Video, whether recorded or live, is becoming more and more important in social media. Did you know that:

• 43% of social media users want to see more video content from their favourite brands?
• On average, people watch 1/3 of a video
• 2/3 or people are more likely to book or buy after watching a video
• Videos are watched by all demographics, making it a great way to reach a wider audience

Videos are used by businesses to showcase their products, explain how something works, testimonials, faq’s, interviews etc.

Most tourism businesses are using Facebook, Youtube and Instagram, and those targeting the younger demographic also use Snapchat. All these platforms have a live streaming option: Facebook live, Youtube live, Instagram live and Snapchat.
If you do decide to use live streaming, make sure you let your audience know beforehand!

So, have a go - it may take a little practice, but once you get into the habit of making (short - no more than 2 mins) videos, you'll reap the rewards! I’m making a video myself at the moment and will share it with you in the coming week. Watch this space!

I've found a little video that explains how to make a simple video using your i-phone. The filming quality of newer model smartphones is so good these days, that you can easily make a video yourself. And it looks authentic rather than too polished! 
I was amazed to hear that a friend ofmine was recently interviewed (and filmed) by a journalist for TV using a smartphone!
Here's the tutorial. Till next week, Marijke

Ha, the title sounds a bit confusing, doesn't it. You'll understand what I mean after reading the following.
Two of the current marketing trends in tourism are:

1. The importance of video on your website - and definitely on your home page. Video helps sell your product and convert to booking much more efficiently than static images. A videos also looks great as a background header.
   
2. Another trend is site speed. If your site takes longer than 3-5 seconds to load, you'll lose a lot of visitors and sales. The issue with HD video is that it can slow down your site if the files are very big, which they often are.
   

So to have HD videos on your website without compromising your site speed, read on..

I found this great (free!) little tool: Clipchamp. Clipchamp lets users convert, compress, edit and record videos in the browser. It's a free service that doesn't require installing software or uploading files to an online video converter or compressor.
I have just used it for a client's website, and it is fantastic! I reduced a 300MB file to 30MB and it's still super sharp! And SO much faster!

There are no input file size restrictions (it has been successfully tested with videos of up to 20GB). Our output format options are MP4, WebM, WMV, FLV and GIF.
Clipchamp is also very easy to use! I have also verified that it's a safe site to use.

So, give it a go and upload some great videos to your site! Go to: www.clipchamp.com

Till next week, Marijke

Video as a marketing tool was big in 2016, it's going to be even bigger in 2017! The main issue for businesses is to find the time, budget and skills to make videos.
Below are a few video trends to ponder. Check out the video stats at the end of this article!

So, should I try to create videos in-house or outsource?
I'd say, preferably a bit of both! Professional videos look great and are always a good idea. But if you want more video content and your budget doesn’t allow that, just do it in-house! Today's buyers want short, easily consumed, informal content. Attention spans are short.  Consumers want videos that feel as if they were created by real people, and they want more of them. So have a go! Most smartphones take great videos!

How about a call to action at the end? Videos are becoming more and more interactive. Rather than just explaining a product, a testimonial, promoting an event or an instructional video, you should always have a call to action at the end of the video (or where it applies). You can easily add links in the video that people can click for more info.

Should I customise my video for my different audiences?
Yes! If you have several types of customer groups, develop a few videos aimed at each of these groups. Videos will appeal more if your customers can relate to it.

How do I actually get this done? I am sooo busy!
Set a goal of producing say two short (90 seconds is enough – people have short attention spans) videos yourself this summer!
Learn to make videos yourself – it’s a great creative and fun skill to have! Or get one of your staff that is interested to do it. The next time you employ a new team member – you could make this skill a requirement.

Till next week, Marijke

I hope you’ve seen the acclaimed NZ movie: Hunt for the Wilderpeople. A boy (Julian Dennison) and his foster father (Sam Neill) become the subjects of a manhunt after they get stranded in the New Zealand wilderness. It's arguably the best movie of 2016!

