Category Archives: Big Tips

For better or for worse, we live in an age in which the smartphone reigns supreme. Smartphone subscriptions rose from 3.7 billion in 2016 to 6.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 71% in the space of five years; this rapid rate of growth shows no signs of slowing, with subscriptions expected to exceed seven billion by 2024.

It should come as no surprise, then, that mobile now accounts for more than half of internet traffic and the majority of video traffic: 63% of YouTube viewing time came from mobile devices in the second quarter of 2021. Advertisers poured ever-greater sums of money into mobile video marketing as portable device usage skyrocketed, and there is little doubt that this trend will continue. Of the $295bn that is expected to be spent on online video advertising in 2026, it is forecast that more than $227bn, or 77%, will be allocated to mobile video ads.

In this article, we’ll examine some of the recent developments in the booming sector of mobile video advertising. Let’s take a look at the mobile apps that are most popular amongst certain demographics, get to grips with the video formats that have enjoyed the highest levels of engagement and explore how marketers have responded to these developments.

Short-form video ads are the stars of the small screen

One of the key mobile video marketing trends to keep in mind is the increasing use of short-form (10-60 second) vertical videos. This is due, in large part, to the ascent of the TikTok mobile app and the increasing use of TikTok ads.

Much has been made of TikTok’s addictive appeal. Vast numbers of Zoomers, as members of Generation Z are affectionately known, spend their waking hours consuming content on TikTok and uploading video clips of their own to the platform. According to leaked documents, users spend almost an hour and a half each day on the app, and 42% of these users are aged between 18-24.

TikTok’s runaway success in the short-form video space has spawned a number of attempts by its competitors to catch up: YouTube and Instagram introduced Shorts and Reels respectively in 2020. Whilst YouTube has enjoyed a certain amount of success and plans to start running ads on their Shorts, Instagram has struggled; internal Meta documents have revealed that Reels engagement is less than a tenth of that of TikTok. As a consequence, TikTok has, according to media buyers, received the biggest share of the budgets allocated to short video ads, and it is projected to generate more online video advertising revenue than YouTube and Meta combined by 2027.

Needless to say, TikTok – and the short-form video medium that it has pioneered – have triumphed. TikTok achieved the highest growth (29%) in overall ad spend in the third quarter of 2022, and the amount that brands invested in short-form video on Instagram and Facebook surged by a whopping 754% between Q2 and Q3 of 2022.

Expect to see more businesses use TikTok videos to enhance brand recognition and awareness in the years ahead. Frank’s RedHot ads are a good example of how brands can use viral jokes in order to blend into TikTok’s culture, as this Tell Me You’re Hot In-Feed Ad demonstrates.

Find out more about how Food & Beverage brands can use TikTok to market their products, and check out our TikTok Guide for Brands.

The live stream has gone mainstream

Live streams represent a golden opportunity for marketers to forge a more intimate bond with prospects and interact with potential customers in real time. As such, streaming platforms such as Facebook Live lend themselves naturally to businesses seeking to enhance brand awareness, boost sales and provide product demonstrations.

Much like TikTok, live streaming exploded in popularity during the Coronavirus lockdowns: there was a 300% increase in live streaming events between March and August 2020, driven in large part by people seeking out raw, authentic human connection during periods of social isolation.

This culminated in social media companies launching livestream shopping, or live shopping, platforms. Instagram rolled out Instagram Live Shopping in August 2020, enabling brands to sell their products during live Instagram broadcasts. More recently, YouTube partnered with Shopify, an eCommerce platform, to add live shopping tools to its platform in July 2022, and TikTok introduced live shopping ads in August 2022.

Live shopping has triumphed in the Chinese market, and it remains to be seen whether it will take off in the West. However, given the substantial investments that have been made recently by YouTube, TikTok and Amazon in their live streaming shopping features, it seems likely that live streaming and mobile-first live shopping platforms will remain a significant part of the mobile video marketing landscape.

It’s Game On for In-App Mobile Video Advertising

As lovers of the Candy Crush Saga will attest, mobile games are delightfully addictive. Gaming apps are the most popular app category in Google Play Store, and whilst mobile game revenue is expected to decline in 2022 following a couple of years of rapid, lockdown-driven growth, the mobile gaming market is expected to begin expanding again before long.

Of the various ad formats that have been used in mobile gaming apps, rewarded video ads have emerged as one of the most effective forms of in-game advertising (IGA). They offer app users a reward in exchange for watching a video or engaging with a playable ad (interactive video ads that allow users to get a taste of other mobile app games by playing a short preview).

Rewarded video ads are favoured by game developers, ad publishers and even the gamers themselves. This innovative ad format is a fantastic example of how video ads can enhance, rather than obstruct, the mobile gaming experience whilst also delivering a high ROI.

Conclusion

Given these developments, there’s no question that this is a very exciting time indeed for the world of mobile video advertising. We hope that this information helps inform and inspire your next mobile video marketing campaign.

Small Films is a video production company in London. Our team of videographers, editors and animators create all sorts of videos, including awesome product videos, testimonial videos, explainer videos and animations that can help bring your brand to life. Do get in touch; we’d love to hear from you!

Mark Leruste talks to our Founder, George Hughes about how important it is for businesses to have purpose when they’re trying to make their mark on the world. Mark Leruste is the founder of the The Unconventionalists, a training and coaching business set up to help people in leadership roles better serve and manage their employees. He’s a renowned public speaker hosting and speaking at thousands of events worldwide and his training and coaching videos have been viewed over one million times on social media. Not only that but he also has his own podcast with 100+ episodes and 70,000+ downloads inspiring countless people across the world.

To listen to the full episode see below:
iTunes: apple.co/2mdud3j
Spotify:  open.spotify.com/show/70lXwMVGGC7rGN4eukv8GY

George: So Mark Leruste, thank you very much for coming down. It’s great to have you here.

