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The Future of Online Marketing and Curated Content

How to get the most out of your social media tools

As technology progresses, the growth of new generation video, messaging and social media services are becoming more and more crucial to the development of marketing. The importance that we place on our devices is not only consuming our everyday personal lives but spilling over into the running of our businesses. Think about it. How many times do you use messaging services such as Whatsapp to contact a colleague on a daily basis? Or perhaps you use Facebook as a platform to grow mailing lists and/or connect with future clients or partners? Now these technologies will not be for all of us, but I could bet my bottom dollar that if you’re reading this article, then it probably does. At Storment Media, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to produce content that will appeal to all demographics, no matter the size or type of your business. Understanding your demographic is the most crucial information you will need before you decide on the outlet you will choose to focus on.

Here is a quick guide to the ‘big 5’ social media apps, how to use them to your advantage and how they can benefit you, no matter what your business is.

 

Facebook

Facebook Logo

Over the last couple of years, this social media platform has taken on many faces and progressed into a heavily video based streaming and image sharing platform. While the younger demographic (16-24 yrs) are losing momentum and turning to more instant forms ways to reach and connect with the world more instantaneously (see Snapchat and Instagram), it is still a great way to reach out to a mass consumer database and getting to know your customers. For example, even the comments section allows you to get immediate feedback from your key demographic market. Being so involved and heavily inundated with video marketing content it may be hard to get your voice heard, but it does have its perks – don’t underestimate the power great content and it’s ability to gain popularity quickly.

Twitter

Twitter Logo

Ah, Twitter. Another one of the social media heavy-weights. Twitter is usually home to celebrity feuds and sharp controversial opinions. However, Twitter can be a fantastic way to gain a rapport with your clients and customers. Depending on what type of business you are, it can be a way to share news, distribute links to exciting offers, news and content and show the world your wit and charm through snappy punch lines. If you choose Twitter to represent your business online, make sure to keep content updated. The danger of not updating your tweets can lead to a loss of interest in what you have to say and a potential lack of faith in your business. Because, if you can’t keep up to date with your socials, how can your ‘followers’ expect you keep up to date with your business and customers?

Snapchat

Snapchat Logo

If you haven’t yet ventured into the new world of Snapchat yet, then get going. It is a fantastic marketing opportunity that you cannot afford to miss. It’s original intention was to allow users to send ‘snap’ shots of their daily lives to their friends, whether that’s an image or a short video, only for it to be erased as soon as it is seen. The beauty of this new app was a refreshing alternative to the seemingly permanent nature of Facebook. Out of this grew opportunities for online-based businesses (such as online publications, music company’s, news sites and much more). Much like Facebook, it is very dependent on demographic. Used primarily by the younger age group of 16-24, however, if you’re business is that way inclined, it is the perfect way to reach out and keep your customers up to date using visual curated media that shows a level of authenticity and personality.

Instagram

instagram-logo

Instagram is a very visually stimulating social media and so it is primarily more useful for those with businesses in creative industries where the curators are able to show their work like an online portfolio. It is a lot glossier than sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat. For larger businesses such as online magazines, for example, it is great to share snippets of content that will lead people to a website. But also for smaller self-made businesses such as make-up artists, independent shops or designers, to name a few, it can be a great way to gain followers and interest in their business and/or brand which will lead to further exposure. For example, rather than appealing directly to potential customers, they use a following to seek out potential partnerships, for example, brand partnerships and sponsorships. This is not to say that it can’t be useful for more corporate led endeavors. Using Instagram to showcase new products or services can also be a great portfolio and create traffic to your website.

Whatsapp

Whatsapp Logo

This may seem like a strange one, considering it is the only non-social media app included in this range of useful apps. It is a growing phenomenon and can benefit you immensely. Used as more of an internal sharing application, it can be operated as an organisational tool between you and your colleagues. Gone are the days of unread texts, missed calls and mountains of emails, this app can be used to share media, mobile numbers and put dates in your phone calendar within a click of a button. With the accessibility ranging over both android and iOS it is a good tool to share marketing ideas by simply making a ‘group’ of your contacts, book meetings and get a fast track response. Though not directly a marketing app, it can be a great aid in helping you organise your team to get those creative juices flowing in an instant.

So, whether your creative business is the perfect fit for Instagram or if Facebook’s heavily video sharing focused platform is the one rocking your boat, we have the services to help you utilise this media to benefit you. Contact one of our friendly experts today to find out how!

