A testament to the power of social media

It’s amazing how quickly social media has taken hold of the world.  Why, just a short three years ago, I was completely clueless as to what the term “social media” even referred to.  And then when I did finally gain some grain of understanding, I flatly refused to be a part of it for months!  And now, as you can see, I am immersed as deeply as the rest of you crazy cool people. 

Although, there are days that I wonder what will become of everyone.  After all, like everything else in life, moderation is the key.  With all of the different games and fictional societies that seem to be flourishing on the internet, it really could be quite easy to become so fully immersed that one’s days would waste away until there was nothing of reality left to experience and appreciate.

Thankfully, there are many facets to the social media revolution, or perhaps I should say evolution, and it is a great one that I sing the praises of today.  Last year, I lost my beautiful cousin Joy to a very long battle with cancer.  I won’t go into the sad details, because this story is all about greatness precipitated by social networking.  You see, Joy’s children wanted to help her achieve her biggest goals and dreams before she left us, so they asked for a “Bucket List” of things she wanted to accomplish.  It wasn’t a very long list, and really, there were three items that I would consider the least bit challenging:  Go on a cruise;  Swim with the dolphins;  Be a part of the audience at a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show.

What the b-roll?!

In the film/tv world there is plenty of lingo flung around that could really have a more practical or universally understood name…but it doesn’t.  I don’t know if it’s because we industry peeps want to sound cool or speak in code or what.  But that’s how it is. (Actually, all of those terms once had a very logical meaning.  But technology has eliminated or changed most of those meanings.)

Creative vs Branding

People are extremely tired of advertisements. People want to be entertained — now!

Creating a brand for your company or product is extremely difficult these days. You have the typical marketing aspects like a logo, website, tag line, etc, etc, etc., and then you have interactive marketing, too. Everyone is pushing video. Ratings of American demographics across the board are showing increases in online video viewership compared to that of standard television programing.

It’s time to step into the online video realm. How?

Video on Website Improves Brand

Why do you need video on your website?

As a video production and web design hybrid company, we are asked this question a lot. And while the answer may seem straightforward to us, many businesses are still miffed about what they can gain from online media.

Video is a Large Part of Google+

Last week, Google introduced its latest attempt at social networking with Google+, a direct competitor to Facebook. Bloggers and tech geeks everywhere are quick to draw parallels and note plenty of differences between the two. Our own Creative Director, Doug Johnston, scored an invitation and has since been testing the waters.

One of our favorite differences (which may be a short-lived differentiator, according to this announcement by Facebook) is Hangouts, or group video chat.

Social Media and SEO

Many of our clients are confused about social media. Is it just a fad? Doesn’t it represent a casual or unprofessional environment? How will this help our business?

Many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, flickr, MySpace, Last.FM, blogs, SlideShare, digg, and more exist in the corporate world.

Allow me to tackle just one facet of the many benefits of corporate social media pages: Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Twitter to add photos and video

On Wednesday, Shaquille O’Neal announced his retirement from the NBA through a vlog blasted via tweet. He used Tout, a third-party service which enables users to share video on Twitter since the latter’s format doesn’t support photos or video.

Until now, that is.

Forbes: More C-Level Execs Seek Web, Video

Believe it or not, professionals whose careers have blossomed alongside the establishment of Netscape and growth of public Internet are at the age to reach the pinnacle of their work efforts: the C-suite. 

As 40-, 50-, and 60-somethings achieve C-level (CEO, CFO) executive positions, they are changing the face of business research and communication. A study by Forbes surveyed over 350 top executives at large American companies. (Large, as in $1 billion+ in annual revenue — just the type of prospect you’re after, right?) They found that America’s CEOs, CFOs, and COOs are relying more heavily on search engines and online video to research competitors, customers, and trends in technology and politics.

Measuring your social media’s ROI

A common question between businesses and marketers alike is “How do I measure the ROI of my social media campaign?” Well, folks, I have the answer:

You don’t.

A common myth about social media is that it can be the end-all solution for advertising. Plus, it’s free — perfect, right? Wrong. While social media can be part of your marketing campaign, it cannot carry the ship.

Mobile Video is Booming, According to Nielsen

The Nielsen Ratings, commonly remembered as the studies which analyze what people watch on television, have uncovered a startling reality concerning mobile video. A study of quarters three and four of 2010 found that the number of Americans watching mobile video has risen to 25 million people, a huge jump compared to the statistics from 2009.