Mashable: Latest 10 News Updates - including “Warner Bros Adds More Titles to Facebook Movie Rental Service” |
- Warner Bros Adds More Titles to Facebook Movie Rental Service
- How Gemvara Is Changing the Way Fine Jewelry Is Bought Online
- 13 Quirky iPhone Accessories [PICS]
- Snoop Dogg Drops New Album on MySpace
- Free ‘Future of Marketing’ Online Broadcast Will Showcase 60 Speakers in 60 Minutes
- Why Facebook’s New Questions Tool Is Good for Brands & Businesses
- Richard Simmons + Air New Zealand = Best In-Flight Safety Video Ever
- Widespread Wi-Fi Coming to London Underground by 2012
- HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Google AdWords
- Top 5 YouTube Marketing Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses
- HOW TO: Hire a Great Web Designer, With Y Combinator’s Garry Tan
| Warner Bros Adds More Titles to Facebook Movie Rental Service Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:35 AM PDT      Warner Bros. has recently started delivering movies through Facebook at a price of $3 per title, starting out with Cristopher Nolan’s Dark Knight. Now, the company made available five additional titles: Inception, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Yogi Bear and Life as We Know It. These new titles are available through each film’s official Facebook Page. To rent a movie, users need to click on the “watch now” icon, pay with their Facebook Credits, and they will get a 48-hour window to watch the movie through their Facebook account. There’s no official word on any upcoming titles, but we’re sure that Warner will be adding this functionality to the movies in its catalog which have a significant Facebook following. Again, all of this is available only to consumers in the U.S. More About: entertainment, facebook, harry potter, inception, Life as we Know It, Movies, social networking, warner bros, we have to go deeper, Yogi Bear For more Social Media coverage:
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| How Gemvara Is Changing the Way Fine Jewelry Is Bought Online Posted: 27 Mar 2011 06:33 PM PDT   It’s news to no one that ecommerce is on the rise. Not only are more consumers turning to the web to purchase online for the first time, they’re also beginning to purchase in more expensive categories — including, one startup has found, in fine jewelry. Gemvara is a Boston-based startup that specializes in high-end, customizable jewelry. Shoppers can browse a catalog of more than 1,500 original designs and mix and match from 26 different kinds of gemstones and eight precious metals to create an arguably unique, made-to-order piece. The one-year-old company announced this week it has raised $15 million in a Series C round of funding led by European venture capital firm Balderton Capital, a lead investor in another well-known Boston startup, SCVNGR. Gemvara has raised more than $25 million to date. Gemvara plans on using the funds to build out its catalog and further develop its online shopping experience. The company also has plans to open a NYC office and double its staff of 40.  26-year-old CEO Matt Lauzon attributes much of the company’s success to its Zappos-like customer service, which is available via phone, email and live chat. Establishing trust between the company and consumers, especially for expensive purchases like fine jewelry, is essential, Lauzon says. Around 45% of Gemvara’s customers have never purchased a piece of jewelry online before, the company found in a recent internal survey. “What’s amazing is the number of interactions [our customer care representatives] have after a purchase,” Lauzon says. “It has nothing to do with the product; customers are just checking in because a friendship has been built with the customer care rep.” The average price of an order is close to $1,000, he says, and the company frequently receives orders in the $5,000-to-$10,000 range. “Jewelry stores aren’t ever going to go away, but more of their business is going online,” Lauzon claims. “Because of inventory restraints [store] customers often have to settle, and that’s disappointing. Our goal is to match people with the perfect piece of jewelry,” he says. More About: balderton capital, ecommerce, fine jewelry, gemvara, jewelry For more Startups coverage:
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| 13 Quirky iPhone Accessories [PICS] Posted: 27 Mar 2011 05:41 PM PDT Don’t just settle for standard issue accessories. We invite iPhone owners out there to take a walk on the fun side of the street with some downright silly accessories for your Apple mobile. Whether it’s a stand with a witty design, a decal that evokes retro tech, or a case that will put a smile on your face, we’ve got 13 seriously cool and quirky companion products for your iPhone. So, take a little look through our thoroughly light-hearted gallery and let us know in the comments below which items you think offer a refreshingly unusual take on the “iAccessory.” 