 

The ‘App-Conomy’

Why you should get involved and utilise applications for an ‘appier business or career

 

Apps

 2017: arguably, the age of the online revolution. Amazon, Google or Apple (the top grossing businesses in world, and all tech companies) are the proof that the online economy will soon be the only economy.

That is not to say that businesses ruling in tangible products or services will be ruled out of the equation, but the way they are delivered to the consumer is changing rapidly before our eyes. It is time to get on board with the ‘App-conomy’.

 

Have a look at your smartphone (from an educated guess and assuming that this is your mode of communication) and check out the applications that you currently have. The likelihood that you have a mixture of music streaming services (Spotify, Apple, Tidal), social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and/or other interactive apps ranging from eBay, Uber and TripAdvisor, for example, is extremely high. No, I am not psychic, nor is this a mere coincidence; it is the future of consumer interaction.

 

The Proof is in the Pudding

By now you will have heard of Mark Zuckerburg, the genius mind behind the multimillion phenomenon that is Facebook, but have you ever heard Garrett Gee? In 2013, Gee sold his revolutionary QR scanning mobile application, whilst still studying at university, for $54 million. Yes, you read that correctly… To this day, he travels the world with his wife and two young children whilst not even making a small dent in their earnings. As you can see, there is big money in the application building world, so get your thinking hats on, because who doesn’t want to travel the world for a living?

Facebook Logo 

How Can These Apps’s Benefit You?

So, you may not be the next Garrett Gee, however, there are plenty apps to increase your productivity at work. Whether you’re part of a large corporation or a small start-up, there are so many ways to organise your day with simple swipe of your smartphone or tablet. There are many ways to test and trial which apps suit you and potentially your business. Whether it’s Adroid or iOS, if you click onto the application store you are sure to find categories specific for your needs. From creating documents, analysing and tracking or even using social media to launch your business ideas, there are categories for everything. So decide what your goal is for using a certain app, get browsing in that category and test a few out over a few days or weeks.

 

Global Company Based Apps

It is not just social apps that can assist us in both day to day life and business ventures, whether its getting connected through LinkedIn or showcasing your business with Instagram. These apps have created an online database that allows us to monitor everything we are doing at all times: there is simply no excuse not to utilize this technology to its full potential. Whether it is Uber, a taxi service that offers cheaper journey’s in most major cities to take us too and from work, or Trip Advisor, which encourages us to compare hotels and restaurants, allowing us to make sure we are in the right place when taking a potential client out and Skyscanner, which allow us to compare and book any flight at a moments notice. You don’t have to have your own app or business in mind to take full advantage, you can utilise the app world through your current job or career by simply using it to organise your workday or load.

App connection

Your Own App Based Business

Whether you already have an idea or app based business in mind, or you tried browsing for an app that simply doesn’t exist (and it should!) there is no reason why you could follow in Gee’s footsteps of permanent holidaying in the Caribbean. Treat your app like a business you would as though you had a team on payroll behind you. If this is a new business, rather than creating an app for an already existing business, you need to think about the finer details.

Create a business plan, have a brand or image in mind and think of the level of usage and how much you can offer it to the consumer, as though it is a tangible product on the market. Don’t forget to utilise social media. For example, fitness mogul Kayla Itsines, who became an online sensation with her ‘Bikini Body Workouts’ and meal plans, grew her business through social media. She grew a consumer database through apps such as Instagram and Facebook to promote her fitness routines. Once she had a strong following of people interested in investing their time and money into her brand, she launched her own app, at a price, so that people could gain access to more detailed and effective work out plans. This is one example of a sure fire way to get the most out of your own app based business by utilising others to grow a consumer database.

There's an App

So, whether it is an app to brighten up your day or lighten the workload, the use of applications in any small or large business is a sure fire way to bring you to the 21st century. So, if you need an ‘appily ever after and you aren’t sure where to start, give one of our experts a call today. We’re ‘appy to help!

 

(Disclaimer: we apologise profusely for the terrible puns we have inflicted upon you throughout this article)

How to Utilise Social Media For Your Business

Just a Way to Keep in Touch or a Great Business Tool?

