The popular iOS app Viddy is being called the “Twitter of video” for its 15-second promotional videos that create new opportunities for brands to engage their audiences. The video sharing app made a big impression at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference earlier this year, debuting videos with custom designed filters. Last month the company secured $30 million in funding to poise the app as the “next big thing.”
With 30 million members already on Viddy, companies are jumping on board with these 15 second videos to offer promo codes, exclusive offers and backstage sneak peeks. Celebrities are using the social media platform to continue the conversation with their fans as well. Britney Spears recently started a Viddy account, sharing videos from backstage on the set of The X Factor. Bill Cosby is very active on the social media platform with 59 recorded videos already under his belt. Continue reading “Watch Out for Viddy!” »
You’ve implemented a social media strategy for your organization. You post daily updates and tweets and you start to see an increase in followers. However, in the world of social media marketing, it can be difficult to objectively measure results if you’re not sure what to look for. We’ve compiled a list of performance indicators to help you measure your brand’s social media presence.
Back in April Facebook officially announced its plans to purchase Instagram for an astonishing $1 billion. This week the social media platform rolled out its own photo sharing app, Facebook Camera, now available in the App Store for free. The app was programmed independently from the Instagram team, as it had already been in development prior to the purchase of the company.
Like Instagram, Facebook Camera allows users to crop, rotate and filter photos and upload multiple images to Facebook. Overall, Facebook Camera is an improvement on Facebook’s primary app for iPhone and iPod touch devices. However, is not meant to replace Instagram by any means. Just as Google purchased YouTube when it already had Google Video, Facebook purchased Instagram to own the brand name. Instagram is truly a mobile-only offering, aligning with Facebook’s goal of improving its mobile experience. Continue reading “Facebook Shifts Focus to Mobile Apps” »
The YouTube Nonprofit Program allows organizations to apply for designated nonprofit channels to help deliver the message to the world’s largest online video community. Share your organization’s story through videos on YouTube to connect with supporters, volunteers and donors. With over 800 million people on YouTube, it is a powerful place to communicate with your audience in a meaningful way.
Exclusive listing on YouTube’s nonprofits video page will lend more eyes to your organization. YouTube offers nonprofits the advantage of premium branding capabilities and the option of driving funding through a Google Checkout “Donate” button. Nonprofits also have the option to place a Call to Action overlay on videos to raise money or to find volunteers. On World Water Day, nonprofit organization charity:water was able to secure $10,000 in donations from a video posted on YouTube using the Call to Action.
Through YouTube, nonprofits can activate an inexpensive outreach program to build awareness and mobilize supporters. Organizations that hold a current 501(c)(3) status qualify to apply for the YouTube Nonprofit Program. Apply at Google for Nonprofits today. Once you begin production, remember to deliver genuine, compelling content and to supply fresh videos regularly to keep your audience engaged. Here are some good examples of nonprofit video campaigns that have achieved substantial viewership.
If you need help creating or disseminating videos, Blue Interactive Agency can help. We offer in-house video production and animation services to deliver original, dynamic, high-end content to your audience. We provide YouTube marketing to optimize your videos with metatags, and cross promote on blogs and other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to increase your visibility online. Contact us to see how we can help.
Google for Nonprofits was first launched a few years ago to provide nonprofit organizations with free or discounted resources to reach donors, improve operations, and raise awareness. This year, the new Google for Nonprofits program aims to greatly increase the number of nonprofits it helps by offering a suite of new products and resources through an all-in-one application. If approved, applicants will qualify for up to $10,000 a month in online advertising on Google Adwords, exclusive features on YouTube, and free or discounted Google Apps.
Many non-profit organizations have already benefitted from Google’s program, including Direct Relief International, which raised nearly $1 million thanks to a Google Adwords campaign. The National Resources Defense Council garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube for a video they were able to post without any paid advertising. Samasource used Google Apps to cut IT costs and save tens of thousands of dollars. Google for Nonprofits has compiled a list of testimonials from hundreds of organizations that are benefiting from the program.
If you are a nonprofit organization that would like to participate, visit the Google for Nonprofits page for the application and eligibility requirements. For additional assistance, the Google for Nonprofits Forum Support offers tips to get started and a help center to answer any questions. Google will continue to strengthen its program and expand into different locations in the following months.
YouTube videos are an effective – and free – method for companies to share content with audiences. In fact, the rate at which videos are viewed is astonishing. More than 500 years worth of YouTube videos are viewed on Facebook every day, and Twitter shares 700 YouTube videos per second. If a video goes viral, the results are exponential and the company has just hit social media marketing gold. The big question remains, what causes some videos to go viral? Through studying trends, marketers have a few insights on what makes brand videos go viral on the social web.
For videos to go viral, a large number of people must share to smaller groups. A study by BuzzFeed found that among the most popular stories on Facebook, the median ratio of Facebook views to shares was 9 to 1; meaning only 9 people visited the story for every Facebook share. Content becomes viral when it spreads across the social web through ordinary people sharing with their friends. So we’ve established what must happen for a video to go viral. Now what makes certain videos so special? Continue reading “What Causes Videos to Go Viral?” »
There was much hype this year for the Super Tuesday Republican primaries, particularly because of the influence of social media, which has been more prevalent in the 2012 election than ever before. As GOP candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul battled over 10 states and 419 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, social media networks were abuzz over the debates. Now the results are in – Mashable reports there were over 530,000 social media comments across the web inspired by Super Tuesday.
The popular iOS app Viddy is being called the “Twitter of video” for its 15-second promotional videos that create new opportunities for brands to engage their audiences. The video sharing app made a big impression at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference earlier this year, debuting videos with custom designed filters. Last month the company secured $30 million in funding to poise the app as the “next big thing.”
