6 Ways Startups Waste Money on Marketing

Marketing will be where the majority of startups spend most of their budgets. The average B2B marketer spends 42 percent of their budgets on marketing. Yet there are so many startups that don’t always get the results they want simply because most of their dollars are being wasted. If you are failing due to ineffective tactics and tools, this guide is going to show you some of the most common mistakes you may already be making, and how to turn things around.

Building a Following on Social Media

Your marketing budget should be spent partly on social media. But so many startups are convinced that building a following is going to lead to success. The problem with this is that social media reach is no longer what’s best for business. Facebook has seen organic reach crippled. Investing all this time into building a following is nearly pointless because what you’ll quickly discover is that you can have 100 likes on Facebook yet still make more money through advertising than someone with a thousand likes.

When only a fraction of your following will ever see your posts, building a following on social media is an entirely fruitless pursuit, so save your money.

Building a following remains important, but it should come through purchases of your products not through ‘like’ building campaigns.

Giving Up Too Soon

Startup owners believe that their product is so great that it’s sure to gain traction within a matter of days. Many small businesses begin with a twinkle in their eye and then realize they are not going to have an easy time.

Rather than persevering, they give up too soon. Many small business owners begin with high expectations and then when these aren’t met they believe it’s a problem with their business. You have unrealistic expectations if you demand that your business becomes a success within two years.

Not Understanding Your Audience

You can target any niche in the world with advanced marketing and advertising tools these days. To make the most of this you have to actually understand your audience, though. It’s necessary to have the image of your perfect customer, along with their likes/dislikes, and where they hang out.

If you are unable to understand your target audience, your targeting is always going to be slightly off. Conduct customer research before you start to waste your marketing dollars.

You Have No Idea How You Attracted Your Loyal Customers

The most loyal customers in your brand will be the ones who purchase every new product or service without question. These are the people you can rely on. At the same time, you need to know how you got them in the first place. It’s important for you to have a good idea for how you found your most loyal customers, so you can continue to replicate these tactics.

With most startups, the top fifth of your customers may account for up to 70 percent of your overall revenue, and this won’t change much as you grow.

Wagering Everything on One Marketing Campaign

Marketing is a game of trial and error whether you’re a small business or a large business. There are lots of things you can try and part of your growth period is to test out all these different tactics. But it’s difficult to do this when you’re wagering your entire marketing budget on a single campaign.

Don’t give yourself one shot to make your startup work. There’s a time and a place for this, but it’s not now. The best way to handle marketing as a startup is to start with extremely small scale tests.

Scaling up your marketing efforts should be done with extreme caution and only when you are sure that you are actually getting results. If it doesn’t work at a small level, it’s certainly not going to work at a higher spending level.

Not Tracking Your Results Well Enough

And then there are times where you are simply not tracking your results well enough. This tends to happen when startups gain a little bit of success in the beginning. They become so caught up in their success that they forget to track their results and compare them against the past.

Only by keeping track of your marketing results can you keep an accurate record of what works and what doesn’t. Without accurate measurements, you are going to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

 Source: http://bit.ly/1VjevgT

Instagram Now Allows 60-Second Videos: Here's Why

Instagram has just shared good news to Instagram fanatics: the photo and video-based social network is now allowing 60-second videos on its platform. But why?

Instagram rolled out the most recent update on March 29 to all of its users across the globe.

With the update onboard, Instagram is now increasing the allowed length of videos uploaded from 15 seconds to 60 seconds. It appears like the company has realized that 15 seconds is not enough to showcase one's creativity through their posted videos.

Instagram reveals on a blog post that in the last six months, the time people spent streaming videos increased by more than 40 percent. It thinks that longer videos signify diverse stories from the accounts users love the most.

Moreover, Instagram says it wants to bring "fun, flexible and creative ways to create and watch video on Instagram" to its users.

"As part of our continued commitment, you'll soon have the flexibility to tell your story in up to 60 seconds of video," Instagram says, adding that this is only one step of many its users will see within the year.

Sephi Shapira, the chief executive of performance mobile advertising company MassiveImpact says that increasing the video length to full minute is about keeping Instagram users in the feed.

