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Live Streaming has arrived and it’s only going to get Bigger

Live Streaming
Image courtesy of Ur Loved

Live Streaming is just getting started.

An emerging trend in digital media that caught waves this past year is Live Streaming.  We have seen companies like Periscope, Meerkat and Facebook Live tap into this growing phenomenon.  While this medium is still in its infancy, I believe it will be a larger player in 2017 as a popular story telling platform to watch out for.  In our current society, we want things done in real time…where we can absorb and digest visuals with minimal thinking. Live Streaming serves this purpose for the business user and personal end.

Live Streaming is a great businesses tool for a variety of reasons.  It allows consumers to see some of their favourite brands from a behind the scenes point of view.  Whether they are on location at a trade show for a product launch, companies give viewers unprecedented access, making you feel like you are part of the brand.  Using live video keeps users hooked into the product and up to date with all the latest happenings.

Live Streaming covers everything.

From a personal standpoint, we have seen just how popular Live Streaming can get.  The 2016 U.S. Presidential debate was the first of its kind to include this technology.  This past fall, Facebook Live alone garnered unprecedented 55 Million views in the war of words between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Live video just isn’t about celebrating birthday parties or showing your babies’ first walking steps with your followers.  All realities of life are broadcasted. This was highlighted by Diamond Reynolds’ horrific post visual of her boyfriend Philandro Castile being shot four times by a police officer, raising the problems of racial tensions in America.

Overall, I believe we will see an increased amount of Live Streaming in 2017.  More companies will emerge through this platform and take advantages of the benefits it can offer.  It is a growing medium for companies to generate product awareness, potential video ad revenue and reach new audiences.

How to keep up with all these trends?

In terms of how I will stay relevant with constant changes in the digital sphere, I intend to stay glued to my smartphone.  Mobile has taken over desktop, and it is truly the central hub on how we connect with everyone.  Whether it’s checking the weather at breakfast, Shazaming that song on the radio, or simply connecting on multiple social media platforms, all the latest apps simplify my time when I’m on the go.  Believe it or not, I will also rely on the Facebook Trending Topics section of their site. Since I’m on there all the time, I am also getting information on what’s going on with the rest of the world.

I will also continue to stay engaged with influential blogger and established websites, who continue to keep me up to date with the latest developments in technology.  Content marketing still interests me, and reading up on the latest happenings is a major key.   In terms of Live Streaming, I definitely see the value in it and will push to become more comfortable in using this platform.  While we can take 12 pictures of ourselves and select the best one to publish, live video is one continuous shot, so all angles of you are off limits!  With that being said, check out my infograph below that I created with Canva on how to stay on top of emerging digital trends.

Best Practices on Staying Relevant with Digital Trends

Resources

DeMers, Jayson. “7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2017.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Nov. 2016. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/11/14/7-online-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2017/#5a3bf928dec8>.

Gaenzle, Anthony. “Staying on Top of Digital Trends to Stay Relevant to Students – Content Science Review.” Content Science Review. Content Science Review, 08 Nov. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <http://review.content-science.com/2016/11/staying-on-top-of-digital-trends-to-stay-relevant-to-students/#>.

Harris, Jodi. “23 Things to Consider When Creating Video Content.” Content Marketing Institute. UBM, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/04/video-content-examples/>.

Hobson, Joshua. “How to Keep Up with Trends in Digital.” Statement. Cognitiv, 5 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <https://www.statementagency.com/blog/2016/02/how-to-keep-up-with-trends-in-digital>.

“Trend Report: The Rise of Live Video Streaming.” Feedly. Feedly, 30 Apr. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <https://blog.feedly.com/trend-report-the-rise-of-live-video-streaming/>.

Wilbert, Max. “Top 7 Live Video Streaming Trends for 2016 – DaCast.” DaCast. DaCast, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. <http://www.dacast.com/blog/7-live-video-streaming-trends-2016/>.

