Using Good Storytelling in Content Creation

The art of storytelling goes back far back into human history with petroglyphs almost 12 thousand years ago. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been telling stories for that long. Humans are drawn to a good story. We continue to be fascinated by books, movies, shows, and even chatting in our living rooms to catch up with friends. Compelling content is based on great storytelling. As content creators, you want to hook your audience in and make them want to hear what comes next. This can even be true in short-form video content. This can’t be truer in today’s digital age when people can just swipe through your video because they’re already bored in the first few seconds of seeing it. Though be it short, you still want to follow traditional storytelling techniques. Understanding the elements that make a good story is crucial to your content’s success and performance.

1.     Understand your audience: who is watching your videos? What do they care about? If you’re a fitness content creator, they probably won’t want to watch something on cooking. it should also reinforce your brand voice.

2.     A compelling narrative: start with a clear, concise theme that has a clear beginning, middle, and end with smooth transitions.

3.     Relatable characters: the character should be well-developed. Let’s say that you’re a comedian. You want to create a specific character with a distinct personality. How does this character relate to your audience? What do they have in common?

4.     Emotional appeal: you want to be authentic and appeal to some type of emotion. Is it humor? Is it happy? Is it angry? This will be where knowing your audience comes into play. What types of challenges do they face? What motivates them? What is it that they care about? What are their values and beliefs?

5.     Use the 5 senses: this can create a life-like description that the audience can feel like they are there with you.

6.     Story arc: this is the structure that moves your audience through events. It typically builds to the point. Lead them there with a good hook, some tension, and finally to the conclusion. Make them want to see what that is.

Storytelling in content creation is a powerful way to encourage your audience to stay engaged and possibly even act. Here’s an experiment, do two different video content clips. One of those videos doesn’t follow these guidelines and you just kind of post something with no specific structure. Now, do a similar post that follows good storytelling guidelines for the video and post. Compare the performance insights to see which one did better. We’re certain that you will find it in the second video. Stand out in a sea of creators. Create engaging content that people won’t be able to ignore.

Content Intelligence

This is a new term being thrown around in the digital space but what is it exactly? It’s a technique that uses AI and software to measure the impact of content in order to give insights on what content should be used the most according to effectiveness. I mean, we do it all the time when we check the insights on Instagram from our posts. This is a human example of creating content intelligence. The beauty of using software & AI is that it streamlines the process for you. Typically, software includes metrics/reporting, analysis, automation and management tools for your brand content. Some benefits include:

1.     Understanding what type of content your audience enjoys

2.     Reduces guess work and takes less man power

3.     It makes your content user centric

4.     Predicting how content will perform

5.     Increases visitors and engagement

We know that a lot of people are sneering at the idea of artificial intelligence but for some purposes it can help businesses be more efficient. This is one of those times. So, how do brands go about finding the right content intelligence programs? Here are some things to look for when searching for software.

1.     Real time data collection

2.     Management tools

3.     Content creation assistance

4.     Automated repetitive processes

5.     Audience and competitor insights

6.     Third party integrations

There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing which one to go with. Some of them include Semrush, Contently, and even IBM has one now. Content is king in the digital space now and content intelligence will help you navigate this space more efficiently. Happy hunting.

Content Creation

We’re a content agency. We love good, quality content. This is a given. We’ve written about content creation in the past but directed it toward the creators. This article will focus on why quality content is important for brands. First, if the content is helpful and insightful, customers will trust you and begin to view you as an expert in your field, according to Forbes. Second, ROI is very high for quality content. 88% of marketers are happy with their return on investment of content. Third, SEO will increase with the right key words to promote your brands website. Lastly, it helps your brand get new leads, especially if the content has a CTA placement. We could go on with a million reasons why good content marketing helps your business grow but we know you get the point by now. Let’s look at how your brand can go about having a good content marketing strategy.

All the same rules for creators apply for brands, except now you have a specific audience to keep in mind. This is where creating a buyer persona comes in handy. A buyer persona is created through research to make a clear picture of the person you want to market to. Think of them as a created character for a story that represents your whole group of target market audience. Here’s a handy tool to help you get started from HubSpot if you’re unsure of where to start with this. Second, your strategy should include goal setting. Use the SMART method to determine them. Now, you have to keep the buyer’s journey in mind. Where are they in their buying process? Is it awareness of the problem? Are they considering a solution (the consideration stage)? Or… are they in the decision-making stage where they’re aware of the solution and ready to solve? You want to make sure that you have content for each stage of your buyer’s journey. The format of the content must also be considered. Is it easy for your audience to view, read, etc.? This brings us to the last topic: the different types of content.

There are many different types of content to consider when creating. There’s content just like the one you are reading: a blog. There are social media posts and stories. Infographics with short bursts of information or GIF’s. Video content is king in today’s world but podcasts are also on the rise. Lastly, there are webinars/seminars for your viewers as well. Which type of content you choose will be brand specific. While all brands will benefit from social media posts and stories, it may not make sense for them to conduct webinars. The type of content that your brand chooses will also determine the style. Blogs and podcasts tend to be conversational whereas webinars and seminars are in more formal setting.

