Why Short-Form Videos are More Popular Than Ever

Do you remember Vine? The video app went viral in 2012. Within months of launching, Vine was a household name. Millions of people tuned in to watch videos of people dancing, cooking, and cracking jokes.

And, then, it disappeared.

In 2022, Vine’s story may seem irrelevant. After all, we are living in the age of TikTok and Instagram reels. Vine was the short-lived entertainment of the past.

However, Vine’s rise and fall continue to make an impact on marketers. Many marketers wonder if modern video apps will fail just as quickly as Vine did.

The truth of the matter is that TikTok is nothing like Vine. Read on to learn why TikTok and Instagram reels are unique. And find out why short-form videos are here to stay.

Short-Form Videos & The Perfect Length

When it comes to short videos, size matters. Videos that are too long fail to hold your attention span. Meanwhile, videos that are too short fail to draw you in.

Unlike the sixty-second reels of TikTok and Instagram, Vine videos only lasted for six seconds. As most marketers know, six seconds is not enough time to tell a story. It’s certainly not enough time to effectively market a product.

Unfortunately, this is what ultimately led to the application’s demise.

In June of 2013, Instagram introduced its 30-second video clips. Interestingly, this was the same month that Vine’s engagement plummeted.

Ultimately, Internet users found themselves more drawn to slightly longer videos. While they did enjoy the rapid-fire of short-form content, they wanted their short videos to engage them for longer amounts of time.

Today, short-form videos hover around a more ideal amount of time: sixty seconds. In one minute, a content creator can tell a story or share some useful information without boring the viewer.

Because short videos are now much closer to the perfect length, we can rest assured that TikTok and Insta reels will be around for a while.

A Huge Audience

Thanks to these format-related improvements, video reels have grown in popularity. Notably, they have far more viewers than Vine ever did.

Back in 2013, at the peak of Vine’s hype, the company still refused to publish the number of active users.

This contrasts greatly with TikTok’s approach to data. The company has not been afraid to release the numbers demonstrating its success. And it’s probably because the results are so overwhelming.

Across the globe, TikTok has 1.8 billion users per month. In other words, almost 1 in 3 people on Earth tune into TikTok on a semi-regular basis.

These numbers do more than just show that short videos are popular. They also reveal the reason why creating short videos is so important.

Consumers from all over the world are tuning into these reels. As a result, these videos have the unique ability to introduce brands to interested customers in an ultra-efficient way.

Create Successful Videos

Short-form videos are here to stay. Now that they have achieved the perfect length, these reels are attracting billions of viewers per month.

But, how can brands respond to the rise of short-form videos? Is there a way to make super successful content?

If you would like amazing short videos for your brand, click here to contact us. Big Bold Thinkers can help you create engaging content for TikTok and take your brand to the next level.

Top Social Media Strategies That Drive B2B Sales

75% of business-to-business, B2B, buyers use social media to make a purchase decision. That is why it is crucial for businesses to have more than a social media presence. B2B sales are the outcome of well-organized social media strategies.

In this guide, we’ll touch on four ways to lead your consumer down a B2B sales funnel. Want to improve your social media to drive B2B sales? Keep reading.

1. Humanize Your Social Media to Drive B2B Sales

Most B2B companies were not early adopters of social media. They’ve lagged behind, and when they do share content, it is robotic. Humanize your content.

This can be done in a variety of ways:

  • Write articles, captions and blog posts in the first person
  • Choose an employee or team to be “the face” of your social media
  • Share unique aspects of your brand missions, such as a commitment to sustainability

Your customers want to get to know YOU. It doesn’t matter that you’re selling to a business. At the end of the day, it is a person on the other end and they want to communicate with real people, just like in B2C.

2. Find a Social Media Expert

B2B marketing is tricky since a lot of times the products are not as glamorous as B2C. A social media expert will be able to create the copy and imagery which will make your products or services appear glamorous to consumers.

It’s about gaining traction through awareness before leads. This is done by harnessing the power of social media storytelling.

3. Choose the Right Social Media Strategies

The first strategy to think about is where you are and where your customers are. Linkedin has proven for years to be the best social media platform for B2B. Why?

Linkedin brands itself as a professional social media network. It is where business people go to make connections. Ensure that your presence on Linkedin is solid.