Mark: It’s an absolute pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.

George: You worked for the Movember Foundation, didn’t you? So, tell me all about that.

Mark: Today, this does not sound pioneering in any kind of way, but back in 2011, no one was doing video CVs. And so I had this idea, I’m going to do a video CV, and that’s how I’ll be able to talk about what I do, what I’m about and then it just went viral. I mean one of those kind of crazy, you know serendipity moments where people were tweeting Oprah. Long story short, I got a job interview with JC, one of the co-founders, and he gave me the job on the spot. I joined in 2012, and I stayed as country manager for four years where I helped raise 2.8 million euros for Men’s Health. We got 110 thousand people sign up and won a bunch of awards.

George: So what happened next then? So after Movember, was that when you started to kind of go on your own? 

Mark: Yeah, I did pretty well on Movember and throughout my whole career. I spent almost ten years in the corporate, non for profit sector, predominantly in sales and fundraising. When I was at INSEAD, I was generating six million euros of revenue per year. Whole different story when it was about my company and me. I think I found myself on a Friday afternoon, you know, I recently took a mortgage out before I quit my job. I’m sitting on my flat on the floor, and I’m crying out “what the hell have I done?” like all this money that I’d saved is just drying up clients aren’t responding as quickly as I thought they would, and it all started because of a podcast. I mean, this is the irony of it all, is that in 2015, I had this idea it’d be cool to broadcast conversations with people because I think it could inspire and help other people, and then podcasting wasn’t what it was today five years ago. And the next thing I launch this podcast, it gets a bit of momentum, and I thought I could do this full time and mix my coaching and podcasting and I gave a talk about finding meaning and purpose in your work, and what I wished I’d known and I’d learnt before I quit Movember and it went down really well, and that’s when I thought whoa, wait a minute actually companies are made of people, and people still need to be seen, heard and appreciated no matter where they are.  And some people think that becoming an entrepreneur is the only way to do that, I don’t. I think you can do that absolutely by working in an organisation. You do not need to start your own company in order to feel fulfilled. It feels like in today’s world, it’s really important to give purpose to your employees. They take jobs for different reasons these days; it’s not just I’m going to do a job for 40 years that I hate just so I can get a pension and make enough money so I can go on a holiday and then retire it’s not like that anymore, is it? Well, so here’s the interesting thing I get brought in a lot to do work with Millennials. One of the things I always say when I go into companies, and when I first introduce the kind of concept of it, I say well in order to understand a generation, you need to understand the context in which it grew up and the environment in which it grew up and what are the big events that shaped its culture, its DNA and the value system. If you look at Millennials, I think one of the things that’s really underrated in terms of what impacted us as a generation. We got hit with the global financial crisis, so what happened is two fold. One, it meant that financially we were worse off than any other generation in the past. I mean from 2009 to 2014. There was a depreciation in salaries by 14%, and it still hasn’t recovered. still behind seven percent than it used to be pre-crisis. But more than that, and I can speak from a personal experience, my dad had worked for like 25 plus years in this company, right. He worked weekends, he worked evenings took minimum holiday and 2008, was made redundant from one day to the next and what I saw was and I think what my generation saw, what our generation saw was. oh this promise that if I give you my life and soul to work, then I will get loyalty in return, and I will be able to work here for 30 years and then retire that was gone. It was gone. The promise was broken. The trust in what we used to believe as trustworthy big institutions such as banks disappeared then it became, what do I really want to do? Because if I’m going to do something and I might lose the job one day to the next, it might as well be something that I enjoy, and so a lot of people don’t understand that, especially when you look at older generations around calling millennials entitled, lazy, unfocused. I’ve experienced everything but the opposite of that. I guess ultimately, it’s about for the company is all about attracting the right talent and retaining that talent so you don’t get that churn that’s commonplace now. 

Well, I think one of the challenges I often say you often get talent through your PR but you retain talent through your culture and often I’ll get a question from one of the managers or executives you know, when I go do talks at conferences or workshops. They’ll say so, how do I get people to trust me more? I want my people to trust me. I think I said, well, there’s a really quick hack, narrow the gap between who you say you are and who you actually are and narrow the gap between what you say you’ll do and what you actually do narrow those two things and your team will be able to trust you more.

George: So how do you navigate that? Because I feel like if you’re coming into a company and you’re trying to find their sense of purpose, but you might find a few problem individuals that are causing the issues in the first place.

Mark: So, I don’t work with a company where leaders don’t have skin in the game. Simple as that. If the leaders aren’t in the room, I’m not working with them. Whatever you do internally will spill out externally people who have purpose, people who have a mission, people who are happier, who feel that they can bring their full selves to work will be nicer on the phone to people they’re speaking to will be nicer to their colleagues, will be nicer to potential customers and that’s just going to be felt, and kind of spilled over and you could start off by saying why is it that you joined this company in the first place? What excited you when you started off this job what was it about this mission that and I we still honouring that or have you changed? Who would we not be serving by stopping our business? Who would we be neglecting if we don’t do this work? What if your mission as a leader, the only mission you had was to leave your people in a better place than you found them and what if you, as someone working on the organization, your only purpose was to leave this organisation in a better place than you found it? How differently would we take responsibility, you know? And the other thing is, you know, as a leader in an organisation you’ll know this, you’re responsible for people, they’re humans and we somehow, don’t know why this happens, and it really is a pet hate for me, we forget that. So, we live in a digital world. If you’re a brand, a business, an entrepreneur, and you’re trying to get an edge. what would be your one piece of advice? Be really clear about why you exist and why it matters. I cannot underestimate how many people don’t even know how to answer that question. And so, people focus on tactics, people focus on channels, people think that their problem is that they don’t have a YouTube channel, people think that the problem is that they don’t post enough on Instagram, and so the go to the how really quickly they’ll start pouring cash into marketing campaigns and branding, but they’re not clear about their core, about what they stand for. So the first thing is get really clear about who you are and why that matters, then get really clear about what your values are. Now, values you could go with the whole classic authentic, transparent, honest, you know, accountable, or you can go about what is really what we stand for because it’s going to filter our customers, is going to filter our partners is going to filter everything we do. Get clear about your values. And then you want to talk about, how do we communicate that in a way that makes people feel involved and engaged. The digital world is a great, great world. It’s an amplifier. So what are you amplifying? Imagine broadcasting static noise on a really, really loud speaker. How do you think people are gonna react to that? I think we really need to bridge the gap between how we show up in the world and how we show up internally. My dream is that if I went to an organisation, they’re exactly who I would expect them to be.