Julian, along with Ronan Keating, features in a holiday video created by Air New Zealand. They change the lyrics of the Christmas carol “Winter Wonderland” to “Summer Wonderland”. Finally a Christmas carol that relates to Chrismas in summer!

Within 2 weeks of being launched, this video has received nearly 900,000 views!
So, this summer (or winter if you live in the northern hemisphere), come up with some creative, funny, cute, beautiful, surprising and novel photos or videos you can use for your marketing. That's the stuff that goes viral and provides you with free publicity!

Till next week, Marijke

The first video is the making of the video, the one below, the actual carol!

A video on your home page or landing page will increase conversion to sales. You can get a video professionally produced, but you can easily produce your own videos too.

My intention is to produce more videos as people process images and video thousands time faster as text. It's one of the major trends in marketing and if you want to develop content for your website, learning to produce simple videos will greatly enhance your website.

The little video slideshow above only took me 10 minutes. I take my lovely black lab Jessi for a walk to the lake daily. Last week, I decided to take photos of her coming out of the the lake shaking off the water after fetching a stick.
Here's how I put together the little video above in less than 10 minutes.

1. Back in my office, I first transferred the photos from my phone (a Samsung Galaxy s6 - takes great photos!) to my laptop by simply emailing them.

2. Open www.youtube.com. If you haven't set up your own Youtube channel, click here to learn how to set one up.

3. In the top right corner, click: Upload. In the right hand column, click 'Photo Slideshow - Create'.

4. Select the photos you want to use for your slideshow. Click Next.

5. You can now edit your slideshow, add music, change the transition, add text etc. You can also click the Advanced Settings buttons for more features.
Once you're done, just click save and your video gets uploaded to Youtube. You can give it a name and add a description.

6. Now that the video is on Youtube, you can easily put it on your website. Most good content management systems will allow you to insert a Youtube video on your website.
Voila! You've done it!

PS My dog is NOT for sale!

Have a great week, Marijke

Another example is this ad for a US$300,000 Bentley. It was filmed last year with an Iphone S5 and Ipad Air. Wow! Of course they were professional camera people, but it does show you that the image quality of a smart phone is great for a simple video!

So, my challenge to you is to put together a short video for your website by the end of next week.
I will do so too and post it on this website. It only needs to be short (no more than 2 minutes).
If you email me your video, I am happy to give you feedback and post it on this website (if that's ok with you!)

If you don't have a Youtube Channel for your business, the video below will show you how to do it!

I'm pretty sure you've had someone send you a funny video or ad and chances are you have forwarded it to someone else.
We all love having a laugh and if it's good, we love sharing funny ads and videos. As a result, these - i.e. the funny ones - tend to go viral. What a great way to promote your product or service!

So have a think about how you could add some humour to your product or service in your advertising, videos etc. What would put a smile on people's faces and if you come up with something really good, it may go viral! That's free marketing!

Coming up with something funny to promote your product or service will also make you stand out from your competition and people tend to remember you more.
Organise a brainstorming session with your team to come up with some fun ideas!

Here are a few videos:

Till next week, Marijke

Do you remember the tip I posted 2 years ago about the Westjet Christmas Miracle ad? If you can't remember it, it's worth watching again. Click here to view it on Youtube.
By the way, this ad has had almost 44 million views! Talking about great viral marketing! And creating that emotional connection with customers.

Well, Westjet have done it again. Below is the ad that they only put online 6 days ago. It has had over 1.2 million views in just 6 days.

It's not easy to keep coming up with creative campaigns, but this one is pretty cool too. Have a look:

So, if you can come up with a creative campaign where you pull at your customers' heart strings, you are likely to earn some brownie points, and hopefully more customers!

