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Video Marketing: Capturing Attention and Keeping It

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Video as a medium is one of the most efficient ways you can communicate to a mass audience and convey information. Within seconds, a viewer learns almost everything you want them to know about your brand, your goals, and your benefit to them. High-quality videos with engaging subjects and the right messaging can increase traffic to your website significantly. Content that both impresses and draws in your target audience. Below are five video marketing strategies that will capture your audience’s attention.

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HIGH VISIBILITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

using-instagram-outsideMany social media platforms, notably Facebook, use algorithms that favor video formats. However, even without the boost from these algorithms, evidence suggests that people are simply more likely to share and engage with video content than other kinds of posts. A video is 53x more likely to populate a Google search than a text article and 40x more likely to be shared on social media. This means that if you have a message you want to get out, video offers the best chances of being seen on major social media platforms.

STORIES ARE YOUR FRIENDS

video-marketing-capturingStories are videos or photos that play for approximately ten seconds on various social media platforms, notably Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. They disappear after 24 hours and can’t be liked or shared, but people are more likely to watch them than to scroll to a post. I can say I am more likely to watch a chain of Instagram stories than scroll through the feed. It’s a great way to get your brand seen and to message in a concise format.

SPONSORED VIDEO ADS

types-of-youtube-adsIn the last decade, competition for attention online has gotten tougher than ever. In 2017 alone, video content took up 74 percent of online traffic. Companies are competing just as much within their industries as without to get attention and boost their brands. For instance, paid ads can be a leg up on the competition. This puts in a boost on social media platforms to get your content at the top of the stack and in front of people’s eyeballs.

EDUCATION AND TUTORIALS

woman-makeup-tutorialA great way you can connect with your audience is by posting educational tutorials or tips relevant to your industry. This simultaneously shows off your expertise in a subject. Subsequently, also engaging viewers to learn more about you and your business. They are also easy to serialize, as there is never just one thing people need or want to learn about in your industry.

CALL TO ACTION

conan-subscribe-video-pageFailing to stick the ending is a common video marketing mistake. Your audience might be fully engaged in the content you put out. However, if you fail to use that to motivate them into taking the next step, it will be all for naught. A call to action gives your viewers a next-step once they’ve watched your video. It can be as simple as directing your audience to your website for more information, or the ever present “Like, Share, or Subscribe.”

 

Video marketing is an exciting and interactive way for you to reach an audience. It is more important and more cost-effective than ever to create video content for your brand. Do you want more information about video-marketing? Check out our website and tell us if we can use video to take your online marketing strategy to the next level.

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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Customer Engagement: The Go-to-Guide For Developing Your Strategy

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The relationship between brands and consumers has been evolving over the past several years. Modern technology, and the accessibility it provides consumers with, has created new demands and expectations businesses must strive to accommodate.

Heightened customer engagement is one leading example of these new demands. Especially as consumers today expect to maintain a relationship with their favorite brands. To remain competitive within your industry and appease your customers, it’s critical your team develops a sustainable customer engagement strategy. To help get you started, we’ve assembled a basic go-to guide.

What drives customer engagement?

Developing your strategy begins with understanding the elements that drive engagement. Emotion, for instance, is a top-driving factor behind a consumer’s decision to engage with your brand or not. Although people primarily favor companies whose values align with their own, establishing emotion-evoking values is a productive first step. Gallup’s State of the American Consumer report explains customers’ emotional rationale with three statements marketers should aim to provide to their customers:

  • This brand always delivers on what they promise.
  • I feel proud to be a customer of this brand.
  • This brand is the perfect company for people like me.

When forming your strategy, confirmation of these three statements should be easily recognizable.

Communicate

customer-engagement-mobileEffective communication is a key factor in all aspects of business, particularly customer engagement. When consumers feel they are being heard and can productively communicate with representatives of your brand, you’re more likely to earn their repeat business. Apart from friendly and helpful in-store employees, there are several technologies available for effectively engaging consumers in two-way communication. Offer customers the opportunity to communicate with a member of your team 24/7 with live chat messaging tools or AI-powered chatbots for more general queries. Additionally, be sure to monitor your social profiles and direct messages to promptly jump into any relevant conversations or customer questions.

Personalization

customer-engagement-promo-offer-target

72% of today’s consumers expect brands to personalize engagement to their needs. The enormous amounts of consumer data that brands have become privy too have created new expectations from consumers for more individualized experiences. To properly engage the modern customer, your strategy must be adaptable to fit each customer’s needs and preferences.