"Unlike Youtube where users jump from video to video, Instagram wants users to finish videos," says Shapira.

Paul Monckton of Forbes believes that increasing the length of allowed video clips on Instagram could prevent users from shifting to other platforms, in the likes of Snapchat or YouTube.

He also adds that it will also enable bloggers to push out more engaging content, for instance recipes or make up tips, that are difficult to cram into only 15 seconds.

Kathleen Chaykowski, also from Forbes, says that perhaps Facebook has realized that videos are key to boosting Instagram’s business, considering the impact of video ads on Facebook.

Forecasting company eMarketer predicts that Facebook-owned Instagram could have mobile ad sales of $1.37 billion in the United States and $1.48 billion across the globe within the year.

In the meantime, to sweeten the pot, Instagram is also dishing out one more great news, particularly to iOS users. It is bringing back a well-liked functionality on its iOS app, which is the ability to put together several video clips into one.

"For iOS, we're also bringing back the ability to make videos out of multiple clips from your camera roll," it says.

With the new 60-second limit on videos, users will certainly have a greater chance to show off what they've got.

Note that iOS users have to download the iOS app's version 7.19 and they're good to go.

Again, the ability to post 60-second videos is pushed out to all Instagram users across all platforms while the feature to stitch together multiple clips is released only to iOS users.

Instagram says that it is rolling out the update in waves starting March 29, which means that there is a possibility that some users can still receive the update on succeeding months.

However, you may check out if the update has already landed on your handset by trying to take a 60-second video and posting it. Once you have successfully uploaded the video, then it means that you can now benefit from this nifty feature, along with other new functionalities Instagram has recently given to its app.

  Source: http://bit.ly/1RPzqRA

8 Valuable Tips for Women Entrepreneurs

The feminist in me (which is pretty much all of me) bristles a bit when we talk about women entrepreneurs as a separate group that requires preferential advice. But unfortunately, we still live in a patriarchal society and as much as I wish I could deny it, women are still treated differently in many areas, including entrepreneurship.

There are also a lot of double-standards out there when it come to how female and male entrepreneurs are treated. Yet, starting in a lower position than our male counterparts, female entrepreneurs are forced to work harder and often outperform men.

All of that being said, I have to admit that it is still somewhat helpful to see advice out there that is specifically tailored towards women and how we interpret and are interpreted by, the world.

Here are some of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen for women entrepreneurs recently. I should add that, if we were to put this advice into a Venn Diagram, while all of it would be useful for women entrepreneurs, a lot of it would also be useful for all entrepreneurs whether male or female, and a lot of it would also be useful for women in general.

1. Find your passion. If you’re going to be spending most of your waking hours working towards something, try your damndest to make it something you’re truly passionate about.
2. Keep your home and work life separate. This can be a huge challenge for those who work from home, and if you’re diving into a startup venture full-time and can’t afford an office space, you’ll almost definitely be working from home. If you keep your schedule too flexible, customers and clients will take advantage of it, causing unnecessary stress.
3. Form real connections with other women. I’m not saying join a twelve step program for women entrepreneurs (does such a thing exist? That could be a genius startup idea in itself!) but get out there and meet other women who are in the same boat. Get yourself a kickass mentor, or create a group if one doesn’t already exist in your area.
4. Network your face off. Even if you’re far from a social butterfly, you can still network with the best of them. Being a successful networker is a learned skill. Knowing the right people, or even just knowing the people who know the right people can be incredibly beneficial when you’re trying to build and grow your business. It can also help you become part of a community of likeminded folk.
5. Don’t start a business just for the money. Sure there are a lot of serial entrepreneurs who jump from one venture to the next and chase trends and money rather than what really interests them. This works, but not often, and it can take a long time before you start actually making money, so it’s best to make sure you enjoy what you’re doing so you don’t burn out before the money even comes.
6. Be brutally honest with yourself. If you can’t be honest with yourself, how can you be expected to be honest with anyone else. It’s challenging at first, but you need to be able to see your own strengths and weaknesses with a critical eye, and assess shortcomings or needs for additional support with unbiased judgement.
7. Ask for help when you need it. This goes along with the previous tip. Don’t try to conquer the world single-handedly. The most successful entrepreneurs know when to ask for help. Be strategic about it and know that it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of good judgement and awareness.
8. Take risks. Almost every aspect of entrepreneurship involves taking risks, and while some might end in failure, the ones that don’t can be very rewarding. Just remember to enter these risks with the confidence that you will succeed.

