By the end of 2016, we started to witness the growing popularity of live videos, thanks to the most popular social platform, Facebook, introducing its new streaming feature. It seems that ever since the buzz did not stop. The online marketing community has mastered the new tool with ease, keeping the trend alive even in 2017. By this year, live video streaming has simply become another basic tool in the world of online marketing. As we have seen, big brands have already utilized the benefits of live streams. BMW revealed the M2 coupe on Periscope; The Verge runs a daily QA event. Even BuzzFeed ended up with 807,000 viewers on Facebook live for putting rubber bands on watermelons. What did they do? They simply incorporated live streaming into their online marketing plans. The benefits are indisputable, however, sending out the right message and adapting might not come that easy.

The Platforms
There are numerous platforms out there, which offer live streaming services. Periscope, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube Live are only a few out there as new and new platforms are emerging. As everybody joins the contest for the “best live-streaming service” title, it is hard to make a decision. However, your platform choice should not simply be about the number of users. In fact, you should also narrow down your decision mainly by two things:

1. Which platform does my target audience prefer?
2. What are the different functionalities?

As live streaming is becoming an everyday online marketing tool, different platforms offer various services. You will find that video storing and availability, chat and comment functions or social media integrations are handled differently. By focusing on one or a few platforms, you can maximize the efficiency of your live-stream campaign. Even though there are live-stream syndication tools offering multiplatform streaming capabilities, they are still in early phase. It means that they come with restricted functionality, which can easily affect your message. The best is to keep things interesting and broadcast streams using various platforms. It gives you a chance to get back into the lab to analyze numbers and draw a conclusion. As the live-stream battle is still ongoing, it is simply impossible to point out the best platform. What is for sure, is that staying flexible can bring you closer to finding the most suitable solution.

The Message
Your number one question should be: what could be the best message, which will get your viewers back to your website? The specialty of live video content is that it delivers the most powerful message. Meaning, that it’s a real game changer if used well. Why? Because of 5 things:

1. Live-streaming is relatively new and interesting
As opposed to a quality e-mail marketing campaign or a well-placed Facebook ad, live-streams still have the buzz. People are interested, and they are more open to creative, live streams. Furthermore, thanks to the versatility of video content, it should take a long time for them to lose interest.

2. Pick me! Pick me!
The most powerful asset that comes with live-streaming is that your customers/future customers can join your sessions and participate. Platforms handle usernames differently, showing the participants IDs, full names, or avatars. However, the fact that a user can pose a question from anywhere makes them feel valued. Furthermore, once you address them when giving an answer, makes them feel appreciated. It also creates a desire to be recognized by you and pose further questions. Use it well and pay attention to your audience.

3. It’s not We + Them; It’s Us
Obviously, these live-streams strengthen the idea of sharing the same interest and belonging to the same group. Feeling connected is the cornerstone of engagement, which is the most important tool for customer conversion and retention. Build a real community – e.g.: let viewers continue discussions on your own forum, which can be a great way to move your viewers to your website.

4. Just for You
It is the big chance to become unique and to provide exclusive content! It will simply further enhance all of the aspects mentioned above. As your audience once again feels connected, they will highly appreciate unique content created only for the ones who are present in your live session.

5. The A-Team
The fact that your brand is no longer without a face makes connecting much easier. The more you share, the more you reveal, will make your audience feel that you are approachable. Sharing insider information or giving a tour around your office can help you get good connections. You can also introduce B2B partners to specific production processes, or gather valuable feedback from your B2C audience. All in an instant!

Keep up the hard work
Since live-streaming is constantly changing, be on the lookout for any additional hints on the newest trends and techniques. VR and 360° streams are already getting popular, bringing your brand even closer to your partners and customers. You can soon expect to feel the world of online streaming crowded, as more and more companies include streams in their online marketing plans. If you haven’t started yet, NOW is the time to take advantage of the benefits of live-streaming. Join the buzz and convert those social media connections into happy customers!

NEW YORK – When Snapchat went public this year, it was a reminder to many small business owners that they need to be part of the social media evolution. But which network? Snapchat? Facebook? Instagram? All of the above?

Many owners opt for a mix, picking services that will be the best marketing tools for their companies.

“Each channel is used in different ways, and should be used in different ways. There’s no ‘one size fits all,”’ says Michelle Vroom, whose eponymous public relations company in the Philadelphia suburb of Horsham advises small businesses on how to use social media.

Instagram and Snapchat, for example, have more young users. LinkedIn, for many people, is a tool for professional networking and job searches. The majority of users on Pinterest are women, while Tumblr appeals to social bloggers. There are also channels focused on specific industries, such as Architizer for architects and Glozal for real estate.

