Steal Their Attention” so it evokes emotion and it motivates viewers to want to click and watch the video.
Click insert.
If I click on the text, then click the text icon, I can decrease the size or increase the size.
I’m going to make the text, “STEAL” really big.
I’m also going to add a drop shadow, so the text stands out on the thumbnail.
Click on the brush icon, turn on this layer style.
Add some distance, a blur if you want, or you can increase the opacity.
You can also change your font by clicking on the text icon, and you can change it to Impact or Moderna.
Now I’m going to add the rest of the text.
Now I’m going to add a YouTube icon to draw viewers’ attention to the thumbnail.
Let’s check if the text can be viewed on small screens.
Looks good to me.

If I want to test 3 different “designs, I could just change the text to something like irresistible clicks” or “stop the scroll”. Alternatively, I could try different expressions on my face.
After you’re happy with the thumbnail, you need to download it to your computer.
Click file…export.
I’m going to save it as steel.png
Choose a PNG format for the best resolution, otherwise, click the dropdown to select jpeg.
Click export.
Here’s the image of my computer.
If I right click then open with preview, I can view the image.

The thumbnail is now ready to be uploaded to YouTube. You can use the free “Test & Compare Thumbnail Tool” from YouTube to test up to 3 different designs for your videos. YouTube will automatically select the “WINNER” thumbnail that resonates best with your audience.

Watch this video right now to learn how to MASTER YouTube’s
TEST and COMPARE Thumbnail feature in minutes.

You’ll be glad you did.

67 Video Marketing Stats You Need to Know for 2025

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:59:25 +0000

2025 is fast approaching, and as we say every year, video just keeps getting more important. In terms of marketing strategy, it’s impossible to ignore video as we enter 2025. It’s simply everywhere—traditional broadcast spots, digital OOH placements, social ads, OTT, and countless other channels that are invaluable to marketing success.

Video raises the bar across owned, earned, and paid channels, and it’s expected to continue to dominate the marketing field in 2025. With that in mind, we’ll borrow a popular adage that’s especially relevant for the video space: “The best time to start was yesterday. The second-best time is now.”

In other words, if your business is still putting off video content for some unknown date in the future, you’re continuing to lose out on its many benefits right now. You may have even read last year’s version of this article, promising yourself you’d finally prioritize video for 2024. Well, 2024 came and went, and those that doubled down on video are reaping the rewards.

If you’re not quite convinced, here are 67 statistics that prove the importance of video marketing for 2025 and beyond—including original data from our team at Lemonlight. Check them out!

[Note: This page has been updated from 2024 to reflect the latest statistics for 2025.]

Video Marketing Statistics 2025

As you can probably guess from the size of this list, there are tons of stats about video content. So, to make this valuable info just a little bit more digestible, we’re going to break the statistics into the following categories:

Stats by marketing goal (Attract, Engage, Nurture, Close, Delight)
Stats by social channel (TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn)
Stats for video marketing industry trends
Stats for consumer video viewing habits

Let’s dive in!

Lemonlight Original Research

In Febuary 2024, Lemonlight launched a video marketing survey to gain a deeper understanding of the ways our own audience interacts with video, specifically in the age of AI.

The statistics below came from our 2024 research report survey, which received a total of 950 responses from marketers across the country. We’ll be running the same survey in January 2025, followed by a comprehensive report that captures the state of video marketing and compares 2024 data to our 2023 data. Stay tuned for that report in Q1 2024!

In the meantime, here’s what we found to be relevant going into 2024:

Key Stats

84% of respondents in 2024 indicated they had used AI in some form during the video production process, with 22% creating content solely in-house and 18% relying on external support for certain production tasks.
68% of marketers reported that engagement remains the top metric they track, followed by watch time and click-through rate, with conversion rate closely behind.
96% of marketers now believe that AI will play an increasingly crucial role in marketing strategies over the next few years, a significant jump from the 2023 results.
87% of marketers plan to integrate video into their strategies moving forward, slightly down from last year’s figure of 89%, reflecting growing interest in short-form content and AI-powered formats.
81% of respondents in 2024 stated they “Very much” or “Somewhat” enjoy watching brand videos, with only 2% reporting that they do not enjoy brand video content at all.

Production Practices

53% of respondents indicated that they plan to spend $5,000 or less on their projects, while 20% reported plans to spend $15,000 or more, reflecting a shift toward more cost-effective production enabled by AI tools.
55% of marketers said they would focus on creating AI-assisted explainer videos or brand videos this year, with AI tools helping to streamline the storytelling process.
74% of respondents stated they share between two and six videos per month across various channels, a slight increase from 2023, driven by AI-enabled production efficiencies.

Video Distribution

Website and social media platforms remained the top two channels for video distribution, with a rising interest in using AI for better platform optimization.
If respondents had to choose one social platform for video distribution, 32% would choose YouTube, 28% would choose LinkedIn, and 22% would choose Instagram, marking a slight shift in platform preferences.
The majority of marketers agreed that the success of a video campaign is determined largely by audience engagement metrics, with the effectiveness of AI tools in enhancing personalization being a growing consideration.

Consumer Habits

Still, only 2% of respondents stated that they do not enjoy watching brand video content.
YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram were the top three platforms consumers reported using to watch video content, with TikTok showing the fastest growth in 2024.
62% of consumers said they prefer to watch video content on a smartphone, with laptops coming in second at 18%, a trend consistent with previous years.
The top two traits consumers reported as important for engaging video content were authenticity and AI-driven personalization, followed closely by clear messaging and storyline.

Statistics for Video Marketing by Marketing Goal

Next, we wanted to explore video marketing statistics broken down by overarching marketing goals. As marketers know all too well, there are countless frameworks to conceptualize common marketing goals, and everyone’s marketing funnel will look a little bit different.

At Lemonlight, we use, “Attract, Engage, Nurture, Convert, Delight” to reflect our goals throughout the customer lifecycle. We’ve used that framework to break down the video stats below, but if you use another framework in your organization, you’ll see the overlap.

In short: video is incredibly useful for any marketing goal your organization is pursuing. (Quick note here: if you’re not sure how to use video to align with your 2024 marketing goals, there’s nothing our creative team love more than helping you find the right match! Schedule a call here to tap into our video expertise.)

If you’re not quite convinced of video’s power, here are the stats to back that up.

Using Video to Attract Your Audience

When it comes to attracting new customers, it makes sense that video content is effective. It combines visual imagery, sound, and extras like effects or text headings to paint a fuller picture of your concept than any one component alone. Plus, since video is dynamic, it grabs attention better than static images or walls of text. Here’s what we know about video for the attract stage.

90% of marketers say video has helped them generate leads. (Wyzowl)
In 2023, online video accounted for 82.5% of all web traffic. (DemandSage)
Video ads were the #1 way consumers discovered a brand they later purchased from. (Animoto)
Over 90% of people say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. (Google)

Using Video to Engage New Contacts

Once you’ve attracted your audience, the next step is to engage your new contacts. This stage is all about connection, and you might focus on channels like social media or email marketing to continue to build rapport with your audience. Video is great for the engage stage because it’s an authentic way for viewers to learn more about your organization without feeling pushed to make a purchase right away. Here are some stats about the engage stage.

86% of marketers say video has helped them increase traffic to their website. (Wyzowl)
83% of marketers say video has increased dwell time on their website. (Wyzowl)

Using Video to Nurture Prospective Customers

At the nurture stage, your aim is to continue to connect with your audience and show them why your product or service is the solution to their needs. But rather than focusing on pushing a sale, you’re using the nurture stage to build a relationship. Here are a few stats about how video serves the nurture stage.

How to Increase the Ad Fill Rate – A Guide for Publishers

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:50:17 +0000

The ad fill rate is one of those key metrics in video advertising that can make or break your revenue stats. If your fill rate isn’t living up to your expectations, you may want to rethink your strategy. In this guide, I’ll walk you through some practical steps you can take to boost your fill rate (and your revenue!).
What Is an Ad Fill Rate and How Is It Calculated

Let’s start with the basics – an ad fill rate is the ratio of ads served on a publisher’s website or app to the number of total ad requests made.

