target audience

Connect with your Superfans

“Make it up, send it to them, see what they think. And then start growing that, and using the data that you’re getting from the sales and across the board, and always bringing that to new buyers.”

In this clip from episode 68 of our podcast, NewPoint Marketing president Patrick Nycz shares how to use focus groups for your loyal customers or superfans to gain more insight into your target audience and increase sales.

Listen to this episode again as we talk about how a 360 review in his early career forced him to become a better leader and marketer and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who can mentor and assist you in growing your brand. We also discuss why you should invite loyal customers to a focus group for needed insight into what consumers want to buy to increase future sales.

Find episode 68 on Apple Podcasts Career-changing 360 Review, Benefits Of A Focus Group, And The Importance Of Surrounding Yourself With The Right People

The secrets to creating engaging videos

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How do you keep your viewers glued to your video? What tools or strategies should your business implement to increase the engagement of your video? An engaging video is one of the key reasons why viewers stay focused on a video that has grabbed their attention. It’s one of the reasons why metrics such as click-through rate increase because something about that video persuades them to learn more about the company’s products or services. If you’re wondering why you need engaging videos and how to implement them into your strategy, stay tuned for some tips.

If you want your video watched, your video has to be relevant to your audience. The topic has to be relatable, solve your audience’s problem, and be interesting to your audience. If the content is not relatable, then it is less likely to be watched by your target audience. Even if the content is relatable, make sure it is told with a storyline, eye-catching thumbnails and graphics, titles, and descriptions to show your audience your video is relatable to them. It’s good to know your audience and diversify the type of videos you’re creating so that they are a mix of informative and entertaining videos. 

There are two strategies to making engaging videos. The first strategy is the active strategy. This strategy gives your audience a task to interact with your video. Some active strategies are to plan how they’re going to engage, interact, connect, and follow through with the article. This type of strategy works well when you’re educating your audience on a certain topic. For example, you’ll need to plan how you’ll teach them the material, how they’ll interact with the video through a survey or quiz, how they’ll continue to learn about this topic, and ask them to show you their results.

The next strategy is the passive strategy. This strategy relies on storytelling to grab the audience and share a message about your products, brand story, or business. For this strategy, talk with your audience in a conversational tone; as if they were your friend. This further increases the relationship and trust with your audience. You also have the opportunity to evoke emotion by being humorous, and energetic. Include jokes, B-roll, music, animation, heartfelt messages, and any emotion that will help push your message through. However, know when to include certain emotions and humor into your videos. Implement any of these strategies, passive or active, to create engaging videos for your business. 

Credit by: Matt Pierce Making Engaging Video

Understanding Focus & Depth of Field

Wondering how to improve the images in your shots? Do you need to direct your audience’s direction to help them focus on an aspect of your story? Then applying the depth of field concept while adjusting the aperture, focal length, and distance to the camera will guide you on adjusting the focus on the objects or subjects in your shot; so your audience understands any elements of storytelling you want to portray. In this clip from our video content course, we demonstrate the depth of field measurement and how to adjust your camera settings to make your image or shot clear and crisp for a flawless video.

LOL! Let humor thrive in your video campaigns

Laugh a little. Laugh a lot. Go ahead! It will make you and your viewers happy. Give your viewers insight into who your company is on a personal level. One way to do that is by using humor. Ready to see how humor uplifts your video advertising campaigns? Our reasons below will encourage you to start adding those jokes to your scripts and strategy.

We all know the power video marketing has on your brand; it can strengthen the relationship of your consumers by keeping them entertained and informed. We also understand the power viral videos have on our social media feeds. We are compelled to watch and share within our network. Humor is a strong factor in these viral videos. People love to laugh and share videos that made them laugh on social media. Humor will help your videos get your company noticed as it’s more than a video showcasing a product’s features and benefits, but it’s a video showing personality. Using humor also reveals a brand’s approachability and empathy.

When incorporating humor into your strategy, know who your audience is and post the video to YouTube to increase your likelihood to appear high on the search results. Make your customers feel comfortable and informed about your brand. It’s important to note that while humor can make an awkward situation into a laughable one or a relatable situation, not every joke is going to carry over to your audience. That is why it is best to place the humor naturally in the conversation, keep them short, use proper timing, and avoid talking about a serious topic that could be deemed too lighthearted and devalues its severity. Humor is a great tool to use in your marketing campaigns to increase engagement for your brand.