Personalized communications such as email lists, exclusive promotional offers, and history-backed product recommendations are all viable options. The idea here is to give customers something that makes them feel like you recognize them as an individual, rather than just a number—which again, ties back to emotion. Showing interest in your valued customers with offerings they view as relevant to them, such as birthday gifts or product restock announcements, gives customers a reason to want to engage with your brand and improves the likelihood of them positively sharing their experience.

Rewards

Customer loyalty programs are a valuable asset to any engagement strategy. They not only encourage repeat purchases, but loyalty programs. These can provide seamless, omni-channel experiences. In other words, keeping customers engaged through every touch point of their journey with your brand.

starbucks-customer-loyalty-rewardsIt’s human nature to want to interact with someone or something when receiving something in return. Loyalty programs build off of this concept with the use of rewards and special offers. Many successful businesses, such as Starbucks and Ulta, encourage customers to sign up for their free loyalty rewards program. Customers can access their accounts online or through branded apps to check in whenever they make a purchase, get updates on current promotional events and track their points earned from spending. Based on points earned, customers are presented with certain rewards, such as money off or complimentary items. The inclination to want to receive said rewards can help keep customers engaged with your brand beyond just purchase interactions.

Social media

Social media is the most commonly used tactic for improving customer engagement today. Regardless of your industry or target market, odds are your customers are utilizing social media. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are all excellent platforms for both promoting your brand and authentically engaging with customers.

air-bnb-social-media-engagementUser-generated content is the most trusted type of content in the eyes of consumers. It’s important to use your business account to share customer reviews, testimonials, submitted photos or any other sort of posting related to your business. This demonstrates the fact that you’re paying attention to the conversation and appreciate your customers’ positive sentiment.

I previously mentioned that people are interested in engaging with others when they are receiving something in return. Therefore, social media can be a great way to encourage engagement through incentives. Create opportunities for your customers to engage with you on social media through interactive activities or contests. Creative photo submission contests, re-post giveaways and polling questions are all easy. yet effective. Ultimately, they keep your customers interested in interacting with your brand.

The Bottom Line

Above all, a customer who is engaged with your brand will spend 60% more per transaction and can deliver 3 times the value to a retailer over time. To maintain long term success in your company, it’s imperative you make customer engagement a top priority. We hope this guide helps get you started!

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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For more information, please visit CATMEDIA

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CATMEDIA CEO Catherine Downey Will Attend 2019 Tuck-WBENC

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It’s been an exciting year of awards and recognitions for Atlanta-based small business CATMEDIA, whose CEO Catherine Downey has been accepted in to the 2019 Tuck WBENC Strategic Growth Program. This is the second time Downey has been honored with attending this week-long program that brings together a select group of women executives to discuss the latest in strategic direction, financial strategy, digital technologies, partnering, acquisitions, and brand communication.

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“Most of my career, I thought I was just an anomaly as a successful female entrepreneur until I attended the Tuck-WBENC Executive Program. It was a life changing event to spend a week with 59 other women just like me!” – Catherine Downey

catherine-downey-wbenc-tuck-2019

The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the largest certifier of women-owned businesses in the U.S. and a leading advocate for women business owners and entrepreneurs.

“We believe diversity promotes innovation, opens doors, and creates partnerships that fuel the economy. That’s why we provide the most relied upon certification standard for women-owned businesses and the tools to help them succeed. Our mission is to fuel economic growth globally by identifying, certifying, and facilitating the development of women-owned businesses.”

For over the past 15 years, IBM has been committed to supporting the development and advancement of Women’s Business Enterprises through educational opportunities.

CATMEDIA is a marketing, training, and creative services company that prides itself on turning visions to motion. Since 1997, Downey, who was named by Atlanta Magazine as one of the Top 500 CEOs in 2019, has seen tremendous growth in her company. Her leadership, commitment, and strength serve as the foundation for CATMEDIA’s operational standards and practices. Her unique ability to understand the creative world enables CATMEDIA to offer superior solutions to match each client’s individual message.

CATMEDIA has been recognized for numerous awards the over the last decade in leadership, company growth, and best places to work for.

Not only has the company been named one of Atlanta’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For for four years in a row, but has twice been named to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America, as well as the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s top ten list of fastest-growing private companies.

To learn more about the WBENC, click here!