 Source: http://bit.ly/1pN1NJO

The Instagram Checklist

The Instagram Checklist: 8 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Clicking ‘Post’

Instagram can be a truly powerful tool for building your brand’s identity online, but it can also be very easy to get wrong.

Too often businesses break our #1 Unbreakable Law of Social Media Marketing – think before you post!

So the next time you’re about to upload content to Instagram, stop for a second and ask yourself the following questions:

Does this make sense for my audience?

This should always be the first thing on your mind when you post something to social media. You’ll never reach the audience you want to if your content isn’t consistently geared towards them.

Use an analytics tool to find out what’s keeping your followers engaged and focus on those types of posts. On the flip side, keep an eye on what isn’t working – it only takes a few unwelcome posts to push a user to unfollow you, so adjust your strategy accordingly.

Does this make sense for my brand?

A platform like Instagram is great for building a branding experience online, so make sure every piece of content paints a picture of who you are as a business. Don’t dilute your profile with irrelevant filler. Keep it focused. Tell your story and make sure people know what you’re all about. Having a huge Instagram following doesn’t mean much if you aren’t able to convey your brand’s message.

Is this offensive or can it be misinterpreted?

This one is obvious but it is so, so important. It harks back to our number one rule of social media – always think before you post. You might upload something with good intentions, but remember that anything you put out is prone to misinterpretation. Once you click post, it’s out there for everyone to see – in many cases even after you’ve deleted it. Spare yourself the PR disaster and look at your content from every angle before you pull the trigger.

Should I sponsor this post?

There’s no point in sugarcoating it; Instagram is becoming a pay-to-play platform. The platform has seen a dramatic drop in organic engagement and growth over the past few months, so if you want your content to reach audiences you may well have to give it an extra paid push. If you’re posting about a new product, a contest, or if you’re just trying to build your following, consider uploading your content as a sponsored post.

Is this the best time to be posting?

Posting at the right time can be the difference between your content reaching its intended audience and falling flat on its face. Think about when your users will be using Instagram – you might be itching to post that incredible behind-the-scenes shot at three in the morning, but perhaps it would be better to wait until tomorrow afternoon.

You also want to think about when you posted your last picture or video. Try not to be spammy or you risk being unfollowed. Posting a few times a day is fine, but space your posts out with a few hours in between so you don’t overwhelm your followers’ feeds.

Has this content been edited to its optimal form?

Instagram users demand excellence, so if your content doesn’t look great you’ll have trouble building a following. This is where editing comes into play. Instagram offers editing tools of its own within the app, but we recommend using a specialized third-party app to get the job done. There are a ton of great apps, both paid and free, that you can use to get your photos looking their best. Google’s free Snapseed app is available on both iPhone and Android devices, and it’s insanely powerful.

Don’t stress over Instagram’s built-in filters either. They’re slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past. Plus, there are plenty of apps like VSCO Cam that offer high-quality filters of their own, so you can get your photos looking nice and vintage long before it’s time to post.

Have I written a good description?

A picture is worth a thousand words, but don’t forget the importance of actual words. Every Instagram post should have a caption of some kind. Use the opportunity to say a bit more about the content. Try asking a question to drum up some engagement. You can also put a call-to-action here, but remember that links in Instagram descriptions aren’t clickable.

In addition, make sure you’ve added any relevant hashtags so people can find your post. The more specific you are, the better. Using popular hashtags is fine too, but bear in mind that your post will be pushed down the hashtag’s feed very quickly. The old trick of ‘refreshing’ hashtags no longer works. And be careful not to overuse hashtags or you may come off as desperate.

Will this look good in my grid as a whole?