Olivia Wollenberg of the food brand Livias talks to our Founder, George Hughes, about how important social media has been in the rise of her business. She leveraged her Instagram followers to get the word out about the company’s products. Livia’s offers an array of wonderful treats, from Nuglets and Millionaire Squares to Biccie Bombs and Dunks. They are all made from natural ingredients, vegan, and free-from gluten, lactose and refined sugar. And they taste delicious.

In the Big Chat series, George explores all the different ways that brands, businesses and individuals can get an edge in today’s fast-paced digital world. He meets with an array of talented experts from a variety of disciplines, including marketing, sales, content creation and business strategy. All of them have a different angle on what it takes to supercharge your business. If you are looking to give your business or yourself an edge, then this is the right podcast for you.

Listen to the podcast in full

iTunes: apple.co/2mdud3j
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70lXwMVGGC7rGN4eukv8GY

George Hughes: So tell me in a nutshell, who is Olivia? What is Livia’s?

Olivia: I am the founder and CEO of Livia’s. I was diagnosed with intolerances to wheat, and dairy and at the time there was nothing in the market that really tasted good, felt indulgent, and I had this idea for delicious, indulgent treats made from wholesome natural ingredients. I feel like often the sort of free-from section of the supermarket is often filled full of sort of boring stuff that nobody really wants. It’s kind of like there’s sugar-free and there’s nothing nice about it. Things that don’t really taste good. A lot of the time, it’s kind of like rabbit food.

George: Do you think the success of Livia’s is in part due to that sort of movement of healthy eating and people being conscious of what they’re putting in their bodies and not wanting refined sugars and all that nasty stuff?

Olivia:  I definitely think so. I started Livia’s at the right time I started promoting it at the time when clean eating was becoming really really big but what I did instead was talk about natural and wholesome ingredients rather than talk about it in the way of being clean. I had no funding when I started the company, but I started an Instagram page and that’s how I’ve done all of my marketing and advertising pretty much still to this day. I tapped into the clean eating trend and the wellness trend and I often do talks about wellness but for me, wellness is about balance and it’s about our campaign “better treat yourself” rather than about being clean eating.

George: How important do you think social media has been in terms of the growth of the business?

Olivia: Social media has transformed our business. I always explain that in our company, there are products at the core of the company, and then around the company, there is this halo of social media because I, like many other people, when they start a business, you don’t have huge amounts of funding. But I saw that I had to build that following, and I needed something to back up what I was doing and what my mission was. I was driven around by my parents right at the beginning delivering these products to anyone and everyone who had some sort of social media presence. One day I delivered them to Vogue, and an hour later, I looked at my phone. I had thousands of notifications, and I’d gone from maybe a hundred and seventy to three and a half thousand followers, and it was because Vogue had posted about the delivery that they had gotten that morning. So that’s how I first got my meeting with Selfridges and Planet Organic, and then because I had that one endorsement, social media just grew for me.

George: Setting up any business, I would defy anybody to say it’s been easy, you know, it’s a difficult thing to do. But as you say, there are highs and lows, what would you say has been your biggest high?

Olivia: The biggest high, I mean I’ll never forget when our products launched first of all in Selfridges when they had a barcode on them, and people could actually like scan them. Coming into an office like this every morning is a huge high, and seeing the team that I’ve built and the fact that I’ve created jobs for people and jobs that people love.

George: How important do you think the fact that we now live in a digital world is helping food and drink brands to get traction?

Olivia:  I think for people who are starting companies who don’t prioritise social, they’re missing a trick. We speak to the retailers, and we say look, this is what we can do for you on social like we’re speaking to 130,000 people that you’re not speaking to yet, and the retailers love that. In terms of the digital aspect of what you do, what sort of advice could you give to other businesses that are trying to do a similar thing? Makes sure that everything ties, so it’s not like what you’re saying online is completely different to offline, and your packaging needs to say all the same things that you’re saying on social as well. So you need to make sure that it will really tie together. You need to look at your website. You need to look at consumer journeys. You need to look at how you’re speaking to your customers through digital. So the surveys that you’re doing just be on top of every single touch point. 

George: Do you have quite a good sort of strategy in terms of how you plan out your activity online? Or is it kind of haphazard, you’re just going every week, week to week or do you sort of have campaigns?

Olivia: There’s a bit of both, so we have kind of major touchpoints that we want to talk about and shout about it. But at the same time then, if I’m out and about and there’s something that I want to post about, it will never be like, oh, let me just look at our social media calendar and see if this fits in because then you lose that authenticity. If you were going to give other brands marketers one piece of advice so that they could an edge in a digital world. What do you think it would be? Everyone likes to create a story about everything, and if you’re giving it to them, you’re kind of solving the problem. Keep genuine, keep authentic. Don’t try and do quirky things with a brand all the time. Make it more about a personal story. I’m all about stories. But I think that being genuine is absolutely critical.

Listen to the podcast in full

iTunes: apple.co/2mdud3j
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70lXwMVGGC7rGN4eukv8GY

Small Films is a video production company in London. Our team of videographers, editors and animators create all sorts of videos, including awesome product videos, testimonial videos, explainer videos and animations that can help bring your brand to life. Do get in touch; we’d love to hear from you!