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How Brands can use Instagram to promote their Products

Instagram
Instagram image courtesy of Android Tipsters

Grow your business with Instagram

One of the most popular social media platforms that exists today as of this writing is Instagram.  In this day and age where we document almost everything we do…in almost every place that we journey to, the ‘Gram has a user base of over 400+ active million IG’ers worldwide.  It is clearly a smartphone favourite, with an average of 80 million photos being uploaded each day.

While Instagram serves us to archive our personal moments in time, it is a great tool for businesses to create product and brand awareness.  The video I put together focuses on footwear cleaning product Crep Protect.  I discovered this particular brand through various sneaker brand IG pages that I follow, who would continually praise their products and consistency.   It is almost the equivalent to a digital version mention in terms of word of mouth marketing.  This is really an instrumental measurement of success.  Building a powerhouse brand in a short period of time is the goal.  I was curious to see if their products lived up to the hype and needless to say, the results did deliver.

The smartphone that I used to document my Instagram video was the One Plus One, which debuted in 2014.  OPO has been praised for their low end price point.  Their cell phones are available for $3-$400 cheaper than your typical Samsung/Apple models.

The shooting techniques that I used were very straight forward for this particular video.  There are 23 filters available on Instagram.  I elected not to use any of them since this video is demonstrating a product in action. I relied on natural lighting as I was outdoors while filming.  It was mainly point and shoot, doing my best to keep the shots focusing on the cleaning agent to get the job done.   I would have liked to use a zoom in option, but I believe that feature will be probably happen down the road as they’ve introduced some long requested viewing enhancements this past year.

What’s great about Instagram video is that it allows you to pause your shots and resume recording, similar to how Vine operates.  Previous versions of IG video were only available in one continuous 15 second shot.  The recent 60 second max recording allows Instagram users to tell a better story with ample time that is not too short or too long to lose viewer interest.

Biggest Instagram Takeaway

From a business point of view, the main take away is that Instagram is a valuable resource tool for companies. It is a popular communication tool that is user friendly to use, that really helps generate interest in a product.  Especially for the sneaker culture, with the rise of blogs and in particularly Instagram itself in the last 6 years, these platforms really help curate these same users of the ‘Gram to consume more content which can lead to a buyer purchase.  It is a winning formula because consumers are always hungry for new content.  Businesses have this digital outlet to highlight upcoming releases, provide product information and create a buzz all at the same time.

Resources

Chaykowski, Kathleen. “Why Instagram Extended Its Video-Length Limit To 60 Seconds.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 29 Mar. 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathleenchaykowski/2016/03/29/why-instagram-extended-its-video-length-limit-to-60-seconds/#8d22c483cb48

Ratcliff, Christopher. “23 Up-to-date Stats and Facts about Instagram You Need to Know.” 23 Uptodate Stats and Facts about Instagram You Need to Know Comments. ClickZ Group, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. <https://searchenginewatch.com/2016/04/20/23-stats-and-facts-about-instagram/

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Understanding how YouTube can better your Business

Complex
Image Credit: Brad Hall

YouTube is Big Business

Since 2005, the world has gotten to know the phenomenon that is YouTube.  In the past decade, we have seen our fair share of various cat videos, cooking videos, DIY videos and much more.  Lately, the new trend are businesses gravitating towards investing into online videos.  While many will look at YouTube as just simply leisure and entertainment, it is more than that.  There is a significant amount of money that is being generated through this video sharing site.

I am trying to convince my business partner on taking this shoe boutique idea and turning it into a reality.  Obviously I want to drive physical traffic to the store.  But at the same time, I envision leveraging social media heavily by bringing digital traffic to our website as well.  I can visualize the creation of video product reviews, un-boxing videos to generate consumer excitement.  In doing so, I can provide insightful product knowledge as well.  The user generated content ideas are endless.  Ultimately,  I would want to increase our subscriber channel count.   This can lead to a sales conversion.  The potential to monetize this channel is very attainable  if we can incorporate the right content strategy.

With the help of Canva, I put together this SlideShare presentation for him to really see just how big YouTube is.  I wanted to provide some high level facts and more importantly showcase how this platform can really help launch a new business.  I also wanted to paint a picture of how an existing business that is lacking in digital presence can get on board with a  successful YouTube channel.