Whatever way you shake it, a quality content creation marketing strategy is key for your brand. Honestly, creating content is super fun, so with the right creative minds behind the work you cannot fail. Collaboration within your company when creating content will ensure its success. Having multiple sets of creative eyes and minds on each piece will make sure that what your team comes up with will be the absolute best through great communication and teamwork.

Evergreen Content

We just wrote about topical content, which touched on evergreen content slightly. So, what is evergreen content? If topical content is on current events or things that are trending, then evergreen content is just the opposite. It’s really stated in the name, evergreen. Like the evergreen trees, evergreen content lives over the long periods of time and is not time sensitive. If topical to evergreen content creation ratio is 1:4, then what are some key reasons to create so much more evergreen content over topical content? Well, first it will continually drive traffic to your sites, it will improve your SEO and position your brand as an industry leader. Some common examples of evergreen content are tips, FAQ’s, tutorials/guides, testimonials/case studies, check lists, common mistakes to avoid, resources for your industry (books, podcasts, experts), definitions of terms and phrases, history of your industry, etc. These things don’t go out of style or change very often. Pretty sure you get the idea by now. So now, let’s get into the nitty gritty with the pros and cons of evergreen content.

PROS:

1.     Brand authority: just as topical content can do, it also will increase your brand’s authority by showing that it cares about your audience through content that lasts over time and isn’t fleeting.

2.     SEO increase: if the evergreen content is on your website it will increase its SEO over time. This is something that topical content cannot do because it is short-lived and although it may also stay on your site, it will not increase traffic once that topic has gone out of style, so to speak. Evergreen content is relevant long after trends come and go and therefore, will improve your SEO in the long run.

3.     Ideal for entry level: evergreen content is fairly easy to produce for how-to guides, resources etc. It can require little time to write, create and get out into the world.

4.     Stands the test of time: like the evergreen tree, hence the name, this type of content stays relevant for long periods of time. You can add small changes to it, if needed over time, to keep it up to date with the newest information periodically.

CONS:

1.     You can run out of ideas: unlike topical content that stays fresh all the time, evergreen content is something that lasts. This can make it difficult to come up with new ideas down the road.

2.     Success will be slower: topical content creates short drives in traffic due to the trending nature of it whereas, evergreen content traffic is slow and steady. But remember, who won the race, the tortious or the hare? This will require a little patience from your brand in the beginning.

3.     Expert content is often too narrow: if writing advanced content, a few things can happen here. 1. It’s perfect for advanced and intermediate. 2. It’s too basic and not advanced enough. 3. It’s too advanced. No one, not even the advanced audience understands. This is a tight window of getting the porridge just right, so to speak. So, content creators must be careful here. While evergreen content is great for beginner audiences, it can be tough to cater to the advanced group.

Now, you can see how evergreen content is crucial to your brand’s success over the long haul. As we said in our previous article on topical content a mix of both is necessary to creating both short- and long-term interests. Both have a place in your marketing and advertising strategies. Very few brands operate solely on one type of content and omit the other, even news channels. If you set a schedule for topical refreshes in your evergreen content strategy and consider doing so every week. No matter what type of content you are creating you now have a quick go to guide on how to mix up your topical and evergreen content strategies. Happy creating!

Explanation of Terms in the UGC Space

UGC. User-generated content. Sourced content. Found content. What do all these terms mean? People get confused by what it is and how they are different. We thought we’d clarify a few things for you. They’re not different. All of these terms are literally synonymous with one another! They all mean the exact same thing. It’s anything on the internet. Organic, non-organic video and photos. 720,000 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every day. That’s 500 hours per minute. It’s not shocking really. Everyone with an iPhone can record high-quality content and that number is roughly 6.6 billion people worldwide. About 83% of all humans inhabiting this wonderful planet. The only reason to call UGC “sourced” or “found” is when you come to a service, such as ours, to find it for your advertising campaigns. Hence, why some change the name of user-generated content to those terms instead. We hope this cleared up any confusion for you and hope to work together on your next campaign. Unlike our competitors, at Locomotive we personally hand pick every single of content that comes through our screens for each specified creative brief for our clients. Compounding content, steam powered forward.

Content Marketing: The Why, The How and The Where

What in the world is content marketing exactly? What makes it different than traditional marketing? Well, “it’s a strategic approach that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience” (Content Marketing Institute). Think of it this way. It’s much less spammy than traditional ads and doesn’t really pitch your product or services. Instead, it presents your audience with content that helps them solve their issues through the use of videos, blogs, social media, infographics, etc. with the intention of stimulating interest. But why is this type of marketing more prevalent now than it was 20 years ago? Well, for one thing, the internet has changed the market drastically since the 90’s, but another reason is that people cannot stand pop up advertising anymore on the web. Today, over 200 million people have installed pop-up blockers that, in turn, reduces the number of eyes on paid advertisements online, according to The Content Marketing Institute. Content marketing gets your brand out there without having to produce online pop-up ads. Here are some other key reasons why content marketing is on top today.

