Well, ladies and germs, it’s Friday. And that means it’s time for Magnet’s “resident Internet culture expert” Debbie Saslaw to run down her picks for the week’s best (and most bizarre, in many cases) viral videos in “The Viral Spiral.”
You can’t step outside this week without hearing chatter about Facebook’s IPO filing with the SEC yesterday, which is likely to value the 8-year-old social network somewhere between $5-100 billion. We stumbled across this fascinating infographic, which was actually created prior to the actual filing near the end of 2011, but is still filled with compelling stats.
Of particular note…
- Facebook’s filing is the biggest in tech history
- If valued at $100 billion, that places Facebook well beyond even Disney at $60 billion
- Higher online display ad revenue than Yahoo, Google, or Microsoft.
Created by: Accounting Degree Online
(Image via thefadedline.com)
It’s not a challenge for the faint of heart. Entering the den of the mobile app developer, looking the beast in the eye, and describing the app you’re after takes courage and clear vision. St. George may have slain his dragon, but your mission is to partner with yours—and ultimately, by working together, create the killer app of your dreams.
As technology pushes us speedily down new highways, old models for content distribution—and the advertising that’s traditionally supported them—are continually being retooled and reinvented.
Brands are learning that producing branded content is a great way to reach—and engage—consumers with their products and services. Branded entertainment, and specifically web video, is proven to engage viewers with brands’ products more successfully than traditional advertising models. The key lies in creating something that actually entertains or provides something useful. If that goal is met, then audiences are happy to partake. It’s a new way of thinking that is growing in acceptance as traditional content providers learn to adapt their thinking to new models.
Magnet Media CEO Megan Cunningham recently participated in an IAWTV Awards (International Academy of Web Television) panel at CES 2012 entitled Working with Brands and Content Creators, which covered this very topic. The panel lineup, moderated by IAWTV Chairman Paul Kontonis, was made up of players from the content creation space including including Andrew Budkofsky (EVP Sales and Partnerships for Break Media), Avi Savar (Founding Partner of Big Fuel), Carter Mason (Founder/CEO of JTS.TV/Just the Story), and Mike Henry (CEO of OpenSlate Studios).
The primary thrust of the panel’s discussion was that content is indeed king. And while web video and other original branded content provide fertile ground for reaching consumers, in order to truly engage an audience, that content must first and foremost be entertaining or useful.
Megan points out in the session video above that most brands would understandably be content to continue with business as usual, if it weren’t for demand (and slipping success rates for traditional models) forcing them to stand up and take notice. As she so eloquently puts it, “Brands are interested in content because audiences are interested in content.”
Thanks to IAWTV for video of the session above.
What do you think about brands creating original web video content? Is it a less disruptive channel for brands to reach consumers in a genuine way to which they’re more likely to respond? Let us know in the comments and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. And stay up-to-date on the latest from the blog with our free newsletter.
Ryan Swearingen is Managing Editor of the Blog Network at Magnet Media and co-founder/editor of Stated Magazine.
It’s always a pleasure to work with clients on projects that allow the Magnet Media production team to flex their artistic muscles.
This recent holiday season, Good Technology—a leader in multi-platform enterprise mobility solutions—contracted Magnet Media to create a short, holiday-themed video greeting. Good was looking for something upbeat and stylish that could be geared primarily toward existing and potential customers and could be used both externally and internally. They wanted to create a message that would reflect Good’s brand vision and value proposition, while avoiding specific holiday or weather imagery, such as Santa Claus or snowmen.
Magnet and Good came up with a concept that fit the parameters and presented Good’s value proposition in a fun and high-concept approach. Magnet cast, produced, directed, and shot the spot with professional actors to capture Good’s product value in a unique visual presentation.
Good was overwhelmingly pleased with the final video, with many in the company—including the CEO—envisioning the video as a potential TV spot. Good posted the piece prominently on its website homepage and in the few weeks since, it it’s already earned over 1,200 views on YouTube. It’s been so well received that a campaign of further videos exploring the same concept is in development.
