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3 ways to drive traffic and get the best out your video content

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Video content now makes a substantial percentage of online traffic at 74%, and is projected to increase to 85% by the end of the decade. Now your video is finished though: what do you do with it?

Here are 3 suggestions to get the best out of your video content and drive some serious traffic.

Thunderclap

Crowdsource technology is a force to be reckoned with. Around 85% of the Best Global Brands have used it in some capacity since 2004, and this type of mass collaboration is a distinct weapon of choice for marketing video content.

Thunderclap places their own unique spin on the idea. Coined a ‘crowdspeaking’ platform, users pledge their reach and influence sphere to promote your cause. Once the campaign reaches its goal number of supporters, the message is then blasted out on mass.

The platform has reached over 15 million people and boasts testimonials from the likes of Barrack Obama, Lady Gaga, and the NBA. This is perfect for a video launch and increases the chance of becoming a trending topic.

Who was successful?

The Royal College of Occupational Therapists came up with the idea of creating an interactive video to show life with-and-without an occupational therapist. The results of the ‘Living, Not Existing’ campaign were stunning.  Not only did they far exceed their pledge number by over 13x, they managed to reach a whopping 500k people.

Check out Fred’s story.

video-content-thunderclap-rcot

Perfect for: charities, social causes, start-ups

 

Facebook Ads

You’ve probably all heard, or used, Facebook Ads. It does seem to have a type of Marmite appeal though.

Facebook uses a primarily visual framework which makes it perfect for video. However, there is a common misconception that Facebook Ads are expensive for the % of conversions. Of course, this is a risk, but points more to a failed strategy than the Ads function itself.

Social advertising on Facebook [and other social platforms] is still cheaper than the likes of Adwords and allows for very simple audience segmentation and keyword utilisation. It also has a distinct advantage over traditional marketing due to big data. The metrics gained from Insights are a powerful tool that makes it much easier to quantify ROI, and finally prove your content works.

With the average CPM (cost-per-thousand-impressions) at £3.84 in 2017, and 2 billion potential users are at your fingertips: why wouldn’t you?

Who was successful?

In terms of video ads, LG USA mobile nail it on the head. Short, funny, and informative – all without being in your face. Married with distinct hashtags and a low-key CTA (call-to-action), LG convey their USP with class.

https://www.facebook.com/LGUSAMobile/videos/965921030109809/

Perfect for: brands, e-commerce

 

Content Partnerships

One of the biggest trends of the past few years has been content partnerships. Teaming up with different brands to offer compelling collaborations has become a staple marketing strategy that has garnered huge appeal. 

Everything from brand specific projects like Jungle Creations + Oreo to b2b twitter beef, content partnership can be used as an innovative alternative to increase brand awareness. This usually takes planning beforehand, and may not be best already existing video content. However, even a simple agreement with another business to share content has immense benefits. Not only does it activate additional distribution and boost company relations, it pushes you to think of more creative ways to target their audience.

Who was successful?

Some shameless plugging here.

Muckle Hen recently created video content for Emirates + Spotify, showcasing the folk-rock scene in Glasgow. The video itself is not yet available, but keep your eyes peeled for what is primed to be an awesome campaign.

emirates-spotify-video-contentPerfect for: everyone

As video becomes increasingly more popular and diverse, so too will the ways in which it can be distributed. The fact people engage more, learn more, and enjoy more video, means it won’t slow down anytime soon.

It’s also becoming much more affordable and accessible for local businesses to invest in video content. Interested?

 

How to Survive the Edinburgh Fringe?

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With the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival 2017 just 3 days away, Muckle Hen have been gearing up to our favourite month of the year. Whether you are a die-hard, show-circling, ticket-hoarding, militant organiser with accompanying colour-coded binder, or instead prefer playing it by ear, the Fringe has got you covered. 

But what about us natives? How do we survive the mass migration of culture vultures that *arguably* double the population? Follow these steps and you might just stand a chance.

Be prepared to add 30 mins onto all journey times

Every local has a different opinion of the Edinburgh Fringe; some accompanied by a roll of the eyes or, at worst, visible steam permeating from the ears. Yet some view it with the same rose-tinted glow year after year – guilty as charged.

Almost all however, will complain about the traffic. The funniest, most heartfelt reactions of course come from every taxi driver in the city. As a pedestrian, tourists have a tendency to push you almost onto the road, whereas drivers have the added fear (or fun depending who you ask) of constantly dodging moving targets. The simple solution: breathe. It’s only 3 weeks.

Stay away from the Royal Mile

Unless you have a death wish, don’t do it. Simple.

Don’t accept flyers

This may sound a bit harsh, but it is vital advice. The reality that Flyerers stand for hours at a time, facing rejection on a secondly-basis, usually in torrential rain, could persuade even the darkest of hearts to accept a flyer. “It’s just one flyer…” I can already hear you mutter. That’s all it takes. You’ll soon find yourself buried in A5 double-sided advertisement, wishing you’d just kept your headphones in.

Nip it in the bud. Say no.