1. Etch a Sketch iPhone Case   This case is made at the original Etch-a-Sketch factory. It's an interesting study into how companies evolve their products to suit the market, and also a fun case for your phone. Cost: $24.99 2. iPlunger Phone Stand Sucker this little fella on to the back of your iPhone and it'll keep it upright -- no plumbing required. Cost: $10 3. Arkhippo Case Described as "huge" and "easy to handle," the Arkhippo case adds some colorful heft to your iPhone with some well-padded protection, and a handy way to stand it up. Cost: $24 4. Tape Cassette Decals If you yearn for the days of the Walkman, this sticky tape cassette decal for your iPhone offers some handheld nostalgia. Cost: $6.99 5. Appstand Complete with six different colored inserts, this clever stand frames your iPhone on your desk or bedside table. It's perfect for slideshows, alarm clock apps, watching media and more. Appstanding! Cost: $24.99 6. Spiderpodium The Spiderpodium is one way to keep arachnophobes away from your precious iProduct. The grippy octopod has -- you guessed it -- eight flexible legs as well as a hole in its body for feeding cables through. Cost: $24 7. On Angel's Wings iPhone Holder Your iPhone can earn its wings with this whimsical stand that works in both portrait and landscape mode thanks to its removable sucker cup. Cost: $12 8. GameBoy Skin More retro-themed fun here with an unofficial GameBoy case for your fave handheld device. Cost: $9.99 9. Little Black Book for iPhone Considering that the cellphone is the "little black book" of today, this case is certainly appropriate. With a sturdy wooden frame, this unusual case is crafted using traditional bookbinding techniques. It allows access to all ports and even boasts a suitably placed hole for the camera. Cost: $64 10. The Mobile Phone Massif Do you hark back to the glory days of the 80s "brick" phones with fond memories? No, neither do we really, but we do find this case somewhat amusing. Cost: $20 11. RetroFit TV iPhone Holder This cardboard holder will turn your iPhone, or iPod touch, into a teeny vintage goggle box, perfect for watching old movies. Cost: $7.95 12. Hold My Electronics Can we give you a hand? In fact, here's two to cradle your beloved device when yours are busy. Cost: $20 13. Camera SigniCASE Is your iPhone as much a compact camera as it is a portable telephone? Then show your love of iPhotography with this hand-crafted wooden case that's designed to look like a retro snapper. Cost: $34.99  Interested in more Accessory resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.More About: accessories, gallery, iphone, iphone accessories, iphone cases, iphone stands, List, Lists For more Mobile coverage:
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| Snoop Dogg Drops New Album on MySpace Posted: 27 Mar 2011 03:37 PM PDT   All 21 tracks of Snoop Dogg‘s latest album, Doggumentary, have just been released on the artist’s MySpace page, two days prior to the album’s official release. The new release features performances from such artists as Willie Nelson, Young Jeezy, R. Kelly, the Gorillaz, John Legend and many others. The album is a conceptual follow-up to Snoop Dogg’s 1993 debut, Doggystyle. Some of the tracks have been available online for a while, but others are brand new. You can hear clean versions of the full track list now, and the album will be available for purchase on March 29. Here’s a sample of one of the newer tracks for fans: |
| Free ‘Future of Marketing’ Online Broadcast Will Showcase 60 Speakers in 60 Minutes Posted: 27 Mar 2011 02:13 PM PDT   On March 29, a fast-paced online conference will confront the heated topic of personalized marketing, and you’re invited to listen in. Personalized marketing — the act of customizing messages and offers based on a specific consumer’s preferences and buying patterns — has been viewed as good and bad among industry experts. Some say personalization puts customers in charge; others argue it kills the exchange of ideas by not allowing those customers to discover new things. You can hear perspectives from both sides during the virtual event called “The Future of Marketing: Technology Driven Personalization,” where in 60-second snippets, 60 speakers will each discuss how personalization is changing the marketing industry. The speakers include industry analysts, CMOs, technologists, authors and bloggers. Event creator Sam Rosen said personalized marketing is one of the most important intersections between marketers and consumers particularly now because of the array of tools — such as traditional and social media as well as mobile apps and other technologies — marketers can use to build brand awareness and increase sales. “For marketers, personalization is the Holy Grail: reaching the right customer, with the right offer, at the right time,” Rosen told Mashable. “For the consumers, it’s potentially the enemy: giving away your personal data to marketers who will then use it to sell you products. “What would it look like for marketers’ goals and consumers needs to become aligned? That’s the discussion we want to spark through this event. We want to share leading-edge examples, case studies and technological innovations that marketers can begin applying immediately.” To gain free access to the broadcast (Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST), MP3 recording and transcript of the event, register here. Rosen is hopeful the 1-hour broadcast will attract time-strapped listeners. “We’ve found the 60-in-60 format to be ideal for curious, forward-thinking executives who simply don’t have the time to commit (or are tired of listening) to longer webinars with only one or two speakers,” Rosen said. Sample of Speakers