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:
For more information, please visit CATMEDIA

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Social Media Marketing: How We Help Our Customers Make a Plan

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Developing and implementing a social media marketing plan is inevitable with the steady growth and popularity of social media. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter aren’t simply for personal use anymore. According to eMarketer, users are spending an average of 1 hour and 15 minutes on social networks a day in 2019.[1] Therefore, if your business has yet to optimize its use of social media as a marketing tool, now is the time. But first, it’s important to understand exactly what a social media marketing strategy really is.

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A social media marketing strategy can be defined as an overall summary of how your business plans to strategically use social media in a way that will better market its goods or services. This plan should be well thought out and detailed. As well as include an organized calendar that states when you plan to use each social media platform to get the best response from consumers.

Simply having social media accounts and using them every once in a while is not enough. In order to have an effective social media marketing plan, your company needs to be organized. Here is some insight on how we develop and organize, then implement a fail-proof social media plan for clients that will surely bring your brand’s marketing campaign into the modern age.

KNOW YOUR COMPETITION

two-people-fencing

Not that it isn’t always important to compare your brand to your competitors, but when creating a social media plan, I find that the best thing to do is see what everyone else is doing. You should be aware of how your business’ social media usage stacks up to that of your competitors’ when creating a digital marketing strategy.

I’m not saying that you should track their every move and mimic their digital marketing strategy, but if you take a look at what’s out there, you will be able to gauge where your business should be in regard to social media marketing. Not only will this information tell you how to create a social media plan, but it can also inspire you to come up with new, creative ways of implementing your plan in order to have a competitive advantage in your field.

SET GOALS

After taking a good look at your competition’s social media marketing plan, it’s time to set goals. By this I mean set attainable, quantitative, measurable goals. For example, instead of simply saying “We want more Facebook followers,” be specific. A better way to set a measurable goal would be to state, “We would like to increase our Facebook followers by 13% within the next quarter.” This way you will be able to evaluate whether or not your marketing plan was successful later on.

REVIEW YOUR TARGET MARKET

My next recommendation would be to review what market your business is planning to target with your digital marketing strategy. This is an important topic to research because different markets use different social media platforms. Once you know what media your target market uses, you can be sure to implement the most effective social media plan possible.

MAKE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Social media on iphoneGo ahead and skip this step if your company already has professional social media pages, but if not, now is the time to create them. If your brand already has social media accounts, then use this as an opportunity to improve them. Clean them up. Make sure they are cohesive but also unique from one another. Nothing is less effective than a company that simply copies the same material into each of its social media accounts.

Get to know your sites. Facebook allows for lengthier posts, while Twitter is only necessary for short, concise snippets of information. Instagram is great for showing off your products and deals, while LinkedIn is more useful in building your brand and hiring. Learn how to use these sites and which ones are important to your overall marketing plan.

CREATE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PLAN

Once you have reviewed the competition, set measurable goals, reviewed your target market, and created or improved upon your existing social media accounts; you can finally create your social media plan.

Your plan should cover things such as, “How many times a day will you post?” “What content will you post?” or “Which audience are you trying to reach through each specific post?” Be sure to make your social media plan as thorough as possible. Specificity will only help you in the long run. Once your plan is in action, this will be extremely helpful.

EVALUATE YOUR PLAN

man on computerAfter you’ve made the plan and put it into action, it is very important to keep track of how it’s doing. If your social media plan isn’t turning out to be as effective as you had hoped, take the time to make changes before it’s too late. If you notice that you’re not getting as many retweets or followers as you had intended, changing the plan can salvage your brand image. Not all companies are successful on their first go around. Practice makes perfect, and in this case, if one plan fails, try another until you reach your goals.

Creating and implementing a sound social media plan can be very valuable to modern businesses due to how many people use these sites. Knowing your competition, setting goals, understanding your audience, improving your online presence, creating a concrete plan, then evaluating that plan after it has been put into action will help your business thrive through social media marketing.

Are you ready to get started on a social media plan of action that will help grow your business?? Get in touch with us today and let’s get the conversation going about taking your brand to the next level!

  1. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Social-Marketing-2015-Key-ROI-Will-Come-Within/1011305

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:
For more information, please visit CATMEDIA

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Product Packaging: Our 5 Ways To Help You Stand Out

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When it comes to developing product packaging, two thoughts that come to mind are: meeting the needs of the consumer, as well as capturing their attention in a sea of competition. Packaging presents an opportunity; messaging ends up straight in the consumer’s hand, and often their home. As a result, it becomes a constant reminder of that product or brand. Below are some tips and questions to ask yourself when producing a great package.