1.     Higher website traffic. Content marketing leaders get 7.8x’s more site traffic than non-leaders (Neil Patel)

2.     Increased Brand Recall. 56% of marketers believe that personalized content promotes higher engagement rates (IMB Digital Experience Survey) High-quality content that is relevant will increase the amount of time that consumers spend on their sites. Thusly, increasing engagement as well.

3.     Cost effective! Content marketing costs 62% less than outbound marketing and generates 3x’s as many leads (Demand Metric)

4.     Higher conversion rates. It’s nearly 6x’s higher than traditional marketing, according to Julia McCoy.

Now that it is obvious why content marketing has taken a seat in the front row, let’s talk about where your content marketing strategy fits into your business plan. Try to think of content marketing as something that sits alongside your other tactics, not separate from them. Therefore, there is no place that content marketing does not fit in. Some examples of what I mean are social media, inbound marketing, outbound marketing, pay-per-click, PR and even SEO.  All of these strategies should include high-quality content marketing that is relevant for your audience.

We’re sure you’re starting to understand why and where content marketing fits in, so let’s now talk about how to develop your content marketing strategy. According to The Content Marketing Institute there are 3 key questions to ask yourself before you begin.

1.     Who will be viewing the content?

2.     What benefits does the content give the viewers?

3.     What content experience can we consistently deliver?

Once you have the answers to these questions, it’s time to set your SMART goals and determine Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). For your goals, are you trying to increase brand awareness or boost engagement? There are so many goals to choose from so your brand will need to determine the main reason why you’re creating this content. This will also determine what KPI’s will be important to track based on the initial goals of the content. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement, then a good KPI would be looking at the engagement numbers for the campaign. Now that you’ve set your goals & KPI’s, it’s time to decide what type of content to create. What does your audience need from you and what problem are you trying to solve for them? After you have determined this, you must decide where you want your content to go: social media, print, etc. Most importantly, what is the budget for this content marketing campaign? This can alter what you create. For example, if your budget is smaller, then you may consider using a user generated content ad to save money while still getting a great connection with your audience. Once this has all been determined it is time create, distribute and track the analytics. Some things to look out for in a good campaign are:

1.     It receives a lot of engagement

2.     It provides worth within the framework of your field

3.     You haven’t lost your brand voice

With an effective content marketing campaign, you can increase your conversation rates through building lasting relationships with your customers. Providing value with something other than just your service or products will create a sense of trust with your audience and will engage them with your brand. Also, using this inbound way of marketing are much more effective as a more organic way to gain new customers. And let’s face it, natural is always better!

"More Human Than Human" Humanizing Your Brand Voice

Consumer trust is one of the most important aspects for the success of your business. Your brand voice is one way to secure this. Of course, UGC being the first. Wink, Wink. People respond to real people. Authentic people. This also adds to the personalization that everyone now expects in their customer experiences. So, having a unique voice that resonates with your audience is a way to create transparency but how do you do that? Think of your brand as an entity. A person. Who is this person who represents your business? What is their personality? What do they care about? Make sure that their tone is approachable and engaging that speaks your customer’s language. Here are some more tips on ways to humanize your brand’s voice.

1.     Transparency. Share your story. All of it. The good. The bad. The ugly. People appreciate honesty. This will help them empathize with your brand and its journey when they see there are real people with real stories behind the scenes. 

2.     Gratitude. Celebrate wins and give thanks to the community that devotes their loyalty to you. Gratitude creates abundance in your business and your personal life.

3.     Relationships. The foundation of any partnership, whether it be business or personal, is the prosperous, valuable relationship between two parties. Your customer is a person. With their own story. Focusing on engaging with them and connecting with them on a personal level. This will deepen the bond in an organic and genuine way.

4.     Availability. Be available. There should always be a real person on social media to respond to comments, reviews, questions and messages. Don’t leave people with impersonal bounce back messages. Although, these are ok for the short-term, make sure to reach out in response to them in a timely manner.  

5.     Blog. Keeping a blog on the brand’s website shows that you stay current in your industry. You stay educated in your field and that gives you credibility. Not to mention, it improves your SEO. If written correctly blogs should be conversational that easily invite others to read them. Thus, showing you’re a real person on the other side of the screen and not just some AI machine.

Showing your human side through your brand voice will only increase its success. Being relatable makes stronger connections and it makes you more interesting. Mysterious is out! Relatable and transparent is in! Stand out from the crowd with your brand’s unique, humanized voice to tell its story. Your loyal audience will thank you and so will your employees.