“Presenting 60 speakers in 60 minutes gives audience members a big view on a topic that otherwise may take hours or days to even begin unpacking,” Rosen said. “So we try to find the relevant thought leaders and curate their expertise into a digestible format that our time-pressed audience members can consume. And we always strive to strike a balance between the philosophical and practical — we want people to both think more deeply about the subject matter, while also acting on the information they learn.” Do you think personalized marketing is good or bad for consumers? Chime in by leaving a comment below. More About: business, conferences, MARKETING, technology, trends For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Why Facebook’s New Questions Tool Is Good for Brands & Businesses Posted: 27 Mar 2011 12:46 PM PDT   Brands and businesses are looking for ways to leverage Facebook’s recently unveiled Questions tool in ways that differ from what they’re already doing on Q&A sites such as Quora, Yahoo Answers and LocalMind. The feature, which Facebook rolled out to all users March 24, functions as a recommendation engine. It also presents a major opportunity for businesses to conduct market research and crowdsource in a far more elegant way than was previously possible, according to Ben Grossman, communication strategist for marketing agency Oxford Communications. “We know from Nielsen that recommendations from friends and family and the opinions of online strangers are the top two most trusted forms of advertising,” Grossman told Mashable. “Facebook Questions offers the perfect opportunity for brands to tap into exactly that.” Businesses, groups and organizations can use Questions in several ways. For example, Grossman said:
“The best part about this is that it's in a trusting, social and real-time setting,” he said. “The opportunity to gain instant feedback from a brand's biggest fans is amazing.” Fittingly, we had some more questions about Questions. Below, Grossman weighs in on the feature to help brands better understand the tool. Mashable: How is Facebook Questions different than the Q&A tools already online? Grossman: Though Questions certainly falls into a similar category as Yahoo Answers and Quora, there is are two very major differences:
Mashable: How will Facebook Questions change the way users of Facebook Pages interact with their fans? Why is this important? Grossman: Though third-party Facebook application development companies such as Involver and Wildfire have developed turn-key "poll" applications, many users were likely to get hung up on that pesky “Applications Permissions” box that demands access to users personal information. Questions changes that. No permissions are required, and the Questions platform lets you answer and talk about questions with all your friends no matter if they've engaged with a third-party application before or not. The other great thing about Questions is it comes with a setting that allows users to add more answers to the multiple-choice answers. This bit of flexibility will really and truly allow businesses to learn from their consumers — they just have to know the right questions to ask. Questions also demands a higher level of fidelity to opinion statistics for brands. If brands bind themselves to the Questions platform to pose questions and they relate to the brand's business, it's going to be a lot clearer to all the fans what public opinion is. If the brand doesn't follow through by acting on that opinion, Questions has a nice comment area that gives fans the perfect place to call a brand out on it. Mashable: How have you or Oxford used Facebook Questions so far? How do you plan to use the feature in the future? Grossman: Oxford Communications decided to test out the functionality and float this question out to our fans: Within 15 hours, we had engaged 13% of our fanbase and had not only gained votes on answers we had given to the question; we also had fans suggesting (and voting for) new answers, including local couponing sites, LiveTVChat and more. For us, it was an opportunity to enjoy a high level of engagement with our followers, emerge as a thought leader and learn a little all at the same time. The next frontier, after some additional testing, will be to activate Questions on behalf of our clients. Next month, we are planning on extending Legends Outlets Kansas City's “Charity Check-In” program through use of Facebook Questions. On Legends Outlets Facbeook Page, Legends Outlets is currently encouraging its consumers to check-in with Facebook Places in order to trigger the brand to donate $1 to a pre-determined, local Kansas City charity. Next month, the brand will be doing the same, but we will also be employing Facebook Questions to ask the fans what charities they would like to see appear as part of the ongoing Charity Check-In program. We're excited to help Legends Outlets partner with the charities that mean the most to its fans, while raising their friends' awareness of ways they can give back to the community. Mashable: What was your initial reaction to the new Facebook Questions tool? Grossman: Any time Facebook adds a new standard application to all user and business profiles, I get excited. When Facebook adds major new functionality like Questions, it stands to shift the social dynamic of over 500 million people, creating richer, more diverse and increasingly dynamic