You can grow your social media strategies outside of LinkedIn too. Focus on where your customer hangs out the most. 93% of B2B companies credit Linkedin as their most effective social media tool.

4. SMART Goals

A common mistake in B2B marketing is a lack of strategy. Creating SMART goals is an easy way to develop a strategy:

  • Specific: List your strategy, outreach, and content calendar here.
  • Measurable: Goals must be measured so you can assess progress and drop anything ineffective
  • Attainable: Set small goals that create incremental progress. Setting unattainable goals will only set you up for disappointment
  • Relevant: Remember your B2B sales funnel and create goals that will lead to conversions.
  • Time: Add deadlines and schedules to keep you disciplined in accomplishing your goals.

SMART goals are a tool used in many industries to measure and improve social media strategy.

Boost Your B2B Social Media

Follow the four steps above to use social media to drive B2B sales. We recommend hiring an expert to develop your social media strategies. This will save you time, but also ensure you maximize your return on investment.

Looking for help with your B2B social media? Contact us to get help.

Your Guide to Understanding Social Listening

Have you ever asked yourself, “who is my audience, and what do they want from my company?” If so, you’ve come to the right place.

When marketing your product or service, you shouldn’t blindly guess what customers want to see. Instead, you should gather as much information as possible and give them exactly what they’re looking for. And that’s where social listening comes in.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about it in this guide.

What Is Social Listening?

Social listening involves tracking social media sites for discussions or trends surrounding your brand and industry.

This is different from social monitoring, which tracks relevant data about your company. This includes mentions of your company, mentions of your competitors, hashtags, and relevant keywords.

To put it simply, monitoring tells you the facts or the “what” whereas listening tells you the overall mood or the “why.”

Why Use Social Listening?

Social listening gives you insight into public brand perception, campaign success, competitor strategies, and industry trends.

Learning about your brand perception will help you understand your overall brand reputation. Moreover, it shows what people specifically like and dislike about your brand.

Analyzing a marketing campaign shows you the overall mood toward the campaign. Furthermore, it demonstrates which demographics engaged with the campaign and the impressions of each campaign post.

Gaining insights about competitors will show you their strengths and their weaknesses. Using this information, you can evaluate your own company to see how you compare.

Listening to the industry trends will show you social issues to address (if they’re relevant to you), problems within the industry you could solve, and FAQs about the industry that you can answer.

How to Use Social Listening to Your Advantage

Social listening is only beneficial if you take the information and make informed marketing decisions with it. To do this, you should modify marketing campaigns, engage with customers, handle problems, pursue new leads, track competitors, and connect with influencers.

A good model of this is Wendy’s, which has gained lots of attention in the past few years for its Twitter marketing strategy. After listening to their audience, they started using Twitter to create a clear brand image, speak with customers, and outshine their competitors.

For example, when asked, “How much does a Big Mac cost?” Wendy’s Twitter account replied, “Your dignity.” This is not only a clever marketing strategy, but it also makes people think of their products as superior to McDonald’s products.

Now You Understand Social Listening

The benefits of social listening are truly endless. You’ll not only be able to make informed marketing decisions but you’ll also be in the know about your brand. And once you start listening, you’ll connect with your audience in a way you didn’t know was possible.

Subscribe to our blog or contact us to begin working on your social media marketing strategy today.

5 Ways to Boost E-Commerce Sales with Facebook Dynamic Product Ads

Dynamic product ads on Facebook allow you to take your marketing to the next level. And the best part? They work on auto-pilot.

Rather than having to build multiple retargeting campaigns for various product types, Facebook dynamic product ads show users the products they’ve already expressed interest in.

Users already know they like the product. Now, your dynamic ads will follow them around, staying on the top of their minds until they are ready to make a purchase.

Want to know more about how dynamic ads can increase e-commerce sales for your business? Keep reading to discover 5 ways dynamic Facebook ads will grow your business.

1. Facebook Dynamic Product Ads Save Time

If your digital marketing strategy involves e-commerce ads, you know it can take a lot of time to build and manage campaigns. They are worth the effort, but building campaigns for different products and different types of users is never-ending.

Using dynamic product ads, you can automatically retarget users with the products they want. This saves you a lot of time.