Which Social Media Channels are Best for Brands

According to Statista the leading social media platform for brand marketers is Facebook at 93%, with Instagram coming in second at 78%. Even if you’re a content creator, you want to get more engagement and turn followers into customers. We couldn’t agree more with this statistic. Let’s think about why this is. Look at YouTube for example. Sure, you can monetize to make money here but, you can only engage with your followers if they leave comments on your videos. You can’t really build a relationship with your audience. What about TikTok? Oh man, do we have lots of thoughts on this platform. It’s great for viral videos but you don’t really get served content from people that you follow. It’ good for discovering new content creators but not so much for building good connections with your current followers. Aside from this, it’s important for content creators to know that anything filmed within the TikTok platform is the property of TikTok and that the creators do not actually own the rights to those videos. Furthermore, if a creator films inside the app, they cannot monetize their content in any way.  Personally, we believe that it’s best to generate revenue from your followers on Instagram because there are so many ways to connect with them through all their different features. The algorithm on this platform is also set up to give you more of the content from the people and brands that you love. It’s important to having a multifaceted approach to social media marketing. Using stories, feed, live, reels, polls, etc. this keeps your audience engaged and it will build stronger relationships with them.

Tapping Into Gen Z for Advertising

Who’s ready for some changes? We know we are and Gen Z is proving to be new type of market when it comes to the advertising world. They are like no other that came before them. Let’s talk about the biggest difference between Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Millennials remember a time before social media whereas Gen Z does not know a world without it. Even more, their Gen X counterparts grew up on MTV with zero social media. I don’t think it really comes as a surprise that Gen Z is a unique group who can’t imagine a world without tech. Actually, 45% of Gen Zers say that they are online almost constantly according to Rolling Stone. Since the insurgence of smartphones, people can watch anything from anywhere and that’s what this generation does. They rely on social media platforms for almost everything. There are a couple of questions to ask yourself when considering how to market to this new breed of consumers.

1.   Can they trust your brand? They want transparency and they want it now. Since this generation can and will find answers to information they have questions for, make sure your brand is be honest. They will also build a relationship with your brand if they feel that they can relate to what your company stands for.

2.     Do you stand for something? Brand neutrality is a no go for this generation. They want brans that stand up for social injustices. They want brands that aren’t afraid to take a stand for what’s right even if that means offending some of their audience.

3.     Are you influencer savvy? They don’t care about celebrities! Relatability takes the driver seat with them. They want people that they can relate to not paid actors. This is another reason UGC is extremely affective to connecting with them!

4.     Can you make it fast? 8 seconds to be exact. That’s the average attention span of this generation according to iab.uk! Are you really that shocked? And before you getting too cheeky, just know that Millennials are right behind them with a whopping 12 seconds.

5.     Do you know how to use each social media platform differently and accordingly? Not only should you diversify your content across each platform it needs to be tailor fit!

Gen Z harnesses the power of $143 billion since they comprise 40% of the U.S. population according to Forbes. If your brand wants to uncover ways to tap into their market it’s important to understand what they value in a company. They’re different. Changes are coming and we think that they’re honestly for the better. Who doesn’t want to support a brand that takes social stances, is trustworthy and transparent?

Silent Video

“Silence is a source of great strength”

-Lao Tzu

Imagine that you’re in a quiet work environment. You get on your phone to look something up. As the page finishes loading, a loud blast of sounds starts coming through and you fumble to get your volume button pressed down to zero. We’ve all had this happen to us. It’s disruptive and it affects people negatively. Turns out that 66% of people hate it when ads automatically play with sound on according to an article by Teads. In response, advertisers are trying to mitigate this by producing ads that begin to play automatically without sound. Since outstreamed videos are going to become a thing of the future, advertisers should focus on silent plays with captions. According to Facebook, captioned video ads increased views by 12%. Ads should be able to convey an emotional message without the use of sound. This can be done with the use of motion graphics and text within the campaign. This new trend will be a way for advertisers to use their creative license to make videos impactful despite not having any sound.  We’re certain your team has the creative abilities to do this but here are some quick tips to get you started on ways to make your silent spots stand out and perform well.

1.     Use bold visuals and/or animations. This will help catch the viewers eye and keep them engaged. It’s also very visually striking to see good fonts and animations that blend well together within your brand’s signature look.

2.     Use Call to Action buttons. Make sure to insert in a way that it is natural flowing. You can even run tests before it launches to see where it receives the most clicks. CTA buttons are imperative to getting conversions. Using a download button seems to yield the best lead results (HubSpot).

3.     Subtitles. If your brand feels it won’t be able to get its point across 100% without sounds then subtitles can offer a lot of relief. Facebook now offers a feature where you can automatically add captions to videos.

4.     Write unconventional scripts. This is always a fun way to entice viewers to keep watching your campaigns. They’ll want to know what is about to happen next. I know I always appreciate a good creative ad that keeps me on my toes or just completely blows me away with how unconventional it is! A prime example would be the recent OutHorse Your Email Campaign for Visit Iceland.

5.     Share your offers/discounts early in the ad. Since attention spans are shorter and shorter each year, you want to get the most important message out first. Research suggests that you have about 10 seconds to hook, line, and sink em’!  

6.     Be short and concise. Again, for those in the back who didn’t hear. Attention spans continue to lessen so it’s important to make your campaigns shorter than 60 seconds. The ad must also grab the attention of the audience immediately in order to keep them engaged in watching.

7.     Don’t ditch the audio. Sometimes people do still listen to ads with sound on. Be able to convey your message without it but really drive the point home with the audio on. Make that emotional connection deeper with your audience.