conversations. Beyond the impact it will have on users, the widespread release of Facebook Questions is also emblematic of the continuing trend we've seen from Facebook: As soon as a new trend in social media begins to rise up, Facebook acts quickly and decisively. For those long-time Facebook users out there, Questions will hearken back to the days when Polls were far more common on Facebook. But this round of Q&A-based functionality released by Facebook is likely more of a direct response to the increasing popularity of up-and-coming sites like Quora and LocalMind. What I love about Questions is how true it is to Facebook's zeal for transparency and trust. Will You Be Using Questions For Your Business or Brand?How do you plan to use Facebook Questions for your brand, business, group or organization? Let us know in the comments. More About: brands, business, facebook, quora, social media, social networking, Yahoo For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Richard Simmons + Air New Zealand = Best In-Flight Safety Video Ever Posted: 27 Mar 2011 10:39 AM PDT Never have we been so excited about putting our tray tables in the full upright and locked position. In this brand-new spot produced for Air New Zealand, you’ll see the usual suspects: There are the attractive, diverse, impeccably groomed flight attendants; the mild-anxiety-inducing notifications about life vests and air masks; the admonitions to search for the nearest exit. But those warnings and instructions do seem to come off a lot less mild-anxiety-inducing when set to thumping techno, bathed in multi-colored lights, and chirped out by the ever-perky Richard Simmons, health and fitness guru extraordinaire, who stars in the video and is accompanied by dancing extras à la the Sweatin’ to the Oldies series. You’ll want to keep an eye out for 2:38, where Simmons, after chiding a gadget geek about his use of electronics, plants a smooch on said geek’s cheek. Too cute. Air New Zealand is calling the vid a “RichRoll” and positioning itself as the kind of “high-energy airline” that can stand up to a video of this caliber. The spot was produced by .99, Air New Zealand's chief creative agency. We’ve been relieved and excited by the trend toward less boring, less traditional in-flight videos since Delta’s slightly tongue-in-cheek vid popped up on planes in the spring of 2008. We’ve also been digging Virgin’s amusing in-flight-safety video. How do you think the Simmons spot measures up? More About: air new zealand, airline, in-flight, richard simmons, safety, video For more Media coverage:
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| Widespread Wi-Fi Coming to London Underground by 2012 Posted: 27 Mar 2011 09:15 AM PDT   Nearly half of the London Underground’s 270 stations are being outfitted with Wi-Fi access ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. London Underground commuters got their first taste of subterranean Internet access in October 2010, when a six-month test funded by U.K. broadband service BT brought Wi-Fi hotspots to the Northern and Bakerloo line platforms, as well as the ticket hall at the central London station. The test has since been deemed “successful,” and now the London Underground is inviting telecom companies to bid for a contract that would bring Wi-Fi to 120 of London’s stations by June 2012. The winner of the contract will be announced by the end of 2011. Users of the service will only be able to connect to Wi-Fi on the platforms, and not on the trains themselves. For the past six months, access has only been free for subscribers of BT’s broadband service with unlimited Fon Wi-Fi minutes, and for BT Openzone customers. Tesco Mobile, 02, Vodafone and Orange subscribers have also been able to access the service via bundled mobile packages. In May 2010, London mayor Boris Johnson promised that “every lamp post [and] every bus stop will one day very soon, and before the 2012 Olympics, be Wi-Fi enabled” as part of an effort by to position London as a world leader in technological innovation. Meanwhile, Transit Wireless LLC is working with New York City Transit to bring Wi-Fi to New York City’s subway system. Singapore, Berlin and Tokyo already offer Wi-Fi access in their respective underground metros. Image courtesy of Flickr, paddynapper [via ZDNet] More About: london, london underground, wi-fi For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:
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| HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Google AdWords Posted: 27 Mar 2011 08:25 AM PDT This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.   