Videos and YouTube are Good for Business

Video enables brand marketers, businesses, publishers, thought leaders and fame seekers an opportunity to creatively showcase their unique value and talents, then share it with the world.

The reason videos are at the top of marketing’s priorities list can be factored by the billions.

YouTube: Each day users watch a billion hours of video, generating billions of views.  

The overwhelming power of YouTube alone makes it keenly obvious for businesses that there are volumes of opportunity created with video content. The contrast is stark. Those not utilizing this medium to get out their message essentially means they don’t exist to a billions of video consumers.

According to Vidyard, 92% of survey respondents say video is becoming extremely important to their marketing efforts and more than two-thirds are increasing their budgets for video this year.

Video consumption and production are at all time highs.

Why is video content continuing to grow in popularity and demand? The proof is in the numbers. Every major social network, including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter are now video distribution channels. All of these platforms even have a “live” video format that is growing in use and features.

45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week.

Nearly a third of all people on the Internet are users of YouTube for one reason – video! Cisco’s Visual Networking Index reports, by 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80 percent of all consumer Internet traffic.

Brands are moving quickly to harness the power of video and share their experiences in this expressive format. Video is now seen as the best long and short form content to share a message and engage your audience. Retention is significantly higher from video over text. Video increases emotional engagement and it dramatically increases the sharing of content, a vital key performance measurement in marketing ROI analytics.

Video is a smart business investment.

Marketers deem video content production as a top priority today, with a focus on leveraging the power of YouTube and Facebook as key content distribution channels.  In fact, 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.

Video appeals to a greater and more dispersed audience.  Unlike other types of content, video is more accepted globally in the original source language. You can currently navigate YouTube in 76 different languages (covering 95% of the Internet population).

HubSpot State of Inbound 2017 Report noted video is one of the top-cited disruptors in their survey. “Many see video as a great channel to better connect with a prospect, while others fret that video will make their day jobs obsolete.” Source

If you aren’t using video, your competition probably is and having great success. The Vidyard ‘Video in Business Benchmark 2017 Report’ reveals that businesses have published 293 videos on average and are publishing 18 new videos every month. These businesses stated their video libraries will double within 16 months.

Once seen cost-prohibitive for small businesses, video is now produced by small, medium and large businesses in great volumes. Easy-to-use self-producing video tools have significantly eased the costs and skills requirements for quality video production. In fact, 85% of those surveyed have an in-house video production team to create and distribute content.

There are many uses and purposes for video content.  Personalized videos perform better than generic. Short videos have far greater retention than long videos.  Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text.  Entertaining videos are shared more than strictly educational. Videos help convert shoppers to buyers. In other words, videos are just good for business!

The visual medium is seeded with golden opportunities to increase brand awareness and even drive sales. A successful video strategy ensures this content format represents a true experience that reflects the brand, company values and capabilities.

Videos are art. Expression, creativity and edginess reward the innovators. It might even create the video “holy grail” – a viral video with millions of views.

Jamie Glass, CMO + Founder of Artful Thinkers, a sales and marketing consulting company.

Empowered Voices Define a Brand Experience

Empowered customer and employee voices are in control of your brand’s future. This empowered voice is no longer an interesting phenomenon exposed through nascent channels that allow for reactive PR pros to utilize carefully constructed “just-in-case” responses based on dusty old crisis communication plans.

Customers and employees have an incredibly high-level of power to influence marketability and brand value today through their shared experiences.

Are your prepared to react? There are multiple examples this year of how global brands get easily swept up through social engagement in reaction to reported experiences and affiliations.

One tweet, one blog, one video, one ad, one review and the next thing you know the company stock is tanking, advertisers are fleeing, millions of people are boycotting the company, and news chyrons are highlighting the customer experience as breaking news. What used to be analogs in communication and public relations textbooks, are now daily case studies in crisis management. Brands are not in control.

Ready. Aim. Fire.

Today, major organizations must think like the military – ready to respond within a second’s notice. Brands must actively listen and monitor all communication channels, and provide global surveillance around-the-clock. They must also be fully prepared to act in real-time to a variety of scenarios across multiple mediums, whether it be from a customer complaint or association to another “brand” in crisis.

The voice of the customer is at its highest value today due to the nature of how information is shared through media channels.

A customer’s experience has incredible power and in an instance can dramatically impact a company’s value, negatively and positively. Brands need to be prepared with every scoped out “what if” scenario and shared with all those that will go on active duty when “it” hits!

Whether capitalizing on a positive experience like Kohl’s branding of the Chewbacca Mask Lady, or reacting to the global negative perception of Silicon Valley employment practices resulting from Uber’s former employee detailed experience of discrimination that was shared on a blog, companies today are forced into action through other’s experiences. Customers and employees know they have unique powers today that require global brands to stand up and take immediate action. And they are using this power to their advantage.