The formula for calculating ad fill rates is pretty simple:

The formula for calculating the ad fill rate

Here’s a quick example: let’s say your website makes 1,000 ad requests in a day. Out of those, around 800 requests actually receive an ad in return. Following the formula above, you can calculate that your fill rate is 80%.

What Is a Low Fill Rate?

Calculating the fill rate is one thing, but understanding what that percentage actually means for your website is something else. In the example above, should the publisher be satisfied with the 80% rate?

The simple answer is that there is no simple answer (an even simpler answer is – probably yes). The “ideal” fill rate will depend on many factors, including the size and makeup of your audience, the type of ads you want to serve, the demand sources you’re working with, and so on.

As a general guideline, a fill rate of less than 50% should be cause for concern, regardless of the factors I mentioned above. If your rate falls somewhere between 50-75%, there are likely some things you can do to improve it, but you’re not losing out on too much revenue. Ideally, you should shoot for somewhere between 75 and 85%.

But wait, shouldn’t a 100% fill rate be the “ideal” scenario? Not exactly. Too high of a fill rate is usually an indicator that your price floors are too low. But more on that a little later.
Follow TargetVideo on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry!

Possible Reasons for Low Ad Fill Rates

As with most things in marketing, the world of ad fill rates can be a tad complicated. If your numbers are low, there can be many different (and sometimes multiple) potential causes to look at. Here are some of the most common culprits.

Poorly Optimized Price Floors

Poorly optimized price floors are behind a good portion of low fill rates. If your price floors are too high, the pool of advertisers willing to buy your ad inventory will be small.

Keep in mind that this logic goes both ways – if your price floors are too low, you might end up serving ads with lower CPMs and cheating yourself out of valuable ad revenue.

High Supply, Low Demand

As with any market, supply and demand dictate the state of advertising to a large extent. The reasons behind this disbalance can be many, from seasonal slumps to a poor choice of ad networks. Niche industries with little internet traffic often experience this issue, too.

Website Latency

If your website takes a while to load, the user might scroll away before actually seeing the ad, and the impression won’t count. The best way to check if this is the case is by comparing the number of ads sent with the number of ad impressions. If there are comparably fewer impressions, that’s a clear indicator that the issue lies with the ad not loading.

User-Side Issues

The low ratio between ads sent and ads served can also be an indicator of other user-side issues. Ad blockers and browser filters are common culprits. Another potential problem might lie in the user’s internet speed. Their bandwidth might simply be too limited to load the ad in time.

Other Technical Issues

Of course, there are many other potential causes of your low fill rate. These can range from poorly configured ad servers to broken tags and more. If you’re having trouble identifying the issue, I recommend getting in touch with your customer success manager – they might be able to provide additional insight.

How to Improve Your Ad Fill Rate

Depending on the reason for low ad fill rates, there will be different actions you can take to remedy the issue.

Dynamically Optimize Price Floors

Unfortunately, setting up price floors is time-consuming, to say the least. Since there is no universal optimal price floor, you will have to continuously follow and optimize.

Or – you can use an AI tool designed to automate this entire process. TargetVideo’s dynamic price floor optimizer uses machine learning to figure out the best price floors for your inventory.

Find out how to optimize your price floors.

Manage Ad Blockers

The cat-and-mouse game between ad blockers and ad tech has been going on pretty much since the inception of digital advertising. Staying up-to-date with the latest anti-blocking technology is crucial for avoiding revenue losses.

Google’s SSAI solution, the Google Video Stitcher bypasses ad blockers by “stitching” the ad directly into the video stream.

Aside from SSAI, there are other things you can do to minimize revenue loss due to ad blockers. For instance, TargetVideo’s player customization options include the command to turn off autoplay if an ad blocker is present, minimizing the number of unfulfilled ad calls.

You can turn off your player’s autoplay option if there is an ad blocker

Improve Website Speed

Since a slow website is one potential cause for low fill rates, improving website speed is the logical answer. You can check the speed of your website (and diagnose the problem) using PageSpeed Insights. Typically, optimizing images and videos, minimizing the number of HTTP requests, limiting redirects and external scripts, and using effective third-party services should be enough to see some improvement.

Use the Call Ad Again Feature

TargetVideo’s Call Ad Again feature places an additional click-to-play pre-roll ad call after an autoplay ad call comes up empty. This boosts your chances of serving an ad for the same slot, potentially improving your fill rate.

Diversify Demand Sources

I’m sure you already know that relying on only one or two demand sources isn’t the best strategy for maximizing ad revenue. However, instead of expanding into more large demand providers, consider going local. If your target audience is limited to certain geographic regions, consider partnering with networks with a strong presence among advertisers in those regions. Bigger isn’t always better.

Manage Demand Sources

Of course, simply stacking your sources one on top of the other won’t typically do much. However, if you occasionally take a look at your source stack, prune the underperforming ones, and optimize the order of your ad calls, you stand a much better chance to fill your ad slot.

Experiment With Ad Placements & Formats

Not all inventory is made equal. Some ad formats and placements are bound to perform better than others. Typically, video ads are more engaging than images or text-based ads, while ATF placements grant higher viewability than BTF. Play around with your site’s layout to find the optimal combo.

Optimize for Different Devices

According to Statista, almost 60% of all time spent online comes from mobile devices. Not optimizing your ad tech setup to serve mobile ads is bound to impact your fill rates negatively. Additionally, since different devices may get different fill rates, adjusting ad formats accordingly can help you make the most of each opportunity.

Implement Header Bidding

Header bidding allows multiple advertisers to bid for ad space simultaneously, increasing competition for your inventory and potentially boosting fill rates. It’s a straightforward way to maximize the value of each impression.

Boost Your Ad Fill Rates & Revenue With TargetVideo

TargetVideo specializes at helping publishers optimize their ad tech setups and boost their ad revenue. Whether you want to diversify your ad sources, optimize your price floors, or make use of innovative video ad formats, we’ve got you covered. Reach out to our team to learn how we can boost your ad revenue efforts.

Ad Fill Rate FAQ

1. What is a fill rate in advertising?

A fill rate in advertising is the ratio between ads that have been served and ads that were requested. It is an indicator of how likely a publisher is to receive an ad after placing an ad call.

2. How to calculate the ad fill rate?

The ad fill rate is calculated by dividing the number of served ads by the number of ad calls placed and then multiplying that number by 100.

3. What is the average fill rate for video ads?

The typical fill rate for video ads ranges between 60 and 80%, depending on the ad network of choice, the technical setup, and other factors.

4. What is a typical fill rate goal?

A typical fill rate goal is around 75-85%. While you should aim for a high fill rate, keep in mind that an ad fill rate of 100% usually means that your price floors are low.
12 Do’s and Don’ts of Successful Video Marketing for Your Business

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 10:43:50 +0000

Chances are when you see a piece of video content from another business, you know pretty quickly whether you like it or not. First impressions matter, and for your video content, that means you have just a few seconds to convince viewers that your content is worth watching.

We have good news and bad news about what this means for your business. The bad news is that there’s no secret formula for how to create a video that your audience will love. Each business (and its audience) is unique, and it’s up to you to determine what’s most likely to resonate with your viewers.

The good news is that there are key traits that many successful videos have in common. You can take these big-picture suggestions and apply them to your specific scenario to maximize your chances of success.

That being said, here are 12 do’s and don’ts of successful video marketing for your business. Try them out with your next video and let us know what you think!

