San Diego Digital Video Production and Motion Graphics
Video production is hot. Having a well placed video on your website can make the difference in attracting the right type of client. The benefits of utilizing videos in your marketing is two fold; you are able to reach a much broader audience, and you can supplement your current marketing efforts.
Reaching a Bigger Audience with Video Production
YouTube is the largest search engine second only to Google. It is used on a daily basis by millions of people for both entertainment and research purposes. By adding video content to YouTube, you are making yourself accessible to the second largest audience on the web. Online marketers know that digital video production cannot be ignored because a well thought out video production strategy will not only attract new customers, but will also improve your brand. By consistently engaging your audience with video, you not only position yourself as an expert in your industry, but you give a voice and face to your brand.
Online Videos Have the Potential of Going Viral
Viral videos have been known to rocket a company into new heights. They have launched new stars and have launched new careers. Videos are so easy to share. If you create a video that is funny, intriguing, engaging, or provides great value, you can be sure to find it being shared online. If you have a great idea for a video that you know has the potential to go viral, contact Incitrio today.
Supplementing Your Current Marketing Efforts
Videos are very helpful for your online visitors. They can help explain a difficult topic that would otherwise be difficult to get across. This is important because video production can help your marketing and sales department save time. A well developed video can be easily referenced time and time again. If your sales team is faced with having to answer the same question over and over again, consider creating a video response. If your product is difficult to use or if there are complicated setup steps, consider an instructional video. Instead of relying too much on your customer service representative or technical advisor to answer these questions, create a video. A video on your website will be accessible 24hours a day. This means that your customers will find the valuable answers they are looking for without having to face disappointment when nobody picks up the phone during off-hours.
What is a Transmedia Video?
Transmedia videos are the most useful videos in delivering a difficult message to a greater audience. Transmedia videos utilize a mixture of video and motion graphics seamlessly integrated to provide the viewer with a video watching experience that goes deeper than just any ordinary video. Transmedia videos produced at Incitrio are commercial quality videos that can be used online, or on television. If you are interested in a transmedia video, contact us today.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 10 years, you know that Social Media has revolutionized our everyday lives. Whether directly or indirectly, Social Media shapes the way we communicate and interact with our friends and family. Social Media enables us to get updates on the latest events, stay in touch with friends, find long lost relatives, follow our favorite celebs, get caught up on the latest gossip, and interact with people who share our common interests. Social Media has also become a useful tool for businesses to communicate with their market.
What Are the Benefits of Social Media?
Social Media keeps us connected to one another. It provides a cheaper, and more interactive, alternative to communicating in person or by phone. Faster Internet speeds and mobile device integration allow more people the ability to stay connected than ever before, whether at home or on the go.
Social Media is a public forum. Users can share news and developments that are important to them, and other people can subscribe to those same ideas or belief systems. You no longer have to read the newspaper’s “Letters to the Editor” section to see what your friends and neighbors think about current events. Just log-in to Twitter or Facebook and see minute-by-minute updates.
Social Media continues to evolve and change. The longer that Social Media platforms exist, the more they adapt to the needs of the user. Examples include: customizable profiles, privacy settings, common interest groups, as well as advancements in technology such as Facebook’s purchase of Skype.
Social Media provides variety. With all of the Social Media platforms out there, it is impossible not to find one that works for you. If you’re not a fan of Twitter, you might enjoy critiquing your favorite hangouts on Yelp. If you don’t use Facebook, you might prefer posting and commenting on YouTube.
Social Media provides immediate satisfaction. You no longer have to wait to see the photos of last night’s party or corporate event. Now, they can be easily accessed by searching a few keywords or individual photo galleries. You can feel up-to-date with the ever-evolving social climate without speaking a word to anyone. No wonder people are accused of being Social Media addicts.
What Are the Dangers of Social Media?
Social Media is a public space, open to all willing to abide by the platform’s guidelines and policies. This means all content that is posted should be considered public. If there are details about a subject matter that should not be public, they should never be shared on a public network.