Mark McCulloch is the founder of the Brand and Marketing agency Supersonic, inc. He comes from a 20 year background in marketing, working with some amazing brands, including Costa, Gails Bakery, and Iberica, and he was Head of Marketing at Pret A Manger and Yo Sushi. He’s also the host of the hugely popular The Spectacular Marketing Podcast, where he’s interviewed some amazing people from the hospitality sector to talk all things marketing.

His podcast, the Mark McC Supersonic Podcast, started in April 2019, and he’s continuing his great work in this space.

In this episode of the Big Chat podcast, we talk about all things digital marketing and how important it is to have a strong digital presence in today’s world.

Hear the full episode on
iTunes: apple.co/2mdud3j
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70lXwMVGGC7rGN4eukv8GY

George Hughes: So you started off with a passion for music, and you maybe thought that was the direction you’re going to go in, but you’ve actually landed in food and drink as being your main specialism. I know that’s not everything you do. Do you think that’s just an organic process, or was it something that you just really enjoyed working with those sorts of companies and just kind of embraced it?

Mark McCulloch: Well, it was quite interesting. I think from being where I’m from in Scotland, you know, the plate is beige and it’s maybe mostly fried stuff and coming to London early sort of opened my eyes. I started to really enjoy going to restaurants and seeing all the different food types. And I think the fun bit for me was like this was another world and a class system as well.

George: You’ve got 20 years of digital marketing experience, is that right, maybe more?

Mark: Yeah. Well, I guess I’m a mix of brand marketing and then digital, social, maybe slightly later on. But yeah, it happened quite early in terms of digital stuff.

George: What was it like working at Yo Sushi?

Mark: My role and my brief were “make us cool again.” So we did quite a lot of good things. A  huge food overhaul and menus with a bit of branding, but then we got into social media early. I think people quickly started to believe in social because they could see us standing out from the crowd, you know, we were picking up more awards, we’ve got more followers, we’ve got more engagement. You know, it’s really going extremely well. It just meant that your C-suite were believers, and then once they are believers, they start asking about it and start getting curious about it, and they want to see it in marketing plans and what you are doing. And at that time, you could stand out organically really easily. So when you are sending out a promotion that you’d send out a newsletter with a dwindling database in terms of engagement, you are getting high engagement, you know, from all the posts that you put out. It seems like a lot of times, it is about getting that buy-in from the C-suite from the sort of older generation who are in those positions of power. I think Gary Vee said this about, you know, the minute that that sort of generation gets replaced with more of the digital native generation, suddenly everybody’s going to fully embrace digital. But at the moment, there’s still a lot of resistance to it. Lately, we would have said in our industry in food and drink, and I mean in restaurants and in coffee shops and all that, we’re really a generation behind. The CEO is a sixty-year-old guy who usually doesn’t get social, he’s not on Facebook therefore, no one else should care. Would you ever consider hiring someone in a company that can’t use email? That can’t use a computer? It’s the same with social. It’s just part of life. You need to know the basics of all these things because the way it’s moving, it’s moving to personal brands, and it’s moving to companies with faces rather than just brands. It’s almost that if you don’t have a good social presence or a good digital presence, then it’s really impeding your ability as a company. Well, I think one of the biggest problems is the lack of measurement. If you put the right measurements in place to do brand tracking. What do people think of you? You actually look at the comments that are going on, and you answer them. They might be quick to respond on TripAdvisor, but they haven’t looked at their Facebook comments for four months. We’ve got more tools in our box to reach more people. I just think so many people are using it wrong. 

George: What would you say are the most common mistakes you see brands making in the food and drink space when it comes to their digital offering?

Mark: It’s just all far too promotional. It’s all about now, now, now, now, the next day, the last 15 minutes. They are menu engineering to see how much cost they can take off the plate to then make the commercials work and that just makes me cry inside. Most people don’t have that level of investment to then help them make the right decisions, you know to invest, they will cut rather than invest. In today’s world, those sorts of mistakes can be fatal for a business. I mean, we’re seeing it all the time at the moment. Really big institutional businesses just disappearing off the face of the map. You know, because they’ve just made really poor choices and they really haven’t kept up with times. I mean, death is coming quicker than ever. You know, for brands that aren’t getting it right. Most people should have been… all people should have been thinking like an e-commerce person from day one. 

George: What would you say that the brands that are really doing well at the moment but keeping it within food and drink? What do you think it is they’re doing right that’s keeping them going from strength to strength?

Mark: Taking marketing seriously and brand seriously. They’ve dug down, they’ve got through some hard times. If there are hard times, they’ve maybe got sort of more understanding investors and partners that keep investing to know they’ll come good. The obsession with great quality products, the obsession with the right site, the obsession with the best people that they could possibly hire.

So they’re bringing in marketers that are well versed and well trained. But not only that. They’re not then beating them down to their way they’re learning from them. But it always starts with brand. You know, how do your culture, your products and services and your reputation knit together?

George:  If you’re a small brand, if you’re a startup, if your emerging company, what would be your sort of top bits of advice for them to get a bit of traction with their digital marketing? 

Mark: You’re being brought up in this age. So I think already usually the people running the business, founding the business, you know, the people that you’re hiring, you’ll be more obsessed and more switched on to hiring someone that is digitally minded, and you’ll be thinking about that more. The age that we live in now with all the iPhone Apps and you could run everything from your phone. It’s not that hard. So I would invest as much as you can in the amplification of your business. How important do you think content is for brands in terms of photos, videos, blogs, articles, newsletters all that sort of thing?

George: Do you think it’s very important as part of your marketing suite?