Instagram is all about beautiful imagery and the better your grid looks, the more people will take notice. After all, your grid is the first thing a user sees when they click your profile. If it looks unified and clean they’ll be more likely to follow you. You might have some killer content, but if it’s surrounded by a sea of visual clutter don’t expect your follower numbers to explode.

If you want to plan extra carefully, you can preview what your post will look like in your grid by using a collage app like PhotoGrid. If it looks like the post will throw off your grid’s visual balance, you may be able to save it for another day and post something else instead.

Oh, and one last tip – having a predetermined color scheme goes a long way towards building a profile that looks great.

So there you have it. Ask yourself these questions every time you post something to Instagram and you’re well on your way to creating a beautiful and engaging profile. Good luck!

 Source : http://bit.ly/1RcsH9v

Six Trends Shaping Location Marketing In 2016

How will local marketing change this year? 

From apps to beacons to mobile wallets, columnist Adam Dorfman covers six trends local search marketers should pay attention to.

How should businesses think about location marketing in 2016?

With more than 50 percent of all computing currently being done on mobile devices, I believe location marketing is on the cusp of exploding into something new: Becoming the foundation for all marketing.

The increasingly strategic value of location data and the strength of mobile will make local marketing more of a foundation of all of marketing. Here are six key trends shaping the local marketing landscape in 2016:

1. Location Data Will Become The Foundation For Local Marketing

For quite some time, businesses have treated location data — such as their names, addresses and phone numbers — as a passive asset that protects their brands. Keep your location data accurate, and you make it easier for searchers to find you. 

But brands are realizing that data aggregators such as Localeze and publishers such as Apple and Foursquare can be powerful partners to amplify location data across the digital world where customers live, search and shop.

As a result, businesses have a new imperative: to make their data more accessible by unleashing it through relationships with major publishers and aggregators, as well as carefully curated vertical market platforms. 

According to SIM Partners proprietary research, enterprises that improved the accuracy and reach of their location data by just 20 percent saw traffic to their location pages increase up to 450 percent and on-page action conversion rates increase by 216 percent.

2. Google Will Invest More In Local Search

Google adding local searches to their recently released Search Quality Ratings Guidelines, releasing a Google My Business API and saying that local knowledge graph results will soon be editable, all point to the fact that local search is getting a lot of attention at Google HQ at the moment. 

I suspect that the drop of local business information from Google+ is the first of many large disruptions from Google in the local search space. 

3. Apps Will Flex Their Location Marketing Muscle

Businesses are discovering how apps such as Periscope and Snapchat can support advertising and direct response at a national level. Dunkin’ Donuts recently included Snapchat as part of a promotion to celebrate National Coffee Day. Taco Bell used Periscope to promote a biscuit taco giveaway across its locations.

National enterprises have the muscle to measure the results of these campaigns and adapt them for even more targeted audiences, which is where local marketing becomes more relevant. We’ll see the emergence of more sophisticated local marketing to capitalize on regional differences in demographics, seasons and local events.

To take advantage of the value of micro-platforms, businesses need to syndicate their location data more aggressively to the aforementioned data amplifiers that share their data with these apps.

4. Beacon Mania Will Grow In The First Part Of The Year, Before It Inevitably Ebbs

In 2015, beacons were the darling of location marketing, with big brands such as Target announcing national implementations designed to share more meaningful content with shoppers through their mobile devices. Business Insider predicted that beacons would directly influence $4 billion in in-store sales in the United States in 2015, a figure that would increase by tenfold in 2016.

But early adopters are already discovering the drawbacks of beacons, which include limited range and high maintenance, especially for brands with hundreds and thousands of locations. 

In 2016, brands will take a more measured approach toward beacon adoption as they weigh other options to generate in-store traffic and sales, including GPS and emerging technologies such as the IndoorAtlas indoor positioning system (IPS), which relies on a building’s “magnetic signature” to help shoppers locate products and other people inside large buildings such as shopping malls.

Beacons will not go away, but businesses will begin to target their use more selectively to offer targeted content to shoppers in-store.