COMMUNICATING with your Product Packaging

Packages perform as vehicles for direct communication between brands and consumers, and should answer questions such as:

  • What is the product?
  • Are there benefits of using the product?
  • How is this product unique?
apple-product-packaging

An array of Apple products and electronics

Packaging is often considered the last advertisement a potential buyer will see before making a purchase. Use graphic design to speak to how the customer should feel with color, typography, texture, and messaging. Consider the design of an Apple package. Each component is arranged with care, making smart use of the space inside. The clean white boxes ensure the focus is on the product itself. Written messaging gets out of the way and product photos dominate the front of the packages. The tech is the star here. Each part of the inner package is considered; from the way cords are wrapped to the origami-esque components that hold instruction manuals. Each choice speaks to how Apple wants their product to be received by the customer: important, good quality, smart, and well designed.

Good design lives at the intersection of creativity and functionality. Imagine a consumer carrying the product out of the store:

  • How will the customer carry and purchase the product?
  • How does your product fit into their life?
dose-juice-product-packaging

Woman holding a bottle of juice

THINKING ABOUT THE CONSUMER

Therefore, product packaging that can be carried, stored, and reused, functions to remind the customer of your brand and its value in everyday life. Quality components make lasting impressions, especially if a branded component of the package becomes part of their experience with the product itself.

How does the packaging feel in the hand? Weightiness, often psychologically, communicates higher quality. Choose a material that is pleasant to touch. It encourages customers to hold it longer. The longer they hold it, the greater the feeling of psychological ownership. This can help motivate the customer to purchase an item.

 

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COMPETITION

grocery-store-isles

Grocery store isles full of various products

What do the competitor’s products look like? Does your product stand out without alienating the consumer? If multiple competitors are already using flashy colors and graphics, a product may actually stand out with a neutral palette and minimal design elements. For that reason, it’s helpful to take visual stock at real stores to determine your competitors’ aggregated color stories and how your product will fit into that landscape. Is there a story missing from the spread? Does your product fill that gap? Be sure to tell your audience why you’re using thoughtful product packaging design.

VALUES

boxed-water-product-packaging

Boxed Water is Better product

Packaging advertises a brand’s values. Audiences seek alignment with brands they purchase from. The ever-rising popularity of green products (which often purport sustainable practices, using recyclable/recycled materials, or using natural ingredients) is a reflection of this desire for shared values. It is also common to advertise other ethical choices such as:

  • Workers’ conditions
  • Whether you test on animals
  • Political stances

These values can be advertised directly on the box to make you stand out from the crowd. While even if your stance may be an unpopular one, an honest advertisement will keep loyal consumers. Consumers desire transparency and are alienated by inauthenticity.

LOCATION

woman-shopping-at-makeup-counterWhich stores will you sell the product in? Do those locations speak to the values that the brand purports? If you advertise sustainable, ethically-sourced products, selling products in a large discount department store might create dissonance with the target audience.

Also, you should consider the product’s location in the store itself, potentially using:

  • Point of purchase displays – These provide more physical space to convey messaging to the customer, as well as helping your product to stand out significantly (as it will no longer be on the shelves next to the rest of the products). Point of purchase displays can also encourage impulse buys when strategically placed.
  • Endcaps are another great way to boost visibility. They provide a platform for you to advertise items together that may not normally be near each other. Paired products present a convenience to the buyer. They might not bother to find alternatives. A good example of this is selling office supplies together that share an aesthetic theme.

EXPERIENCE

Bottles-sunglasses-product-packagingProduct packaging is an extension of your brand experience. Opening a product can replicate the joy and curiosity felt upon opening a Christmas present. There are many social media avenues where people share their unboxing experiences on camera, such as Instagram and YouTube. These present an opportunity for your product to gain organic engagement and generate sales. In this instance, the wrapper is sometimes more important than what’s inside. An especially well-designed or unusual unboxing experience will encourage people to share their experience with others. It can be a great choice to develop an eccentric package if you seek to tap into audiences in this avenue.

CONCLUSION

As with most designs, the foundation of your choices should rest on their authenticity to your brand identity and messaging. Above all, be sure to tell the consumer specifically what value your product offers to their lives before they even open the box.

Can our agency help you take your product from just another one lost in the crowd, to one that stands out amongst the rest?

ABOUT US

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:
For more information, please visit CATMEDIA

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