Do’s of Video Marketing for Your Business

1. Do share authentic content

Authenticity may be the most-used word on the Lemonlight blog after “video” or “marketing.” Why? Today’s audiences are bombarded with content, and they can see right through videos (or images or text) that are disingenuous. To stay on your audience’s good side, make sure to add a dose of reality to your content. Here are a few ways to work this into your overall video marketing strategy:
- When you plan a batch of content, make sure some of your videos aren’t too focused on high production value or presenting the perfect scenario to your audience. Casual on-the-fly content is often more relatable to audiences.
- Consider showing both the ups and downs of your business. While it’s natural to share when things are going great, consider how you can let your audience in on some of the tough moments, too.
- Speak to your audience the way you’d speak to your audience if you knew them closely. How do you describe your business to friends and loved ones? How would you pitch your product to a former colleague? Use this same language in your video content for a more authentic feel.
2. Do tailor your approach to your goals

The number one mistake we see with businesses that are new to video marketing is not aligning your content with a larger purpose or goal. Making video content is great, but sharing content just for the sake of sharing content may mean that you miss out on opportunities to connect with marketing or sales initiatives and really level up your business.

After all, certain types of video content are better suited to specific goals than others. “About Us” videos work well for brand awareness, while product demonstration videos often drive purchases. If your strategy begins with a specific video execution rather than a goal, you’re approaching production from the wrong side.

Instead, start with a goal like “generate engagement on social posts with new followers” or “drive purchases from customers who click on product pages on our website.” You don’t necessarily need to quantify these goals (although you definitely can!), but having a specific outcome in mind will help to ensure that the video you create is the right video for your business.

3. Do put thought into your distribution strategy

Once your video is produced and you’re celebrating a successful project in the books, it can be tempting to share your video once and move onto the next initiative. Even worse, some companies create a beautiful video asset and then neglect to actually share it anywhere at all. While these brands may have the best intentions about finding the perfect use case down the line, your video isn’t doing you any good unless your audience is actually watching it.

Here’s a list of distribution options to consider for your next video to connect with the right viewers. And while you’re at it, consider how you can repurpose or redistribute your content across other channels. If your video is going on your social media page, should it also be on your website? If you’re posting it on YouTube, can you share a teaser in your marketing emails? We’ve yet to find a case where a video can’t be repurposed somehow, so make sure you’re maximizing the ROI on your video projects.

4. Do nail the lighting and audio

Lighting and audio quality are two of the features that immediately signal to viewers whether they should keep watching your content or not. If either of these elements is subpar, expect your audience to scroll right past your video in favor of higher-quality options.

For lighting, the most basic setup should ensure that your subject is evenly lit without shadows. This often means finding natural light or turning on additional overhead lights or lamps to get the right balance. For audio, it’s often best to record your audio clips with a separate mic rather than using the output of the camera.

Because it’s so simple to accomplish decent-looking content these days, putting a tiny bit of thought and effort into your lighting and audio helps to keep your audience from being distracted by low-quality video.

5. Do educate or entertain (or both!)

Have you heard the term edu-tainment lately? As you might guess from the word itself, edu-taining content is content that’s both educational and entertaining. Many videos will lean slightly one way or the other, but today’s viewers expect to be engaged by even the most boring of topics. If your content serves neither of these purposes, you have a clear signal to start from scratch and get to work on a new video that’s more likely to attract viewers.

6. Do measure performance

Rounding out the “do” list, make sure to measure the performance of your video content after it’s been distributed. Too often, marketers assume that it’s too difficult to measure the ROI of video content and decide not to track the results at all. This is a huge mistake! Even if you don’t go so far as to calculate ROI, make sure to take note of views, engagement numbers, watch time, and even sales or revenue changes that could be attributed to your content.

Monitoring these data points helps to paint a clear picture of what your audience likes, what they don’t like, and what you might want to try to do differently for your next shoot. If one video style is consistently performing better than the others, you’d likely want to prioritize that style for most of your content in the future. If short-form content delivers better results than long-form content, note that takeaway and keep your future video content on the shorter side. These are key findings that will help you to improve the results of your video strategy over time.

Don’ts of Video Marketing for Your Business

1. Don’t forget your call-to-action

Next, let’s dive into the things you should not do when approaching your video marketing strategy. First and most important on the list, don’t forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of pretty much every video.

There are a few rare cases where it might be okay to leave this out, but in general, every video should be designed to get viewers to take one specific action. To increase the likelihood that that action is taken, make sure to call it out noticeably in the video itself.

It can often work well to hint at your CTA early in the video for anyone who doesn’t watch to the end, then include a more significant call-out at the end. Consider also using both on-screen text and dialogue or voice-over in your CTA to ensure that all viewers notice the plea.

2. Don’t aim to go viral

We’re a broken record when it comes to explaining the ineffectiveness of attempting to “go viral,” but we’ll share the gist here again to make sure it really sinks in. “Going viral” is not a helpful goal for your content. For one thing, it’s not a specific goal that’s tied to results for your brand, and the true goal you’re probably going after with virility is brand awareness. For another thing, it’s virtually impossible to “make” content go viral—even for famous content creators whose entire lives revolve around making hit videos.

A better approach is to tailor your campaign to brand awareness goals, create a video that’s designed to help reach that goal, and apply some of the features that many viral videos have in common to your content. If you succeed and your content takes off, you’ll be especially pleased with your efforts. If not, at least you have a useful asset that will still help you reach new viewers.

3. Don’t assume viewers will watch with audio

Gone are the days of content being watched entirely with sound enabled. Visual-heavy content is often the default today, meaning that it’s imperative for the main message of your video to stand alone without sound. In practice, this means that you should include captions for any dialogue or voice-over and consider calling out key messages with graphic on-screen text. This extra step also ensures that your content is accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing audiences.

If you’re not sure if you’ve executed this step correctly, have someone who hasn’t been working on the video (or, even better, doesn’t know your brand or product) watch the video with audio disabled. If they still grasp the key takeaways, you’re likely on the right track.

4. Don’t just share your video once

One of the biggest missed opportunities for brands beginning a video marketing strategy is adopting the mindset that your video is “done” once you’ve shared it somewhere. While you should definitely celebrate your video’s initial launch, don’t forget that there are tons of channels and platforms out there that accommodate video content.

After you’re done with your initial video debut, note how it performs on your primary distribution channel and adjust accordingly to re-share or repurpose the content elsewhere.

5. Don’t follow what your competitors are doing

When you’re new to the video space, it can be tempting to take a look at what other brands in your industry are doing and adopt the same strategy for your own content. While there’s something to be said for conducting a quick audit of existing video content that may be relevant to your business, those videos should be a starting point for your own inspiration.

Why? First, you never really know how your competitors’ content is actually performing. While you may be able to see some metrics like engagement numbers and view counts, you’re one step removed from the important figures like ROI or conversion rates. A video you may think is performing well based on Instagram likes may be falling especially short when it comes to delivering real results for the business. You also may have different goals than your competitors, and you have a chance to excel beyond what they’re doing rather than becoming a second-class substitute.

We’d recommend taking a look at their content, noting what you like and what you don’t, and using those learnings as a springboard for your own team brainstorm. In most cases, you’ll be able to come up with something that has potential to succeed far beyond your competitors’ videos.

6. Don’t DIY all your content

Last but not least, there’s a place for DIY video production in every video marketing strategy, but it should almost never make up your entire strategy. DIY content is great for anything that benefits from an authentic feel, like Instagram Stories content or TikTok clips. For executions like product videos, customer testimonial videos, or commercials, trying to tackle production yourself can be a recipe for disaster.

While you may end up with a decent final video, you’ll often get better results with a video that’s more polished and noticeably higher quality. We’d recommend bringing in the pros (by either hiring a production company or bringing in freelance support) for your most important or “official” pieces of content and saving the DIY approach for content that’s designed to be more casual.

We’re confident that applying these 12 do’s and don’ts to your video marketing strategy will set you up for success—and set you apart from your competitors.

Let us know how these tips work for your next video or give our expert production team a call if you need custom support.
Animated Videos: How to Engage and Captivate Your Audience

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 10:31:23 +0000

You might know a little about all the different types of videos there are—welcome videos, how-to videos, brand videos, and more—but how much do you know about video styles?