5. Mobile Wallets Will Explode In Popularity

Just as businesses are getting savvier about the limitations of beacons, they’re also beginning to wake up to the power of mobile wallet offers to create customers at the local level. 

According to mobile marketing provider Vibes, more than half of consumers would like to receive mobile wallet content on a weekly basis, and 70 percent of consumers will save an offer to a mobile wallet when presented with the option.

Consumer acceptance of mobile wallets, coupled with the widespread uptake of Apple Pay, has already inspired businesses such as Pep Boys to create compelling mobile wallet offers that increase foot traffic and sales.

With 80 percent of “near me” searches occurring on mobile devices, businesses are finding more creative ways to create contextual content that turns searchers into shoppers. 

But what will help mobile wallets take off in 2016 is their increasingly diverse applications, ranging from coupons to loyalty programs to mass transit.

6. Disruptors Will Continue To Edge Their Way Into What Has Traditionally Been Google’s Turf

Google will continue to be the 800-pound gorilla of search, but we’ll also see Apple and Facebook continue to encroach upon Google.

Consider how Apple is making search more predictive and smart through iOS 9. In an iOS 9 world, Apple Search has become a far more powerful search tool by drawing up a number of local data sources, including native app content. 

By proactively serving up suggestions for nearby things to do and buy before you even conduct a search, Apple Search is fast becoming an intriguing pathway for location marketing.

In the meantime, Facebook continues to strengthen itself as a local search platform. The day is fast arriving when Facebook will serve up suggested local enterprise content next to personal conversations and queries about where to go and what to buy. I see opportunities for Facebook to monetize its business directory and make use of personal recommendations that people make to each other.

Brands need to pay closer attention to how consumers are using alternatives to Google and build relationships with these publishing alternatives.

Final Thoughts

To flourish with local marketing in 2016, enterprises should broaden their local search ecosystem to include apps such as Snapchat, treat their location data as a scalable asset and pivot to the needs of mobile consumers. Adaptable brands will win with local marketing in 2016.

Source : http://selnd.com/1VJVQrw

7 Ways For Startups To Build A Strong Social Media Following

If you’re a startup, operating on a limited budget, it becomes essential to focus your marketing on low-budget marketing strategies that are proven to work. You need to make every penny count.

Social media is essential to any new startup’s marketing plan because it offers free and low cost ways to promote a new website. Social can work better than techniques like SEO to build traffic in the initial states of promoting a startup.

Here are seven ways that startups can build a strong following on social media.

1. Create buyer personas

Buyer personas are an inbound marketing strategy that help you hone in and focus on the right target audience. With a limited marketing budget, the last thing you want to do is to throw money away on marketing to an audience that is not interested in your products or services.

Creating a buyer persona will help you focus only on those people that are likely to purchase what you have to offer. When creating your buyer personas for potential customers, you need to list:

• Their job and demographic information
• What a day in their life looks like
• Their challenges or pain points
• Places where they access the information they want
• Their most common objections to making a purchase

Understanding all these aspects of your buyers will help you focus your marketing and content to appeal to the right buyers at every stage in the sales funnel.

For example, this is what a buyer persona might look like for a startup like BigBasket.com.

2. Create a responsive website

With a majority of internet users now accessing the web from their mobile devices, your startup website needs to have responsive web design and be easily accessible on all mobile devices.

Google’s “Mobilegeddon” update made having a mobile-friendly site a ranking factor in the Google search results. That means, if you hope to use SEO to get traffic to your website, your design needs to be responsive, so it adapts to any mobile device that it is viewed on.

The alternative is creating a mobile app, which is an expensive proposition for a startup, and not really necessary if your website is responsive. If you use WordPress to build your website, it is easy to download a free or low-cost theme to make your website mobile friendly.

3. Create a social presence on select channels

One of the biggest misconceptions startups have is that they need to build a presence on every social network. This only means you’ll spread yourself thin and remain unfocused in your marketing strategy.

While I would recommend creating an account on all social networks, just to make sure no one else takes charge of your brand name, you need to focus your efforts only on those networks that your buyer persona is spending the most time on.

