8 Important Reasons You Need to Use Video Marketing

You might be wondering whether or not video marketing is an essential tool to have in your promotional kit. The simple answer is yes. Not only does almost every company nowadays promote in this way, but having good video content can make you stand out from the rest. Below you will find 8 reasons why video marketing is the best tool you can use to elevate your brand.

1. It Boosts Your Sales

Who doesn’t love money? Well the key to success might be as simple as video marketing! Did you know that by simply adding a video to the homepage of your website for example, you could increase conversions up to 80%?

When taking still pictures alone into account, the human brain can process an image 60,000 times faster than when reading text. So, you can only imagine what a moving picture could do to the brain! The brain forms it’s first impression within 50 milliseconds, so grab your camera!

2. It’s Awesome For ROI

What’s more? 83% of businesses say that the use of video marketing provides a good return on their investments. Sure, video production​ may not always be the simplest or most inexpensive marketing technique, but it can definitely help you out in the long run! Consider spending a little more time and money on video marketing, and your sales will thank you for it.

You don’t need a fancy camera either. As long as you’re getting important information across in your video, then a simple phone camera may suffice. After all, good product explanations are typically more than good videography and editing. Not to say that visuals and sound effects aren’t important. It’s all about balance.

3. Trust Building

When creating video, it’s important to remember that the goal is to create an emotional response in your viewers. You should aim for it to be a feeling of trust. Afterall, trust should always be the basis of any company or business. You won’t have long-time customers without maintaining long-lasting relationships.

Many consumers worry whether or not the product they are potentially buying is false advertising. Take yourself into consideration. Have you ever been worried about a product until you watched a product review video online? So it comes as no surprise that video content gives 57% of customers more faith in the product they are purchasing.

4. Other Sites Might Promote You

Video marketing will keep consumer engagement up, and depending on how well your videos do, you could end up on other platforms as well. Say hello Google!

Since Google owns Youtube, you are 53 times more likely to end up on Google if you have a Youtube video embedded somewhere within your website. When doing so, be sure to include any additional steps to be taken so your customers can access product information easier. Consider interactive videos as well for better user engagement. Users view more than 1 billion hours of video each day on Youtube.

5. Video Vs. Mobile Users

Did you know that ​78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day? ​As smartphone use becomes more and more popular every year, so does the need for convenience. People would much rather watch videos on the go. There’s a reason as to why TV shows have gained such popularity over movies over recent years - people just don’t have the time anymore to sit down and watch a full length feature film, whereas a show can run just under half an hour per episode.

With that in mind, be sure to pack the most important information right in the beginning of your video. Keep it creative, fun, and most importantly, honest.

6. It’s The Easiest Way To Explain

72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by video. That’s a pretty big percentage for only a few extra minutes and dollars spent on advertising. Not only that, but video marketing doesn’t always require paid actors or having to sit in front of a camera and talk for minutes on end. Simply paying someone to create a quick animation for you can suffice! Animations are fun to watch and show a high level of professionalism as well.

7. Anyone Can Be A Consumer By Watching Video

In a world all about convenience, people tend to get lazy when it comes to reading long product descriptions and explanations. Most consumers want to see the product working in a live setting like video.

You shouldn’t only cater to good visuals, but great audio as well! As we all learned in school, some people are visual learners while others are auditory learners. Try to keep everyone in mind when video marketing.

8. Your Video Could Be Shared All Over Social Media

The statistics when it comes to social media platforms is really shocking. For example, ​social media videos generate 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. What’s more? Mobile video ad spending is expected to be about 72% of total digital ad spending in this year alone. Many social media networks encourage video content by adding new enticing features that have people hooked. TikTok is a great example of this, considering their net worth is 50 billion dollars.

Conclusion

Video marketing has and will continue to be on the rise for years to come. 85% of consumers

want to see more video content from brands.​ ​And in a world full of convenience, it comes as no surprise that video marketing will help to elevate your brand and make you stand out from the

rest. Keeping in mind that your videos should be fun, fresh, and different from anything else already online.