The customer experience voice has unyielding power and is putting ill-prepared companies on their heels and at risk.

Failure to react has great consequences. Time is not on the side of the brand. Marketers must be fully prepared and crisis management action plans need to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure there is a timely response to all types of customer experiences. There are no excuses and no forgiveness will be given by those in power – customers and employees.

There are consequences to failed responses. Beyond the enormous financial exposure to revenue and profits, it also can impact a company culture, ability to recruit top talent and long-term market sustainability in a very competitive marketplace. It is all at risk with every shared experience.

No organization today can take for granted the power of the customer voice.

The ability to take advantage of good publicity provides a little more flexibility to capture the upside. Leadership will turn to those in charge of communication for the failure to respond and act appropriately to anything negative, so put your plan in place today.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin

Time is the enemy in a crisis, no matter the scale. Today’s cycles can often be at tornado wind speeds that grow in exponential exposure within minutes. It is inherent in our constant feeds of news and information. There is nothing that can stop it, so it is imperative that an “emergency response team” be in place to act swiftly in response. This is where a crisis communications strategy has it’s greatest value.

Don’t underestimate the value to the company of a well-defined crisis communications plan.

The idea of putting together a plan may seem fairly simple; however, they are often very complex and require time and resources to properly construct. The investment will pale in comparison to the expenses related to a viral “bad” customer experience. Utilizing a good communications team or experts at a PR agency can help in this process for planning and execution. This should be an annual exercise for upkeep.

To understand how deep and broad this plan needs to be, start by outlining all the stakeholders that need to informed in a crisis communication plan: customers, sales, HR, IT, employees, media, suppliers and partners, as well as potential regulatory, community and elected officials. Now you can see why planning pays off!

Breaking news

Essential Elements of Crisis Communications Planning

RESPONSE TEAM: Define the members, roles and responsibilities of the Communications Response Team (CRT).

CONTACTS: Identify all audiences that will be updated by the response team, internal and external.

LIST SOURCES: Classify all lists and sources for contacts, including: customers, media, investors, leadership, employees, partners, suppliers, regulators and others.

TIMELINE: Create a sample timeline for Communications Response Team to update in an activated response.

SCENARIOS: Build a series of responses to scenarios with constructed timelines and messages that can be used for preparedness training of Communications Response Team members and spokespeople.

MESSAGING: Create key messaging guidelines for Communications Response Teams based on audiences, scenarios and channels including holding statements to express that further responses are coming from the organization.

SYSTEMS: Establish listening posts, processes, technologies, people and alerts used for notifications to CRT with defined activities based on “level” of action required for response.

PREPARE: Set a location to host all resources that can be activated by all members of the Communications Response Team, including scripts, contact information, timelines and lists. Communicate with all necessary constituents on how and when to engage with the CRT. Set up notification systems. Train the team members based on roles and responsibilities.

REVIEW: Set up periodic reviews of the plan to update channel information, lists and messaging. Post-crisis, review the activities and effectiveness of the response to ensure continuous improvements are made from learning and experiences.

It is important to define the action and activities based on the type of customer experience and how the experience in shared with others. As an example, an irate email to customer service may not need to be part of the company’s communication alert system. It also should not be ignored as a potential source for an escalation.

Today, a customer can take an email that does not get a timely response to outside media sources like social or television triggering a crisis and need for immediate response. It is the power of the customer experience their empowered voice.

Definition of a Crisis:  A situation that has reached a critical phase (Merriam-Webster)

For an organization, a crisis can be defined as any action that adversely influences the reputation, integrity or value of the brand. Knowing that customers and employees have the power to create a crisis based on their shared experience, is a warning to all marketers.

Prepare now. Failure to do is inexcusable in today’s world of constant communications. Your customers will tell you so, if you are aren’t listening!

Jamie Glass, CMO + President at Artful Thinkers, a sales and marketing consulting company.

Every Business Should Do a Harlem Shake Video

mqdefaultThe latest Internet phenomenon takes place in 30 second flashes. In a short two week span, tens of thousands of videos have been uploaded to YouTube and some garnering millions of views. Each video has it’s own unique interpretation of the same electronic dance mix song by Baauer.

There are versions underwater, on ski slopes, in locker rooms and on office desktops. The concept is the same for all. One person dances while others go about their normal business. The person usually wears a mask or some sort of limited disguise.The beat picks up, the video cuts and then entire group erupts into a spontaneous, non-choreographed breakout of “dance” in a variety of costumes. Move over Psy, Gangnam Style is out.  Now, we are crazed by the Harlem Shake.

College baseball teamscelebrities and high school clubs have Harlem Shake videos. Start-ups and tech companies have created their version of the Harlem Shake. Gymsmega brands and skateboard makers have a video. College campuses are doing the shake. Media companiesthe military and even the newsroom have created their own version. From all around the world, the Harlem Shake is shaking it up!