Credit: Scenic Road WHY HUMOR WORKS IN ADVERTISING AND YOUTUBE CAMPAIGNS

Investing in video content is essential for your success. Find out why.

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So you know that video is constantly present in our personal lives, but do you also know that video works well in your business too? Video is a powerful engagement tool that when implemented in a marketing strategy can help reach any goals your business may have. It’s accessibility due to technological advancements have made it more possible for companies to train employees, hold meetings, and educate and entertain consumers. Include video in your marketing strategy, using these reasons to guide your decision.  

For hiring businesses, video is an excellent source to train your new employees without spending a huge sum of money for extensive training programs. Help your employees retain information by creating interactive videos that compliments every employee’s learning style. There’s no need to change the entire video when updating the video. You can make a few changes, while allowing your viewers to replay the video at any time. Businesses have shifted and adapted to using online formats to navigate the changes of the lack of workplace environment surrounding the pandemic. Video is one method that draws consumers in to make a purchase. Provide virtual alternatives to physical events and meetings so that your clients and potential consumers stay connected with your business.

Viewers’ preferences shift as technology increases and different types of content becomes preferable. Whether you choose short-form or long-form content create videos with your target audience and goals in mind. Short-form content is great when you want to engage with your audience in a span of 15-60 seconds. Long-form content works well with interviews, educational videos, how-to videos, and demonstrations. A longer video gives you the opportunity to share your brand story and explain any products services without feeling like you are short for time. Improve how you approach your long-form and short-form content in your marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and engagement.

You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch to create a video. Your written content is the foundation for your video. Your viewers will retain more of what was said in the video than what was read in the written content. Use any old blog posts, scripts from interviews, and guides as inspiration for your next video. Make your video appear where your target audience is. That means placing videos in your email newsletter, social media platforms, and website. Analyze the results from the video to make sure you’ve targeted your audience, then refine your strategy for the next campaign. Overall, video connects your customers to you. Add, adapt and analyze your marketing strategy with videos as your investment.

Credit: Luke Fitzpatrick 7 Reasons To Invest In Video Content In 2020

General Advice

Now that you have the tools to create your videos, have you thought about how else you should improve them? As you produce videos that align with your brand, remember to keep your target audience in mind and the branding guideline for consistency on all platforms. Review the analytics and insights of your past videos to make informed decisions for your next videos or even your workflow. In this clip from our video content course, we offer some solid advice as you continue on your video content marketing journey.

Prioritizing Education VS Passion, Having A Side Hustle To Fund Your Creative Business, And The Benefits Of Livestreaming

Listen to our next podcast with guest Marc Nieto! Marc is an app developer, Twitch streamer, and LA-based artist.

In this episode, we reminisce over growing up in a household that valued creativity but prioritized education and about how having a full-time job removed the pressure of bringing money through music, which brought more freedom. We also talk about Marc’s life as a Twitch streamer and his reason why live-streaming is a great way to connect with your audience.


Listen to episode 36 on Apple Podcasts here: Prioritizing Education VS Passion, Having A Side Hustle To Fund Your Creative Business, And The Benefits Of Livestreaming.

Why Not Share It?- Ali Spagnola Podcast Clip

"It's an active choice to be like, why would I not share this with my audience? Why would I not make this a part of my story? And so if it's something I want to do, then it's only making sense to me that I would film it."

This quote came from episode 19 of our podcast as guest Ali Spagnola shared how she brings her audience along in the activities that interest her. Ali also offered her insight on how she tackles writer's block by sticking to a designated timeframe and getting to work. Ali is a musician with her music featured on MTV’s “The Real World” and Oxygen’s “Bad Girls Club”; comedian, influencer, and holds 3 Guinness World records.

Follow along in this conversation as we talked about topics including how to optimize traffic, trusting your team to create and innovate, knowing trends to keep content relevant and increase engagement, and being authentic to build a loyal following so you can be yourself on and off-camera. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts here: Optimize Your Content While Being Yourself To Attract Your Ideal Audience And Hire A Strong Team To Produce Prolific Content

The Benefits of Video Marketing For Businesses & Ways To Do It

Why is video marketing worth it for my business? If I wanted to get into video marketing, how could I get started? 

A study conducted by Hubspot revealed that 72% of their subjects would rather watch a video than read about a product if given an option today. Afterwards, 81% of that same group was convinced to purchase the product after watching. Because video content is more intriguing than written, many individuals that are researching a product to purchase will lean towards watching videos before making a purchase. We have an article guide today that lists some benefits of video marketing and how you can start creating video content if you are convinced. 