Social Media is by its very nature an informal mode of communication. It was initially meant for individuals to connect as friends. But now, Social Media is also leveraged by businesses to communicate with their target audience. When communicating as a business, it is important to have a strategy, guidelines, and oversight. Strategy helps a company achieve its online marketing goals. Guidelines protect the brand’s reputation by helping prepare each contributor to add valuable and relevant content. Oversight ensures that the message is professional and stays on target. Ultimately, Social Media strategy, guidelines, and oversight help the company grow.
Social Media doesn’t allow for complete control. When you post content on a social network, anyone who views it can comment and draw his or her own conclusions. Before posting content, remember interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. Your audience’s interaction with your post controls the message, not you. If you are concerned that you aren’t being clear, expect that others will be unclear as well. Clarity will prevent more problems down the road.
What are Best Practices for Social Media and Online Communication?
1. Determine your target audience. Try to identify key demographics like gender, age, income, and race. Creating an ideal candidate’s demographic profile allows you to tailor your message. Go further and find out where your target market congregates online. Are they most likely to use LinkedIn or Facebook? Do they Yelp or Twitter? Maybe they use all of these platforms. If they participate in multiple Social Media sites, find out what type of common interest groups they belong to or what type of services they use the most. A little research ensures that you spend your time and energy communicating with the right people on the right platforms.
2. Create a set of rules for posting on your Social Media sites. Putting together a list of rules that encompass your Social Media goals creates a sole governing force for your organization. The rules should address who you are targeting and your overall online marketing goals.
3. Create content. It sounds obvious, but creating content is an integral part of a successful Social Media strategy. Make sure that someone that is established in your company and knows the ins-and-outs is tasked with updating your Social Media pages frequently. This person can post links to your website on Facebook and come up with attention-grabbing Tweets. By consistently updating content, your business becomes more visible and your interaction with clients increases.
4. Find out what platforms work for your type of business. Clothing is not one size fits all, and neither is Social Media. What works for one company may not work for another. So don’t stretch your resources thin. Pick a few Social Media platforms that generate the best interactions with new clients and stick with them.
5. Assign roles to members of your team. Ensure that you update your Social Media platforms consistently by assigning roles to your team members. By giving everyone a specific task, you minimize the chance of simply forgetting to update content and interact with clients. Of course, don’t forget to a have a consistent message. As previously mentioned, having a set of rules will keep everyone on track, regardless of his or her specific role.
6. Make targeted, long-lasting connections. You can’t be successful in your industry without knowing how other successful people made it to where they are today. Connect with influential people in your field on Social Media platforms and see what they are saying and how people respond. Connecting with important people in your industry gives you the opportunity to learn and emulate new best practices.
Not all Social Media strategies are the same. Each one requires custom tailoring depending on the industry and the history of the company. When deciding on beginning or enhancing your Social Media communications, contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.
The popularity of Facebook goes without mention. As the use of Facebook increases, it is easy to find more and more companies making a presence on Facebook Pages. Although there are many businesses using Pages, not many are using them well. The majority of companies using Facebook seem content with simply having a presence on this particular social media site alone, but the ones who have a comprehensive strategy will be the ones rewarded with an increase in business exposure and with a further strengthening of their brand.
What’s at Stake with Facebook Marketing
When representing your company on Social Media sites your reputation and that of your company is at stake. The reputation your company has built over time comes from what your customers say about you, and is largely influenced by what your company says about itself. By joining social media sites such as Facebook, you are opening a new window through which to spread your message. Although this medium encourages casual conversations, it can be easy to lose track of your message if you are not careful and no oversight exists.
Mistakes to Avoid on Facebook Pages
1. Not understanding the difference between a Facebook Profile and a Facebook Page.
Facebook was designed to allow “individuals” to connect. It was not originally designed for “businesses” to market in the same way. Facebook has now provided businesses and organizations with a method to connect through Facebook Pages. Facebook Pages have similar functionality to Facebook Profiles. But, with Pages you can create a fan base instead of a friends list. Pages allows you to reach a broad market, but only through the recommendations of real people who choose to “like” your business page. Creating a Facebook Profile (rather than a Page) for your business is a direct violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service.
2. Allowing anyone in the company to post updates that do not fall in line with a specific strategy, or have not been pre-approved by your marketing department or CEO.