- By Jessika Molnar

If you need further help creating your own marketing videos, we offer video production services that will help you elevate your brand!

We look forward to being a part of your success. Contact us here to get started.

How To Write A Book

Almost every good book follows the basic framework that includes the beginning, middle, and a strong ending. It seems so simple before you actually start writing the book. The most important part is to start and have a solid plan moving forward. This article will help break it down for you, so you can finally start writing that book you’ve been talking about for ages!

Title page

I know everyone says not to judge a book by their cover but the harsh truth is that it is the first thing potential readers look at before picking up a book.  It depends on you and your process whether you want to choose a cover before or after your book is finished but make sure that it is professionally edited and fits an appealing aesthetic. As a writer, it is important to decide on a cover that represents your book the best as possible.

Cover design 

This can be your chance to be creative so your book can stand out from the crowd or in this case bookshelf. In an article by Karla Lant available on 99designs, the author goes over the anatomy that goes behind a book cover. There is nothing wrong with getting some influence from other authors that are in your genre (with proper credit!) during your planning phase. 

Some important factors of a book that are important to consider are the front and back cover, the layout, spine, fonts, and more. Typography is also a very important part to consider that will shift how your vision is viewed visually based on the theme of your book. The cover is also space where you put your publishing company logo and your other works near the bottom of your front page.

What is your book about?

Before writing your book it is important to first know what kind of genre it is as the formalities that you book will follow largely depends on this. For example, a nonfiction book would include aspects like a table of contents that are critical for readers to refer back to. Whereas, that wouldn’t really apply for let’s say, a fiction book as it would give out spoilers to the main subsets of a story. Here are some of the components of a book's front matter that is considered.

Formalities

Copyright: Before your readers can get to the fun part of your book, there are first some formalities that you must get out of the way. This includes something called the “Colophon”.

This is the legalese that is placed at the front of the book and provides your book statistical as well as professional information. For example your copyright information, International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and information about the contributors to your book like your editors. 

The dedication page- is also an important thing to consider as it is a place to give recognition to your influencers or anyone who helped you write your book. Another option is to write an epigram which is just a quote that also helps tell your readers inspiration for your work and an idea of what your book will be about. 

Foreword- is a type of introduction that is usually written by a colleague, friend or family member before the body of the book is introduced. 

Body

Now here is when the fun part of the book begins, your body! This is where all your hard work and ideas are placed but it is not just as simple as just a pile of words. There is an important structure to consider in terms of the way that your book will be organized. 

Introduction: This also largely depends on whether your book is fiction or nonfiction and of course what structure you want your book to follow. For the basics though, the first thing you are going to need is an introduction if you are writing a nonfiction book which will give a little insight into your book before you go into it.

On the other hand, for a fiction book, a prologue is used instead which instead provides a space for setting an atmosphere for your story that you will letter go in-depth in. 

Chapters: Everyone knows almost every book has chapters that help divide up a book into digestible parts. Chapters themselves have a sort of structure that is followed that an article by “MasterClass” dives into.  Pacing is a crucial factor of chapters that depends on the topic of your book and how long your book is. 

This is especially important in fiction books, where chapters give the opportunity to incorporate import plot devices such as cliffhangers, focus, a change of perspective, etc. All these factors considered it is crucial to seek balance in order to convey your story, dialogue, and narration in an effective manner. 

Conclusion: At the end of a book there is also a summary that completes the book. For a nonfiction book, this is referred to as the conclusion. This also depends on the type of nonfiction book as academic writings usually contain a clearly stated conclusion. 

The back Matter

About the author: This is a commonplace where authors write a brief summary about themselves. This includes information about their previous work, as well as their education and their personal life.  A blog that is available at Reedsy has a great rundown on how to write an author's bio that you should check out. 

Discussion questions Are an interesting aspect to add that will help your readers discuss your book with friends and keep a conversation going.

Index: This is an interesting tool that writers use that fiction writers are starting to pick up on as well. An article by Reedsy outlines the importance of indexes as helping buyers to find their interest in a book and is highly correlated with sales as well!