Owners shouldn’t think in terms of this service or that one, but look at all the options to develop a strategy, experts say.

“They need to think about where their audiences are, what they are reading, what they are doing,” says Kenneth Hitchner, public relations and social media director for Creative Marketing Alliance, which is based in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. “If you are marketing to seniors, you’re not going to be using the latest social media app like Snapchat because the audience isn’t there – just like if you are marketing to teens you probably aren’t going to use something like LinkedIn.”

White Rabbit New York, an online lingerie retailer, uses Instagram to reach customers in their 20s and 30s. Co-owner Mariana Hernandez finds that those shoppers, when they hear about a brand, want to look it up on Instagram. Once they’ve bought from the company, they also visit its Facebook page, where there are stories, event announcements and other posts.

The New York-based company also uses Pinterest, where users “pin” links to items for reference or for their friends to see. Hernandez continually experiments with different kinds of pictures, videos and content to keep up with the changing tastes of social media users.

“There’s a lot of trial and error, seeing what sort of content works on each site,” Hernandez says. “We try to stay connected to other startups to see what’s working for them.”

That kind of experimenting is what draws studioSPACEnyc to Instagram and Snapchat. The company, which creates art installations using nylon string, lights, images and videos, posts about its work on social media and sees the reaction – in effect test-marketing the art it sells to companies and organizations.

Prospective customers are more likely to see the company’s work on social media, founder Jacob Fisher says. Like other business owners, he uses the data provided by the platforms that show how many visitors his posts get to judge whether the outlet is effective.

“If we look at the analytics of the website and how many people view my Instagram account, we’ll see 200 a day on Instagram and 15 on my website,” Fisher says.

Facebook is the most widely used social media service, with a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center finding that nearly 80 percent of adults who use the internet are on Facebook. Thirty-two percent use Instagram, 31 percent are Pinterest users, 29 percent are on LinkedIn and 24 percent use Twitter.

The differences among the services go into an owner’s social media strategy. Facebook posts are available for years, while some Instagram posts disappear after 24 hours. Companies that use video in their marketing have many options. While YouTube was the online video pioneer, the most popular services also have video capabilities. Twitter is used by companies not just for advertising, but to break news about their products and services.

Abhi Golhar likes Snapchat for its feature allowing users to put dog faces on photos – an irreverent add-on that appeals to his sense of fun as he promotes his real estate investment business.

“It gives you the ability to be you,” says Golhar, owner of Real Estate Deal Talk in Atlanta. “I’m a crazy, goofy guy and I’m answering questions for investors.”

He also uses LinkedIn to reach people who focus on specific topics like real estate investing, and he likes Instagram because it includes hashtags that he can use to start online conversations.

What a company sells can also affect its choices. Consumer products and services that can be beautifully photographed are perfect for Instagram and Snapchat, where images and videos are the main draw. Facebook is set up more so users can click on links that will take them to websites where they can browse or order merchandise.

Jon Leonoudakis uses four different platforms as he advertises “The Sweet Spot,” a streaming series about baseball. He uses Facebook because of its 234 million users in the U.S. and Canada, Twitter because he can do quick tweets aimed at people who are baseball fans and Instagram because it has more younger users. Leonoudakis writes longer posts detailing his project on LinkedIn.

Besides being a great advertising tool, social media also gives Leonoudakis’ project credibility with streaming services that he wants to sell his series to.

“They ask, ‘what are you doing to promote yourselves?”’ Leonoudakis says. “When they see we’re on social media they know we’re in the ebb and flow of the business.”

Many companies that don’t believe social media can help them grow nonetheless make sure they have a presence on at least one channel.

MemberSuite, which makes software for organizations like trade and industry groups, posts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn although social media doesn’t necessarily help it get new customers, CEO Andrew Ryan says. Its news and blog items increase awareness about the Atlanta-based company, and also help it maintain its reputation.

“What (social media) does is give us a sense of credibility and gives our customers confidence in us,” Ryan says.

The Market Heaven, an online based marketing company, has released statistics showing a tremendous effect of video marketing on startup and established businesses. The report was released recently to assess the impact of video marketing and social media marketing among businesses.

“Video marketing is powerful. It is so powerful that a recent study we carried out shows that about 61% of businesses that use online marketing have incorporate videos in just the past one year. Similar studies have also shown rising trend in use of online video among statistics. However, it was only till we completed our study that we realized that we need to mobilize as many startups to incorporate video marketing into their business promotion messages,” Johan Gruff, the website founder says.

In a similar study done among established online businesses in the US last year, an overwhelming number of respondents, 74%, reported to have experienced increase in sales and website presence due to their videos. About 80% of the respondents further noted that incorporating social media marketing had boosted their company’s growth rate at tremendous rates.