The style of a video refers to the treatment of the content and not the content itself. You can have a welcome video, for instance, presented in doc-style, a scripted piece, or in animation. The style you use can add a lot to your video, affecting how emotional it is, how effective the messaging is, or how the viewer responds. That’s why you want to make sure you pick the style that not only fits your brand the best, but fits your video goals.

Let’s take a look at one of the most fun, though possibly the most complicated, style of video there is: animation.

Before we move on to the next section, make sure you have the fundamentals of video down. Download our eBook below for exclusive access to our best growth-hacking tips.

Types of Animation

Animated videos are especially good at explaining difficult-to-understand concepts and products, especially since 65 percent of people are visual learners and 90 percent of the information transmitted to the brain is visual.

Animated videos come in many forms; here are just a few to get you started.

Whiteboard Animation

Whiteboard animation videos are especially good for explaining difficult-to-understand concepts. They usually include a live action element, like a hand coming in and out of frame to do the actual drawing. These videos are captivating and, even when longer than our recommended 30-second to one-minute length, can hold the viewer’s attention and help them retain more information.

These are great for explaining more complex products or services, especially those in the tech, medical, and software as a service industries. Because you’re presenting information on a whiteboard, people expect to learn—except they’re learning in a more engaging, interactive way.

Kinetic Typography

You’ve definitely seen typographic animation, whether you know it or not! Also known as kinetic typography, this is basically the art of moving text. Entire videos can be composed of visually stimulating, moving text, or they can come in as an element in any other type of video.

The magic of kinetic typography is its ability to keep the viewer engaged. Because text is actively moving on the screen, the user is compelled to read it. You can animate single letters or entire words, creating a beautiful visual scene made even stronger by the right voiceover or music.

If you have important information you want the audience to remember, like a location, date, or time, consider introducing this information with kinetic typography. If you have statistics that would be too difficult to communicate visually, use an interesting text graphic. If you have voiceover, but want something to stand out in the viewer’s mind, overlay kinetic typography in your video. The options are endless!

Cartoon Animation

Cartoons are most commonly associated with animation—and rightly so! Most of us have a favorite cartoon from childhood, a favorite cartoon movie, or a cartoon short that we can watch over and over again.

They’re highly engaging and because of our association with them, cartoon videos often have higher views and higher view-through rates than their non-animated counterparts. They can be used to communicate just about any message, from tips and tricks to general brand overviews.

But cartoon videos can be the most complex to create, since they require a lot of technical skill and time, depending on quality. Luckily, they’re also one of the cheapest options, since you don’t have to pay art directors, set dressers, actors, or pay for a location.

Think strategically about when to use cartoons. They’re best suited for fun, playful content and shorter lengths, one of the favorite go-to’s for branded social media posts.

3D Animation

3D animation is a complex form of animation that involves the creation of three-dimensional objects and environments using specialized software. It’s more complicated than other forms of animated videos, such as whiteboard animated videos, because it requires a higher level of technical expertise and attention to detail.

Brands can leverage 3D animated videos in a variety of ways to engage with their audiences and promote their products or services. For example, they could create a 3D animated product video that shows how their product works and highlights its features and benefits. They could also use 3D animation to create an explainer video that breaks down complex concepts or processes in a visually engaging way. In addition, 3D animated videos can be used for branding and advertising purposes, such as creating a memorable animated mascot or character that becomes synonymous with the brand.

While 3D animated videos may come at a higher price point than other forms of animated videos, they can be worth the investment due to their ability to create a unique and immersive experience for viewers, and their potential to increase brand awareness and engagement.

Live Action and Animation Combo

This is one of the most common uses for animation, since the combination styles are virtually endless. Use live actors or product shots with overlaid graphics, kinetic typography, cartoon interspersals, and more. The combination can make understanding how your product or service works easier, while forming a more personal connection with the viewer.

What’s better than mesmerizing, animated content paired with relatable, live action? Even a text graphic introducing the person onscreen can be considered animation, so don’t feel limited by technical skill or budget. Any compelling visual elements added to a live action video can help increase your view-through rate and keep your viewers engaged.

Infographic Animation

Consider using animation when you want to present any statistical or number-heavy content. Just like static infographics, infographic animation helps make complex numerical data easier to understand and visualize.

This is one of the easiest types of animation to produce, so use it whenever you can. From moving graphs, to charts and tables, infographics in your video will help make information memorable.

This type of video is great for social media. Make it fun and feel free to use elements of infographic animation in your live action videos.

When to Use Animation

You should always be open to using animation in your videos, though the type of animation can definitely differ. Simple kinetic typography or infographic animation can be the simplest to implement, while fully animated cartoons or 3D animation can be more time or cost prohibitive.

Here’s a quick 3-step guide to help get you started.
1. Outline your campaign’s goals and metrics for success.
Before planning out the entire strategy and production schedule for your video, be sure to know what exactly you want to accomplish. What are your goals? You won’t know what type of video to produce, or in what style, until you’ve got your goal in mind. Then, figure out how to measure for these results.
1. Plan your video strategy and execution.
Now that you’ve got your goals in mind, you can begin planning your video strategy. Be sure your strategy aligns with your goals. What kind of video will you make? Who will produce it? How much of it should be animated? Where will you distribute it?
1. Plan your resources, time, and schedule.
This is where you’ll be able to figure out if you’ve got the time and resources to add animation to your video. Talk to your production team about how long creating and animating content will take and ask for examples of their previous work.

Is animation still a viable option? Should you use it heavily (a fully animated cartoon) or not (maybe just add elements of animation here and there)? If you find animation aligns with your strategy and can get you closer to reaching your success goals, then you’re ready to get started.

Animation Tips and Tricks

Don’t forget, strategy is crucial! You may feel like everything’s in place to create an awesome animated video, but you need to keep a few things in mind before getting your feet off the ground.
- Always be brand consistent. Make sure whatever video you create, animated or otherwise, tells your brand story clearly and keeps your mission at the forefront.
- Keep framing in mind. Some platforms overlay logos in certain corners and some automatically add captions to the bottom of your video. Be sure to keep these areas clear of text or crucial animation.
- Keep your video short. Animation helps captivate your audience, but even a 10-minute animated video can drain your audience and lose your viewers. Keep it under two minutes, tops.
- Remember your headline. Videos are visual, but you still need a compelling headline to draw your viewers in and help with SEO.
- Don’t forget your Pros and Cons list. Animation can be cheaper to create, but can take much longer. Not every agency is equipped to animate beautifully. Animation can draw in more viewers, but may not lead to the results you want. Write out all the pros and cons to determine what you’re willing to risk.
Now, you’ve got all the tools you need to create an animated video that’ll captivate your audience and hopefully lead to more sales and revenue.
How to Use Text to Video AI to Enhance Your Marketing Campaigns

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 08:29:46 +0000

Omnichannel marketing is the go-to strategy for most businesses today. But with countless channels vying for attention, how do you make your messages truly stand out?

Video is the answer.

Indeed, it’s a golden ticket to your prospects’ mind(land). But, between hefty budgets, lengthy production timelines, and the need for specialized expertise, video has become a luxury rather than a necessity for many marketers.

Result? The Video (format) got sidelined.

But, what if you could produce professional, personalized videos at scale without breaking the bank or needing a video production team?

Enters: Text-to-Video by Hippo Video, a genie that empowers businesses with the AI capabilities to create stunning, effective, personalized videos at scale using simple text.

Discover how to revolutionize your marketing strategy with AI-generated videos that captivate audiences, boost engagement, and drive results. Let’s explore the future of marketing!

Transformative Power of Text to Video AI in Marketing

“There are two changes in the market indicating a need for more video content. First, the search landscape is being disrupted by AI. Second, we’re seeing a shift to a video-first consumption of content for audiences,” says Kyle Denhoff, Director of Marketing and Audience Development at HubSpot.

Besides capturing attention, videos also affect other aspects of digital growth, like boosting organic traffic by 157% and enhancing your conversion rate by 80%.

