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How to use video as an effective marketing tool?

Video marketing

So what is video marketing? Well according to (Fire, 2013) video marketing is when you “use video to promote or market your brand, product or service. A strong marketing campaign incorporates video into the mix”. (Fire, 2013) continues to mention that “Customer testimonial, videos for live events, how to videos explainer videos, viral videos” are some of the types of videos that companies can use.

How can you use videos on your website and social pages?

The best way to use video on your website if the video is not your own and taken from somewhere else on the website is to use the embed code. This enables you to use the video on your website by copying it over and means that you do not have to download the video to have it on your site.

What companies use video marketing well?

Here’s my top 3 marketing videos that I think customer react really well too and have had the greatest impact lately.

Evian Baby Advert

This advert has great qualities, it has humour, fun and also a story. This is what most marketing videos should have. It should leave you thinking about it and make you want to talk about it to your friends and family. For this advert it certainly stayed in my head for a while and I will be telling my friends and family about it. Also it showed off some of their products, the Evian bottle can be seen in a number of shots.

Cravendale – Cats with thumbs

See this marketing video has branding from the start, the man is holding the product. It is also similar to the Evian baby advert in the terms of humour and fun factors. With this marketing video the company has also included links to their social sites (#catswiththumbs) which should help them gain more followers and likes through their connected social channels (Well you would have thought so with over 8 million views!)

Ronseal one coat fence life

This marketing video is quite a new one and had so much of an impact that national press actually picked up on it – click here for link

This video would have been low cost as it simply a man painting a fence for 3 minutes. This was played on TV and has had viewers glued to the screens to see what would happen, and nothing did. That was the point, but it was engaging in a different way and made viewers remember it and certainly the brand! – again this was another video which was supported by a hashtag (#ronsealadbreak)

Strengths and weaknesses of video marketing

Strengths

  • Videos are simple and easy to digest and as (Redbirdonline.com, 2016) mentions “what would you rather do, read a 30-page instruction manual or watch a 3-minute video?”
  • Video is memorable – they stick in your head and speak a thousand words if created well
  • Video is also extremely popular with over a billion people visiting YouTube each month according to (Redbirdonline.com, 2016)

Negatives

  • Video’s can be very expensive depending on what type of video you are trying to create
  • “A poorly executed video can actually harm your reputation or worsen your brand positioning” according to (Design, 2014)
  • Targeting the right audience when creating your video is extremely important, if you get this wrong your video will not have any effect at all

References

Fire, F. (2013). What is video marketing? [online] Frozen Fire. Available at: http://frozenfire.com/video-marketing/ [Accessed 7 May 2016].

Redbirdonline.com. (2016). The Pros, Cons and Costs of Video Marketing | Redbird Communications. [online] Available at: http://www.redbirdonline.com/blog/pros-cons-and-costs-video-marketing [Accessed 7 May 2016].

Design, O. (2014). Advantages and Disadvantages of Video on Your Website. [online] Omnivision Design. Available at: https://www.omnivisiondesign.com/pros-and-cons-of-video-on-your-website/ [Accessed 7 May 2016].

How to create the perfect Pecha Kucha?

So what is a Pecha Kucha?

“A Pecha Kucha is a presentation format that last exactly six minutes and forty seconds” according to (Rouse, 2016). A Pecha Kucha consists of 20 slides which last for exactly 20 seconds and can be sometimes referred to as a 20×20 presentation according to (Rouse, 2016).

Pecha Kucha stands for “the sounds of conversation” the slides will progress automatically with the presenter providing a voiceover the slides that are automatically turning according to (Rouse, 2016). Pecha Kucha’s should be fluid and run very smoothly without hesitation or people trying to go back to previous slide. They should be short and sharp and keep the audience engaged.

Tips for creating a good Pecha Kucha

Try and use images for words

By using images instead of words it helps the delivery of the presentation also makes it easier for the presenter to explain points. With only 20 seconds to deliver each slide it means that if you have lots of sentences once you have mentioned these your time could be up.

Make your presentation visually pleasing

It is really important that you make sure that your Pecha Kucha is visually pleasing and easy on the eye. It means that you will have to lose some of the more popular options like bullet points and long strings of text. Instead include some fancy text boxes and images like I said above to boost the impact of your presentation.

Please see below an example of a visually pleasing Pecha Kucha;

As you can see by the example above no words were used, only pictures. Pictures can speak a thousand words. This is why Pecha Kucha’s can be so effective if created properly and effectively!

The above video was taken from PechaKucha.org this is a great place to understand the power of Pecha Kucha.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It is essential that your Pecha Kucha flows properly and this can only happen if you know your presentation inside out. You have to know what is coming up on the next slide and practice many times before you have to present it. The best Pecha Kucha’s rarely have many words and only images so these need to be enough to prompt you as with no words there is nothing else to help you out. It needs to be like a script, practiced in this way too. You should know what to say without looking at the slides.