2. Greater Return on Ad Spend

When you run dynamic product ads on Facebook, you will experience a higher ROAS or return on ad spend. This is because you are spending money targeting users who’ve already expressed interest in your products.

Warm and hot traffic is always cheaper to target with your ad budget.

3. Scale Your E-Commerce Sales Strategy

Because dynamic ads are automated, you will be able to easily scale your marketing campaigns. Because you are earning more on your ad spend, experiencing higher engagement levels, and gaining customers for less, you can scale your campaigns with confidence.

4. Target Existing Customers With Up-Sells and Cross-Sells

Dynamic ads also make it easy to target existing customers with related products through up-selling and cross-selling. Because they’ve already purchased from you, it will be much easier to sell to them again.

Dynamic ads can automatically recommend the products that they are likely interested in so you can get repeat sales on auto-pilot.

5. Only Advertise What’s In Stock

When you are advertising many different products, it can be tricky to manage your campaign when things go out of stock. What usually happens is that you spend money advertising a product that’s not even in stock. And if a customer wants to buy it, then you’ve created a problem.

With Facebook dynamic ads, you can simply inform Facebook which products are out of stock. When you do this, Facebook will automatically stop advertising those products until you mark them in-stock again.

This saves you time, saves you money, and prioritizes the customer experience.

Facebook Marketing Tips

The beauty of using Facebook dynamic product ads is that they offer a powerful, automated solution to gain more sales. However, it still takes time to set up the advertising campaign properly.

If you aren’t confident in your abilities to set up ad campaigns within Facebook and connect your website to the campaign, you should hire an expert.

Here at Big Bold Thinkers, we can take care of your social media campaigns for you. If you’d like the benefits of running dynamic product ads without the hassle of setting up the campaign, contact us today so we can help you grow your

Social Commerce 2021 Trends: Tactics and Tools to Grow Your E-Commerce Business

Social media has made great gains in connecting businesses with consumers. As technology evolves so do the tools major platforms have created to help retailers strengthen their brands.

Social commerce allows businesses to interact with consumers without leaving the platform where the initial communication begins. You no longer have to reroute people to your website or have them call a toll-free number. It also eliminates the need to send an email that may sit in an inbox for days or weeks.

Interactions take place in real-time which means responses are faster and resolutions are quicker.

Are you a business owner looking to create an e-commerce strategy? Keep reading to learn more about the latest trends for your business.

Use Social Commerce to Sell Directly From Facebook

Social media targeting is a large portion of a business digital marketing strategy. Expect to see new advancements on social media sites like Facebook to give people a one-stop-shop experience.

Facebook currently has options for businesses to sell their products from business pages. The apps are currently limited, but someone can do well enough in sales to make it worth their time to set-up.

Incorporate Chatbots and AI

Incorporating chatbots into your e-commerce strategy allows convenience for customers to contact your business while on social media. Chatbots can answer basic questions. Create a list of commonly asked questions and use artificial intelligence to provide the answers.

The benefit of chatbots is to eliminate the need for a person to be accessible 24 hours a day. You’ll have times when someone will need a human response. When this happens, develop an option for the person to text or use messenger to send more detailed information.

Create Live Stream Experiences

When it comes to the discussion of social commerce vs e-commerce, it isn’t about one being better than the other. Instead, the discussion is more of how can they complement each other.

Live streaming is becoming the premiere function across social media. Businesses can use live streaming to introduce new products and promote existing ones. It also allows customers to engage.

Engagement on live streams includes Q & A’s and people giving testimonials. You can also incorporate a segment where certified buyers can join the call.

Change Your Approach to Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing was big news a few years ago. It has since died down. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s no longer a part of social commerce.

Today is about building partnerships. Instead of seeking people that’ll charge a fortune, partner with other entrepreneurs. Use cross-promotion marketing to gain awareness.

You can also do joint promotions via live streams.

Step Into Your Social Commerce

Social commerce isn’t something to fear. Embrace the possibilities or how far you can take your business by using social media. All tools aren’t a perfect fit for every company. Explore what works for you.

Put our expertise to work for you. Click here to reach out so we can discuss flexible solutions for your marketing strategy.