For example, for the Busy Mom Persona above, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram might be the best networks to focus on because these are thenetworks most frequently accessed by women. The more focused your efforts, the mbore successful your social media marketing campaign will be.

4. Invest in social advertisements

The fastest way to build a strong following on a network like Facebook is with paid advertising. Facebook Like ads can grow your following, while Promoted post ads can boost engagement on your best content.

Facebook advertising is still relatively low-cost, especially if you’re advertising to an audience in India. For just a few rupees a click, you can grow your network to thousands of targeted fans and followers.

On Twitter and Pinterest, it is still easy to build a following without advertising. But if you’re in a hurry to grow your numbers and get your startup in front of more people, explore Twitters follower ads and Pinterest’s Promoted Pinsoptions.

Set aside a budget for social media advertising and you will be able to build a strong social media follower base in a much shorter time.

5. Start a blog and post regularly

While your social media profiles are your outreach posts, I highly recommend that you make your blog the hub of your social presence. Publishing a regular blog is great for SEO, and also provides you with original content to post on your social networks.

Make sure your blog is setup to capture leads and emails from blog subscribers. There’s no point sending traffic to your blog, if you’re not generating targeted leads that you can add to a follow-up email campaign.

Your blog is an essential component of your sales funnel, so invest some time and effort in publishing posts that target the challenges and pain points of your buyer personas.

Publish content in multiple formats, like video, infographics and PPT (Slideshare) to reach those customers who prefer consuming content in these formats. Spend some time learning how to make your content stand out from the clutter.

6. Invest in social customer service

Social customer service is such an important aspect of social media today, that it’s no longer an option whether you should invest in it or not.

On average, 40 percent of customers complaining on social media expect a response within an hour, and 32 percent expect a response within 30 minutes. It would be wise to hire a dedicated social media manager to answer queries immediately.

Social networks like Facebook have even introduced features that display how quickly customers can expect a response from their favorite pages. If you respond to 90% of messages and maintain a median response time of 5 minutes for all replies sent, your page will qualify for a “very responsive to messages” icon.

As a new startup, you can build an advantage over more established competitors if you show your fans that you are super responsive to their queries and concerns.

Facebook also allows Page admins to reply to comments left on their Page with private messages. This can help you respond to personal requests and handle customer-specific information more effectively.

Facebook’s “Saved Replies” feature gives you the ability to use canned messages when communicating with potential customers on your page. This can help you cut down on the time you spend responding to frequently asked questions.

On Twitter, response times have to be quick, or else customers are likely to complain and spread negativity about your brand. To learn how to create a social customer service program that gets results, read the 2015 Definitive Guide to Social Customer Service.

7. Hold contests and promotions

The best way for a new startup to build visibility and buzz on social media is with the help of contests and promotions. Offering free versions of your products, discounts, or prizes, can help you get a lot of new followers and fans in a short amount of time.

Spend some time coming up with a creative idea for your contest. Use videos to announce your contest, and upload your videos directly to Facebook, so you can benefit from the viral nature of Facebook shares.

Use social ads to advertise your contests and promotions to a targeted audience of buyers. Contests and promotions can create a lot of positive publicity and word of mouth for your brand on social media. 

Source : http://bit.ly/1m7mazL

Think Recruiters Lie? Can You Handle the Truth?

Honesty is such a lonely word.  Everyone is so untrue. – Billy Joel

There is one truth in recruitment: everybody lies.  Sometimes the lies seem small, designed to gloss over an unpleasant ending to a job 20 years ago, or to cover the fact that the reason that this vacancy exists is that there is someone in the team who, despite being brilliant at their own job, makes everyone else’s a living hell.  Candidates lie in their resumes, recruiters lie to protect clients and to spare candidate’s feelings.

But the one thing that people always claim to want; the one refrain we hear loud and clear is, ‘Why don’t you tell me the truth?’