At the risk of bragging, we can’t keep these generous comments from Kirk Donnan—Director, Marketing Communications and Brand for Good Technology—to ourselves…
“We couldn’t be happier with Magnet. Smart. Intuitive. Strategic. Creative. Focused. Prompt. Dependable. Slick. They’ve been able to visually stimulate our brand and value proposition like no other trans-communications agency I’ve worked with.”
“Trans-communication agency.” Now that’s a description we can get behind.
We’d love to hear from you! Please give us a shout in the comments and join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. And stay up-to-date on the latest from the blog with our free weekly newsletter.
Ryan Swearingen is Managing Editor of the Blog Network at Magnet Media and co-founder/editor of Stated Magazine.
Today on the Magnet Minute, Amy shares some great advice on video SEO to help you optimize your YouTube video for search. Follow these tips to help the video community find your content and grow your presence on YouTube:
1. Fill out video information thoroughly with keywords
Get straight to the point when you are creating a title so that people who find your video in search results won’t have to spend a lot of time reading to know you have the information you’re looking for. Also, reiterating that information and expanding on it in the description will help the likelihood of your video showing up near the top of the results. So share as much info as you can there. Make sure all the important keywords are in the title and description, as well as in the tags for the video. And always make sure your video is in the right category so searchers aren’t disappointed when your video shows up in the wrong place.
2. Engage the YouTube community
Subscribe to channels that are relevant to you and have an audience similar to the one you are trying to attract. Comment on their videos and engage with the video makers and their audiences to increase the likelihood of creating relationships. Anytime you can link one of your videos as a video response, or even create one specifically in response to a certain video, take that opportunity. Video responses are few and far between in comparison to text comments and will often get approved by the video maker, helping you get face time in front of their audience. Also remember to respond to comments on your own channel. No one likes video makers who don’t have time for their community.
3. Encourage action with Calls to Action (CTA’s)
You can’t get viewers to act if you don’t give them direction on how to do so. If you want more subscribers, ask them to subscribe. If you want more “likes” on your video to increase exposure, ask for more “likes.” If you want people to visit your website, give them the address. It’s small reminders like these that people are happy to act on if you tell them to.
4. Show people what to expect in the first 15 seconds
Many people will watch your video for a few seconds to see if it’s what they are looking for so, make sure you are using that time wisely and giving the viewer a reason to stick around. Make sure the focal point of the video shows up first, and branding appears after. Don’t let the theme song take over your video’s chances!
Do you have more ideas on how to optimize video for search? Sound off in the comments! And check out all of our Magnet Minute videos on YouTube.
Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. And stay up-to-date on the latest from the blog with our free newsletter.
Amy Schmittauer is the Founder & Face of Savvy Sexy Social. She is a social media frenzy working as a freelance video blogger, writer, and social relations consultant. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.
Cats. They do the darndest things.
“We want this to go viral!”
Whether you’re an advertising giant or a boutique agency, you’re probably hearing this phrase from your clients more often than not. It can be a frustrating request for marketers, because brands want their campaigns to instantly “go viral” without appearing silly. And as we know, most viral videos are little bytes of Internet magic. In a world where a video of a frog playing Ant Crusher on a Droid smartphone can reach almost 10 million viewers in less than a month, how do you parlay our inherently trivial sense of humor into an effective marketing strategy?
It’s a new week, and that means there’s a whole new list of great events in video, social media marketing, and tech taking place in the coming days (via GarysGuide). Here are a few events worth checking out this week.
Each week, Magnet’s “resident Internet culture expert,” Debbie Saslaw runs down her picks for the best viral videos of the week. We call it “The Viral Spiral.”
It was a busy week, but not nearly as weird as last. Here are a few of the week’s top stories in content marketing, tech, video, and social media.
Facebook Readies IPO Filing for Next Week
(The Wall Street Journal)
Just this afternoon, The Wall Street Journal broke the hugely anticipated story that Facebook would finally be filing its Initial Public Offering with the SEC next week. According to “people familiar with the matter,” that could be as early as Wednesday morning and with a value of $75 to $100 billion. Morgan Stanley is reportedly the frontrunner for the “lead left” position on the documents. According to Mashable, if it comes to pass, it would be the largest tech IPO in history, yielding about $10 billion.
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