The Top 3 Paid Social Trends of 2021

This past year has been like nothing we’ve seen before, as some businesses have been forced to close their doors, others have grown drastically in the wake of a massive shift in consumer behaviour.

As old trends fade, new trends are beginning to appear, one of the more significant ones being observed – paid social media marketing. With over 70% of Americans using social media, digital marketers are beginning to realize the value social media can bring to their companies.

Staying ahead of the paid social trends for 2021 can reap significant benefits for your company. Keep reading this guide to learn more.

Branching Out From Facebook

Facebook has been on top of the social media hierarchy for some time now, but 2021 may be the year things begin to change. Facebook brought in nearly 70 billion in revenue from ads in 2019, mainly from corporations like Coca-Cola and Starbucks.

However, Facebook recently got into some hot water with advertisers over its failure to stop the spread of certain content on their website. Companies including Ford, HP, and Adidas were some of the big-names to join the movement. With the rise of apps like Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Twitter becoming more popular, advertisers are looking to diversify their investments and reach a different audience.

Paying for Video

Video marketing has been advancing the past few years and is really taking off in 2020. With the wealth of information users can obtain from watching a short video, why would they want to read through a manual.

According to recent research, 96 percent of people have watched how-to videos explaining a product or service. On top of that, close to 66 percent of people noted they preferred watching videos rather than other forms of content. Videos should be an important part of your digital marketing strategy.

There is a clear trend among younger generations preferring watching videos that can be seen with the explosive growth the mobile app Tik Tok has experienced. Even though the company was facing being banned in the U.S. just a few months ago, the app has managed to generate nearly 54 million weekly average users, 75% growth since last year.

Personalized Ads

Advertisements have been getting more personalized for years, but it seems 2021 is going to shape up to be the most personal yet as social media’s algorithms are becoming increasingly more complex. Social media targeting isn’t necessarily a new thing, but brands are seeing the benefits it can bring since it has become more advanced.

Facebook is at the helm of utilizing personalized ads, using various data categories like:

  • Demographics
  • Interests
  • And behaviours

Then, they breaking those categories down into subcategories to get as specific as possible, like what car you drive, if you are a homeowner, and what type of technology you prefer.

Get Ahead of the Paid Social Trends for 2021

Understanding what the top paid social trends are for 2021 can help give you a better understanding of where to allocate your digital marketing budget. Using a mix of both paid and organic social media marketing tactics can help significantly increase the growth of your followers. It’s important to track which methods are working best for you and adjusting your strategy accordingly.

If you are looking to get ahead of the top paid social trends for 2021, contact us today, and we can help build a digital marketing strategy that works for you.

How To Promote Your Instagram Page to Drive Brand Awareness

Digital marketing is a cutthroat competitive world where anyone who aspires to succeed needs to leverage every resource available to them. This means using top-notch SEO, compelling advertising, and utilizing social media to drive brand awareness. While investing in every major social media platform is a good decision, Instagram can be one of the best choices.

Drive Brand Awareness with Instagram

Instagram has phenomenally high user engagement rates, which establishes it as one of the best platforms for outreach. Running an effective business Instagram account can go a long way to boost the recognition of your brand in a cost-efficient manner. Your first step is knowing what a good, business-optimized account looks like.

Design a Business-Oriented Instagram Account

There are a few key elements to a good Instagram account for your business. First of all, a snappy bio that informs followers about your brand and includes a URL to your business is essential. Your link will only be conveniently clickable when placed in the bio, so failing to do so is a serious missed opportunity.

Employ Consistent Messaging

If you already run other social media accounts, your Instagram should have the same profile picture and a similar style. While every platform is unique and your strategy will need to adapt, the overall feeling of your brand should remain consistent. This will make your online presence more instantly recognizable and help humanize your business to potential customers.

How to Promote Your Instagram

Use a Suitable Tone and Style

Instagram has a casual, conversational culture that you need to adapt to. Posts that are filled with sales-oriented language and product descriptions will come off as more confrontational and, ultimately, unappealing. Instead, Instagram promotion favors an understated approach that lets your brand speak for itself. Many powerful brands have driven their global recognition by eschewing conventional advertising altogether and embracing snarky or absurd Millennial/Gen Z humor.