Timing

You only have 20 seconds per slide your timing has to be perfect as you cannot pause the slide progression or go back to slide if you haven’t quite finished this is why my point above is so important, to practice. I would recommend that you give yourself 16 seconds per slide to give you a bit of room for error or thinking encase you get stuck on a slide. If you do it could ruin your Pecha Kucha.

What software to use to create Pecha Kucha?

PowerPoint

The best way to create a Pecha Kucha is by using PowerPoint. The following steps to take to create a template can be seen below;

You can also download a template from this website by clicking here!

Prezi

This is another website that can be used to make a Pecha Kucha. According to (prezi.com, 2016) it uses “infinite canvas, unlike slides, Prezi uses an open canvas, allowing you to freely move in and out of ideas”. Prezi presentation are much more appealing on the eye than your usual PowerPoint. So if you want something different which will engage your audience Prezi is the one for you.

References

Rouse, M. (2016). What is PechaKucha (Pecha Kucha)? – Definition from WhatIs.com. [online] WhatIs.com. Available at: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/PechaKucha-pecha-kucha [Accessed 2 May 2016].

prezi.com. (2016). Why Prezi is Better | Visual Storytelling | Features | Prezi. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/features/ [Accessed 2 May 2016].

Affiliate marketing

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a marketing method which refers people to make online purchases. In return they earn commission by promoting other company’s products and services. This is a benefit for both parties as mentioned by (Strategies, 2016) the company promoting the product or service is happy as they are earning a commission just for advertising something on their website. The company who owns the product or service is of course happy because they have a sale from a customer who might not have normally come to their site direct.

The size of the affiliate marketing industry

So to give you an understanding of the size of the affiliate marketing industry in the UK, in 2013 advertising companies spent a total of £1bn marketing through their affiliate sites which in return generated a total of £14bn according to (Iabuk.net, 2016). Within a report by (Iabuk.net, 2016) it continues to mention that for every £1 spent it would bring a return of £14 for advertisers, and the most common method they use is OPM – (Online Performance Marketing) this according to (Iabuk.net, 2016) is “when advertisers don’t pay publishers to show the ad, they only pay if the ad causes someone to complete a defined action, such as making a purchase”.

OPM Examples

Compare the market – www.comparethemarket.com/

This is a website where consumers can go to find the best deals for a whole range of services including car insurance, home insurance, credit card, life insurance and broadband deals.

Comparethemarket

Wowcher – www.wowcher.co.uk/

Wowcher describe themselves as “a deal a day site that uses the power of group buying or bulk buying to get unbeatable deals on the best stuff to do, see, visit, eat and buy in a variety of cities in the UK” (Wowcher.co.uk, 2016).

Wowcher

Nectar – https://www.nectar.com/

Is a loyalty card programme which people can use in a number of UK high street retailers to generate points, in return for the points people can redeem them for days out, flight and meals.

 

Nectar

What are the advantages and disadvantages for companies using affiliate marketing?

Advantages
  • Companies will be available in many different areas of the internet which will result in more potential customers and certainly leads for the company, this will also mean that the company doesn’t have spend time and money in finding these customers.
  • The risk is very low for companies as they will only be paying the affiliate companies once they receive a lead or sale from the customer they found.
  • As a company starts to build its affiliate network it will in turn increase it rating for inbound links. In doing so it will mean that search engines will recognise this and boost their rankings when the company is searched for in a search engine.
Disadvantages
  • The company could lose track of how the product is being advertised and in term gain negative press for their products or services.
  • Companies can suffer from commission costs. If companies are using to many affiliates to gain customers, this could result in receiving bad leads and mean that they are paying out for customer’s details of poor quality.

Summary

All in all, affiliate marketing can be very profitable for both parties. It is important that the affiliate understands the product that they are advertising and believes in it in order to gain the most from it. The company needs to be wise with who they let advertise their product and where they are being advertised. It is important for the company that the affiliate understands and appreciates the rules and regulations when advertising products. If they do not, it could become costly for the company using the affiliate and in turn the company will lose money through it.

 

Strategies, S. (2016). Smart Affiliate Marketing Strategies. [online] The Smart Passive Income Blog. Available at: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/affiliate-marketing-strategies/ [Accessed 28 Jan. 2016].

Iabuk.net, (2016). Affiliate marketing & lead generation ad spend hits £1bn | IAB UK. [online] Available at: http://www.iabuk.net/about/press/archive/affiliate-marketing-lead-generation-ad-spend-hits-1bn [Accessed 28 Jan. 2016].

Wowcher.co.uk, (2016). Wowcher | About Us. [online] Available at: http://www.wowcher.co.uk/aboutus.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2016].