In addition to releasing info graphics, the Marketing Heaven has also published an article that details the benefits customers who used video and social marketing gained. One of these benefits is that videos boost sales and engagement with customers. According to Johan, the response for people who added video marketing to their strategies in the past one year has been greatly positive. Johan cites a study that compared videos to pictures in terms of success rates-except for the fact that videos had much higher success rates.

“For customers who already found their online marketing methods successful, video marketing had a much bigger impact than social media. But to customers who combined both social media and video marketing among other tactics, online marketing has become their almost most important marketing tool,” Johan from The Marketing Heaven notes.

The study further notes that businesses that incorporated video marketing reported an increase on their return on investment after one year. The report explains that video marketing has become cheaper than most people anticipated. In addition, the fact that it has more impact than most other tactics used in Internet marketing makes contributes tremendously to the overall return on investment at the end of the year. According to Mercy Rose, the company’s spokesperson, video marketing also improved SEO ratings, customer trust and loyalty in measures that text couldn’t.

“We are experiencing a situation where your website gains visibility in double digits thanks to videos alone. This happens because customers stay at your website for longer-in a way showing search engine that you have quality content and therefore deserving better ranking. Our respondents also noticed that they gained loyal customers with increased efforts to add videos to their marketing strategies,” Mercy says.

###

Contact The Marketing Heaven:

Jason Breslin
marketing@themarketingheaven.com

(MENAFN Editorial) SmartVideo by Video Remix, is a cloud-based app that lets users personalize videos in order to use them as a strong marketing tool. Recently launched by Simon Warner, the software provides marketing techniques used by top companies including, Dominoes Pizza, RedBull, Century21, and more.

Wanchai, Hong Kong – May 18, 2017 /PressCable/ —

Simon Warner launched SmartVideo by VideoRemix, a cloud-based app that enables users to personalize videos to look professional and increase their effectiveness as a marketing tool.

For more information on SmartVideo by VideoRemix, visit http://letsgolook.at/SmartVideo.

SmartVideo joined forces with the experienced VideoRemix Team to give customers the opportunity to turn any video into a personalized marketing tool, driving more sales as well as brand awareness.

SmartVideo is an easy-to-use platform that users can execute in three steps. First, they import media–such as YouTube or Vimeo videos–then record audio via Clyp.it, and combine and edit the media. Next, users insert text and personalize their images and popups, which will gives each video a professional edge. Once this is finished, users can leverage autoresponders, landing pages, and Facebook pages. The software lets users distribute their videos to many potential customers and increase their reach and overall traffic.

SmartVideo comes with many features including, video personlization without any rendering required, simple drag and drop features to edit and customize, and the option for unlimited video lengths. The software also integrates with Facebook in order to showcase user’s profile information instantly on any video.

SmartVideo is designed for all skill levels, so that users with little or no graphic design experience can easily customize their videos to their satisfaction. Additionally, the program is easy to navigate and features separate toolbars to categorize projects, templates, analytics, strategies, and training.

The software also provides marketing techniques that are used by top companies and franchises including, Dominoes Pizza, Zumba Fitness, RedBull, Century21, Secret Escapes, and more. With constant software updates, SmartVideo customers will be provided with the latest techniques. The program also includes several different software bonuses that are designed to bring more profits to websites of all niches.

For more information and pricing on Simon Warner’s SmartVideo by Video Remix, visit http://muncheye.com/simon-warner-smartvideo

Contact Info:
Name: Mindquo
Organization: Muncheye
Address: 8 Hennessy Road, Wanchai,, Hong Kong Island 999077

For more information, please visit http://muncheye.com

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 200993

MENAFN1805201700703638ID1095492855

Two Chinese Sukhoi Su-30 jets have conducted an « unprofessional » intercept of a US aircraft, the US military said.

One of the Chinese jets came as close as 150ft (45m) to the US WC-135 plane and flew upside down above it, according to US officials cited by CNN.

The US says the plane was on a mission to detect radiation in international airspace over the East China Sea.

Tensions have repeatedly risen over US activity near the resource-rich international waters off China’s coast.

The intercept, which took place on Wednesday, was deemed unprofessional « due to the manoeuvres by the Chinese pilot, as well as the speeds and proximity of both aircraft, » Air Force spokesman Lt Col Lori Hodge said.

He said the issue was « being addressed with China through appropriate diplomatic and military channels », and a military investigation was under way.

China has not commented on the incident, but it accuses the US of carrying out reconnaissance flights over Chinese coastal waters and regularly calls on the US to reduce patrols in the area.

China claims sovereignty over almost all of the disputed territory in the South and East China seas, though several other countries in the region have competing claims.

China has backed its expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols.

The US sniffer aircraft has previously been used to detect evidence of possible nuclear tests by North Korea.