Whether you use social media to keep in touch with your family and friends, follow celebrity gossip or to watch endless videos of cats playing piano, it is no doubt that social media has taken over our lives. I don’t mean this in a ‘Terminator’ sense where social media has turned against us, ready to eliminate the human race (although, never say never…). I am talking about the constant use of these media platforms by billions of people all around the world, every day. With the fast paced world that we live in today, it is clear to see that when things go ‘viral’ they can launch anyone’s career into an overnight success. So, as a business how can you use that to your advantage and push your business marketing to its full potential using some simple online strategies?

 

Forget the build up

Back in the days where VHS presentation videos ruled, we had time to build up our customer’s expectation and create an atmosphere. Now, it couldn’t be more different. Due to such high volume of and saturation of videos on the net, we need to make sure ours starts with a bang. You want to make sure that the person watching the video doesn’t scroll past at first glance. Opening up with a bang will keep them watching on. This could be anything from an amusing image, shocking statistic or a rhetorical question that leaves them needing answers. As soon as they are hooked, you then have time to explain yourself in more detail.

Facebook Logo

Don’t Patronize

When sending a message to your potential consumers, the last thing you want to do is to patronize them.  Especially when using social media to portray your message. Having a conversation with your consumers that makes them realise you both have the same goal and you have the means to get there will ensure people take more notice. Social media now means that everyone has the platform to express themselves, talking at people will only stifle their own creativity, belittle their thoughts and make them lose interest.

140 Characters or Less

Twitter may be onto something here. As previously mentioned, the sheer volume of information on the net can cause people to just keep scrolling out of boredom until they find something that hooks them in on first glance. Keeping your message short and punchy will be a sure fire way to grab hold of the viewers attention and remember it afterwards. Don’t leave the important bits out until the end or until you believe your consumers are hooked. Give it to them right away.

Twitter Logo

Think in Images

Today’s world is a visual one. It is one that encourages us to look at get instant gratification from a simple image that illustrates a thousand words. Whether it is a thought provoking image of recent struggles within the world politics, luxurious goods placed in a grainy filter or, again, a cat playing piano, anything can be shared or liked by millions. Take sites such as Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest. These social media platforms are used solely to share images with millions of people around the world: with some of the biggest names on sites such as Instagram having millions of people ‘following’ their business and/or every day lives.

instagram-logo

Sharing is Caring

Lets take a step back. Before you have hooked your audience with your short punchy message, eye catching image or thought provoking short video, it is time to think about how, you as the audience, would want to feel while watching this video and whether it is worth ‘sharing’ with your friends or colleagues. Ask yourself, if your video isn’t worth sharing on whichever platform you release it on, is it even worth making? Can it be represented clearly among all the platforms in which your business is relevant (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.…)? Before you release it, ask unbiased friends or colleagues how it makes them respond. Does it make them want to show their friends? Does it make them want to send it to their boss? Does it make them glance over it and go ‘meh, next video’?

Stay Pinterested

Whenever you have a bit of time spare in your working day, try scrolling through your own social media pages to see what people are sharing, saving and ‘liking’. It may open up your mind a little to how the people’s mind around you work and help you to develop ways to confidently put forward your business ideas. It’ll help you understand what is ‘trending’ and why, which is important when gaging interest as people generally want to share and keep up to date with the most recent piece of news or ideas. Ultimately, it will help you start to mould your own ideas in a way that relates to the type of audience you want to engage online.

pinterest

Using social media as a way to market yourself and your business is most definitely one of the most crucial ways to engage your consumers. If you would like more ideas and advice on how to use these tools to its full potential, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our experts today!

Let’s Talk About SEO

A few simple steps to help you move your website up the search engine ladder

First thing’s first, for anyone that is new to all the online business jargon, SEO simply stands for ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ and its function is to help push your website to the top of any search engine. However, with your help provided, you can help push your website further to the top of search engines so whenever someone uses certain words and phrases to search for businesses like yours, you can make sure to be that users first click!

SEO Search Engine Optimisation Text

 A search engines’ job is to simply act upon the request of the user and provide the best match to what they are searching, based on popularity and relevance. The way search engines provide this information is based on a series of links from your website to the database that the search engine holds. This database is found by ‘crawlers’: imagine tiny people running through a network of imaginery wires inside the search engine, looking for useful keywords and information to determine the relevance and popularity of links on your website that will help to push your site to the top of search enquiries. Whether you are building your own website or if someone is doing it for you, it is important to understand how to create a site rich with information that helps users and consumers find you easily.

search engine optimization

 There are several ways to help your website climb to the top. One way search engines determines the popularity and relevance is based on what the user is typing into the search engine to look for specific services, products and information. So, keeping the titles and subtitles of each page of your site is accurate and descriptive is a good place to start. Adding text links to each page will help people navigate people through your site, whilst also allowing search engines to understand how relevant you are in relation to certain searches.