Audiobooks

The audiobook is a growing field where more and more book readers are utilizing programs such as Audibly. An article by Clare Thorp available on BBC is something authors should seriously consider in investing to widen their customer base.  The increasing popularity of audiobooks, as well as podcasts, attracts publishers to build teams to produce amazing listening experiences for their audiences. If you are interested in audiobook production / editing teams to help with the formation of your next audiobook, check out Jony Studios here!

Conclusion

Writing a book doesn’t have to be as complicated as it is first made out to be. Following these steps helps break it down so you can finally get rid of your writer's block. With the rising audiobook use among new readers, considering making your book available in audio format is also important. Readers will appreciate it when a book is also narrated by the author as well! What aspects of book aspects did you notice before and didn’t consider until after reading this blog? Let us know below!

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Listen to some of our audiobook samples here to get started.

Ultimate Guide: How To Go Viral On TikTok

Have you heard of the new app called TikTok? I wouldn’t be surprised if you did! It’s the new platform that everyone seems to be talking about. Although it started off by targeting a younger audience, TikTok is now taking the internet by storm as it begins to appeal to all age groups. In its simplicity, the platform allows you to share videos.

There seems to be a trend for anything you might be interested in! From dog videos to delicious iced coffee recipes, all the way to shirtless boys dancing, TikTok seems to have it all in 60 seconds or less.

Users are able to scroll down the main page, also called the For You Page (FYP). From there, users are able to like, comment, and share videos that they enjoy. TikTok will then take that user’s information to show them more videos that they might like.

If your video does well, TikTok will continue to push your video out to more and more people. Soon enough, you’ll know whether or not you have a viral video. 

If you’re someone who’s interested in social media analytics and growth trends, then keep on reading for the ultimate guide on how to go viral on TikTok!

1. Make A Lasting Impression

TikTok is a fast-paced platform. As mentioned previously, videos are typically under 60 seconds in length. People will often scroll past out of boredom if your video doesn’t offer anything interesting within the first few seconds. Make a good first impression and give the people a reason to stay and watch until the end.

2. Keep It Short

Long and drawn out clips aren’t suited for this environment. If you want to post longer videos, stick to Youtube. On TikTok, you’re more likely to keep someone watching your video if it’s 10 seconds rather than a full minute long. Crunch it down as best you can, and give the most important information right at the beginning.

3. Use Your Own Audio

TikTok wants to take as much information as you can give it so that it can show your content to the right people. Sure, we all have the power of technology on our side so we can use hashtags and captions. But adding your own voiceover can only help you, not hinder you. Use as much of your own audio as you can, because the more information you can give TikTok the better.

4. Use Trending Audio

Using your own audio is important, but so is using trending audio. Think about it. If there is a trending song for example, people will be searching for it. And they will find videos that have used it. If you’re one of those people, you might just catch the attention of a few more people!

5. Storytelling

Sure you can go viral for something like dancing, but unless you’ve got something really special and different to offer, chances are you probably won’t get noticed. Stories go viral way more often, and they’re also super easy to do. You don’t even necessarily need to tell the truth, not that I’m condoning you to lie. But people are always up for listening to a good story, especially a story of something that doesn’t happen everyday!

6. Share Important Information

If you have any tips, tricks, or important information that you think people need to know, don’t shy away from sharing it! People love learning new things, especially things that can be taught in under a minute. So grab your phone and start sharing!

7. Tell People What They Should Do

Your videos should always give a suggestion for what viewers should do with the video once they’re done watching it. For example, some people caption their videos “Don’t let this flop” or “Like for part 2”. People are more than likely to do something with your video if you write it out for them vs. if you don’t.

8. Give Them Something To Talk About

People love to talk. We should’ve learned this from the comment section on Youtube over the years. People will discuss, debate, and argue over things that may not even be the focus of your video, such as what you were wearing that day or why you’re doing what you’re doing. Keep that in mind when creating your video, to give you audience something to talk about even if it’s not your main focus. 