A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words

Using product images is a powerful way to advertise your products on Instagram, but your pictures should sell the products on their own. Boring or excessive text is unlikely to resonate with many consumers, but an image that displays the value of your products in-use can make an excellent impression.

Maintain a Professional Look

When successful brand accounts are roasting other company accounts or making jokes about existential dread as they often do, they never lose their professional appearance. All images associated with their accounts are pristine and perfectly formatted. While the brands might use colloquial language, the quality and readability of written content always remain high.

Call Social Media Advertising Experts

The most reliable way to successfully use social media for your business is to hire a team of experts. Capturing the essence of your brand, taking high-quality photos, and other elements of successful online advertising can be harder than they might appear. Get in touch with The Big Bold Thinkers and learn more about how we can drive your brand’s profile to new heights.

Social Media Influencers: Mega, Macro, Micro or Nano

Social media influencers are becoming more prevalent and proven. As such, brands are expected to spend $15 billion in influencer marketing by 2020.

Influencer marketing is now seen as one of the most successful ways for brands to reach their target audience while increasing sales and engagement.

If you’re looking to explore influencer marketing for your business, the first step is learning which type of influencer will work best for your brand.

Keep reading to learn about the different types of social media influencers that you may choose to work with in the future.

Nano-Influencers: Community Impact

Nano-influencers are the newest type of influencer acknowledged by big brands. These are everyday consumers who have influence within their local community.

Typically, their follower count is less than 10,000 and they have little to no experience marketing for brands. Despite their low following, nano-influencers have proven to be very powerful because they offer a high level of engagement.

Nano-influencers know most of their followers, so the trust level between them is high.

Working with nano-influencers will allow your brand to connect to consumers in a more authentic, engaging way. They are great for startups and small businesses that have a small marketing budget. It’s also an excellent way to test the waters of influencer marketing before investing too much.

Micro-Influencers: Passionate About Subjects

Micro-influencers are currently the biggest group of influencers on social media. They are usually topic or industry experts who are passionate about their subject. Because of this passion, they’ve gained a loyal audience from 10,000 to 100,000 followers.

These influencers usually have some experience working with brands. They’re effective because they have a high trust factor. Their followers trust them never to promote anything they wouldn’t use themselves.

Mirco-influencers are cheaper than macro- and mega-influencers and can offer a nice return on investment if your product jives with their audience.

Macro-Influencers: Internet Fame

Marco-influencers have a large following of 100,000 to 1 million people—fame obtained from the Internet, whether from blogging, being a social media star, or going viral.

Marco-influencers offer the best of both worlds between micro- and mega- influencers. They have engaged audiences, so they work well for brands with a specific buyer persona. If you want to promote authenticity but also want to market to the masses, macro-influencers are a good choice.

At this level in the social media influencer hierarchy, however, you’ll start working with an agent—which means inflated costs. Keep an eye on your ROI so that you get the results you pay for.

Mega-Influencers: Global Celebrities

If you want your brand to be recognized on a global scale, consider working with mega-influencers. These people have a massive following across all social platforms and their content reaches their followers quickly.

They tend to lack a connection with their followers, however, so you can’t expect them to help increase the authenticity or trust-factor of your brand.

Also, they are super expensive. To give you an idea of how much you’ll pay to work with a mega-influencer, Kylie Jenner makes an estimated $1.2 million per sponsored Instagram post.

Connect Your Brand to Your Customers with Social Media Influencers

Finding an influencer who’s voice and ideals connect with your brand is vital in social media marketing.

When searching for an influencer to promote your brand, it’s essential to know what you’re trying to achieve and the resources your company can make available.

Our purpose is to uncover opportunities to make you look good. Choose us as your digital marketing agency to drive your brand’s awareness and traffic through the right channels.

If you’re interested in working with us, get in touch today.

4 Secrets for Awesome Remote Video Production

Did you know that there are more than 500 million hours of videos that are watched every day on YouTube?

If you’re wondering how you can get your brand noticed on social media, you may be looking into getting started with video production. Don’t let the pandemic stop you from creating content to share on your social media platforms.

You can easily create online video content with the help of these secret tips to create stunning remote videos! Keep reading to learn how to create high-quality videos while staying physically isolated from other people.

1. Consider Virtual Backgrounds

Just because you’re filming video content at home doesn’t mean that it has to look like you’re filming at home! You could try setting up a green screen in your background to change the background of your film.