Text Links Image

 Keep your URL simple and keyword rich. This will not only help users to find you quicker but will help keep you near the top of search engines. Speaking of key words, make sure to not keep key words (i.e. your company name or the service you offer) hidden from the search engine ‘crawlers’ in different forms of media, such as images or videos.

Keeping it simple and clear for the purpose of your URL and key words and links n your site are very useful for SEA to understand the relevance of your site, however, annotating your website in a way that someone would actually describe images or videos could help SEO recognise the content of what you are presenting. For example, rather than just writing ‘Building a Table’ as a How-To video for DIY beginners, you may elaborate on the content to something someone would actually search ‘How to build a large kitchen table for beginners’. This helps both the SEO and user find and understand your content before clicking.

Drive Web Traffic to your website

 Keeping your content fresh and updated is also key to keeping it near the top. Sites that haven’t been updates in years may lose its relevance and popularity so will lose traction and fall down the list searches. Keeping your site updated is not only a must for your current customers but to also attracting new ones and gaining popularity on all search engines.

Understanding what people are searching for is key to organizing your site and tailoring it for the user. Is your typical user searching for your specific page? (i.e. typing in your company name or something similar?) Are they searching for a product or service that you, or anyone else, are providing? Or, are they searching for information that could relate to your product?

Write content that people what to read image

Being visible for your customer in the first few suggestions on their search could be crucial to you gaining business. Being a top result on a search page results in the highest amount of traffic to your website, which will ultimately gain you a higher volume of potential customers. So, be smart about your SEO and the rest will be history! If you need any more tricks and tips or would simply like to talk to one of our experts, give us a call today, we would love to hear from you.

Generation Now

THE POWER OF THE ONLINE BLOGGER

10 years ago, if you muttered the words ‘blogger’, ‘vlogger’ or ‘YouTuber’ in the presence of a business professional, you would probably be greeted with a bemused look upon their face. 20 years ago, those words merely didn’t exist, let alone become a valid stream of income. YouTube, the main platform for the 21st Century ‘blogger’, has enabled people to connect with the rest of the world by simply using home-recorded videos created by someone with a hobby. A savvy blogger filming themselves doing a simple review on a product or a tutorial on how to create ‘the perfect red lip’ has now snowballed into creating some of the highest earning, self-employed, influential people all over the world. We delve into the lives of these savvy business men and women, and how it can help you.

How do they make money?

To begin with, YouTube was just a platform to give people the outlet they wanted to show off their talents or hobbies, expanding from written online blogs. The more views a video would receive and interest it gained would entice advertisers to place their commercial on said video. For example, an advert with the latest type of lipstick may be shown on a bloggers video of a make-up tutorial, providing that blogger attracted a substantial amount of viewers. Advertisers then pay YouTube, who take some of the cut and then pass on the rest to the video blogger who created the tutorial. However, these types of earnings may look like pennies compared to the impact these ‘YouTubers’ are making.

Branding and Merchandise

Many YouTubers have moved on from the traditional income stream of advertising (although, don’t get me wrong, some of the biggest names online get a hell of a lot from one major company advertising on their video). Some of the most popular bloggers are now a household name and create bigger income streams from the likes of branding and merchandise. This can include partnering with big brands to creating their own brand. Some have gone on to release sell-out books, make-up lines, fashion labels/brands and even just branding their own imaging on merchandise can earn them a big buck. Some partner with major brands in order to promote themselves and sell a product and most of them create videos with a certain product to talk about, in which case, they have to label the video as an ‘#AD’ (by law).

 

Stars of the show

You think we’re joking? Well, just to make you more familiar with the process, we present to you some of the ‘stars’ of the show…

Zoella (Zoe Sugg)

One of the most influential YouTubers on the internet. With a whopping 11.2 million subscribers to her channel and over 840 million views on her videos, anything she promotes, sells. She has more followers than Barack Obama and had an invite to have tea with Prince Harry, but this isn’t merely enough. Some of her accolades include a sell out beauty collection with Superdrug in 2015 and her own book ‘Girl Online’ selling over 80,000 copies in the first week, making her the fastest selling debut novelist since records began. She began her blog in 2009, sat in her bedroom of the family home, because of this she is now known as one of the biggest influencers for young people in Britain with an estimated net worth of £3m.