9. Don’t Explain

If your audience is questioning certain things in your video and it’s creating a bit of a controversy in the comment section, leave the question unanswered! It drives people crazy with curiosity and it will continue to add more comments as people try to figure it out.

10. Controversy Is Key

Now I’m not saying that you should do anything illegal, or absurdly controversial. But from the last two points I’ve mentioned, you know by now that people love to talk and give their opinions on certain things. By purposely doing something controversial that will grab viewers attention, like putting pineapples on pizza for example, people will be sure to fight over it in the comments thus giving your video more interaction, and eventually making your video go viral.

11. Connection

You can either be relatable, inspirational, or hateable online in order to make a lasting impression. Choosing which one to go for can either make or break your online career, so choose wisely! Bhad Bhabie is a good example of a celebrity who made it to the top just for being the worst guest to ever appear on Dr. Phil. Find a way to connect with your audience.

12. Repetition

If you purposely make a part of your video too fast or put text up that disappears too quickly, it could make someone re-watch your video in order to catch what they missed. When doing so, it tells the TikTok algorithm that your video is worth being watched a second time and in turn, could get you more views from other people. Just don’t do it too much.

13. Have Text

Having text somewhere in your video but better yet, on the opening video frame, will keep viewers watching your video for a few seconds longer and again this is great for the TikTok algorithm.

14. Careful With The Hashtags

Many people try to use hashtags in efforts to get their videos out there. However, using generic hashtags won’t serve you any real purpose because everyone uses them. Remember, the riches are in the niches. Use a niche hashtag instead because not everyone is searching for it.

15. Reply

As you’ve probably figured out by now, the more interaction with your videos the better. This means that if people are liking and commenting on your video, answer your comments and try to engage and ask follow up questions with your viewers. This tells the TikTik algorithm that your video is worth commenting on and in turn, will show it to more people.

16. Keep It Up

After posting a viral TikTok video, don’t just stop there. The more you post, the better. Also, the more you post the better you’ll get at making videos. Don’t miss out on quality over quantity, but push out as many as you can schedule every week to give you a higher chance of making more viral videos. One thing is for sure, if you don’t post then you won’t go viral.

17. Don’t Choose A Niche Just Yet

When starting out on TikTok, it’s important to appeal to a huge audience. So make as many different types of videos as you can to see what does the best on the app, before narrowing yourself down to only a small group of people. You can niche once you already have a strong following and like count. 

18. Don’t Link Products

Especially when doing a product review and you’re starting out, as tempting as it is, don’t like your products. If you do, people will have no questions to ask you. Instead, talk about a product that you love but don’t entirely show it on camera or give its full name. In turn, people will comment asking what it is and give your video more interaction.

19. Trends 

Posting on TikTok is important, but did you know watching TikToks is important too? I’m not saying to spend all your free time on the app, but spending at least 20 minutes worth will help you stay on top of trends and give you more ideas for potential video content. Obviously, you don’t want to completely copy other people’s ideas, but doing your own spin-off version will more than likely get you views!

20. Don’t Give Up

Going viral can take time, hard work, and dedication. But just because you’re not seeing results right away, doesn’t mean you should just give up. It takes time to figure out your personal style and what interests you and your audience. Most importantly, have fun with it!

Some additional tips and tricks to grow your audience would be to follow top creators! For example, if you happen to be a dancer, then following someone like Charli D’Amelio who is famous for her dances, can give you ideas on dances and songs to use for your videos!

TikTok also gives you tools like filters, the green screen, and audio effects. Use these tools to your advantage, because they can often elevate your footage.

Also, don’t just share your video to TikTok. TikTok makes it really easy for you to post your videos to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where an even larger group of people are waiting to watch!

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, going viral on TikTok might be easier said than done, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible! With these tips and tricks, anyone can go viral! It just takes some dedication. 

- By Jessika Molnar

If you need further help creating your own marketing videos, we offer video production services that will help you elevate your brand!

We look forward to being a part of your success. Contact us here to get started.