New Developments in Online Marketing
Can you believe it’s November already? We’re heading into the busiest shopping time of the year … and now it’s only a few weeks away! To keep you prepared and motivated, we’ve recapped a pair of great news articles for you on why leveraging two content-sharing giants, Instagram and YouTube, can make this your most successful year yet. Get ready for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and many more serious shopping days with this useful information!
Instagram: Instantly Improving your Image?
We’re pretty sure we don’t have to tell you how important it is to stay on top of social media trends. Facebook and Twitter have become key social spaces in millions of people’s lives, just like school, the office, or the local coffee shop. If you want to keep people talking about your brand, social media sites are a crucial part of your online marketing work. So we think you should know that Greg Finn of Marketing Land has shared the results of a recent study that shows that popular photo-sharing site Instagram is currently the fastest-growing social network platform. The number of brands using it is up by 55% from last year, with likes and comments up 350%.
If you haven’t yet discovered how photos can tell a compelling story about your brand, products, and services, there’s no time like the present to explore the idea. It could mean a serious increase in exposure for your business. (And here you thought Instagram was just a vehicle for poorly-lit smartphone photos of people’s dinners!)
The YouTube Music Awards: What’s Next?
Reviews of the first-ever YouTube Music Awards aren’t exactly glowing—the event was rife with awkward moments and a shaky camera. But that doesn’t mean its implications are irrelevant now. Kelsey Jones of Search Engine Journal explains that the constantly evolving face of YouTube—acquired by Google in 2006—may present more advertising and marketing opportunities for professionals like you.
Ask your average thirtysomething what they miss about the ’80s and early ’90s, and it’s very possible that you’ll hear “MTV used to play actual music.” Fans of music videos are much less likely to find them on TV, and YouTube has become the go-to site for this kind of content. As it increases its offerings and attracts more big names to its music-related events (Lady Gaga and Eminem appeared at the awards), it should become even more of a household name—the first place you surf when you want to see the latest from Maroon 5 or Katy Perry. So how does this apply to your work? It depends on the nature of your services or products, but there are all kinds of great opportunities for you to market your business on YouTube. Maybe it’s time you produced and presented in-demand content about your niche on a paid channel for subscribers. Or maybe smart ad placements would be beneficial. In any case, YouTube is here to stay—so take advantage of what it offers in a way that makes sense for you.