Leith: The alternative antidote

One of the main issues with the Fringe is how concentrated all the action is. Although great for a one-off, it can be tiresome to trudge through a sea of people if you do want to see a few shows. The answer: Leith. The North of the City has been invigorated in recent years with venues such as Leith Late, providing a mouthwatering selection of arts and music, and Free-Fringe venues like The Leith Volcano, the Biscuit Factory, or even Easter Road Stadium, home of the Hibees.

Embrace it

The Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world and the slight inconvenience it causes sometimes masks how incredible that really is.  If you really want to survive the Fringe, then give into the Festival’s allures and try to enjoy it. You’ll be surprised how easy it becomes once you view the entire festival as one giant Comedy of Errors.

If you want to have a more traditional look at Edinburgh, check out this film we made with Avios. With 12 hours and handful of cash, can Reggie Yates get a full taste of Scotland’s capital?

 

 

How to Make a Film

9 things you need to know before making a video [but were too afraid to ask]
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Digital Art: Are Memes our Era’s defining artistic movement?

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What are Memes?

Cash Me Ousside. Harambe. Shooting Stars. Evil Kermit. Steamed Hams. Memes have taken over at an exponential rate; showing no signs of slowing down. But is there more to Memes than meets the eye? Could we be witnessing a new era of artistic movement after so many undefinable years? Or, is it just a cultural virus? If you’re scratching your head as to what a Meme is then you’ve quite frankly been hiding underneath a rock.

First coined by Richard Dawkins in his novel The Selfish Gene. Defined as a new replicator, a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation. Pronounced like ‘cream’, not ‘me-me’, they are frequently used to measure dankness.

This definition still rings true, but now references more specifically the viral transmission and edit of cultural symbols. Mainly for entertainment purposes. Each image-object is adapted, mutated, formed and reformed to create pretty much anything you want. The beauty of Memes are that every time this happens, two more pop up in its place, each subconsciously connecting to the former. It has become such a widespread practice that it now stands as a defining signifier of our times. But the question remains: is it art?

The problem is no-one can really agree what art is – not unanimously anyway. Plato says ‘it is an imitation of life‘ whereas Anne-Marie from Accounts says it’s ‘whatever the snotty, self-important folk at the modern art gallery say is art.’ Anne-Marie is in essence correct, it comes down to intention, and through intention lies an innate desire to communicate. Whether or not the creator considers it their Mangum Opus, or just a bit of tasteless cultural subversion, doesn’t necessarily matter. What matters is eliciting a reaction. Therefore if art is a means of communication through self-expression, Memes are by definition, art.

Post-internet Art

This communicative aspect of art directly interlinks with the historical period in which a piece is created. Much like Graffiti was born out of a climate of  post-industrialism and degrowth, Memes have developed out of a time of anonymity and inordinate speed. Memes are a language, operating as symbolic, visual resonance through cultural intertextuality. Similar to the current influx of Hollywood film reboots and adaptations, it uses recognition as its defining characteristic.

It is much easier to argue that memes are, or better can be, a form of art, than it is to make the argument that it is a fully-fledged movement. Lev Manovich in The Language of New Media used the phrase Post-internet Art to best categorise Memes and their effect. An art form not of the internet, but beyond it, embracing the societal shift we unknowingly find ourselves within. Similar to this was Pop Art, which used the often considered lowbrow symbols of celebr
ity and mass media to shed light on the divide between high and low art. Memes now carry on from this legacy, by further bridging the gap. While high art bathes in ambiguity, Memes are succinct, and don’t require comprehensive study to understand. Memes are for the people, by the people.

This idea of collective artistic collaboration is far from new, but the internet facilitates this existence like never before. It brings hundreds of thousands of people across the world together, to engage, decipher and ultimately express their personal interpretation. A much needed cathartic outlet for the increasingly chaotic times we find ourselves in. This is in essence why Memes are becoming weirder, and weirder. As people become more disenfranchised by societal systems, so too does their expression. When Dadaism championed Avant-Garde, it did so as an act of anti-establishment, deliberately pushing back against conformity. Memes effectively do the same.

A prime example of this is Simpsons Shitposting, a Facebook-only group containing more than 300,000 members at its peak, created for the sole purpose for sharing distorted, re-imaginings of the cult TV show. Members are appraised for creating ‘fresh OC (original content)’ and often excommunicated for not pushing boundaries, resulting in a unique and absurd online commune.

I do understand that many of you reading this will gawk at the notion of Meme as art, contending that if the ‘artist’ is not consciously creating a piece of art, it can’t be so. A reasonably weighted argument. But if the viewer-subject considers it art, then is it?

Also Memes are easy to make, taking little to no skill or mastery. Not like Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Guadi’s Sagrada Familia or Du Champ’s Fountain. Yes, if a toilet with a signature can be art, why can’t Memes?

Whatever your stance on Memes, it is hard to argue their impact on current culture. Whether it is a definable art movement in its own right, is up to you.

Completely disagree? Please let me know in the comments below. Preferably in Meme form.