But what if the truth were:

• The lovely rose tattoo on your neck just won’t cut it with our incredibly conservative client.  You have good skills, but the decision you made when you were 18 to get that tattoo is going to affect job opportunities forever.
• You have incredibly bad body odour, and, whilst you are clearly unaware of it, it’s bad.  Really bad.
• Your attitude is terrible.  You were rude to our reception staff and dismissive and snide when asked questions.
• There are people out there more skilled than you are at this particular task.  Quite a few people actually.
• You change jobs more often than some people change socks, and we can’t get a good reference for you,
• You are inarticulate or have terrible communication skills. 

A good consultant will man up and tell you the truth.  And they will try to leave you with some dignity intact.  But it’s not easy to do and feelings can be hurt.  Egos can be bruised.  Emotions can run high.

So be prepared when you ask for the truth.  Be willing to take criticism and to take it with grace and with the understanding that sometimes, even when you think you are, you are just not the right person for the vacancy.

Source : http://bit.ly/1NbZxpZ

Boom ! Fresh Ideas Social Media and marketing News.

Why video marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach millennials

Marketers want to reach Generation Y, and for a good reason. This demographic, born between 1980 and 2000 and now known as "millennials," will collectively spend more than $200 billion annually beginning in 2017, which comes out to $10 trillion over the course of their lifetimes.

How can businesses connect with this purchasing powerhouse? Millennials aren't as responsive to the TV commercials and print advertisements that worked for older generations. Instead, they want engagement. The good news is that they're highly engaged with video. Here are three reasons why incorporating video into your marketing strategy will help you reach millennials.

1. Move millennials through the purchase process

 

Today, millennials consume video for more than just entertainment. They use video to learn about companies and make purchase decisions. According to a recent consumer study byAnimoto, eight out of ten millennials find video helpful when researching a product or service. In fact, they're 85% more likely than baby boomers to purchase a product or service if they can watch a video explaining it beforehand.

Video helps guide millennials through the purchase cycle. You can do so in a number of ways, like including demo videos on product pages or embedding customer testimonials on an "About Us" page. For example, online clothing retailers ASOS and Net-A-Porter include videos of models walking in clothing for sale and.

Further, in the video above, New York Yoga uses video to show potential customers what it’s like to attend their classes. It's easier than ever for consumers to make purchase decisions and have intimate interactions with brands online.

2. Create buzz on social networks

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are embracing the social video trend started by YouTube in 2005. It's apparent when you scroll through your Facebook News Feed — video has taken over.Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook's content will be mostly video in five years. In June 2015, Facebook revealed that its users watch 4 billion video streams every day.

Video as a social medium is becoming increasingly relevant, especially among millennials. The numbers don't lie.

According to the aforementioned Animoto study, 84% of millennials follow brands or companies on Facebook, 75% follow them on YouTube and 47% follow on Twitter. Social media platforms have become a destination where millennials keep up with not only friends, but also companies and brands.

It's not passive, either; millennials are engaging with brands that use video. Animoto data reveals that 66% of millennial males and 60% of millennial females are more likely to comment on, share or like a brand on social media if it posts videos; 57% of millennial males and 58% of millennial females are likely to follow a company's social media page if it posts videos.

3. Drive results and keep millennials engaged

Nearly half of millennials consider companies that produce video content as experts on their product or service. As branded video content becomes increasingly popular, companies that capitalize on this opportunity will be seen as early adopters and interesting brands to follow.

Video doesn't just improve brand perception; it also drives results. In analyzing 2 million tweets posted over the course of a month last year, Twitter found videos boosted retweets by 28%. Liveclicker's "Video Commerce Report" revealed that companies that include video on product pages see a higher conversion rate and higher average order value.

Aside from the business advantages of video, brands need to understand that millennials simply prefer it to text. In fact, two-thirds of millennials said in an Animoto survey that they would rather watch a video from a company instead of reading text; nearly half said they only watch video on their mobile devices.

What's the big takeaway?

Millennials love being online and connected with their social networks. In that time, they're sharing photos and videos, commenting on social media posts, tweeting at brands and shopping online. 

As a business selling a product or service, you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't have any videos online. A simple video marketing strategy can help you meet the standards that millennials today are creating. If you're not yet using video to market to Generation Y, now's the time to start.

Source :http://on.mash.to/1LDy0gm