by Justin James | Jul 12, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If you read my last blog, you would know that I am not a fan of video ads on YouTube. Not only are they irksome to the viewer, but they may actually hurt the company’s reputation and cause ill will.
Luckily, Google ads allow advertisers to reach their audience through YouTube without disturbing the video viewers. The two preferred alternatives to YouTube commercials are:
Post original content – Creative YouTube Videos
Companies can post as many commercials as they want, as long as they’re on their own channel. For example, Pepsi has a four-minute long commercial with over 130,000 likes and 37 million views! The reason this commercial is so much more successful than other paid commercials on YouTube is (1) because the video is humorous and (2) they invite you to come see it, rather than hunting you down.
The point of using social media is to have people share and discuss things that interest them. Offering a more entertaining option instead of a ‘hard sell’ video on a social site can lead to greater success when people share the video with friends.
The alternative method would be…
Pay for static ads –
To reference my last blog post again, the door-to-door salesman is back, but he hasn’t rung your doorbell. You can see him through the window, sitting outside your house with his big sign and briefcase, but at least he’s not harassing you while you eat. This salesman is still making you feel slightly annoyed, especially when he begins to dance around or tries to make you play a game (gif ads), but at least he’s willing to be courteous enough to let you choose if you want to hear what he has to say.
Alternatively, if you have a static ad, perhaps in a sidebar or underneath the video, it will not directly interfere with the video the viewer is trying to watch. Even a pop-up ad on the video is acceptable, since a viewer can just click the “x” in the top right corner to close it.
Static ads are less engaging than videos with original content. However, they are also less expensive. If the tag lines of the ad are interesting enough, a few people may actually click through and read what you have to say about your product.
If you feel compelled to make YouTube commercials anyways, I will offer some tips in my next blog post on making your video ads as palatable as possible.
by Justin James | Jul 11, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
If your company is trying to market in this digital age, you have likely heard of social media marketing. Using social media to reach out and connect to your audience is wonderful —it can turn a boring ad into an amazing interactive experience! Engaging an audience with Facebook and Twitter is something anyone can do, but you need to be careful when trying to sell your product through YouTube —or you might be spending your budget on ineffective infomercials!
Defenders may argue that “YouTube is the second largest search engine. Of course having ads on here would benefit my company!” Although Mr. Advertiser is right to think that YouTube has a lot of marketing potential, he’s is probably using the wrong type of advertising.
Yes, YouTube has more than one billion unique visitors a month. Yes, YouTube reaches more adults ages 18-34 than any cable network. Of course, more than a million advertisers use Google ad platforms. However, if you are trying to reach the young demographic with windy infomercials, you may end up driving them away instead.
Why YouTube Ads are Less Effective Than you Think
Think of how you use YouTube. You’re relaxing in the comfort of your home and need something to do. You don’t want to commit to watching an entire movie, so you log onto YouTube and see that one of your favorite YouTubers has uploaded a new video.
5 minutes! Wow, perfect! You’re excited now—the video’s title promises a cute cat doing funny things! You hover your mouse over the title and click the video and then…
“Hi. I’m Doug from x company, and we want to sell you y.” Your muscles tense as a large man in a suit bombards you with special offers for a product that cleans goldfish bowls. You’re growing impatient now; you want to watch your cat video and not this interrupting salesman.
Once the ad finally finishes, you get to enjoy your cat video. Great! Then you look, in the related searches bar—what’s that!? A dancing bear? You just have to click it, and— No! Why? The exact same ad begins to play again. You’ve already suffered through the salesman’s irrelevant spiel once, and now you are forced to watch it again!
Now, not only have you decided:
1) ‘I want to enjoy my personal time.’
2) ‘I do not care about this product.’
But you’ve also developed another reaction: The company has actually angered you with their intrusive videos and so:
3) ‘I am so annoyed with this company that I am less likely to involve myself with this or other products they carry.’
Sound familiar? So what should your company do?
YouTube is a massive website that reaches billions of viewers. However, YouTube often reaches people during their “Me-Time.” It’s the same concept as door-to-door salesmen knocking on your door at supper time. It’s intrusive and could hurt your company’s chances at gaining customers.
Check back on Hoopla as I reveal how to successfully advertise on YouTube.
by Justin James | Jul 9, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Design, Latest, Social Media
As I mentioned in my last blog, I want to be an entrepreneur. I have come to realize that the key to success is letting people know about your business since you need customers to earn money. Marketing is crucial for any business, and is important for me to understand if I want to run a successful business. To market effectively, I need a good marketing process.