With these ground-breaking results, obvious videos are taking center stage in marketing campaigns. As a result, opting for AI video creation is no longer a choice but a necessity to stay competitive.

Before the generative AI era, marketing videos required a huge budget, weeks of planning and execution, expensive studio setups, and a team of experts to transform ideas into one-of-a-kind marketing videos.

But fast-forward to today. You only need a text to video tool like Hippo Video to craft impactful marketing videos. This tool democratizes video creation, so even if you have no prior experience creating videos, you can create compelling and interactive video marketing campaigns.

Say goodbye to making huge investments or putting in numerous hours. With this tool, you can create personalized videos at scale by removing all barriers.

Think of it this way:

Artificial Intelligence = Psychologist (understands consumer needs) + Language Expert + Creativity Wizard Hippo Video’s text to video AI harnesses the power of AI to combine experience, creativity, and consumer study to deliver top-notch video content in a matter of seconds.

Key Benefits of Text to Video AI in Marketing Campaigns

The text-based content-to-video AI market size is expected to reach $0.9 billion in 2027, with a CAGR of 37.1%. The growth rate of this technology is owed to its various benefits, such as:

Time Efficiency

Video marketing automation reduces the total time spent ideating and executing a marketing campaign. Additionally, it allows people with no prior video creation experience to quickly create impactful videos based on their needs.

Cost-effectiveness

In a traditional setup, the main costs of video creation were on professionals, equipment, and studio setups. On the contrary, creating videos through Text to Video AI technology requires only a software subscription and access to the Internet, rendering this process highly cost-effective.

Scalability

The increasing consumption of online video content is challenging for businesses to keep up. Technology lets you create large volumes of AI-driven video content for content libraries, educational series, and more.

Plus, Text to Video AI expands the reach of your video content by making it inclusive through multiple voices, accents, and multilingual capabilities.

Enhanced Engagement and Conversion

AI allows you to use high-quality videos and create personalized content that appeals to the audience. Additionally, you can incorporate interactive features like clickable links and call-to-action buttons to increase viewer interaction and conversion rates.

Effortless Video Updates

The final and perhaps most significant benefit of text-to-video AI technology is its capability to streamline video updates. This means you can effortlessly add, delete, or edit video content without needing to reshoot the entire sequence.

Easily make timely changes to videos, such as incorporating a new product USP or simply updating the content, all without the hassle of traditional reshooting.

Real-world Examples of Text to Video AI

Here are a few companies that have effectively used text-to-video AI technology, from which you can take inspiration.

Cybercom Group’s Commercial by AI

Cybercom Group took an unconventional approach to advertising. Rather than a traditional commercial, they opted for the AI counterpart, leveraging their core expertise—data and AI. They fed existing Cybercom videos into an AI algorithm to craft a unique brand story with a truly novel video output like this one.

Takeaway: Embrace emerging AI trends and advancing technology to provide fresh insights. Explore ways to indirectly market your brand with a unique perspective.

Virgin Voyages’ Personalized video invitations with Jen AI

Virgin Voyages teamed up with an AI startup to create “Jen AI,” an AI avatar of Jenifer Lopez. It was an AI marketing campaign where Jen AI personalized cruise invitations for every customer, redefining the meaning and capacity of personalized marketing.

Takeaway: Create a sticky, personalized experience for every user in which they are not just passive viewers but active participants while viewing your videos.

Application of Text to Video AI in the B2B Industry

Likewise, the B2B industry is no stranger to videos today. Due to the complexities of the product, they need ongoing video creation—explainer videos for products and services, client testimonial videos to build credibility, demo videos to showcase product features, how-to videos for customer support, or pleasant social media clips for on-going audience engagement.

As a result, it is crucial for B2B businesses to stay on top and adapt to text-to-video AI technology. With their speed to market and maximized personalization, businesses can create a variety of engaging videos.

As an early adopter of this technology, you can position your businesses with an edge over your competitors, who are still either relying on traditional video methods or are not opting for videos at all. This can help you capture market share and position your business as a brand with an innovative approach, attracting more clients. You can respond promptly to market trends, all while saving costs and time.

With Hippo Video’s personalized video creation, exclusive avatars, streamlined workflow, easy scalability, and easy-to-use interface, staying atop the market requirements can become a no-brainer.

It doesn’t just generate videos; it lets you customize avatars, amplify the impact with background music, and even include contextual backgrounds. You can target multiple business functions—learning and development, sales enablement, marketing, sales, and customer support—with this AI video solution.

Tips on Utilizing Text to Video AI Tools

Is your head brimming with ideas to create your next video? Great! Here are some tips to help you make the most of this technology and achieve your business goals more efficiently:
- Select Suitable Text Content
A clear vision is essential for crafting effective AI video prompts. Before diving in, define your goal, your audience, and the key message that you want to convey to the AI video tools. By understanding these elements, you can create a focused prompt that maximizes the AI’s potential. Remember, the more specific your prompt, the better the results.
- Incorporate Visual and Audio Elements
Utilize images and clips that will simplify your ideas and thoughts, and use animations to support your ideas wherever possible. A powerful visual must be combined with a natural-sounding narration to convey the message more clearly and engage the audience.
- Optimizing Videos for Various Platforms
Tailoring the video length and format for different platforms, such as social media sites and websites, is crucial to ensuring users have the best experience. Additionally, you must add interactive elements such as clickable links and calls to action to boost interaction.

Remember these tips and try text-to-video AI for free to streamline your video creation like never before.

Step-by-step Guide to Creating a Marketing Video with Hippo Video

Chosen by over 5,000 businesses and trusted by more than 1.5 million users worldwide, Hippo Video helps you create impactful marketing videos within seconds. It has a range of avatars and even lets you create your own avatars by uploading your recorded audio and video.

Irrespective of whether you aim to elevate training materials, revitalize sales training, enhance brand image, or scale-up marketing with AI, here’s a video-creating solution to suit your needs.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating marketing campaign videos through Hippo Video text-to-video AI:

Step 1: Select a Video Creation Option

Choose the mode of video creation—prompt, document, or link.

If it’s a prompt, make sure it’s as specific as possible to give you the desired output. And, if it’s the document or link, then make sure it has all the information for a holistic output.

Step 2: Customize Your Video Settings

Select the ideal AI voice, adjust the tone to match your message, determine the perfect video length, and configure other essential settings to ensure your video is impactful and engaging.

Step 3: Edit the Video

The next step is to edit the video, scene by scene. This includes editing avatar actions, images, and the script in each scene based on your requirements.

Step 4: Finalize the Video

Once you have finalized your scene scripts and have selected the desired actions for every frame, the last step is to add background music and generate the video.

Your video will be delivered to your inbox as soon as it is ready—mostly in minutes!

Elevate Your Marketing with Text to Video AI

The future of text-to-video AI is promising, with advancements in personalization, real-time content creation, and integration with other AI technologies. This will open up more opportunities to create personalized content optimized for audience engagement.

Employing this technology streamlines your content, education, and marketing needs in one place. Whether you are a B2B business looking to handle your rapid video requirements or a business looking to craft innovative promotional videos without extensive time and resources, it offers a solution you won’t be able to refuse. Sign up for a free text to video demo with Hippo Video and make your marketing campaign stand out in a cluttered content market.
How to Start a YouTube Channel for Kids Easily?

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 08:28:27 +0000

Planning to start a YouTube channel for kids audience but don’t know where to begin? No worries, you have landed at the place. In this blog post, we’ll let you know what it takes to start a YouTube Channel for kids. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear plan to execute. So read till the end and don’t skip any part. Let’s get started.

Consider Your Audience Age

Determine what age group you want to target. Most kids channels we see online usually target kids aged between 3 years and 8 years. You will need to create content based on your audience.

Once you decide the age group, study their preferences and thinking behavior. You can also interact with kids of similar ages to know what they like to watch in their free time. This will help you understand what type of content will better cater to your audience’s needs.