Mark: It’s everything. You know, and I think when you think about how we consume things now, we’re basically content consumers now and experience consumers rather than ad consumers and product consumers. So it’s moved up a level, you know, you want to have the text, you want to have the image, you want to have the photo. Hopefully, if you’re starting a business, you’ve got a partnership, you’ve got, you know, one of you is kind of the here and now, and then one of you is like a future person.

Listen to the full Big Chat podcast
iTunes: apple.co/2mdud3j
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70lXwMVGGC7rGN4eukv8GY

Prefer to watch on YouTube?

In this episode of the Big Chat podcast, our Founder George Hughes is joined by Lisa Targett. Lisa is the Chief Revenue Offices for the influencer marketing platform Tribe. Tribe is a unique self-serve marketplace that makes it easy for brands to connect with everyday influencers.

Lisa was listed in the Drum’s 50 under 30 and named one of Diversity Journal’s ‘Women Worth Watching’ in 2018. Widely acknowledged as a thought leader, Lisa has delivered keynotes at major marketing events and frequently comments on industry news for international publications.

In this podcast, we explore the world of influencer marketing. So if you’re keen to learn more about this type of social media marketing, then listen to the full-length podcast. Read below for a snapshot of our interview with Lisa. 

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3gu05Y7
iTunes: https://apple.co/3gqmx4f 

George Hughes: You came to the UK, and one of the first jobs you did was working with Franks, which is an Australian men’s swimwear brand. What brought you from there to where you are today? How did you make that transition into the influencer world?

Lisa Targett: My background has always been in digital marketing and digital advertising, and I think very naturally, we saw an emergence of where consumer eyeballs were, and attention and trust was, and if you’re any kind of digital marketer that knows that you’re trying to elicit some sort of response from an audience, make them feel something about your brand and potentially sway them to consider your product, you’ve got to go where the trust is, and you’ve got to go where the eyeballs are so that slowly led me down the path of working with creators and I’m so glad it did because it’s such an exciting space.

George: For anybody that’s not familiar with the company and how the platform works, just explain to us how that actually works. 

Lisa: Tribe is an influencer marketplace, we’re a self-serve marketplace that connects brands with everyday people to celebrate them through beautiful content. So it’s a content upfront model which hasn’t been replicated globally, which gives brands a huge amount of brand safety on one side, they see the content, they can vet the influencer, they see the caption, they avoid any PR crises that could be imaginable. And on the influencer side, it’s great because at the end of the day, they’re professional content creators. They’re creating content all the time, they’re crafting content all the time, if they’re authentic with their audiences and they are real customers then they’ve got no issue with going out, shooting a piece of content, owning the product, these are things that they’re happy to do and happy to spend their money on if they’re genuine about it. So what we’ve created is this two-sided marketplace that self-polices for as much integrity in this category as we can pack in there. 

George: There’s a really vast breadth of knowledge about influencer marketing to the point where some people know nothing about it, other people are in advanced level five, they know how to use it to the nth degree like I’m sure you do. Give us an overview of what is an influencer, how many people do you have to have to be an influencer?

Lisa: Our platform starts at three thousand followers, so if you have three thousand followers on either Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you can freely submit to any brand brief. We chose three thousand as a semi-arbitrary number, but also we thought even for one post you’re reaching a significant amount of people. An organic reach actually starts to drop off on Instagram specifically as your audience grows and your engagement drops,  because if I comment on Kim Kardashian’s post, she’s not responding, and by the time I’ve actually written it probably a hundred thousand more comments have appeared or something, and I just get lost and actually people just don’t feel they can be part of those communities whereas with my friends and family it’s far more interactive, it’s back and forth.

George: The rise of influencer marketing, I mean just the rise of influencers in general, it’s been such a bizarre phenomenon in a way, what do you think has been behind this trend?

Lisa: We were able to start freely posting media so the democratisation of media was the catalyst for all of this. That I can set up a camera in my bedroom and post things to YouTube, and people watch them has meant that all of a sudden, we’re not all gathered around the television at night together, we are consuming media in a really fragmented sense and what was happening is people’s voices were being heard, and everything turned from being broadcast media that was forced at me to this world of opt-in media where I get to choose who to follow, and I get to choose who to unfollow as well and where I spend my time, and if you’re holding someone’s attention, you have influence.

George: What do you think about the negative connotations that sometimes are assigned to influencer marketing? How do you navigate that side of things? 

Lisa: With clarity for both brands and influencers, and for me, the most exciting bit about being a two-sided marketplace is we have that responsibility to educate both sides equally. For me, the entire category will disappear if it lacks authenticity or impacts the trust and the social nature of the channel, the first thing is around being a real customer, being a real advocate. At the end of the day, there are a billion users on Instagram alone, you’re going to find enough real brand advocates that are going to recommend your product to their followers. I suppose this is also about influencers being protected, so they don’t get exploited by brands. We’ve seen a couple of influencers become poster children for things that they didn’t think they were doing wrong. What they found was a product that they really love, that when they were making a specific claim about it would actually endanger other people, and that’s the kind of natural problem you get on influencer marketing which is you’re working with everyday people you’re not working with professionals, so we quality check all of the campaigns that come into the platform to make sure that they adhere with all advertising regulation even if that regulation hasn’t been applied to influencer marketing specifically. 

George: What do you think is next for the world of influencer marketing?

Lisa: I think we’re going to see more and more brands using customer-generated content across their entire branding ecosystem in partnership with some of the hero storytelling that they’re doing from an above-the-line perspective, I think personalisation from an advertising-targeting perspective will get better because people will be able to leverage all of their different customers’ styles and voices in their advertising. But I think taking a step beyond all of that, Facebook and Instagram are always going to be the ones that are driving the best performance marketing for a brand. They’ve got precision targeting, they’ve got the tools, they’ve got the scale to drive outcomes for brands, and they’re never going to allow that to happen from a third-party perspective. Influencers will play a massive role in driving a multitude of digital shop fronts on Instagram essentially, and that’s what it will become.