In the words of the infamous Will Rogers, “Never miss a good chance to shut up!” This is definitely one of those times! A time for advertisers to harness the opportunity to creatively grow through the rise in popularity of silent ads is here. Let your campaigns say a lot through saying nothing at all! Happy creating!

Brand Recall

Content is Queen! “Did you know that 65% of people are visual learners and 94% of all communication is visual?” (Vennage). There are many benefits of visual marketing versus pure text as we all now know, but it’s important to make your brand memorable through your visual content advertising. People remember things visually so brand recognition is vitally important. Customers are more likely to remember your brand’s advertisements if they’re associated with something that they can recall easily because it caught their eye in some way. Was it different in some way? Did it make them think and use some brain power? Were they connected on an emotional level? One way to increase brand memorability is to localize your visual content for specific audience areas. For example, in Philadelphia they use the word “Jawn” to describe any person, place or thing. Yes, I know it’s a strange word to describe literally a vast array of anything. Anyway, back to our story… we pass by a billboard every morning for a lawyer named John Morgan. I’m sure you’ve all heard or seen his commercials at some point since he’s America’s largest cliché injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan. On this particular Philly billboard his name is advertised as Jawn Morgan.  This is a prime example of localized advertising at its best and it will make locals remember the brand. The second way is to tell a story. Be sure to have a beginning, a middle and an end. Throw in some emotion and/or humor and stay in your brand’s voice. People love a good story. Especially if it’s one they can relate to. Another fun way to improve the memorability of your ads for your brand is to employ engagement with the viewers. Make them work something out. Use their brains. They’ll eventually have that “aha” moment when the conclusion is realized or given. People tend to remember things more when they have to problem solve. You can use enthymeme’s to achieve this type of recall as well. “Aristotle calls the enthymeme the “body of persuasion ….because we are most easily persuaded when we think that something has been demonstrated” (Aristotle’s Rhetoric). These are only a few ways to improve memorability of your brand and its advertising. It’s interesting to note that if a brand’s advertisement can be remembered after 60 days, “13% of those people are likely to buy the product or service, 38% will think more positively about the brand, and 25% will become ambassadors of the brand, according to a new study done by HAVAS. This goal can be achievable with the right tools and team!

Creating Value Driven and Empathetic Content in Advertising

Why is empathy so important right now to consumers? The pandemic was absolutely dreadful BUT… it did drive some good shifts and this was definitely one of them. People want to feel some sort of connection with the brands that they decide to support. Now more so than ever. According to Harvard Business Review, “25% of people are healthy first, 16% planet first, and 15% are now society first.” This means that consumers are now trying to choose healthier products, minimize their impact on the environment (thankfully/finally) and want to purchase from brands that they feel are transparent and trustworthy. These new shifts are especially true for the younger generations as well. So, what does this mean for advertisers and marketers? First and foremost, agencies will have to change the way that they do things so that their strategies are focused on a customer driven marketing strategy. Discovering new ways to understand their consumers motivations and needs is key. Brands can use customer feedback and take actions based on the results and do research to see what their audience likes and doesn’t like with other brands. This will take a little digging but the payoff is worth it. A CMIresearch study found that, “the top -performing marketers focus 88% of their marketing programs on prioritizing their audiences’ informational needs.” Next, brands need to be transparent and focus on the value of their content. Less is more and keeping it simple will assist the brand in creating trust between them and their consumers. Be conversational with your content. No one wants to feel like their being talked down to or have information shoved down their throat. Lastly, DEI is at the forefront of societal needs today. Diversity, equality and inclusion. Just in case you weren’t sure what the acronym stood for. Make sure that your marketing strategy is focused on everyone! Be the brand that says, “you can all sit with us!” Personally, we believe that this is why user generated content marketing has exploded in the past few years and it’s here to stay. Nothing says I can trust you like a real person, who’s not a paid actor. People trust “real” people. This type of content advertising creates an empathetic connection as well. It’s easier to feel a connection with videos that were created without any advertisement in mind. Just organic emotions from every day people like you and I. 

Video Advertising

92% of B2B prospects consume online video (Whiteboard Animation). This isn’t surprising since the rise of social media platforms that push video formats in the recent decade. In today’s society, banner advertising is a dying art form and the rise of digital video content advertising is here. There are many reasons for video format being at the forefront of the advertising space and,  one of these being that little device that fits in your back pocket. 50% of users watch videos on their mobile devices making video streaming easier than ever (BRID.TV). Here is a list of some of the top reasons to use video advertising.  

1.     Attention spans are shorter and a video can get brand messages across in a shorter amount of time. Keeping the video between 15-30 seconds is recommended so you don’t lose the attention of the viewers. “73% of consumers decide in less than 30 seconds if they will watch to the end of the video.” (Social Sorted)

2.     Video gets the message across better than other formats. A picture is worth a thousand words all of which can be determined by the creative mind of the viewers. A video is better in conveying particular brand messages because it takes the guess work out of it for the viewers. Emotional impacts of videos are important. 