At 3H, a lot of hard work goes into marketing. There are countless hours spent on the creative process, content and design, and linking all of the elements together effectively. For that reason, I believe one could call 3H’s marketing process 3D.
The “Three Dimensions” of the Marketing Process
The first dimension is the creative process. In only a couple of days, I’ve learned that a lot of time, inside and outside of the office, is spent on conceptualizing ideas. In this process, their team conjures the foundations for websites, advertisements, and strategic targeting of demographics and what appeals to them. This creative edge is what makes 3H stand above other marketing and branding agencies, since creativity is an essential part of connecting with an audience and capturing their attention.
The second dimension is where creativity meets reality. In the content and design phase, the company’s talented artists, writers, and web developers capture their creative ideas in a tangible, unique way. While I find the creative dimension enjoyable, it is this second dimension that makes me feel most satisfied as ideas come to life in ads, promotions or websites.
The third dimension is turning well-conceived efforts into effective efforts. This third phase links the content and ideas to the desired audience through blogs, social media, and introductory promotions. It is in this phase that 3H reaches out to the clients’ targeted demographics to build familiarity and trust with their potential buyers through online and offline tactics.
On social media platforms, like Facebook and twitter, 3H effectively uses content to engage their readers and spark their interests. The third dimension is the difference between reading well-written content on a website and feeling a personal connection with the company as they build trust, good will and confidence.
During my internship, I hope to learn more about the processes 3H utilizes in order to create the effective content they produce. I’m excited to have an opportunity to work with several new programs, including Google tools, Photoshop, and possibly Dreamweaver!
Even if I don’t become a marketer, understanding the need for effective marketing and the process behind creating good content is critical. I know that if I can learn these three dimensions, any future business I have will be more successful. Understanding how intricate the marketing process is makes me realize that it can be done most effectively by specialists in marketing. As most successful entrepreneurs know, it is best to stick with your core competencies and have other experts handle the accounting, marketing, shipping or other tasks, so you can do what you do best – and get the customers you need.
by Lisa Wedmann | Jun 27, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Creative, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Which do you want to know first? The good news or the bad news? I like to hear bad news first in order to assess damage control. And I still have something to feel enthusiastic about since the good news is yet to come. so, since this is my blog… here’s the bad news… first. The bad news is that those who study how to go viral are almost unanimous in the conclusion that going viral is a result of synchronicity, that simultaneous occurrence of events that somehow appear related but have no understandable connection. It’s about being in the right place, at the right time with the right material and a little bit of luck.
THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
However, where they do agree is that you can position yourself to be in the most fortuitous place to make going viral happen.
Below are a few viral marketing tactics that can help in your quest. They may seem elementary but they are the type of tactics that build a foundation and that is always a good place to start.
VIRAL MARKETING TACTICS
Think carefully about your topic.
First, understand that not everything has the ability to go viral.
I mean, come on now did you really think your thesis on Greek Social History would go viral? That means before we start fantasizing about our success we have to consider is it reasonable to expect that your project can go viral. You need to choose your topic carefully. At the same time, in all fairness, none of us know which things can and will go viral. I find it hard to believe that a 15 minute video of a women trying to parallel park went viral but it did.
Experiment, test and then test again.
Next, be prepared to experiment.
Try different approaches. Don’t be satisfied with one idea. Put two or three or more ideas out there and if you don’t get results, or as my Dad used to say, don’t flog a dead horse. Try a different approach. Experiment, test, refine, and then test again.
Turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
I never relate to those articles that tell me how easy it is to get that killer app or that killer eBook or that killer product and all you have to do is have a unique idea, or create memorable content. Duh. That’s what having a good product is all about. Face it guys, you are preaching to the converted.
But you can borrow from a few standard marketing techniques. Techniques such as turning the ordinary into something beautiful, take Apple and their visually beautiful line of products or Dove with their real beauty campaign.
Give your idea a partner.
Here’s an easy way to get that extra push. Pair your idea with something unrelated but totally relatable. A bit of an oxymoron? Not really. Think of Maxwell House Coffee and the positive little girl who loves her house and just about everything in it.
MORE GOOD NEWS ABOUT VIRAL MARKETING
Viral marketing makes your business visible.
There’s one more aspect of viral marketing that makes me want to stand up and jump HOORAY! When you create a viral marketing campaign you are creating awareness and increased visibility for your business.