George: What would be your one piece of advice for brands if they’re looking to get an edge in today’s world? 

Lisa: Right now, it is so competitive for any brand online, they’re either fundamentally changing how they’re producing products, they’re either having to fundamentally change their supply chain model to be more sustainable, more ethical to align with customer values, they’ve got issues with trust, and while all of that’s happening, they’re making these monumental shifts into the digital age. My advice would be to centre yourself around the consumer so that you can move faster and trust a little bit more in the instant feedback that you’re getting. We do sentiment analysis on every campaign where we can pull through all the comments, not just if people love the campaign or not and love your brand, but specifically, what they’re liking I think the brands that are winning quickly are doing that very well.

Listen to the full Small Films Big Chat podcast over on iTunes or Spotify.

With their new range of juicy protein waters, Upbeat wanted to launch the product in a summer campaign. They were looking for maximum eyeballs on this tasty beverage and an uplift in sales as well!

Tipi Group helped us develop a creative strategy that would allow our video content to reach as many people as possible for the lowest possible cost. Through gaining an understanding of the client’s product, business/sales approach and customer base, we were able to come up with engaging videos which resonated well with the audience while driving traffic towards retail stores where they could buy the product being advertised.

>> Looking for a product video? Chat with one of our team. We’d love to help.

In a campaign lasting six weeks, our three video ad formats helped them secure 2.2 million online views and 4.5 million impressions across Facebook/Instagram and YouTube videos, as well as Digital Display billboards in London, including outside key Sainsbury’s locations. And not only did their sales go up 140%, but they also saw an increased ROS of 30% at Sainsbury’s.

Small Films is a video production company in London. Our team of videographers, editors and animators create all sorts of videos, including awesome product videos, testimonial videos, explainer videos and animations that can help bring your brand to life. Do get in touch; we’d love to hear from you!

To promote their new ultra-protective phone case, Mous needed a video that would stump the world. They entrusted us with creating an entertaining campaign film for them to use as their Kickstarter video to help them achieve their fundraising target.  The content we created for Mous helped them launch one of the most funded phone cases ever on a crowdfunding platform.

>> Read our article 10 Best Crowdfunding Videos

When we looked closely at Mous’s competitors, the customers they were trying to reach and the content that was being engaged with by their audience, it became clear who it would be best suited to target for Mous. We created a video which had strong storytelling techniques in order to gain buy-in from potential customers as well as containing stunts like dropping an iPhone 40ft off of scaffolding.

>> DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CREATING A CROWDFUNDING VIDEO <<

The video that we created, generated £2 million in sales within the first few months and has been watched over 20 million times across various platforms. This small business grew exponentially since its release 2 years ago, ranking them among the UK SMEs with the fastest revenue growth in 2018 according to Forbes!

> Read our article on Best Crowdfunding Sites for UK Start Ups

Check out some of our crowdfunding videos

Emily Crisps
Money Raised: £1.1 million

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYWkDwZat7s&t=2s

Kaelo
Money raised: £815,178

>> DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO CREATING A CROWDFUNDING VIDEO <<

If you’re looking for a crowdfunding video production company, then Small Films are well versed in creating films that raise the big bucks. We’ve helped numerous companies raise millions of pounds across the years and we’d love to chat about how we can help you reach your crowdfunding goals.

A video podcast is a great way to reach a wide audience with your marketing message. But how do you make one? Here are 10 easy steps to get you started.

Define your purpose 

Most people who start a podcast do so because they’re passionate about a certain topic, and they want to share that passion with the world. However, it’s not enough to just have a passion for your subject matter. In order to be successful, you need to have a clear purpose for your podcast. Ask yourself: what do you hope to achieve with your show? Do you want to inform, entertain, or both? Once you’ve answered this question, you can start brainstorming ideas for episodes and planning out your content. Keep in mind that your purpose may change over time, and that’s okay. As long as you stay true to your vision, you’ll be able to create a successful podcast that resonates with your audience.

Choose a format

There are several different ways you can format your video podcast. You can opt for a traditional interview style or go for something more informal, like a roundtable discussion. Pick the format that best suits your purpose and audience. There are a few different options to choose from, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, interview-style podcasts are easy to produce and can be very engaging, but they can also be somewhat one-note if you don’t mix things up from episode to episode. On the other hand, narrative podcasts tend to be more work-intensive, but they can offer listeners a more immersive experience. Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing a podcast format – it’s all about what you’re looking for in terms of content and production value. So take some time to consider your options and decide which format is right for you and your show.

Watch our Big Chat podcast with Alice ter Haar, Deliveroo

Choose your equipment

You don’t need fancy equipment to make a great video podcast. A simple webcam or even your smartphone will do the trick. Just make sure the audio is clear and unobstructed.

If you’re looking to add some visual interest to your podcast, or if you simply want to have a record of your show, you may be considering videotaping your episodes. While it’s certainly possible to do this on your own, there are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind in order to get the best results. First, make sure you have a good-quality microphone – this will ensure that your audio is clear and easy to understand. Second, if you’re using any props or visuals, make sure they’re well-lit so that they’re visible on camera. Third, if you’re recording video as well as audio, be sure to use separate devices for each – this will help to prevent any sync problems. And finally, if you plan on editing your video episodes, be aware that this will take additional time and effort. With these tips in mind, filming your podcast can be a great way to add another dimension to your show.

Find your guests

If you’re doing an interview-style podcast, you’ll need to find people who are interesting and have something to say. Reach out to industry experts, thought leaders, or even passionate customers. This can be easier said than done, especially if you’re just getting started. Here are a few tips to help you find guests for your podcast:

Start with your network

Reach out to friends, family, and acquaintances who might be interested in being on your show.

Use social media

Platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to find potential guests. Use hashtags to search for people who might be a good fit for your podcast.

Check out guest booking services

There are a number of companies that can help you connect with guests for your show.