I am always interested at the types of videos that go viral. This one, a French ad for... (you'll see it at the end) does a great job of surprising you, making you feel uplifted and even motivated (the music is a French song that reminds me when I lived in France when I was young), and add value to a simple product. Have a look first (this one's for the girls!):

At the end it says in French: "you have burnt 2000 calories". So they link the water with exercise and loosing weight. Very clever!
Think outside the square about how you can market your product / business. Brainstorm with your team, look at these type of videos, and come up with something different!

Till next week, Marijke

Exactly one year ago, I wrote about the Westjet Christmas video that ended up receiving almost 40 million views. It's a brilliant marketing campaign that cost relatively little if you think of the goodwill and viral marketing this campaign has achieved! If you can't remember, click here to view it again (it's worth it!).
Now, a year later, Westjet has produced a similar campaign, see video below. The theme is the same, and in just a couple of weeks, it's already received near 3 million views. It's a great idea that if you have a successful campaign, to come up with a "follow up campaign" - continuing the story if you like.
So, have a think about the successful campaigns you have run and what follow up campaign you could come up with! (brainstorming with your team gets great results!)

Good luck with your final Christmas preparations!

Kind regards, Marijke

Do you remember way back in September last year, I posted the article on viral marketing and the video about Denver, the Guilty Dog? The video had 29 million visitors at that stage. This has now grown to over 33 million.

I thought the cat snack manufacturer (Friskies) would have capitalised on the publicity of their product (and they've probably tried...), but something else has happened that is now making money for the makers the video. It's very clever!

Check out the video again. Towards the end of the video, you'll see a link appear at the top left of the video.

This is a great example of a product development initiative as a result of viral marketing. What do you think?

Till next week, Marijke
(PS Sorry about this tip being late! We had 2 Marketing Planning Bootcamps in Te Anau and Queenstown this week that kept us very busy!)

Ok, this is a bit of a marketer's dream. There is very little chance you can reach that many people and create that much goodwill and 'emotional connection' (this will make people remember them and more likely to book their flights) for the money that was spent on this ad. Very creative!

You can do this too!

In January, we are starting the new Marketing For Success Programme - we will teach you innovative ways to reach lots of customers and support you in reaching your goals.

Register now! Go to our Smartraining page for more info!

We will be taking a little break, and will be back in the new year with more marketing tips.

Wishing you, your family and your staff a Merry Christmas and may 2014 be your best year ever!

Kind regards, Marijke

Last weekend, my neighbour told me about the video clip below and that I just HAD to see it. (you'll like this if you're a dog lover!) Check out the video, then read on!

You have to admit: this is very cute! Well, over 29 MILLION other people thought so too!
Yes, you're reading this correctly... this video has received over 29 million views!!

That's what's called viral marketing. One person sees it and passes it on to their friends, and these friends pass it on to theirs and so on. 

OK, this is nothing new, we know how Youtube works and we get these types of video links sent by our friends all the time too!

My question is: how can you make this work for your business? Imagine 28 million people seeing a video you posted on Youtube with something that's worth watching! If these people are also your target market and a percentage buys your product or service, what would this do to your business?

Here are a few tips (when uploading a funny or 'entertaining video):

• Put an advert relating to your business at the start of the video. This is
  perfectly ok! (we're used to it...)


• Or put a link to your website at the end of the video.


• Use keywords for the title that relate to what your audience will be using
  to search for your video


• Keep it short, around 2 minutes for an entertaining video is
  perfect!
  

A few more things to think of:

• is your video entertaining (is it funny, cute?)


• are your providing something exciting or surprising?


• is it something new?


• is it genuine or spontaneous?


• are you targeting a niche audience?

Note: it doesn't need to have tick all the above boxes, but it does need to appealing enough for people to want to see it AND pass it on to others!

So, get your video camera out (or even a cell phone will do!) and keep an eye out for something worth filming, 
especially if it relates to your business.

I'd also like to hear your success stories! Email them to: [email protected] 

Till next week, Marijke