Alfie Deyes

Or ‘Mr. Zoella’ is the other half to Zoe Sugg. Both popular YouTubers in their own right before becoming a couple, Alfie commands a subscribing audience of 5.4 million and over 435 million views to his channel ‘PointlessBlog’. For young viewers, this channel is about fun challenges, games and… eating candy on camera (Yep, you heard us correctly, this particular ‘candy eating’ video, that was uploaded less than a month ago, boasts almost 2 million views to date).

Pixiwoo

In 2008, Samantha Chapman, previously a make-up artist, sat in front of her webcam, ‘bored one day’ and decided to start filming make-up tutorials online. Her sister, Nicola, then joined her in the venture and together they produced the channel (and now brand name) ‘Pixiwoo’. Aside from their YouTube channel creating a sizable stream of income, they also have their own range of cosmetic brushes and worked with some big names within the fashion and celebrity industry, whilst also running a five-day make-up course from their studio in Norwich.

These are just a mere few of the hugely successful Bloggers/Vloggers/YouTubers/Influencers, whatever you want to call them! Below are some of the rest that are extremely powerful in their own right.

Samantha Maria

Subscribers: 1.8M

Views: 151M

Formerly known as ‘beautycrush’, this influencer began creating fashion, styling and make-up videos and now, with her boyfriend, run a sell-out fashion label ‘Novem & Knight’ and still earn off creating personal and sponsored videos.

Patricia Bright

Subscribers: 955k

Views: 84M

Previously working in finance, Patricia now runs a hair extension brand alongside her blogging as well as being a brand ambassador for Loreal.

Tanya Burr

Subscribers: 3.6M

Views: 311M

Alongside Zoella, she has been a ‘cover girl’ for one of the best selling glossy magazines in the UK and has a sell-out make up range in Superdrug.

In The Frow

Subscribers: 522k

Views: 28M

‘Inthefrow’ is a brand created by Victoria, a writer, photographer and editor. She is now an ambassador for Loreal alongside Patricia Bright whilst running a successful written blog and online YouTube videos. Known as a ‘lifestyle’ blogger, she talks about high-end fashion, make-up, food and travel.

 

What does this mean for you?

The above are some of the most sought after names within the online industry – and outside. So making this work for you and your business could really prove difficult. However, we are just demonstrating the sheer scope of media and culture that these names possess. It is these people that are the future of advertising and how, you, as a business owner, could be able to connect with your costumer in the most efficient way.

Reaching Out

We are a big supporter of producing great quality content and videos for any business. Connecting with the blogging community now has a huge advantage in many ways. You could start your own blog, depending on what type of business you have. Creating an authentic way to connect to your target market and making that translatable through both yourself and your products could be a double win for you and your company. If you aren’t as fond of the idea of creating your own blog or you dealing with a business that is on a much more grand scale, then doing your research and reaching out to the influencers of today could seriously win you big interest from consumers you didn’t even know existed.

Authenticity

More often than not, some YouTubers won’t agree to advertise something that they haven’t tried or they are not passionate about. Sending out products to relevant and popular Bloggers that talk to your target audience could lead to an unsponsored ‘ad’ with them talking about your product simply because they love it. Free. Advertising. What more could you want? It could consist of paying for one of your ads to appear at the beginning of their videos (depending on the popularity of the blogger, this could be a costly affair), or even paying for a sponsored ad where you partner up and/or pay the blogger to advertise your product or service on their channel. But remember, keep it authentic, only target people you think will understand the product and love it as much as you do!

Happy to help!

Want to create your own professional video or learn more on other great marketing ideas? Please contact us today! We look forward to helping you get the most out of your business.

How to Keep Customers Engaged with Video

As the world becomes more visual, technology grows around us faster than we could ever imagine and media being at the instant touch of our finger, we show you why it is important to have the most effective videos on your website.

Instant Credibility

Having more people visit your website via a video has become incredibly important over the last decade, it can increase your conversion rates whilst, in turn, boosting your sales. This is why it is important to get the most out of your website video and how to keep customers engaged and interested in your business with the simplest of things attracting potential viewers at first glance.