To simply put, one of the best benefits of video marketing is that it can immediately make your brand more memorable. Video marketing videos that you create are likely accessible on both mobile and desktop devices, meaning you have a chance to reach a larger audience. An individual searching for a product may come across your business and branded videos will allow them to learn more information about what your product can offer them. Good video content will likely draw those viewers to your website and increase traffic. Whether they make a purchase or not, it reinforces to those potential customers that your brand exists and they may come back in the future. 

To get started, be sure that you have in mind the social media platforms you want to utilize for your business. Are you trying to tell them about your business? Want to show off a product? It might feel weird to be on camera initially, but be sure that the message you want to deliver to your audience is clear. Be sure you take the time to rehearse and spend a few takes. 

Click the link in the bottom below to read more!

Credit - Viewership - Video Marketing for Business: Benefits, Why and Ways to Do it

Better Video Marketing Tactics To Attract Millennials And Gen Z

Does your target audience include Millennials and Generation Z?

What adjustments should you make to your video content for them?

More likely, you’ll realize that your target audience will involve customers born 1981-2000. Compared to the past, these two generations were mired with social media and digital technology growing up, making video marketing strategies crucial in capturing them for your business. Here are some ways you can connect better with these demographics in your customer base in your video content. 

Start by considering having testimonial videos of your product’s success. One of the key things that these younger generations look for is authenticity and when they see that previous customers have enjoyed your products, it encourages them to have a longer look at your company. Of course, you might have to offer an incentive for them to put up a video of a product review, but it sends a positive message to your potential customers when they see others raving about their purchase. 

Try incorporating animations into your video content. You are speaking to a target audience that likely grew up watching Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon and studies have shown that Millennials are 80% percent more likely to watch a video while researching for a product. Whether you opt for a testimonial, how-to, or product demonstration of your product/services, cartoons can help you better connect with these younger generations. 

Credits - Digital Brew - Millennials And Video Marketing: How To Connect With Generation Y

Video Marketing Guide - 10 Best Videos For Business

Marketing is absolutely integral to growing and your business and expanding your customer base. Video marketing can be an extremely effective form, if done right. We’ve compiled a list of 10 types of videos for marketing, to help you decide which ones fit best for your business.

#1 - Product Videos. Product videos should be a part of just about any business’ marketing campaign. These videos showcase your product, or service, how it works, and what benefits it provides to the customer. These can also be used to provide updates to existing products that have undergone recent changes.

#2 - Explainer Videos. Explainer videos are, no pun intended, self explanatory. They discuss a particular problem and explain how to solve it. These videos are generally, but not always, animated, and tend to be shorter in length, depending on the problem discussed.

#3 - Onboarding Videos. These videos are meant to attract new employees to your business, but explaining the employee’s duties, benefits, and potentially offer a bit of training. As these videos are not marketed towards general audiences, their production value can be lower than that of other videos.

#4 - Internal Training Videos.  Internal training videos are in many ways, expanded onboarding videos. They are more in-depth, offering information about topics such as the company’s rules, mission, departments, and so on. These videos should be no longer than 10 minutes to prevent boredom, and generally 10 to 20 will be made for an average training session.

#5 - Testimonial Videos. Since consumers nowadays are constantly bombarded with half-truths about a product, they often want to see opinions from a regular person. These videos, generally under 5 minutes, provide just that, with a customer giving their experience on the product. The people in this must be real people, not actors. 

#6 - Promotional Videos. Promotional videos promote something related to your business, such as an event or product launch. These videos should contain both information about the event, as well as a call to action, such as an option to RSVP.

#7 - Company Culture Videos. These videos showcase the work environment at your business, helping to both humanize your video to potential customers as well as attract potential employees.

#8 - Social Videos. Social videos, with the advent of social media, are likely the most common videos on this list. These videos tend to be short, under 1 minute or even 30 seconds, fun, and flashy. It’s important to do research, as formats and demographics will differ between various social media platforms.

#9 - Sales Presentations. Sales presentations can be recorded, and show the value of your company’s product or service, as well as providing a call to action. These are obviously more informative than interesting, but should still be made entertaining, and be under 3 minutes in length if possible.

#10 - Livestreams. Live streams are great for getting engagement from users. They can be used to host webinars, seminars, or even share big announcements. These can be just about as long as you want, but need to still be as high quality and entertaining as possible.