Pitch yourself to guests

If you’re having trouble finding guests, why not pitch yourself? Contact people who you think would be interesting to talk to and offer to be a guest on their show. This is a great way to build up your network and get your name out there.

Finding guests for your podcast doesn’t have to be difficult. By using these tips, you’ll be able to line up some great interviews in no time.

Create an outline

Once you have your guests lined up, it’s time to create an outline for your podcast. This will help keep the conversation on track and ensure that all the important topics are covered. 

Promote your podcast

Once you’ve recorded and edited your podcast, it’s time to promote it! There are a number of ways to promote a podcast. Perhaps the most obvious is social media. Using platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can help to spread the word about your show and can also be a great way to interact with listeners. Make sure to embed it on your website or submit it to popular podcast directories like iTunes or Stitcher, and Spotify. Another effective promotion method is partnering with other podcasts. This can involve cross-promotion, guest appearances, or even co-hosting an episode. In addition, many podcasters find that live events are a great way to connect with fans and attract new listeners. Whether it’s a live recording of your show or simply meeting up with listeners at a conference or meetup, getting out from behind the microphone can be a great way to connect with your audience and grow your show. 

Measure your success

Finally, once your podcast has been published, take some time to measure its success. How many people downloaded it? How much traffic did it drive to your website? Which Promotion strategies were most effective? Use this data to fine-tune future episodes for even better results.  

Celebrate

Now time to celebrate. You did it! You created a video podcast! Be proud of this accomplishment and use it as motivation to keep pumping out great content. Your audience will thank you for it. 

Keep going! The hardest part is starting, but once you get going, making podcasts will become easier and more fun. Commit to cranking out new episodes on a regular basis, and watch as your skills (and audience) grows over time   

Video podcasting should be enjoyable, so make sure you’re having fun with it! If not, take a break and come back when you’re recharged and ready to create great content again. 

Podcasts are a great way to get your voice heard. But how do you get people to actually listen to your podcast? Promoting your podcast can be a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. You need listeners to promote your podcast, but you need to promote your podcast to get listeners. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Creating a video podcast is a great way to reach new audiences with your marketing message. These 10 easy steps will help you get started so that you can begin reaping the benefits of this powerful marketing tool. 

If you’d like support from the Small Films team with your video podcast, then do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

In today’s digital world, a business website is often the first point of contact between the company and its potential customers. And in order for a website to be effective, it needs to have engaging content that tells visitors what the business is all about and why they should care. That’s where explainer videos come in—these short videos help businesses quickly and effectively communicate their value proposition to viewers. But with so many different types of explainer videos out there, it can be tough to decide which one is right for your business. Here’s a rundown of the different types of explainer videos to help you make an informed decision. If you’d like to find out more about how the Small Films team can help, then take a look at our explainer video services. 

What is an explainer video?

If you’re looking for a new way to market your product or service, an explainer video is a great option. An explainer video is a short, informative video that tells potential customers about your product or service. They can be used on your website, social media, or even in email marketing campaigns. And because they’re usually only a few minutes long, they’re perfect for busy people who don’t have time to read a long piece of text. Plus, they’re often more fun and engaging than traditional marketing materials. So if you’re looking for a new way to reach your target audience, an explainer video is worth considering.

2D Animation Explainer Videos

A Small Films example of 2D animation

2D animation is the classic style of an animated explainer video. These videos are created using vector-based graphics, which give them a polished look that is perfect for businesses in industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare. 2D animation also allows for a high degree of creative freedom—animators can pretty much bring any vision to life with this style of animation.

Whiteboard Explainer Videos

Whiteboard explainer videos are characterised by their simple drawing style and use of bright colours. They are often used to break down complex concepts in a way that is easy for viewers to understand. Whiteboard videos work well for businesses in industries such as education and training, as they are often used to teach viewers something new. Additionally, whiteboard videos tend to be on the shorter side—usually 60 seconds or less—which makes them perfect for grabbing viewers’ attention and delivering a quick message.

3D Animated Explainer Videos

3D animated explainer videos are similar to 2D animation explainer videos in that they are created using vector-based graphics. However, 3D animation gives videos a more realistic look thanks to the addition of shadows and depth perception. This style of animated explainer video is perfect for businesses that want to showcase their products or services in action. Additionally, 3D animated explainer videos tend to be longer than other types of explainer videos—usually 2 minutes or more—which gives businesses plenty of time to tell their story and deliver a detailed explanation of what they do. 

Read about our animated explainer video offering.

Live-action explainer video

A live-action explainer video is a video that uses real people and footage to explain a concept or promote a product. These videos are usually between one and two minutes long, and they often use humour and simple language to get their point across. Live-action explainer videos can be an effective way to engage viewers and communicate information in an engaging way. For businesses, live-action explainer videos can be used to introduce new products or services or to explain complex concepts in a simple way. These videos can also be used to increase brand awareness and build customer trust. When it comes to creating a live-action explainer video, the sky is the limit. With a little creativity, these videos can be both informative and entertaining.

Motion Graphic Explainer Video

A motion graphic explainer video is a video that uses graphics and animation to explain a concept or tell a story. They can be used to promote a product, explain how to use a service, or simply convey information in an engaging and visual way. Because they are easy to understand and can be quickly digestible, motion graphic explainer videos are often used by businesses to promote their products or services. While they can be expensive to produce, the return on investment can be significant. 

As you can see, there are a variety of different types of explainer videos available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The key is to figure out which type of video will best communicate your message to your target audience. Once you’ve done that, half the battle is already won—now it’s just a matter of finding the right explainer video company to bring your vision to life.

Why use an explainer video company?

If you’re thinking about using an explainer video company to produce a video for your business, there are a few good reasons to do so. First of all, an explainer video can be an effective way to communicate what your business does and how it can benefit potential customers. Secondly, a professionally produced video can help to build trust and credibility with your audience. And finally, an explainer video can be a great marketing tool, helping to promote your products or services to a wider audience. So if you’re looking for a way to improve your business’s online presence, an explainer video could be the perfect solution.