3.     Videos engage the brands target audience. Most people are more apt to buy a product if they are able to watch a video on it. Videos are easy to share and are suitable for different purposes. Stay tuned for our blog on the different types of marketing videos coming soon. 

4.     Videos help generate new leads. 93% of businesses reported getting new customer leads on social thanks to video according to Hosting Canada.

5.     Videos raise brand awareness and increase website traffic. Google favors videos on the search engine results page. 

It seems like creating campaigns in video format is the way to go in today’s day in age. Making sure that the beginning of the video has a “hook line and sinker’” cadence to catch consumers attention immediately is key to success. With attention spans that are shorter and shorter the video has to reel in the viewer in the beginning to be an effective marketing tool. Videos create an emotional connection with consumers and should be in the forefront of every businesses marketing strategy. 

Harnessing Influencers for Marketing

Influencers… we can all name at least one in this day in age. Jake Paul for example has set out and created a great business for himself through YouTube and now in the boxing arena. Although, let’s be honest the guy can’t box. They just feed him poor old men who were once previously good Mixed Martial Arts fighters. Big difference from real boxers. Nonetheless, he’s made millions through his marketing strategy as an influencer. But how can brands harness the power of these influencers and what are the reasons they would even want to? Influencer marketing has been shown to produce great return on investment (ROI). It delivers 11x’s that of paid media (Sprout Social). As the digital world continues to expand, it becomes more difficult for brands to reach their target audiences and influencer marketing can close that gap through locating influencers in their market (FORBES).

The first step in this process would be to conduct research to find what type of influencer best suits the needs of the brand and which platform you should be using. If you’re a vitamin supplement company you’re probably not going to reach out to a fashion model for influencer marketing. It’s also important to know which social media channel your brand’s area of expertise is dominated on: YouTube, Instagram, etc. Fashion and beauty tend to be more YouTube centric whereas other industries may be dominant elsewhere. Once you do this, you will also need to decide on a budget that can determine whether or not you go with a microinfluencer (less than 2K followers), someone between 5-10K or higher. The more followers the influencer has the costlier it becomes, naturally. Once you have decided on the budget you will need to know what the goals are for the brand through the influencer marketing. Is the reason for breaking into the Gen Z audience that your brand hasn’t yet? Are you trying to increase brand to consumer trust? Are you looking for more credibility in your industry? Deciding on this early on is crucial. Finally, it’s time to reach out and start making relationships with influencers. 

Marketing Challenge Predictions 2022

Since the unforeseen pandemic, the marketing and advertising industries will be facing their own new challenges as a result. There are many different opinions of what types of hurdles will come this year but we’ve put together a list of the top 5 that seem to be on every bullet point list out there right now. 

1.     Gaining new leads

2.     Using multichannel marketing strategy

3.     Reaching the brand target market

4.     Complying with GDPR 

5.     Keeping up with fast changing market needs

There are many solutions presented to each one of these issues that brands face that require a personalized approach. Here at Locomotive we believe that the needs of every business vary greatly and a “paint by numbers” approach will not work across the board so we’ve added some links here to help you navigate the waters of these obstacles. To read more about marketing problems and possible solutions visit any or all of these websites. 

Linkpin | PYXL | Ignite Visibility | StrategiQ

What is the Metaverse?!?

 This term metaverse has been popping up everywhere as of late and if you’re like us, you’re still a little confused as to what this actually means and how it will affect businesses. It seems that people are being urged to grab their spot in this virtual world. But why? And to what benefit would one gain from this? We decided to do a little research of our own to better understand what this new virtual world really means. According to an article written by VICE magazine, “the metaverse is an all-encompassing digital world that exists parallel to the real world.” The term was actually coined from a sci-fi novel, Snow Crash written by Neal Stephenson in 1992, which is very interesting. This is 3D world of the internet. My thoughts first go to Simms World but most say it’s much like games, such as Fortnite. In the metaverse, users will be able to create, sell and buy goods. Some argue that creating this digital economy will boost our economy IRL. However, the question on our minds and I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing, “why would I want to buy a house, clothes and the like for an avatar in a world that is technically not “real?” Don’t we all have enough to worry about financially in reality? Well, ROI or return on investments. This is the largest driving factor in the argument for purchasing digital properties. These properties aren’t limited to real estate. It can also include things like art, music, graphic designs, etc. Purchases must be made using NFT currency in the metaverse. NFT’s have a specific unique blockchain for each one created. They give the investor ownership of the virtualized asset. This was spawn from cryptocurrency that is created in a similar fashion. “Cryptocurrency is a form of digital asset based on a network that is distributed across a large number of computers. This decentralized structure allows them to exist outside the control of governments.” (Investopedia) This is another blog all in itself but I need to touch base a bit in order to fully understand NFT’s. it has been described as like purchasing a domain name. The purchasers of the NFT’s in the early stages of the meta are seeing the costs of the same properties increasing in value substantially. To be specific roughly 500% since Facebook transitioned to meta (CNBC). The potential financial gain also lies in the fact that these virtual worlds can be rented out. Say Nike wants to rent a space in your virtual mall for their metaverse line. Yes, this does exist already. They have monopoly on the shoe commerce as of now in cyberspace. Basically, the metaverse still has a long way to go in terms of development. Some speculate about 10 years before it’s fully developed. Business owners are seeing potential profits in the future for their properties in the metaverse and thus, the reason for businesses to break into this space now. It is up to each business to decide if the metaverse is right for them. It depends on a lot of factors. What type of business it is, does it financially make sense, and does the company believe that the metaverse will be the future. Some are still skeptical. Bottom line, it’s important for businesses to do research into this new world and decide if being part of it is right for them. One size does not fit all. 