2. Remote Directing

You don’t have to meet with directors to get started with video production. When you get started filming video content, you can use streaming tools to allow a director (or another individual) to control the process of production from a remote location.

On the other hand, if you plan on creating animated video content, you don’t have to be in-person to direct the animation. Using tools such as Zoom or other communication platforms will allow you to communicate with others on a project while still practicing social distancing!

3. Improve Your Lighting Situation

When you’re filming at home, the one thing that you don’t want to suffer is your lighting situation. While there’s a lot that goes into remote video production, investing in high-quality lighting can make your video seem less amateurish.

Investing in a lighting kit that has a front-facing natural light can create a lighting situation that doesn’t create harsh shadowing in your video. If you don’t have the finances to invest in a lighting kit, you can also use natural lighting.

Consider filming your video in natural sunlight or in front of a window. You can sit in front of a window that doesn’t have any covers over top of it to bring bright, natural light into your video.

4. Angle Your Camera

When you’re filming a video remotely, you’ll also want to make sure that you’re getting the right angle with your camera.

The best position to have your camera at is having the camera aimed at your eye line. Ensuring that the camera angle is lined up with your eye line will help you avoid shooting at an unflattering (or awkward) angle.

If you’re struggling to get the right angle with your camera, you may need to add books to the stand that you’re using to film. Doing this will add additional height to your camera, making it easier to angle your camera towards your eyes!

Understanding the Best Tips for Video Production

Learning the best hacks for awesome video production can help to make your remote video filming experience a lot easier!

Are you interested in finding animated video production services to help you boost the visibility of your brand? Our animated video production in the Dubai team is here to help! Click here to sign up for our newsletter or to contact us today.

Can a Facebook Lookalike Audience Help Your Online Advertising?

Imagine a world where your ad campaigns got directed to your ideal customers with ease. Instead of wasting money on ineffective marketing, you bring in quality leads.

Do you think these types of results are just a fantasy?

If so, then you’ve likely never heard about Facebook lookalike audiences or what they can do for you. If you’re hoping to improve your marketing strategy in 2020, then you’ll want to know all about it. Ready to get started? Read on to learn all about this new social media strategy and how it can help your business.

What Is a Facebook Lookalike Audience?

You’re likely already familiar with the social media platform Facebook. Billions of citizens around the globe are active on it every day. That makes it a great place to share your company’s products or services!

Facebook has a lot of advertising opportunities. Lookalike audiences are one of them. Here’s how it works:

  • You create an advertisement campaign
  • You choose a source audience (more on that below)
  • Wait 6-24 hours for your audience to get created
  • Start using targeted ads on your lookalike audience

In a nutshell, lookalike audiences help you market to new people. These individuals are likely already interested in your business. That means they’re more likely to convert into quality leads.

Is It a Good Marketing Strategy?

Statistics reveal that the average individual spends 38 minutes a day on Facebook. With those numbers, it’s not surprising that digital marketing works on the platform.

Lookalike audiences are a good strategy. Because you’re reaching people like your customers, you’re more likely to get leads. These leads are more likely to convert into future customers, too.

How to Use Facebook Lookalike Audiences

So, how do you get started on creating a lookalike audience on Facebook?

  • First, you’ll need to already have your Facebook business page set up and active.
  • Then, you’ll need to navigate to your audience page.
  • Click on “create audience” and go to “lookalike audience.”
  • Once you do, you’ll need to choose a source.

To maximize the effectiveness of your campaign, consider these tips:

  • Build audiences based on people who have looked at your website
  • Use individuals who have watched your videos
  • Market to your top customers

Once you’ve clicked “create an audience,” you’ll need to wait a few hours. During this time, Facebook will craft the ideal target customers for you. Now, you have a group that you can start advertising to.

Maximizing Your Marketing Strategy

Regardless of your business niche, digital marketing is a must in 2020. So, are Facebook lookalike audiences worth the effort? We think so. Not only will you expand your reach, but you’ll also draw invaluable leads.

Are you tired of seeing your marketing efforts fall flat? Are you ready to hire a digital marketing expert to boost your business? We’re prepared to help. Reach out to us on our online form now to get in touch.