Decide the Type of Video Content

This is important! Ask yourself what you can produce best to cater to the needs of kids. You can get ideas from those who are already doing this on YouTube. Whatever you do, make sure, it is attractive and unique. Here are some popular ideas you can go with:

Arts and Crafts – You can start sharing videos explaining how to make different types of things at home, such as paper flowers, drawings, paintings, etc. Kids are very curious and always ready to learn new things. Sharing such content might be a profitable idea.

Make Nursery Rhymes or Poems – Kids aged between 6 months and 2 years love to watch nursery rhymes and songs. These types of videos get gigantic views because kids keep playing such videos again and again.

Science Experiments – This type of content targets older kids like those aged between 5-10 years old. If you know how science works, you can do science experiments. Kids love watching content that involves experimenting with new things.

Review Kids Toys and Products – This is probably the easiest idea. Just order a couple of kids toys or gadgets and spend some time using them, then share your honest reviews online. Kids don’t say ‘’No’’ to toys and they are always on the lookout for new, cool toys. Sharing toy review videos may be a good idea.

Cartoon/Animated Stories – This is another popular idea you can go with. Kids are fond of cartoons and animated series. They can spend a whole day watching such stuff. Producing cartoons or animated stories may yield fruitful results.

These are just a few ideas that are quite popular these days. You can think out of the box and come up with new content ideas. Whatever type you pick, make sure you are good at it. Amazing things happen when you do something that involves your passion and interest.

Plan the Content

After you’ve decided on the audience and the type of content, the next step is to perform content planning. For instance, if you want to share animated stories, you will need to create a strong storyline that can attract your kid audience. A story generator can help streamline and speed up this process. It can go a long way toward sparking new and unique story ideas.

Moreover, decide the frequency of video publishing. In the beginning, 2-3 videos a week is sufficient. You can increase publishing more videos once your channel and videos start gaining views and subscribers. You should stick to a consistent publishing schedule. Developing content strategy beforehand will contribute to long-term success.

Create/Record Videos

Now, you have everything ready. Start producing the video content. If you want to create content that involves filming real objects. Invest in a good camera. If you can’t afford it, you can use your smartphone. Try to film in the daylight when the lighting is good.

If your video content involves animated videos, you should look for a good video editing app or collaborate with a video editing expert. Try to keep your videos short. Make sure the audio used in the video is easy to understand. Do it in a unique way that kids will find attractive and helpful.

Set Up a YouTube Channel

Having a Google Account doesn’t mean you can start uploading videos on YouTube. You will have to create your Channel to start things off. It’s as simple as creating and setting up an account on social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

The following are a few steps that you will need to follow to create your YouTube channel:
- Get registered with YouTube by signing in to the platform.
- Hit your profile picture and go to ‘’Settings.’’
- Click ‘’Add or manage your channel.’’
- Hit ‘’Create a Channel.’’
- A new dialogue box will open, confirming the creation of a Channel.
- Provide details and give them a second look to ensure you’ve provided the right info, and ‘’Create’’ the channel.
This is simple and easy. However, make sure you choose the right name and include an appropriate description for your channel that matches the topic or niche you want to target in your videos. Also, check other provided input details.

Start Uploading Videos

Now you are ready to share your video content on the platform. But before you publish the content, make sure it is free from glitches and any issues that might cause problems for your viewers. From voice quality to video quality, everything should be top-notch.

Learn gradually to publish better content that caters to the targeted audience. After spending a month or two, you will be aware of how things work on YouTube. You will start using optimization techniques to set your videos apart from the competition.

Keep publishing quality content following the best optimization techniques (which you will learn along the way). Soon, your videos will start getting views, which will grow over time.

Final Words

Starting a YouTube Channel promoting kids’ stuff may be a lucrative side hustle. However, turning this idea into reality takes a lot of effort and time. It’s a long haul but producing valuable and engaging content for kids can be rewarding. We have discussed in detail how one can start a YouTube channel for kids. It involves deciding the audience’s age, choosing the type of content that you will be producing, planning the content, setting up the Channeling, and adopting a consistent publishing schedule.

Image Source – https://www.shutterstock.com/
Is Advertising on Twitter (X) Still Worth It in 2024

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:28:19 +0000

Despite the many recent changes, Twitter (now rebranded as “X”) is still one of the main places people go for trending conversations. Given this fact, it doesn’t take a marketing genius to realize that X is still a fertile environment to meet new customers—despite how newer, more short-form focused platforms seem to be getting all of the attention from marketers these days. That said, X requires a specific and unique marketing approach in order to succeed. You can’t approach it the same way you would your Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube marketing and also can’t simply cross-promote your existing content.
With more than 335.7 million monthly active users, it’s important that you standout to your specific audience. So, what can you do to ensure this? How can you promote your product or service without being a distraction or an annoyance? And, most importantly, how can your brand exist on a platform that is, arguably, prone to more trolling and snark than others?
In this post, we’ll walk you through all the steps required to leverage X’s remarkable reach for your brand.
Design Your Twitter (X) Marketing Strategy
The first step to getting ahead on Twitter is to effectively plan your marketing strategy. This will be your foundational approach to how you’ll address the content that you produce and the way in which you will distribute and publish it across the platform. As a goal, your content should gather new leads, attract new customers, grow conversions, and increase your brand awareness.
Just like any new social media platform, it is very important that you do your due diligence before immediately jumping in and posting. Therefore, follow these quick steps to decide how you should best handle your strategy:
Identify your key goals for the platform
Every platform can’t be everything to everyone. Therefore, decide what you want X to be for you and your brand. Do you want it to be a way to quickly post updates to your customers? A way to communicate directly with them? Maybe you are looking for a way to be more fun and casual, and Twitter will let you exist outside of the corporate bureaucracy and have a bit of fun with pop culture. Whatever your reason may be, identify it early and be on the same page with it across your organization.
Research your competition
Figure out the types of content that your competitors are posting and the ways in which your shared customers are responding to it. Can you expand on it, or should you be pivoting in a whole new direction? Research the way that their customer service looks and ask whether or not you can improve on it. The openness of Twitter allows you to see how your competition manages a lot of their social process; use this to your advantage.
Identify your audience
It does not matter how great your content is, if you are creating it for the wrong audience, you are never going to convert. Therefore, it is incredibly important that you understand your target, specifically, who your audience is on X. Your audience can vary from platform to platform therefore it is incredibly important that you define your audience for X and not just assume that it is the same one from a different channel such as Facebook. You could have a different demographic, or maybe your customer uses X just to interact with your customer service. Therefore, study what type of audience and customer uses Twitter and revise your strategy accordingly.
How to Build Out Your Profile
Whenever a potential customer visits your Twitter page, it should be a direct reflection of your brand. It should be in line with your website and have your brand’s logo, color palette, font, and other brand attributes front and center.
Along with ensuring that your brand voice is present in all of your X communications, here are a few things to keep in mind when first putting together your Twitter profile.
Twitter (“X”) Handle
Make sure that your Twitter Handle includes your brand’s name or at least something close to it. This is so that anyone who is searching for you via Twitter’s internal search engine can easily find you.
Profile Picture
You will want to make sure that your profile picture represents something indicative of your company or brand, as it will sit prominently next to every post that you tweet. Therefore, it makes sense to use something such as your logo or a picture of a high-ranking executive. You can also modify your profile picture to take advantage of global events such as National Holidays or culturally significant events.
Bio
Your bio is where you will want to explain who you are and what you are about in 160 characters or less. This should be in your own brand voice, so have it reflect the same type of content that you are looking to put out.
Website URL
Be sure to include your brand’s website URL. Afterall, I highly doubt that your end-all be-all destination for your customers will be your Twitter stream. Therefore, make sure that you provide a web destination and any other destinations like phone numbers or physical addresses that your customers should know.
Header
X provides some additional visual real estate where you can let your brand shine through. The header acts as the background image for your feed and you can choose to use either a custom image, your existing logo, or something completely unique.
Twitter (“X”) Advertising in 2024
As mentioned before, X has gone through some significant changes. On one hand, the change in ownership has ignited fresh enthusiasm for the platform and boosted user engagement. Concurrently, the platform also now charges a monthly fee for verification.These shifts are prompting some users to leave the platform, resulting in a decline in monthly active users.
Take advantage of Twitter keyword SEO
Just like any other platform, Twitter has its own internal algorithm that takes advantage of metrics and keywords. Keyword targeting allows you to specifically target users through specific words and phrases that you put inside your content. When it comes to keywords there are two types that you need to know about:
- Search Keywords – This type of keyword targeting lets your tweets come up whenever a consumer searches for a topic that you deemed related to your brand.
- Timeline Keywords – This type of keyword targeting is much more broad and lets you target words surrounding your brand. For instance if I were a hockey brand, I could target phrases around ice skates, hockey sticks, hockey tryouts, etc,
Interact with your audience
It’s called social media for a reason. Therefore, it’s imperative that you engage with your audience and the rest of the X ecosystem. The best accounts and the ones that get the most engagement and followers are the ones that consistently follow up and engage with their audience, followers, competitors, and colleagues. It’s an interconnected social ecosystem and social media managers need to be part of it to ensure their brand’s success.
Monitor and promote media mentions
Ideally, your brand will be getting promotions and mentions throughout other media extensions and it will greatly benefit your brand to promote these via your tweets. This will also allow you to create backlinks via your tweets that will, in turn, boost the brand recognition of the brands that promoted you: win/win.
Create video content
I hope you didn’t think that X is simply a text-based platform because visual content is the best content to post. This is especially true for integrating video into your Twitter marketing strategy. Video is the best way to communicate ideas in an engaging way, as seen with many of the newer social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. With everyone attempting to create scroll-stopping content, video continues to be the thing that gets folks to stop and breathe for a moment.
Use those hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to expand the reach and influence of your content. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when creating hashtags for your brand. First, create hashtags that are unique and connected to your brand. Make them relevant and memorable, too. Lastly, don’t continually use them over and over as they can become confusing for folks searching them over a long period of time.
Check your DM’s
As a consumer there is nothing worse than reaching out to a brand to ask a question and having it go unanswered. At best you feel like they have dropped the ball. At worst, you feel like they don’t care about you. Therefore, it is imperative that you check your direct messages consistently to ensure that messages sent to you are received and answered in a timely manner.
Get to Tweeting
X has the amazing ability to not only connect you with a remarkable community of followers, like-minded experts, and customers, but it has the capability of completely revolutionizing your business. Now that you have your strategy in place, your account setup, and some best practices in hand, you’re ready to begin implementing your marketing plan! Need help? Schedule a call with one of our experts below and we’ll help you get started.
7 Things You Need to Know About Video Post-Production

