Here are some must-know stats on online video.

Consumers give up on an online video if it doesn’t load in two seconds. (University of Massachusetts Amherst and Akamai Technologies)

Globally, online video traffic will be 55 percent of all consumer Internet traffic in 2016. (Cisco)

52 percent of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions. (Invodo)

Mobile video ads that include social media buttons drive 36 percent higher engagement. (Rhythm NewMedia).

76 percent of marketers plan to add video to their sites, making it a higher priority than Facebook, Twitter and blog integration. (Social Media Examiner)

For the full article, click here.

There’s no denying that we’re living through a time of change for both media and business. Traditional methods of reaching new audiences — and keeping them — are being completely rethought, and the future of how we market our products or brands seems to be headed in the direction of social sharing and mobile viewing.

While that shift is taking place, another disruptive factor has risen up and proven itself a major player in the digital realm: online video. Not only are people consuming more video during their daily lives, audiences have grown to prefer it when it comes to advertising on the web, according to new research.

Banner advertising yields ever-decreasing conversion rates, whereas video ads are proving more adept at grabbing viewers and turning them into new customers. Youtube has emerged as more than a place for idle viewing — it’s now a full-fledged marketplace for brands to showcase their products and interact directly with their customers. And companies have begun to take notice. Content marketing (which inevitably includes video) is now standard practice for many businesses as they look beyond 728X90 campaigns of a captivating image and a snappy call to action. Now, advertisers are exploring the power of video to communicate more effectively, much faster.

Video advertising offers new opportunities for both engagement and brand loyalty. Think about how much people were discussing and dissecting Super Bowl ads in recent weeks, a testament to their “stickiness” factor. But you don’t have to have a big name or big budget to make a splash. Thanks to the power of internet sharing, and the rich array of stock video available for easy purchase, anyone can produce the next viral video. Some brands have taken advantage of this platform by unveiling web-only commercials that rely on shares and exposure to help build up their name.

Based on the evidence and the trends, it’s likely time for your business to start thinking about video, if you haven’t already; marketing strategies should factor in content creation. With video showing its staying power, it presents an opportunity for longterm success to engage with new customers.

Danny Groner is the manager of blogger partnerships & outreach for Shutterstock. For more information, visit http://www.shutterstock.com/.

The time has arrived when it’s simply mandatory for business people and entrepreneurs to master storytelling in order to be successful.

Fortune Magazine’s Pattie Sellers.

Heck, any news person knows the value of a legitimate story. As a lifelong journalist and communicator, I’ve written and consulted for years about the need for authenticity and transparency as a way to enhance and distinguish brand awareness.

Fortune Magazine senior editor Pattie Sellers joins the chorus that times have changed. Influence of traditional advertising and promotion is waning, it’s not enough. Online social media and brand journalism have changed all that, says Ms. Sellers.

The phenomena of storytelling is today essential for business and other organizations, not only online but offline, she says. An authentic brand image is distinguished by telling a unique and consistent story.

Why be authentic, asks Ms. Sellers? Because it’s so easy today for a falsehood to be exposed.

For more information on brand journalism, visit http://www.davidhenderson.com/.

According to Aberdeen, the ones that are leading the way in engaging with consumers, building brand loyalty and driving conversions all have one thing in common — they are more likely to use video in their content marketing efforts.

The research proves that these best-in-class organizations are using video to communicate with customers and prospects at every stage of the buyer journey. These organizations are:

• 38% more likely than all other companies to use video in their external communications
• Outperforming the rest of the market 2:1 when it comes to website conversion rates
• 30% more likely to have professional grade in-house video production capabilities
• 33% more likely to have a solid plan for reaching devices and social destinations
• Twice as likely to leverage big data and video analytics data to measure the performance of their content
• Five times more likely to use an online video management platform

Marketers of all sizes are faced with a variety of challenges in reaching their audience across an ever-changing, and increasingly noisy, landscape of social channels, devices and screens. It’s great to see these best-in-class organizations achieving success with video and driving engagement, brand loyalty and conversions.

Learn more at Brightcove.com.

Content marketers are using more tactics

This year, on average, B2B content marketers are using 12 tactics — a significant increase over the average number of tactics used in each of the past two years (8 tactics). Unlike last year, where articles reigned supreme, social media (excluding blogs) was reported to be the most popular content marketing tactic, with an adoption rate of 87 percent.

The use of all tactics has risen across the board, with one exception — print magazines have stayed the same, at 31 percent. Research reports, videos, mobile content, and virtual conferences are some of the tactics that have seen the biggest increases in adoption rates.

Content marketers continue to be uncertain about tactics

Even though marketers are using more tactics, they are still unclear about how effective they are — a trend that is similar to what we saw last year. As you can see in the chart below, marketers continue to consider in-person events to be the most effective tactic (at 67 percent).

Read more … click here.

These people are on social media and they are talking online. They know what they like and they know what they don’t like. Something very important to remember is that, as the work force gets younger, they are more likely to use social media to do research than their predecessors were. While your target might be different than a B2C, at the end of the day, it is really all about engagement and relationship.

Three-quarters (75%) of executives surveyed said they watch work-related videos on business-related websites at least weekly; more than half (52%) watch work-related videos on YouTube at least weekly. (source: Forbes)

The truth is that the strategy for B2B video is very similar as the process for B2C video. You need to know your target market. You need to understand how they buy and how they search for what they want online. You need to understand where they hang out within social media. The nice thing about marketing for B2B is that, often times, you can be more targeted because you are not trying to hit such a large audience.