Interesting in reading more about explainer videos? Read our other blogs

How to write an explainer video script
How to use explainer videos to boost your SEO
How to make instructional videos
10 best explainer video examples in 2023
What are animated explainer videos
How to write a killer explainer video script
How to make an awesome explainer video that sells
How to find the best explainer video company

If you’d like support from an explainer video company in London, then do get in touch with the Small Films team.

About George Hughes

George Hughes is the Founder and Creative Director of Small Films in London, UK. His debut book “Resonance: Unleash your Brand’s Potential with Video” is a number 1 bestseller on Amazon and is recognised as a leading authority on how businesses can master their video marketing strategy. George comes from a 14-year career in the television industry directing for an array of networks from the BBC to the Discovery Channel. He went on to found the video production agency Small Films, and for the last 6 years has been creating video advertising campaigns and branded content for an array of brands, from Aldi supermarket to disruptive startups like Lick Paint. 

You’ve seen them before. Those little two-minute videos that explain complex subjects in a way that’s digestible and easy to understand. They’re called explainer videos, and they’re an incredibly effective tool for marketing your business. But did you know that explainer videos can also be used to boost your SEO? Here’s how.

Google loves high-quality content

Research shows that internet users are almost three times more likely to watch a video than they are to read an article or blog post. But why? Well, for one thing, people are visual learners. We tend to retain information better when we see it, as opposed to just reading it. Videos are also bite-sized and easy to consume; we can watch them on our lunch break or when we’re waiting in line at the grocery store. And finally, video is an engaging format that allows us to connect with the content on a personal level. 

But how does this all relate to SEO? Well, Google loves video content. In fact, they’re 50 times more likely to rank a piece of video content higher than they are written content. This is because video is perceived as high-quality content, and Google wants to provide its users with the best possible experience by delivering the most relevant and highest-quality results. 

In today’s online world, it’s more important than ever to make sure your content is high quality and engaging. One way to do this is to incorporate explainer videos into your blog posts. Explainer videos are a great way to add depth and visual interest to your writing while also providing your readers with valuable information. In addition, explainer videos can help to break up long blocks of text, making your blog more visually appealing. When done right, explainer videos can be a powerful tool for improving the quality of your blog. So if you’re looking for ways to take your blog to the next level, consider adding some explainers to your repertoire.

1. Improve Engagement and Reduce Bounce Rate:

When it comes to SEO, engagement metrics matter. Search engines like Google take into account how long visitors stay on your website and how many pages they view. Explainer videos are an excellent tool for capturing and maintaining your audience’s attention. By providing valuable information in an engaging format, you can significantly reduce bounce rates and improve dwell time on your website, which are both factors Google considers when ranking websites.

2. Enhance Content Quality:

High-quality content is the cornerstone of effective SEO. Explainer videos are a powerful medium to convey complex ideas in a concise and visually appealing manner. When you create informative and well-produced explainer videos, you not only provide value to your audience but also improve the overall quality of your content, which can positively impact your search engine rankings.

3. Target Long-Tail Keywords:

Long-tail keywords are specific search queries that typically have lower competition. Integrating these keywords into your video titles, descriptions, and transcripts can help your videos rank for more specific and niche search queries. As you create explainer videos around these long-tail keywords, you’ll not only attract a more targeted audience but also improve your chances of ranking well in search results.

4. Earn Backlinks and Social Shares:

Engaging, informative explainer videos have the potential to go viral or, at the very least, attract a substantial number of social shares. When other websites and social media users link to and share your video content, it can generate valuable backlinks to your website. High-quality backlinks are a vital SEO factor, as they indicate to search engines that your content is reputable and authoritative.

5. Optimise Video Metadata:

To ensure your explainer videos have the best possible chance of boosting your SEO, it’s crucial to optimise the video metadata. This includes writing keyword-rich video titles, descriptions, and tags. Additionally, providing accurate video transcripts or closed captions not only makes your content more accessible but also allows search engines to understand the video’s content, improving its chances of being indexed and ranked.

6. Use Schema Markup:

Schema markup is a type of structured data that can be added to your website to provide search engines with additional information about your content. When implementing schema markup for your explainer videos, you can enhance the way your video listings appear in search results. This can lead to higher click-through rates, which can positively impact your SEO.

7. Leverage Video Hosting Platforms:

While YouTube is the most popular video hosting platform, don’t limit yourself to just one. Hosting your explainer videos on platforms like Vimeo, and your own website can expand your online presence. Be sure to optimise your video descriptions and titles on these platforms and include links back to your website to drive traffic and improve your SEO.

8. Monitor and Analyse Performance:

As with any SEO strategy, it’s essential to monitor and analyse the performance of your explainer videos. Use tools like Google Analytics and YouTube Analytics to track metrics such as view duration, click-through rates, and the number of backlinks and social shares. This data will help you refine your video marketing strategy and optimise for a better SEO result

Examples of Explainer Videos from the Small Films team

EDF Energy

Dabbl Smartphone App

Authored

Explainer videos are a great way to engage your audience and deliver complex information in an easy-to-understand format. And as an added bonus, they can also help boost your SEO. So if you’re looking for a new way to market your business, consider using explainer videos. 

Interesting in reading more about explainer videos? Read our other blogs

How to write an explainer video script
How to use explainer videos to boost your SEO
How to make instructional videos
10 best explainer video examples in 2023
What are animated explainer videos
How to write a killer explainer video script
How to make an awesome explainer video that sells
How to find the best explainer video company

If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating an explainer video that supports your SEO strategy. And if you need any help along the way, don’t hesitate to get in contact with a professional explainer video company, such as Small Films, that can assist you in making your vision come to life.