Peak Their Interest First

Have you ever heard it when someone talks about a book or a film, “the first chapter/10 minutes didn’t spark my interest” or “didn’t engage me”? Although your video is a different form of media entirely, these words still apply. People often get bored very easily if you don’t offer them something to hang on to in the first few moments of what they’re watching, reading or listening too. This is why it is crucial to be conscious about what message you want to put across in the first 20 seconds of your video. Think about what message you want to put across or what service you are offering and be sure to include these key points at the beginning of your video to ensure people continue to watch in order to get a better grasp of what you are offering them.

Short But Sweet

In a world with such fast technology, it is a wonder how anyone can sit and look at one thing for so long when there are so many other videos and images offered to us. This is why you should keep your video concise and sharp. As well as looking professional, you don’t want to bore your customer and possibly turn their attention away with the dauntingly long video. Studies have shown that people’s attention starts to wander off course after just 60 seconds of watching one video.

Talk To Your Targeted Demographic

Whenever someone is visiting a website, no matter what service or product is being offered to them, they want to feel special. Your targeted customers and viewers are the reason this video will be on your page, so it needs to speak to every one in your demographic in a personal way. Vague and undirected videos can lead to turning people away from your website, never to return. Targeted videos are the key to increasing your success because it is important to resonate with your customers in a way that makes the viewer feel like your product or service is bespoke to fit their needs.

Details Are Key

An eye for detail and placement is key. Where your video is placed on your website and what surrounds it is very important to visitors to your website as a clean, professional and well thought out lay out can impact whether people want to stay on your page or not. It shows that you are thinking about what the potential customer should see first and what the necessary information surrounding the video is. Your video should have a concise description and a carefully chosen thumbnail is order to catch attention.

Remember, it does not matter if what you are offering is of the upmost spectacular quality, if the video on your website does not reflect that, then you will have less and less potential customers attracted to engage with you in the first place. So keep it engaging, short and targeted and you are sure to be onto a winner!

Written By Ian Stainton. Ian is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  – ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+

12 Big Video Marketing Numbers You Can’t Afford To Ignore

If you haven’t jumped aboard the video marketing train yet, it could be time to revise your marketing strategy.

Whether you work for yourself, manage a medium sized business or run a large multinational corporation, there is plenty of compelling evidence that suggests video marketing is the next big thing.

Here are 12 big numbers that suggest that video marketing is taking off in a big way, and a nice retro Sesame Street video to go with them, just for fun.

 1.8 Million

According to Dr. James McQuivery at Forrester Research, that is the value of a 60 second video.

1.8 million words is the equivalent of around 3,500 typical web pages. Do you really have that amount of time on your hands, and what’s more, would your visitors have the patience or inclination to wade through that much information? Even if you wrote one page every hour, it would still take you 150 days to make the same impact as a one minute marketing video.

100 Million

That’s the amount of web users who watch video online every day. Okay, so many of those people are going to be watching the latest funny cat video or hilarious footage of people falling over, but they still have the desire and capacity to watch video.

45.4%

That’s the number of Internet users who look at least one video over the course of a month. On average, web users are exposed to 32 videos each month and they are becoming more and more receptive to this type of advertising.

90%

This is the percentage of people who find video useful when they are looking for products or services or just casually browsing the web. Video can persuade in a way that other media cannot. It engages more of the senses and takes viewers on a journey. For 60 seconds or more, they are captivated (if your video is good) and much more likely to take positive action. Reports show that products and services accompanied by a video are much more likely to sell.

16 Minutes And 49 Seconds

That’s how much time web users spend on average watching video ads. However, it’s the reason why people watch video that is important rather than the time they spend watching them. People generally watch a video because it grabs their attention, but in the case of marketing, it can also save them time. A video saves a busy executive or a consumer on the move from wading through pages of text. They can grab what they need about your company, product or service in one easy hit.

Video is a great way to harness the power of the elevator pitch in a much more effective way.

80%

80%, according to the Online Publishers Association, is the percentage of web users who remember a video they last watched in the past 30 days. Even better, out of that 80%, 46% took action after the video ended. Here are some interesting numbers:

  • 26% sought out more information about the video subject

  • 22% visited the website that was named in the ad

  • 15% personally visited the store that was presented in the ad

  • 12% bought the product that was presented in the ad

64%

This is where things really get interesting. 64% is how much more likely your visitors are to make a purchase or make an enquiry after watching your ad. 64%! Additionally, visitors who view video ads tend to stick around for 2 minutes longer than they would on a website without a video.