Read more of Neal Schaffer’s tips at WindMillNetworking.com.

Back in June 2012, we originally posted 21 types of content people crave. These were seen by more than 204,000 people, generating 255 likes, 51 comments and 163 shares. Our summary top 10 graphic was seen by yet more. Based on the feedback we got, and our own research using InfiniGraph, we narrowed it down to what we think are the 10 most important. Let’s explore what those are and how you can use them in this blog post.

InfiniGraph has identified 10 areas of communications that are trending:

1. Reveal Secrets

I’m going to tell you a secret. Just kidding. See how that works? We pay attention. No one wants to be uninformed, or at a disadvantage from a lack of knowledge.

2. Remind Us That Dreams Can Come True

Life is tough. Sometimes it’s great. Sometimes it sucks. We are fueled by our goals and our dreams. People love your Facebook page if it helps them believe in and achieve their dreams- whether that’s riding a mountain bike in the desert, or achieving financial freedom with their own business, or just enjoying good times with their friends. Every company has customers and all of those customers have individual and shared dreams. Tap into people’s dreams and drive them forward. Your products and services are just a means to the end.

Click here for the full story.

In a world that proclaims “Content is king,” it is these stories that are showing up as the next big thing. Whether it’s an auto manufacturing company asking folks to look back into their past with their very first (insert brand here) car, or a mom reflecting on the first cake she baked from a box and how it made her feel, brands are encouraging consumers to be a part of the story by recalling their own experiences.

The resulting human interest stories, with a specific brand as a centerpiece, are being utilized in a number of creative ways. For example, the videos are showing up on a brand’s Web site as personal brand commentary to humanize and personalize their corporate website. Equally or even more common, the video stories are used as a part of content on Facebook and other social-sharing sites. These videos are perfect complements to commercials that are uploaded on brand pages on YouTube, too.

There are a few unique benefits from these video stories for brands:

1. The videos come across as authentic (if shot correctly). They are not stylized, or stuffy, or corporate. They are real people sharing real memories that reflect positively on a brand.
2. Then, there’s the endorsement by a satisfied customer expressed in warm, friendly, non-salesy manner. These testimonials, even when referring to the brand in memories from 10-15 years ago, open the door for future product trial and adoption by consumers.
3. And finally, these stories personalize the brand. They bring the brand down to the consumer level, which is appreciated by the consumer, and proves to be very motivational. It is this personalization of the brand that results in shareability.

Read more … click here.

If you are selling into enterprise level clients you know that there is more of a diverse set of busy decision makers out there than ever before. With decision makers having access to a ton of information and the ability make their own assessment in the buying process keeping all the decision makers engaged enough so you can navigate and overcome any objections is the key to winning more deals.

A Forbes Insight Study reveled that 59 percent of C-level decision makers prefer online video to reading text because it helps them make deeper connections with your company and better understand your product / service, team and value propositions. However, most sales peoples till use white papers, case studies, websites and other pieces of paper. Because paper does not provide a personal connection, it is no wonder why decision makers don’t “have time” to sift through the information your marketing department spent so much money on. Therefore, decision makers, may not be educated on how your company and solution can support their business objectives.

Because online video content marketing reaches out, informs and builds trust with your customers quicker, easier and more effectively than any other marketing medium, a well thought out plan for using online video marketing content in your enterprise deals will differentiate your organization, give you a competitive edge to drive sales.

Here are a few areas for your organization to get started using online video marketing in your enterprise level sales process.

1. What paper is used the most? Look at your company’s brochures, product specs, case studies and white papers. These are widely used in the sales process and can have a greater impact using web video content marketing.Keep customers engaged and win the deal!
2. Who makes your company the best? Enterprise buyers know sales people only represent the team that will be implementing the solution. Arm your sales team with video marketing content that allows these buyers to connect with your team. From your technicians, project managers, support to operations. Get them to connect personally with your team and win more deals!
3. What do you find your sales team repeating? An Invodo webinar reported that 66% of buyers watch product informational-intensive videos two or three more times. Which means they are going back multiple times to get more information to make informed purchase decisions. Get customers better informed and win the deal!
4. What is easy to show but difficult to explain? You have product/service information on your website… simply and professionally present your products and services with video production just like you do everyday! You are the expert, show your stuff and win the deal!
5. Post presentation objection handling – Record answers to the top three objections your customers have. Let your clients know that you understand and have dealt with their kind of problems before and that your products or services have been created for them. This will build trust and credibility without directly selling to win more deals.
6. Thank you videos – Send a thank you video after every meeting. Remind customers about your value propositions and insert testimonials from other clients to win more deals.

Read more at SocialMediaToday.com.

An infographic from the PRESSfeed 2012 Online Newsroom Survey highlights some large discrepancies between what journalists want from press releases and what PR pros think they want.

For example, 75 percent of journalists say they want access to video in a press release, but only 43 percent of PR pros think videos are important to journalists. Even fewer (32 percent) have a video gallery in their newsroom.

Also, adding images, graphics and video to a press release can increase views by as much as 77 percent, but more than half (54 percent) of PR pros don’t have the resources to produce them.

Here’s what it all looks like …

To see the full article, click here.