Imagine your Facebook Page is an additional employee. Further, imagine your Facebook Page is also a marketing professional who will be the face and voice of your company 24 hours a day! They must be well versed on communicating the exciting and new information that your company wants to share, while creating new connections and building a following. This employee must also be savvy, knowing when to take appropriate actions. Be sure that whoever is in charge of maintaining your Facebook page knows when to reply to comments, concerns, and questions brought up by your audience. They must also know when it is time to ask their higher ups for advice, or simply know when to stay quiet.
3. Not completing your Page profile information, or failing to see your page from a user’s perspective.
Your online profile tells others who you are as an organization and what you are all about. It is a deciding factor in validating whether you are a trustworthy source. Be sure your profile is complete and up-to-date. Make sure that your profile image stands out. Facebook will allow an image up to 200×600 pixels, giving you plenty of space to add a compelling graphic. Many companies simply add their logo to this area. Keep in mind that your logo may appear cropped or significantly smaller during a search and not accurately convey just what product or service you offer. Consider adding a more literal image that showcases your products or speaks to your brand. This will ensure you always make a good first impression.
After uploading your profile image, be sure to log out and try to search for your company. Check out your profile image to ensure that it appears properly in the search as it does on your Page.
4. Failing to devote enough time to your marketing efforts may spread yourself too thin.
In all ongoing marketing efforts, devote enough time to build a natural following. Be sure to plan ahead of time in order to allot enough time and resources to make your campaign a success. The amount of time you budget will depend on how many assets you have available. As a general rule, twice the amount of time that is spent online should be spent offline gathering and generating content that will be used in your campaign. Running out of things to say can be easy when you have not invested enough time into creating a proper strategy and failing to gather your content in advance. Assess your human resources to ensure that you have enough staff and time available to dedicate to the maintenance of your Facebook account.
5. Getting personal or getting into divisive issues.
As a general rule, avoid writing about politics, sex, drugs, violence, or anything else that could be considered divisive or politically incorrect. Unless you are directly affiliated with a political organization or are in the business of selling any of the above, avoid communicating about those topics when you are representing a company or organization. Prevent talking about your home life or personal issues, that is what your personal Facebook account is for. It’s important to understand the difference so that you don’t end up embarrassing the company with news about your love or party life.
6. Using Facebook Pages as a bulletin board or loudspeaker.
A bulletin board or loudspeaker does not engage an audience. It is simply a passive way of advertising. Be sure to devote part of your strategy to speaking with people about what is happening at your company. Keep them engaged with interesting information and keep them updated on the most up to date news and press releases. Push it further by asking questions and by adding content that provides value.
7. Lacking a custom Facebook landing page or using a landing page ineffectively.
By default, a user will land on your “wall” inside of your Facebook Page. It is possible though to allow users to land on a custom designed page. By using applications that allow the use of HTML, you can create a unique landing page that will provide a better experience for your visitors. Many companies already use custom landing pages, but often times they are full of information that is hard to digest. Do not forget that the idea of a landing page is to get people to click on the “like” button, not to provide them with all of the information at once. You can provide them with all of that useful content once they have decided to “like” you. Make sure to keep your custom landing page simple and attractive.
8. Leaving the account for dead.
Some companies loose faith in Facebook Pages when they do not see immediate results. This will often lead to abandoned pages that do nothing for the company, but hurt their reputation. Nothing looks worse on a Facebook search than a company with few fans and no recent updates. It will make a company look like one who does not follow through. If this is the case with your company page, it is best to delete it now, until you have a viable strategy.
What’s the Right Way to Market on Facebook?
This is the million dollar question that every business marketer wants to know. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. There are many strategies that a business can take when implementing a Facebook plan. The very first step is to figure out what you want to accomplish. Is this Facebook Page meant to increase sales, is it meant to increase awareness? Perhaps this is simply meant to drive traffic to your site, or is meant to create support for a cause. Until you know what you are trying to accomplish, you cannot create an effective strategy that works. Start by setting small goals. Small goals will provide you with a way to measure how successful a campaign is. Small goals may include weekly tasks such as making 5 new friends per week, commenting on 5 common interest groups. Align these goals with your overall strategy to ensure that each small goal takes you one step further towards your overall goal.