403%

A real estate group in Australia, reported that property listings featuring video receive 403% more enquiries than listings without.

59%

According to a study carried out by Forbes Insight, 59% of senior execs would rather watch a video than read text. Further studies also showed that 65% of the execs who watched a video were likely to click through to the respective website. 45% of those execs reported that they got in touch with the vendor to find out more about their services. 50% of those who viewed the video went on to make a purchase.

96%

And it’s not just online videos that make an impact. A recent study carried out by Implix showed that a video included in an introductory sales email could increase click-through rate (that’s the amount of people visiting your website from a link) by 96%.

200%

A survey carried out by Forrester Marketing Group found that explainer videos could increase click-through rate by 300%.

10 Seconds

That’s how long you have to hook somebody in with your video. Consumers and busy execs – they don’t have time to hang around. They want to dip in and dip out and you need to keep them around long enough to be compelled to make a sale or get in touch. According to research carried out by Visible Measures, 20% of your potential customers will click away from your video in 10 seconds or fewer.

Want 403% More Engagement? Let’s Talk.

Effective video marketing means engaging your target audience from the very start. At Stormnet Media, we work with the magic 10 second window of opportunity to ensure you keep your audience interested and compelled to take action.

Sharpen your business message with a marketing video that will put you leaps ahead of your competition. Speak to our video marketing experts today. There is nothing to lose and 403% more profit waiting!

Written By Ian Stainton. Ian is the CEO and Founder of Stormnet Media Ltd, an award winning video production and digital media agency based near Birmingham in the UK. He is trusted by global brands, SMEs and start-ups to help them engage and interact with their customers  – ultimately selling more stuff. You can check him out on Google+

Convert With Video – The Most Effective Way To Engage Potential New Leads

If you’re wondering how to convert with video and whether it’s the right direction for your company, here’s an interesting statistic for you.  90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual which the brain processes 60,000X faster than textual content. As a leading video production company, we love stats like these because they further enforce what we are all about and the changes that are taking place in online marketing.

Connect With Your Audience Instantly

Whilst content is still important for providing deep information about your company and your offerings, it’s video that is going to grab your target audience by the eyeballs and take them on a visual learning journey.  What will they learn along the way?  Well, take one of our explainer videos for example.  In a mere 60 seconds, they will find a connection between the problem they are experiencing and the solution you are offering.  They will find out more about your business and they’ll find out how to get in touch with you.  And with our fun animations and quirky scripts they will probably enjoy a giggle along the way too.

Our aim is to produce a video that stays with people all day, that makes them see you as a forward thinking and accessible company and which ultimately encourages them to do business with you. You only have to look at YouTube to see how big video marketing is becoming.

Done In Sixty Seconds

Imagine sharing your sales message with your target audience in just sixty seconds. Your visitors don’t need to do anything but click play and you can even set video to play automatically the moment your page loads. And when you use the right video production company (hint hint) you can give your visitors a video that is relevant and engaging to them and which entices them to find out more about you.

Visual Content Drives Engagement

According to a study carried out by Simply Measured the introduction of Facebook timeline for business pages (that’s the Facebook feature that allows you to post video and photos to your timeline) brands started to see a 65% increase in engagement on their pages.

Visual content requires less brain power and gives you more marketing tools at your disposal.  For example, a simple video script can be brought to life using music, sound effects and a pleasant and convincing voice over. You only have to look at the typical TV advert to see how this works. Take away those elements and you are still left with a pretty good script, but it has so much more impact when it’s been brought to life with slick video production.

Market To Anybody Anywhere. It’s The Future!

Thanks to mobile technology, you can now market your business using video anywhere and on any device. Video is also much more likely to be shared with others and if you are lucky, your video might even go viral.

How To Convert With Video And Keep Converting

A good marketing video should be produced with the future in mind. It’s no good to pay for a video that is only going to be relevant for a number of months – unless you are running a time limited marketing campaign of course.  That’s why we will always aim to use a script that never goes out of date and video production techniques that will keep your audience engaged and excited about your brand for many years to come.

To find out more about our video production services in Birmingham, speak to our team today on 01527 910050.