Do you have any ideas on how to make a campaign go viral?
by Lisa Wedmann | Jun 20, 2013 | Advertising, Business Success, Latest, Social Media
I finally got a “round twit”.
Sure it’s an old joke, I hope that it’s so old nobody has heard it and it seems fresh again and people will think I’m incredibly funny.
But even if you don’t think I’m funny you may have guessed it’s a joke about procrastination.
There are two types of people who procrastinate.
Those who fear failure and those who fear success.
Afraid of Failure
Those who fear failure think of all the things that could go wrong. They worry about what people will think when they fail and as a result of their worries; they think it’s better not to try.
Afraid of Success
On the other hand there are those who fear success. To me, it seems counterintuitive to fear success. What is there to fear in success? Isn’t that what we want – to be successful? I wish I was successful in everything. That would be great. Sadly I am not. But I am fortunate to say I am not afraid to try.
People who fear success may be overwhelmed by the fear they will have new responsibilities. They may be afraid they can’t handle these new responsibilities and people will expect more of them. Consequently they don’t try.
Procrastination can be serious and could require professional help. But for those who simply need a bit of a push following are my top 3 tips on how to avoid procrastination.
Take the first step
We’ve heard this before. Break it up into tiny pieces. Focus on the first piece only. Once you complete the first piece, go to the next. Do not think about anything other than that first step. As soon as you begin to take action you are changing your mental attitude and you will become more positive and open and willing to try.
Set Appropriate Goals
There are tough jobs and there are even tougher jobs. Sometimes the job may seem impossible. Sometime we may feel there is no chance of success. To overcome this resistance, be realistic about what you can do and then set achievable goals. When you successfully achieve your first goal you can set the bar a bit higher. Each accomplishment will bring you closer to success.
Start with the Hardest or the EasiestJobFirst
This is a tough one. It’s tempting to start working with what we know is simple. But if we start with the hardest task and get it out-of-the-way we feel relieved and the rest seems easy.
Some people say to start with the easy things first so that you have confidence and this will move you forward. If that works for you then go for it but I find starting with the most difficult task works for me.
Procrastination is complex and it can take many tries to break you of bad habits. In the meantime if you would like to know more about procrastination … I’ll tell you later.
by Stephanie Fasulo | Jun 12, 2013 | Branding, Interactive, Latest, Social Media
As most people have heard, former CIA technical assistant Edward Snowden became an overnight household name and acclaimed “whistle blower” when he decided to inform the public about a government database that collects our private information.
Any analyst at any time can target anyone,” Snowden said. “I, sitting at my desk, had the authority to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if I had a personal email.”
A million different thoughts ran through my mind. But mostly, I wasn’t surprised at all. The government has always been one step ahead, collecting our information for years to protect us.
But you can’t deny that social media helps government agencies collect our information much more efficiently as we give it right to them. But it’s not only government officials whom have our seemingly private information at their fingertips.
Private companies – big online businesses – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have our information because we are freely giving it to them. At any time these multi-million dollar companies know which cities we live in, what we’re interested in and who our friends and family are. Oh, and that picture of your meal you posted from the restaurant down the street? You just told them where you are.
Everything is uploaded to a giant server in a private company where we only assume the information is protected and our lives are private, as possible.
But as people working in a social media environment, making our money influencing each other on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn – is it too late to turn back? Could you give up the social influence you’ve built on the Internet? The businesses we’ve built, the reputations and our clients? Would we be okay giving up social media if it ever inflicted on our overall privacy and wellbeing?
A part of me thinks it may be too late. Too late to step back and unplug social media from our lives even though we know it brings a sense of danger to our personal security. There are start-up companies every day, building and being inquired, all promising to bring social media to corporate environments. As ethical as these practices may be, we have to at least be aware of the possibility of every company dipping into social media our private information is being spread further and further away from us.
CNN reported some social media reactions to the CIA whistleblower: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/tech/social-media/snooping-web-reaction/index.html
@mattdizwhitlock #NSACalledtoTellMe that after 4 trial memberships on eHarmony I probably should just give up.
@IIzThatIIz #NSACalledtoTellMe What Happens in Vegas, stays in our Utah data center.
@andishehnouraee The most important question: How will my presence on #PRISIM affect my @klout score?
It’s a scary thought to think that it may be too late to turn back from the social media presence we all work towards daily. If we monitor what information we put online, maybe you can better protect yourself but it’s always best to stay informed. So, what do you think?