Why is the South China Sea contentious?

South China Sea- Island, rock or reef?

‘Routine operations’

Separately, China and South East Asian countries have agreed a framework for a long-awaited code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea, China’s foreign ministry said, without giving details on the content.

It will now be submitted to the foreign ministers of the countries in August.

Over the years, the US, China and several of the South East Asian countries have had disputes over rival activity in the South China Sea.

In February, a US aircraft carrier started what Washington described as « routine operations » in the South China Sea, with a fleet of supporting warships.

The deployment came despite Chinese warnings against challenging Beijing’s sovereignty in the region.

In May 2016, two Chinese fighters carried out a similar intercept of a US military aircraft over the South China Sea.

At the time, the US military said its maritime reconnaissance aircraft was carrying out a routine patrol in the area.

In 2001, a Chinese jet and a US Navy surveillance aircraft collided off Hainan Island, killing the Chinese pilot.

The US spy plane was forced to make an emergency landing on the island and China held the crew members for 11 days, sparking a major diplomatic standoff.

NEW YORK — A wrong-way driver plowed into pedestrians in the heart of Manhattan’s bustling Times Square district minutes before noon Thursday, killing at least one person and injuring nearly two dozen others, city officials said.

The high-speed 11:55 a.m. crash — which authorities initially said appeared accidental, and which is not believed related to international terrorism — left an 18-year-old woman dead at the scene and another 22 injured, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters.

The driver of the 2009 Honda Accord, identified as 26-year-old Richard Rojas, was in custody and was charged late Thursday with second degree murder, 20 counts of attempted murder, and five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, police said.

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The Bronx native has a history of arrests for driving while intoxicated, as well as other infractions. Rojas was arrested for DWI in Queens in 2008 and earlier this month for menacing.

Police did not immediately release the cause of the crash. Two law enforcement sources say Rojas claims he heard voices and investigators are looking into the possibility it was a deliberate act.

« I was in shock, I was screaming, » witness Kristen Boyce told NBC New York. « No one even saw it coming. »

« All of a sudden I heard this boom and a car is barreling down Seventh Avenue hitting people, just, ‘Boom! Boom!’ And everyone just starts running, » she said. « We start running, we don’t know if another one is going to come, we don’t know what’s happening, everyone is panicking. »

Police said an officer tackled Rojas at the scene after he climbed out of the car, which could be seen partially lifted off the ground. The suspect was being tested for possible drug or alcohol intoxication.

Fire and emergency crews surrounded the chaotic crash site at the busy intersection of 42nd Street and 7th Avenue, which is typically swamped by tourists and office workers. The car was traveling in the wrong direction on the sidewalk for about three blocks before the crash occurred, police and witnesses said.

The Honda first mounted the sidewalk at 7th Avenue and West 42nd Street, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said. It stopped when it struck a metal stanchion.

« The vehicle, occupied by a male driver, proceeded to drive at a high rate of speed along the sidewalk, from 42nd Street to 45th Street, striking a number of pedestrians along the way, » O’Neill said.

The person who was killed was identified by police as 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman of Portage, Michigan. The deceased victim’s 13-year-old sister was among the injured and was taken to the hospital, police said.

The driver « accelerated across at an angle, went up on the curb and hit that whole group of people waiting, » witness Julie Fallo, 47, of New Jersey, told NBC News.

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Of the 22 injured, 17 were taken to area hospitals, with four of those suffering what were described as serious injuries, the Fire Department said. Five people who were hurt declined medical attention at the scene.

A Homeland Security official in Washington also told NBC News that based on the preliminary information from authorities in New York this « appears to be an accident. »

« It’s a tough day for New York City, but as usual, the people in New York City will stand firm and be resilient, » de Blasio told reporters.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was briefed at the scene. « Today’s events at Times Square were nothing short of horrific, » he said in a statement.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tweeted that President Donald Trump was « made aware of the situation. »

Rojas was in the Navy, the military confirmed. He enlisted in 2011, and was his service ended in 2014. A law enforcement source said he was arrested in Florida on a driving under the influence charges, and was dishonorably discharged from the Navy.

Reports of the confusion and pandemonium initially raised fears of terrorism.

Federal officials have been warning truck owners and truck rental agencies in the U.S. to be « vigilant » about an increasing frequency of terrorist-related « ramming attacks, » NBC News reported earlier this month.

The frequency of such incidents appears to coincide with an ISIS leader telling followers in 2014 to use whatever weapons or tools, including vehicles, they have at their disposal for an attack.

The federal report found that at least 173 people have been killed and more than 700 wounded in 17 ramming attacks around the world. Those include incidents in Nice, France, where dozens were killed last July, and in Berlin, where a dozen people were killed in December.