Be sure to contribute with great content. Add content on a regular basis. Try to focus on adding plenty of photos and videos as they are a great way to draw attention to your page. Utilize your strategy to find out what type of content you will be putting out. Will it be informative? Will it be entertaining? Begin documenting everything that is worth documenting such as special events and engagements, notes on special talks you have attended, comments on industry updates, etc.
Things to do When Marketing on Facebook
1. Create a strategy that provides a clear long term goal. Create a list with several short term goals that will provide a framework on what steps to take in creating a comprehensive online strategy that will keep you focused and interesting.
2. Create a “what if” list. This list should have as man scenarios as you can think of on what approach to take if something happens. Begin to think outside of the box with questions such as “What do I do if I get a bad review of the company?” “What do I do if a visitor wants to see an example of our work?” “What do I do if someone re-posts my latest update?” Try to get a good, overall idea of all the things that could go wrong, and try to balance it out with all of the things that could go right. This by itself could help in guiding the everyday conversations taking place about your company.
3. Create an alert for your company name. There are several ways to do this, but they all generally work the same, get updates to your inbox every time someone mentions your company name on the web. This way you will be sure to be on top of all press associated with your company image.
4. Be transparent, not fake. Do make an effort to show your audience that there exists a human behind the scenes by posting frequently, showing sincere concern, and by posting relevant information that will answer posted questions or will address issues relevant to your industry.
5. Make strategic connections with key individuals within your industry. If they like your page, others within their networks may see your updates, further strengthening your fan base and credibility.
6. Do check in frequently with your marketing department to ensure that you have the latest news, developments, press releases, advertisements, and updated content.
7. Do seek the advice of a professional online marketing firm when you are in doubt.
Incitrio is an award winning branding and an integrated online marketing agency helping companies just like yours find success in the confusing world of social media and Facebook marketing. If you have a company looking to make an online impact, contact us today at 858.202.1822. We can help you connect with your market through successful social media campaigns, and can help you find great new avenues for reaching your audience.
In the current business atmosphere, not adapting to current trends such as social media can make a company look outdated and out of touch. The basic reality is that today’s clients will rely on social media avenues to find your products or services, and will expect your company to make itself available through these avenues. If you are not making yourself available, opportunities can be missed and your competitors will bank on your absence. Additionally, a lack of participation through these mediums will not allow you create the web of information that search engines rely on to provide better results for each search result.
The Relationship of Social Media and Search Engines
For years, the common trend among search engines has been in providing better real-time search results. As a result of the demand for finding the most up to date information, search engines have begun to index websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It is not a stretch to see the forecast in the horizon; social media websites will have a greater impact in allowing your clients to find you first when searching for your product or service on any search engine. Today is the perfect time to begin engaging in the conversations already taking place. Waiting any longer to put together a comprehensive strategy will only empower your competitors.
The Social Media Forecast
According to Forrester Research’s U.S. Online Retail Forecast for 2008 – 2013, online retail sales were expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10% to reach $229 billion by 2013. This huge market highlights the importance of participating in the online marketplace, as it consists of a large number of consumers. As more and more of these consumers continue to adapt to this virtual marketplace, the potential for online sales continue to grow. Additionally, Forrester’s research finds that the typical online consumer is less likely to be negatively affected by the economic climate we are currently experiencing, allowing for more stability for companies who have shifted a significant portion of their marketing and sales efforts to an online platform.
As the recession lingers and consumer confidence remains low, Forrester finds that by 2013, 33% of online users will do more research in order to find the most competitive prices, and points to a large increase in comparison-shopping. The research presented in this report shows that consumers are not just looking for the best deals, but are also doing more targeted shopping, while reducing impulse purchases. Additionally, 54% of offline sales will be influenced by online research. This information makes it very clear that an investment in online marketing is an investment that will allow a company to continue to grow, despite a bad economy.
Facebook alone claims 500 million active members, according to statistics on their website. 100 million members actively use LinkedIn according to their website. By having a presence on these and similar sites and by leveraging them to find and communicate with your target audience, you will begin to position yourself as a modern business, whose market is important enough for you to communicate with.