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:13:04 +0000

Post-production is the third and final stage of the video production process. By now, you’ve completed all pre-production preparations and have likely just wrapped up an incredible day of production, filming amazing content to put together for your final video.
The best way to sum up the post-production phase is exactly that—the putting together phase. All the content has been envisioned and captured, and now it’s time to piece it together. There’s quite a few important elements to post-production that need to work together in order to make your video really work.

Here are the seven most important key elements of post-production to pay attention to before distributing your video.
The 7 Key Elements of Post-Production
1. The Rough Cut
Before anything else, edit together your visuals to create a rough cut of your video. This is where you scour through all of your footage, categorize it, and start selecting which shots you want to use to assemble the video. You’ll want to research editing software like AVID, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and more to see which is right for you. Using editing software, you’ll select your footage, cut it up, and splice it together.
Most likely, you’ll have an agency like Lemonlight do this editing for you, or hire your own freelance or in-house video editor.
When you have a rough version of your video put together, you have what’s called an assembly edit. You don’t need to add any music or special effects just yet, though you can edit to a temp track if your video has no dialogue or voiceover. We’ll cover all of that in a moment.
If you hire a video production partner like us to do your post-production, we’ll usually share the rough cut internally and get a round of internal notes from the team to share feedback and try to make the best-looking rough cut possible. After that, it’s time to share it with you!
If you’re editing your video on your own, the best thing to do is screen an early cut with your internal team before deciding your rough cut is done.
2. The Picture Lock
Once you have a rough cut of your video, the next step will be to achieve a picture lock. Picture lock is the stage in the post-production process where all of the shots have been locked into the proper order, essentially “locked in place.”
In a traditional movie production, this means it’s ready for the sound and visual effects editing teams. However, if you’re creating your own video, you’re likely to change things after adding music and voiceover, especially when syncing the two. Before completing a picture lock, watch your video with the music and voiceover you want over it to make sure it edits together well.
If you’re incorporating visual effects into your video, provide a lower quality rough mock-up of the visual effects shots to help you visualize where the effects will come in, especially if a shot is going to be completely vfx. If you don’t account for it in your picture lock, it can really throw off your video’s flow after adding in music and sound effects.
3. The Sound Mix
Now, you can begin the sound mix, where you edit together different audio tracks for your video. This is also done through video editing or sound mixing software. The different sound elements your video might have include: dialogue, where featured actors or interviewees speak on camera; sound effects, like a doorbell or dog barking added after the filming is done; music, in the background of what’s happening on screen; and voiceover, where someone off camera talks over the images of your video.
For some audio elements, like voiceovers or sound effects, you’ll need to record separately. That’s because you need a soundproof place to get clean audio. Sometimes, you might even need to re-record audio like dialogue that you captured on your production day, due to cars honking, dogs barking, or other unwanted sounds in the background.
Nothing makes a video worse than bad sound. If you don’t know what you’re doing, make sure you work with someone who does! Otherwise, your video views will be dramatically reduced, and we aren’t being dramatic when we say dramatically!
Pro Tip – When working with music, make sure you’re working with music that’s been cleared to be used by you, or you’ll run into copyright issues once it’s online.
4. Visual Effects
Now it’s time to add your visual effects. By now, you should’ve already mapped out where you want your visual effects to go in the pre-production phase, which you can read more about here. If done correctly, you storyboarded these shots, and planned for where the effects will go during your production day. If not, it’s still possible to add effects after the fact, but it can often be tricky and limiting when added in late.
The most common visual effect you might use in your video is animation. If you’re confident in your ability, or are working with someone capable of advanced special effects, you can also use CGI modeling, where you create unique 3D rendered objects or models or objects or characters using special visual effects software to add to your already filmed shots.
Sometimes, all the visual effects you need amount to something very simple, like adding a filter, or a fade in or fade out to your video. These effects are usually available inside whatever video editing software you use. Other times, all you need to add is some text, which is what the lower third is for.
5. Lower Third
If you’ve watched any news broadcast, documentary, or interview, you’re already familiar with the lower third — it’s text that’s added onto an image or shot positioned in the lower third of the screen. These lower third titles are used to provide contextual information, whether it’s the name of a new location, a person’s occupation, or other relevant additional information. For example, in an interview, the lower third will usually feature the name of the person being interviewed, as well as their relevant role or job title.
Lower thirds are meant only to convey information and should be as little distracting as possible. Consider using text-only lower third titles to get straight to the point; however, if you’re trying to get a point across, there can be room to add a little animation or design to a lower third in order to make it pop. Especially if it’s important for convincing the person watching the video to take an action or pay attention to a specific detail. Just remember to follow the general rule: less is more!
6. Color Correction
Finally, when all your visual effects and lower third titles have been implemented, it’s time for color correction. Color correction is the process of altering the color of the light in each shot with digital filters so each shot matches one another. These corrections include fixing exposure problems, where too much light is in one shot and too little light is in another; or white balance issues, where the color of the light just doesn’t match.
You want your video to flow together nicely. In the same way you want your audio levels to be equal, you want the visuals to all look as similar as possible, so no individual shot sticks out as jarring or of lower quality than another. When done correctly, no one should even realize any editing has been done.
7. Title and End Cards
The last step is adding any additional title or end cards. End cards are a title graphic placed at the end of your video. You should be familiar with the concept of end credits, as filmmakers use them at the end of each film to give credit to everyone who worked on a film. End cards in digital videos are similar, but usually promote the brand in question. They’re not necessary, but may be a nice way to remind the viewer of your brand.
You’ll typically use the end card to highlight your brand’s name, logo, and any additional links, like a homepage, discount link, or email sign-up form. The end card should also encourage viewers to take an action using a CTA (call to action), like “Shop Now,” “Visit Us,” or “Get Started!”
With all seven of those elements implemented properly, you should now be finished with post-production and have a complete video ready to post! If this video production phase seems complicated, that’s because it definitely can be. If you don’t have the right skills or the right team members to tackle it all, don’t be afraid to look for outside help. It’s always better to hire a professional than churn out a cheap, low-quality product because you didn’t have the adequate resources.
Keep in mind, the best way to get it right is to get it right early on. You should have a fully documented video marketing strategy before you even begin. If you’re just starting your video production journey today, let us help you! Schedule your first creative call with one of our Executive Producers, and let us help you get it right from the get-go. From pre-production to post-production, we’ve got you covered.
How To Make Your Videos More Engaging (5 Tips)