There are no skills required, just one song, a video camera, and a costume. It is self-evident dance skills are NOT a prerequisite. In fact, the less skills the better. Even Beanie Babies are making a comeback with their Harlem Shake.

ku harlemWho knows how long the Harlem Shake madness will continue.  It may be short lived and over before the real March Madness begins or it may go on for a long time.  Regardless, it is time to jump on the bandwagon. Avoid the critics, naysayer and those that don’t get it.  They won’t and it doesn’t matter. The benefits of making the video outweigh those that will forever be refusing to play along. We need to lighten up, have some fun and laugh! It’s time. It’s time to Harlem Shake.

Here are a few of the reasons why you should convince your friends, colleagues or teammates to make a 30 second video:

1.  Creativity – We all have an inner desire to use our creative skills and what better way to express yourself then dressing up and dancing with your friends at work.  Let the creative juices flow. We need a way to express ourselves and sometimes casual Friday’s aren’t enough. Let the creative side of your business take center stage and watch in amusement at all the pent up imagination in your office.

2.  Team Building – A company that dances together, stays together. There is a reason to get everyone out of their chair for 30 seconds of craziness.  It’s uplifting and rewarding to know you can work hard and play hard together. Show your spontaneity. We are all under a lot of stress to deliver, on time or ahead of schedule. What better way to be all in “it” together!

3.  Cooperation – Everyone has a role in the video.There are no superstars. Whether you put a banana peel on your head or give heart-to-heart resuscitation to a stuffed dinosaur, there is a place for you in the breakout version. All you have to do is show up and shake.  When is the last time you could get an entire group to center on a single initiative?  Cooperation is underrated.  It might spill over into other projects or initiatives.

4.  Culture – Who knew your workmates were so much fun?  Who knew that all your workmates had a costume waiting to be worn?  One is not to question the attire, simply let the values you post on your website standout in a 30 second commercial of your diversity in action. Show why you are a best place to work.

5.  Fun  All business, all the time is so 80s.  Let it go. We want to laugh with each other, we want to shed tears of joy, we want to get up and dance! If we enjoy what we do, we will do better. Give everyone the gift of having fun together. Recruiting might be a little easier when employees are talking about how much they love their job.

6. Promotion – Maybe, just maybe you create a video and it gets millions of views. Out of curiosity, a few of the million viewers then go to your website to find out more about the cool, fun people in the video. A little PR never hurts any business. Give us a positive reason to talk about you.

It is time to shake it up! Happiness is contagious. Get the crew together, make a video and add to our entertainment. We are searching out the videos. Do it before the craze is over and we are on to the next. We are laughing and we love watching you have make fun together.  It says a lot about your business.

Jamie Glass, Founder, President and CMO of Artful Thinkers

The Gift of Content

King of Content

For the past two decades, I have been marketing and selling in industries that continually define their value proposition based on their most precious asset. We all proclaim, “Content is King!” In fact, you might even be able to claim some superiority if you have more content in one form or another. Supremacy is measured by words, pages, titles, key words, programs – all centered by amassed volume!

The fact remains, size does matter when you are establishing a monarchy. Content leads an empire over technology and services, as neither could exist without some type of content. Content rules over technology because it is simply the enabler. Content reigns over services because it simply applies rules for access and engagement.

Content matters. There are still classes of content. There is no argument that you can try to “win” over the masses in simple content population contest. Most words, stories, white papers, research, collateral. In the end, mass does not increase worth. Content is really only valuable when it is relevant and engaging. Originality creates the highest value. Purity of content gives power. Losing all the spin and focusing on relevance will give content strength. Content with personality that uses real stories, experience and expertise is what is most valuable. In the end, content with integrity matters more.

Where your content kingdom resides is also imperative to the value. Original content with personality is irrelevant if it is invisible. It needs a home with a lot of good company. The company must have the same interests as the content provider. The home should be warm, inviting and engaging. Finding it in the back alleys of the Internet, also known as page 13 in search, simply means you might have good content but picked a bad location. The neighborhood of your content will have an impact on the value. Your content rules when you consider location, location, location and optimize.

To be the “King of Content” requires careful planning. Amassing a library of superior content that is relative gives power; however, having a targeted audience to engage and influence will keep you on top. Great content is a gift to your audience. It will keep on giving and giving if you leverage quality and quantity matched equally location. Work with a publisher that reaches your audience, an audience who will appreciate your influence and expertise. Then, you can rise to the top and really declare that your content is king!

First Published on EmpowHER Media
http://www.empowhermedia.com/content/the-gift-of-content/

Jamie Glass
Senior Vice President of Sales, EmpowHER Media
Twitter: @EmpowHERJamie