Destressing Your Work Life

April is National Stress Awareness month. Work stress tends to creep up on all of us despite how much we may love our jobs. According to the Mental Health Foundation, “people affected by work-related stress lose an average of 24 days of work due to ill health.” Whether it be in the office or working from home it’s important to realize what ways stress manifests itself in your body. Every-body is different. Here are 10 quick tips to destress your body and mind throughout the work day. 

1.     Eat healthy. You literally are what you eat. When you chose healthy foods over processed ones your mind and body will reflect that. You will think clearer and feel better from getting proper amounts of essential vitamins, minerals and overall nutrients. And please don’t forget to eat. A lot of people get caught up in the daily hustle and bustle and get hyper focused on working. This is all bad but make sure to set reminders in your calendar to eat lunch and snack. Not eating enough can affect your mood and not to mention slow your metabolism.  

2.     Exercise at your desk. Take a 5-minute break here and there when you’re feeling fatigued. Do some jumping jacks, pushups, maybe even some burpees. Get your blood flowing. This is especially good right before a big meeting. There are even some companies, such as BurnAlong that assist employers. They specialize in instructional videos for mental and physical wellbeing. They even offer nutritional counseling. 

3.     Focus on your breathing. Take a few minutes away from your work day to meditate and just simply breath. It’s amazing what this simple act can do for our bodies that we so easily take for granted every moment. Apps, such as Calm help guide you through this if you’re unsure where to begin. 

4.     Step away for a moment. Run a work errand and get a change of scenery for a few minutes. You could even go grab a cup of calming tea from the break room or your kitchen if you’re working from home. 

5.     Stay hydrated! The general rule is to drink 8 glasses of water per day but an even better marker is to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. If you’re one of those people who finds this difficult buy yourself a large reusable water bottle to make keeping track that much easier. Not to mention it’s better for the environment anyway ;) 

6.     Listen to your favorite jams! Put in your ear buds or air pods and listen to your favorite music while you work! 

7.     Keep your space organized! Your outside space reflects your inside space. Declutter your mind and your desk. 

8.     Have a quick stretch. Sitting all day can take a toll on your body. Muscle soreness and stiffness can restrict blood flow. Get up a stretch every hour or so. Set an alarm to remind yourself. 

9.     Prioritize your tasks accordingly. Focus on the harder tasks first thing in the morning when your fresh and more alert. This can make the rest of the day more manageable and will give more flexibility to handle unexpected concerns that may arise later in the day. 

10.  Positive beliefs. Say affirmations at the beginning of your work day. Just pick one positive thing about yourself that you believe to be true. It can be something like, “I am great at (insert something in your work-related field here) and have the skills necessary to be an asset to my team.” You can make this one whatever you like but keep it positive and keep it something unique to you. The way that we speak to ourselves is important. Our subconscious mind believes what we tell it. 

In a nut shell, we all have work stress and there’s no getting around it. What truly matters is how we learn to cope with and manage it. Learning new ways to help deal with work stress with keep you productive as your overall wellbeing isn’t being compromised. Healthy mind. Healthy body. Healthy work life! 

The Legal Side of Sourced Content

Obtaining sourced content can come with a dark side. We find it interesting that so many articles found on the internet state that using sourced content is actually free. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Users are protected by U.S. Copyright Laws. The content that they create is considered to be their intellectual property and permissions must be granted from the owner of a video or photo. This also means that anyone seen in the video or photo must give permission for use as well. There is also something called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that criminalizes production and publication of technology, devices, or services intended to bypass measures that control access to copyrighted works (Wikipedia). Basically, it’s a copyright law intended for the digital world that protects website operators but not the speakers. For example, if I posted a user generated videos in a commercial that I edited on my home computer with sourced content and did not get permission from the video owners, they can come after me but not the social media platform itself if that makes sense. This is why getting the proper licensing for videos is vital! Permission must be granted from the copyright owner and releases obtained from anyone in the videos, photos, or even audio tracks. Having professionals source videos for ad agencies that don’t specialize in the field is tricky business. Indemnification for the license of the content should be obtained in a case of a situation where someone falsely claims content that was not theirs by copyright. This is where companies that specialize in UGC, such as us, come in handy. We have a very strict verification process and are able to identify red flags early one during the clearance process. This allows us to protect our client partners from any legal issues so that they’re commercials are free of any liability. Since this type of advertising space is fairly new the waters are still being navigated by most but our founder and CEO has almost 20 years of experience with licensing and agreements in the sourced content field. Legal issues are no