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 05:06:09 +0000

61% of viewers are still watching this video around the 30 second mark, which is above typical.
How did I achieve that?
If over 60% of your viewers are still watching your video after 60 seconds, there’s a higher probability they’ll keep watching your video all the way through.
Here are 5 tips to make your YouTube Videos more engaging
1. Strong Hook
Some of the ways you can use a strong hook at the beginning of your video is by…
– asking a question
– making a bold statement
– teasing about what’s coming up later in the video
– telling a story.
Here’s an example of a strong hook where over 61% of the viewers were still watching after 30 seconds.

“When I first upload a video, it often only gets a few views, but a few days later, the views skyrocket due to ranking in browse features. How does this happen?”
Use curiosity hooks throughout your video
For example, you could ask a provocative question, such as, “Have you ever wondered why some videos go viral while others don’t?”
You could present a surprising statistic such as, “Did you know that 80% of people never finished the videos they started watching…here’s how to keep your viewers hooked”
You can also tease a valuable insight or solution such as “By the end of this video, you’ll learn one trick that professionals use to engage their audience.”
2. Use Visuals
No one wants to watch a boring video, so if you reset the attention of your viewers every 20 seconds or so using visuals, it helps keep them engaged. You can use pattern interrupts such as props, graphics, transitions, change camera angles, or change scenes.
3. Study Audience Retention Graph
If you click on the engagement tab for an individual video in YouTube analytics, you will see the key moments for audience retention.
- You’ve got the intro where people are still watching around the 30 second mark.
- You’ve got the top moments where viewers are watching for longer than usual.
- Spikes appear when more viewers are watching, rewatching or sharing moments of your video.
- Dips in your video means viewers are abandoning or skipping certain parts of your video.
When you make your next video, try to eliminate the dips and get more spikes. Ideally, you want to keep viewers engaged all the way through your video.
How to view the key moments for audience retention for the videos
on your channel over the last 365 days.
- Click on analytics in YouTube studio.
- Under the content tab, select videos.
- Scroll down to where it says “Key moments for audience retention.
- It’s got above typical intros and below typical intros.
- On the right, you’ve got the intro, top moments, spikes and dips.
- If you click on “top moments”, it’ll show the videos with the top moments for audience retention.
- If I click on spikes, it shows my top video with the largest spikes.
- If I click on dips, it’ll show all the videos that got dips for audience retention.
- I can also see how viewers find my videos and also the top videos on my channel that got the most traffic.
When you study audience retention data in YouTube analytics, you’ll be able to identify what needs to be improved and what needs to be rejected so you can make a better video in the future.
4. Engage with your viewers while they’re watching your content
When you engage with your viewers while they’re watching the content, it’ll help you make your content more interactive.
For example, you can ask a question in your video, “What method do you use to keep viewers engaged…let me know on the comments below?”
You can also encourage real time interactions, such as “If you find this video helpful, hit the like button and share it with your friends”
You can also respond to viewers’ comments. For instance, “Last week I asked you about the best camera settings… here’s my answer”
5. Storytelling
When you include stories in your video, it helps make a deeper connection with your audience.
For example, here’s how I use visual storytelling to make a video on 5 powerful ways to film a cinematic biking video.
“Recently, I biked the Kaikoura Coastal Trail on the east coast of the south island of New Zealand. It takes you along the coast, through native bush, along rivers and across back country roads while giving you picturesque views of the mountains. Watch this video to the end to learn 5 powerful ways on how to film a cinematic biking video as a solo creator.” I’ll include a link to this video in the description.”

Video marketing

3 AI Video Tools That Are Great for Marketing Agencies

HeyGen

Runway

Synthesia

The Wrap-Up

LinkedIn Video Strategy: Becoming a Respected Industry Leader

Why Should Marketers Focus on LinkedIn Video?

The Strategic Benefits of LinkedIn Video

What To Consider Before Using Video on LinkedIn

Think Like a Thought Leader

Identify Who Will Appear on Camera

Consider Your Content Types and Stories

The PREP Framework for Creating LinkedIn Video

#1: Plan: Crafting Your Message and Strategy

#2: Record: Creating Quality Video Content

#3: Edit: Refining Your Video for Maximum Impact

#4: Publish: Maximizing the Value of Your Video Content

CMOs, here’s why video is a marketer’s full-funnel hero

Baking media effectiveness into your full-funnel video strategy

Measurement tools to optimise your video marketing strategy

Mastering full-funnel video starts with testing and learning

An AI video ad is making a splash. Is it the future of advertising?

An AI ad that's a good fit for its subject

How can AI make a wild video ad?

So, how much did the AI ad cost?

How might AI change advertising?

Why Mobile Content Drives Sales: An Analysis of Today’s Customer Decision Journey

The Sales Funnel

The Customer Journey Map

Mobile Makes More Touchpoints Possible

The Mobile + AI‑Search Effect: Transforming the Customer Journey

From Passive Browsing to Active Sourcing

Bridging the Gap Between Online and Offline

Implications for Content & Sales Strategy

Understand Your Touchpoints and Optimize for Mobile

Need Help Creating Mobile Content That Drives Sales?

Facebook Video Marketing: How to Reach More Viewers?

Types of Facebook Videos That Perform Best

1. Product Showcase Videos

2. Behind-the-Scenes Content

3. Tutorial Videos

1. Mobile-First Format Optimization

2. Hook Viewers in the First Few Seconds

3. Caption All Videos

Strategic Approaches to Facebook Video Marketing

2. Create Videos for Each Funnel Stage

3. Optimal Video Length Strategy

Campaign Optimization Techniques

1. Choose the Right Campaign Objective

2. Leverage Video View Audiences

3. Testing Creative Variables

Future Trends in Facebook Video Marketing

Google is rolling out new tools to create dynamic video ads, optimize listings, and manage brand content — all in one streamlined platform.

1. Next-gen creatives: Lights, camera, Veo

2. Smarter listings, smarter campaigns

3. Reimagining the brand hub

4. Shoppable video ads at scale

Video Marketing Statistics By Usage, Social Media, Consumption And Facts (2025)

Editor’s Choice

General Video Marketing Statistics

Long-Form Video Statistics

When and How to Use Long-Form Videos

Long-Form Videos in Marketing

Internal Communications

OTT and VOD

Benefits of Long-Form Video Content

Better Monetization Opportunities

More Room to Tell a Story

More Meaningful Engagement

Content Recycling

Challenges of Using Long-Form Content

Production Time and Expenses

Video Hosting & Technology

Catching the Viewers’ Attention

Long-Form Video: Pros and Cons Overview

Pros:

Cons:

Make the Most Out of Your Long-Form Strategy

Long-Form Video: FAQ