Communicating on social media sites will require proper strategy to ensure your efforts will be worthwhile and will make sure that each tweet, post, update, and comment fall within your brand guidelines. You will want to make sure that the strategy you employ will place you in the best possible position to grow online, and will help you avoid the pitfalls that can negatively affect your company.
When conducting yourself in a social media setting, make sure to:
Integrate your existing marketing efforts.
By integrating your marketing efforts, you will make sure that your message stays consistent throughout the different sites you participate in. You will also be able to save time by reducing the number of times you must visit each site. An ideal solution will allow you to automatically post to various sites with minimal work.
Remain professional at all times.
The nature of social media encourages an informal setting for communicating. It is important that each employee understands that their online conduct reflects on the company. Employees should enjoy the fact that they are a professional and should conduct themselves in a fun, but professional manner.
Use the social media platform to enhance research and to get insight on the market and on market trends.
With the use of such tools available, including common interest groups, fan pages, and Google Alerts, you can get insight on what people are saying about your industry. Use the information you gather to develop new avenues and solutions in order to be on the forefront of development.
Engage with your audience.
It would make no sense to create these platforms without using them to communicate and engage with your audience. Be sure to assess your resources in order to avoid stretching your resources too thin, and only dedicate your efforts to those sites in which you will be able to routinely participate.
Become an industry leader
Realize that each communication you add to the conversation should be well thought out, and each should put you one step closer to becoming a leader in your field. This will be accomplished by adding quality content, and by being consistent in your positive message.
Don’t give too much away.
Save the most valuable information for your paying clients. If you give away too much information, your connections will no longer need to purchase your service. Additionally, it will be unfair to those who already pay for the information that you may be giving away.
Provide Oversight
Be sure that a Marketing Director, CEO or other high ranking individual provides oversight. Nobody will understand the company better than a CEO or one who answers directly to the head of the company. Only they can ensure the proper conversation is taking place and that each communication enforces the company’s beliefs, mission statement and policy.
Not all social media strategies are the same. Each one requires custom tailoring depending on the industry and the history of the company. When deciding on beginning or enhancing your social media communications, contact Incitrio at 858.202.1822 to get an honest review of your current efforts and to get brand-specific strategies proven effective in today’s online jungle. We are an award winning, full-service marketing firm focused on client success in Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design, Online Marketing, Email Marketing and Web Design.
San Diego Digital Video Production and Motion Graphics
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 10 years, you know that Social Media has revolutionized our everyday lives. Whether directly or indirectly, Social Media shapes the way we communicate and interact with our friends and family. Social Media enables us to get updates on the latest events, stay in touch with friends, find long lost relatives, follow our favorite celebs, get caught up on the latest gossip, and interact with people who share our common interests. Social Media has also become a useful tool for businesses to communicate with their market. 
The popularity of Facebook goes without mention. As the use of Facebook increases, it is easy to find more and more companies making a presence on Facebook Pages. Although there are many businesses using Pages, not many are using them well. The majority of companies using Facebook seem content with simply having a presence on this particular social media site alone, but the ones who have a comprehensive strategy will be the ones rewarded with an increase in business exposure and with a further strengthening of their brand. 
Facebook was designed to allow “individuals” to connect. It was not originally designed for “businesses” to market in the same way. Facebook has now provided businesses and organizations with a method to connect through Facebook Pages. Facebook Pages have similar functionality to Facebook Profiles. But, with Pages you can create a fan base instead of a friends list. Pages allows you to reach a broad market, but only through the recommendations of real people who choose to “like” your business page. Creating a Facebook Profile (rather than a Page) for your business is a direct violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service.
In the current business atmosphere, not adapting to current trends such as social media can make a company look outdated and out of touch. The basic reality is that today’s clients will rely on social media avenues to find your products or services, and will expect your company to make itself available through these avenues. If you are not making yourself available, opportunities can be missed and your competitors will bank on your absence. Additionally, a lack of participation through these mediums will not allow you create the web of information that search engines rely on to provide better results for each search result.