Hybrid Work & the Freedom of Choice

We recently did a poll on LinkedIn to see how many people would prefer to be back in the office. Did they feel more productive there or working from home? The results showed that out of the 21 people that voted, 90% said that they prefer to work from home and feel they get more done. This is a hot topic right now since a lot of businesses are demanding that employees come back into the office full-time. What’s interesting is that the pandemic shifted employee mindset vastly into what social scientists are calling “The Great Reshuffle.” Workers now have a new “worth it” equation and 53% of employees are more likely to prioritize health and wellbeing over work than they were before the pandemic (Work Trend Index Report 2022). What is also interesting to note is that most of Gen Z and Millennials that entered the work force during the pandemic right out of college haven’t even been inside of an office yet and it seems they prefer it that way. 58% are considering a shift to hybrid work in the year ahead and 56% are considering to shift to fully remote (Work Trend Index Report 2022). As expected, management everywhere is under pressure to make the choice to either A.) lose employees if they require full-time in person employment. Or, B.) offer hybrid work options to entice people to stay. Josh Bersin, business analyst and adviser specializing in talent management and HR issues stated that, “Generally speaking, what most companies tell me is that working together comes easily and people really enjoyed being back together, as long as they don’t feel forced to show up when there’s no real reason to be present” (ADAGE). So, what it really boils down to is employees seem to not want to feel like their being (work) forced into coming to the office. Now, there are some benefits and draw backs of hybrid work systems. Let’s discuss the benefits first. Hybrid work allows employees to feel more power in their roles. This gives them the choice to decide when and why to come into the office. It also allows for more employee overall work-life balance and wellbeing. Being that Locomotive is a fully-remote agency, we understand the importance of both. Now, let’s talk about some drawbacks. Remote employees have fewer work friends and feel less included. The work cultures have taken a hit with fully remote work. Another draw back from remote and hybrid work is digital overload due to lack of structured hours and increased number of online meetings that would typically be done in person. With these few things in mind, there are solutions that can be determined in order to keep hybrid work environments thriving without suffering the disadvantages. Managers will have to take strong roles in creating new norms for the office. They will have to establish guidelines to see what works best for everyone. Here are some of our tips to making hybrid work, work. 

1.     For what reasons it will be important to come in?

2.     Create relationship building events for employees.

3.     Create quiet spaces at the location to promote productivity when employees are at the office.

4.     Reduce the time spent in meetings.

Managers and CEO’s must realize that employees have lives of their own. It’s easy to want to micromanage when they work from home but giving them the space, they need to do the work will give them the freedom to give it their best on their terms. 

Creating Good Content

We’ve all created a video at some point on our social media channels but what makes one video creator more effective than another? High quality UGC videos are important when sourcing in the advertising space most of the time, so it’s important that content creators make high quality videos. So, let’s dive a little deeper into what makes a video great. First, let’s discuss authenticity. This is the most important aspect of one’s social media presence. If you’re unsure of how to narrow down your online personality, start by asking yourself these questions to help you figure it out. What five personality traits/words do you have that would use to describe yourself? Examples would be capable, direct, etc. (Angela Chang, blogger/social media marketer). Also, take a few minutes to write down topics that are important to you. What are they? Unless you’re into politics, may we suggest staying away from heated political topics? Anything else is fair game. After you do this, what are some things that you absolutely do not want to discuss on your platform? Even choosing particular aesthetics for your page, such as a color pallet to stick with, is important. If you had to pick only two what would they be? Now that you have taken the time to answer all of these questions, let’s chat about making good content videos. Three things of high importance that first come to mind are quality, authenticity, which I touched on a bit already, and consistency. Always ensure that the video quality is the best that it can be. Without quality, you will lose engagement from viewers who have come to expect high-quality content (Forbes). Also, a recent study, “revealed that, content and technical quality of UGC have significant effects on UGC’s functional and emotional values” (Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, VOL 21, NO1, 2020). Filming horizontal is always good practice. Vertical is alright from time to time but it’s most important to make sure that the video is not blurry and does not contain any logos. Aside from being logo free, be sure to wear clothing without any striking patterns. This will make it more appealing to the agencies who source user generated content for advertisements. Secondly, be yourself. Organic content is always more alluring than something that looks overly produced or scripted. Have slight control over the narrative and try filming a lot of raw videos. Then, you can choose what you like from these and edit it together later. Authenticity is what will build trust between you and your audience. Finally, be consistent. As with anything, consistency is key. Being consistent will keep your followers with you long-term. Posting 3-5 times weekly is always a good place to start. Think about TikTok star Khaby Lame. He has a very specific style. His sarcastic style is shown through overly exaggerated facial expressions in each and every single one of his videos. He has his own online voice (which for him is actually no voice at all), he is consistent with the type of content he posts and it is always authentic to his particular style. Overall, creating great user generated content isn’t rocket science but that doesn’t mean it’s not difficult. Using these simple tips will help you improve on your filming technique and assist you in finding your unique online voice. Happy filming creators!