Let’s talk about content marketing. How’s it doing in 2021? Where might it be headed this year and next? Is it still the king? Content marketing continues to flourish for one very simple reason: it’s what the people want. They don’t want intrusive banners, ads, and popups. They don’t want irrelevant messages and products that have nothing to do with them shoved in their face. They don’t want spam clogging their inbox. People want high quality, useful, relevant, and engaging content about things that matter to them. Craig Davis , the former Chief Creative Officer at marketing communications firm J. Walter Thompson, said it best: We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in. That’s content marketing in a nutshell. And yes, it’s still king, but it is evolving. Consider: Compared to outbound tactics, content marketing costs 62% less but generates 3x …

Are you missing out on a huge section of your target audience? If you’re not using live streaming to engage with your followers, then you might be. The numbers behind live streaming are impressive , and if you’re not already, you should be incorporating this medium into your marketing strategy. Here’s how you can leverage live streaming to create crazy levels of engagement with your audience. What Is Live Streaming? Live streaming is a powerful way to connect with your target audience and personalize your message in a way that’s unique compared to other marketing mediums. It’s a simple process to send a live feed over the internet to your audience, but it can have big results. By utilizing your social media reach, you can stream live footage to a huge audience and give your followers a unique glimpse into your company. The growth of live streaming has been exponential, …

More than three-quarters of social media ad spend in Q3 2020 was allotted to main-feed formats according to Socialbakers’ social media trends report [download page] for the last quarter. Here’s a look at some key trends in the study relating to Facebook and Instagram post types. In a quarter that saw total ad spend grow… Read More » The post Live Video Gets Highest Post Engagement Rate on Facebook in Q3; News Feed Still Tops for Ad CTR appeared first on Marketing Charts .

Studying how people use video search to find the content they want is an essential but often neglected area of marketing. When we understand how video search engines work, we can begin to devise marketing strategies around this traffic source. When you understand your audience’s search intent and properly optimize your videos, you unlock new means of generating leads for your business. In this guide, we break down video search engines and how you can use them to increase your traffic. What Is Video Search? The first thing we need to think about is why people search for videos in the first place. What makes someone look for a specific video? Why are they searching for that video? What are they looking to accomplish? All of these questions are important to answer, and we’ll address them, one by one. According to Google, people look for videos for three different reasons. …

Facebook organic reach is down. Way down. In the past, posting a link on your Facebook or Instagram page could drive hundreds of clicks. Not any more. Social media referrals have stagnated around 5 percent of all traffic for years . The average Facebook post will reach just over 5 percent of your followers. The encouraging news is social media reach is still massive. There are more than 3.5 billion active social media users . But reaching that massive audience is harder than ever before. What’s the answer? That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this article. Let’s get started. What Exactly Is Organic Reach On Facebook Organic reach is the number of people who see your content without paid distribution. It includes people who are shown your posts in their own feed or because their friends have interacted with you. Paid reach is the people who see your content as …

In 2017, Facebook launched its answer to the burgeoning streaming video market: Facebook Watch. Through Watch, users could view both scripted and live video from professional networks, brands, influencers, and everyday people. Facebook released Watch to a limited group of users, and for that first year, it flew pretty much under the radar. In 2018, they launched it globally, and the service took off like a rocket. By 2019, Watch had 270 million monthly users, and by 2020, that number had shot up to over 1.25 billion, according to Facebook . I covered Facebook Watch in a previous post when it initially launched. Since then, they have expanded their content offerings (even getting into the music space!) and added a ton of features for brands and marketers. In this post, I’ll dive deep into how to use Facebook Watch for marketing, now that the platform has matured. Content on Facebook …

30-second summary: Disney+ will pioneer the OTT market with 72.4 million US monthly viewers in 2020 as it marks its first year. Marketers will need to strategize their ad spend and campaign designs mindfully as ad-free streaming will continue to reign in 2021. Top five priorities for C-suite will be – Improved productivity, risk management, the transition to digital platforms/technologies, improving customer engagement, and retaining top talent. 81% of CMOs stated to have a crucial impact on the C-suite’s marketing strategy conversations proving that they will take center stage in 2021 and the years to come. CMOs will be heavily responsible for marketing strategy (81%) and capturing new markets (67%) with a fair share of voice even in the product road map (39%). Consumers want to purchase from brands that align with their beliefs and are more conscious. In fact, organizations that better align consumers’ values are 2x as likely …

TikTok is having a moment. Whether you use the app already or have spotted TikToks popping up on other social platforms, it’s clear that TikTok isn’t just another fleeting trend. It’s here to stay. Yet it’s easy to see how someone not familiar with TikTok (ahem, your boss) might dismiss it as a Snapchat reboot. Worse, they might assume content from Snapchat can be repurposed on TikTok. The two platforms share similar features (and yes, similar audiences) but their value offerings are entirely different. TikTok is a video sharing app for short clips set to music while Snapchat is a photo and video messaging app centered on ‘Stories’ and other short-lived formats. Each platform offers unique ways to connect with audiences if used the right way by the right type of brand. If you’re not sure where your brand fits in – or if it even fits in at all …

It was only a matter of time. Just like Amazon, YouTube, and Netflix before it, Facebook officially entered the video streaming game with Facebook Watch. What is Facebook Watch, and what does it mean for you your marketing strategy? What is Facebook Watch? Launched in 2017 to select users in the U.S. via mobile, desktop, and TV apps, Facebook Watch is the company’s entrée into episodic streaming video . Videos range from mini-documentaries to live sporting events, courtesy of partnerships with Major League Baseball. There was a set group of publishers at launch, but the company opened it up to other creators. How Does Facebook Watch Make Money? Facebook Watch is monetized through ad breaks. The producing partners earn 55% of ad break revenue while Facebook keeps 45%. What Makes Facebook Watch Different From Other Streaming Services? The streaming video space is undeniably crowded, so Facebook had to find a …

30-second summary: OTT is solving many of the problems that traditional TV advertising has faced, and the ability for brands to get extremely granular and target their ideal customers better will make this marketing medium a hot topic in the new year. Amazon’s Twitch is a perfect example of a niche network that is Gen Z heavy, has an audience that’s uber-engaged, and offers its own advertising placements that can be catered to reach this audience, like in-stream and video advertising. The real magic of AI image recognition lies with the innovative companies that have started to crawl all of the images on the web and offer them as a way for advertisers to get placements on those pages — even on the images themselves in some situations. Pinterest’s demographics and usage are a match made in heaven for a wide swath of B2C products. Whether it’s fashion, home decor …