Google AdWords (those sponsored links that appear alongside search results and web content) can be one of the most cost-effective ways to advertise on the web. Your ads are highly targeted based on keywords, and you don't pay for anything unless they are clicked. But often, small businesses set up a campaign and load it with relevant phrases, only to see little traction. Or worse, they get clicks (which cost money) but aren’t converting them into sales. If you're struggling to hit pay dirt with Google ads, or you're interested in signing up but not sure where to start, take some cues from these small business success stories. Where to BeginBefore you get started, "know that AdWords is a real commitment, and is likely to be a time drain," says Chris Conn, founder of MightyNest.com, purveyors of organic and naturally made home wares and accessories. His company uses AdWords to drive potential customers to the online store. "It will take from other activities, so make sure that fits with your priorities." In that regard, start small, says Timothy Thomas, a small business consultant who cultivates successful AdWords campaigns for his clients. "Focus on one campaign, lock your budget and use the tools provided by AdWords to learn how Google does its magic," Thomas adds. He recommends that companies continue their standard SEO efforts in order to rank high in organic search for free (more on this in a bit), and then optimize an AdWords campaign accordingly. "Don’t buy ads in areas where you are getting a top-five link already. Think about terms that are unique to your offering and try to make the most of those keywords by standing alone in paid search." If you're trying to get the maximum value out of a small AdWords budget, don't worry about appearing at the top of every search. "Keep your bids as low as you can and edge them up — you do not need to be the number one paid search term, however being in the top three is valuable," says Thomas. "Being number one in the wrong search will only cost you money." When you settle into an AdWords campaign that works for your budget and time, think about using the platform to glean a bit more insight into what your potential customers want. Conn uses AdWords as a real-time testing and intelligence tool. "If we want to know what messaging works, we launch a quick AdWords campaign to see how customers respond." Making fine adjustments based on small messaging changes can really hone your ads and give you the most bang for your pay-per-click buck. AdWords and SEO Go Hand-in-HandA theme that held true for all the small businesses we spoke with was the importance of traditional SEO as it relates to AdWords campaigns. "We find that paid search lifts other traffic channels," says Conn. "When we increase our paid search, our direct traffic and organic traffic also rise." And the tides flow in both directions. Jordan Schaffel, co-founder of Say It Visually, a company that produces animated instructional and demo videos, explained that their existing SEO efforts were crucial to the success of their AdWords campaign. "When we re-did our site recently, we had AdWords in mind, so we did our homework prior to re-launching," Schaffel says. "Without the foundational efforts, we would’ve struck out, or at the very least, been behind the eight ball on getting clicks through our AdWords campaigns." Schaffels' strategy included titling and tagging all of their videos to tie in closely with the AdWords campaigns. "If you fail to do one or more of the pieces of the SEO puzzle, you’re hurting yourself exponentially." One of those puzzle pieces is knowing when not to pay for search terms that you already own for free. "If Google can match your ad to a search, they are happy to sell a click whether it's a good one or not. The only valid strategy is to narrow Google’s ability to present your ad," explains Thomas. Make sure your AdWords keywords are embedded in the HTML of your website, and if you’re already dominating a search term organically, don’t buy it from Google. “You only want to pay for eyeballs that you can’t get in front of organically." Optimization Even if you have a good AdWords campaign that's producing quality leads, there's always room for improvement. In some cases, it can be a complicated matter. Thomas says he worked with an engineering company that specializes in LED lighting and testing. Its customers are technically trained engineers, but its ads were being surfaced by consumers looking for Christmas lights, Xbox controllers and LED TVs. In short, the company was spending money on lots of useless impressions and clicks. "The solution was eliminating 'broad matching' criteria," says Thomas. "We put our keywords into either Phrase Match or Exact Match. Each day we would look at what the company had paid for on the previous day and just started [adding] negative keywords. Words like 'Christmas,' 'automobile,' 'rope light,' 'Playstation,' and all the variants for ‘television’ were identified and blocked from matching." Thomas adds that "the daily review and elimination of inappropriate search matches is the secret sauce of mastering AdWords. You have to tune AdWords for about 15 minutes every day or it can eat you alive, financially." Closing the DealLike any good lead-generation tool, it’s how you turn an interested click into a repeat customer that really counts. "It is important that you build a relationship with the customers you find through AdWords and that a meaningful amount of those relationships are sustainable in the long run," says Conn. "If not, AdWords can turn into a treadmill." In the case of Thomas' engineering client, most of the potential customers know what they're looking for by the time they reach the company's website. Once they've clicked through, "we encourage them to approach us by phone so we can really help them find the service or product they need." Schaffel's company takes it a step further by monitoring real-time analytics. "We use Woopra to track people coming to our site from AdWords (and other links), and we see patterns emerge when people are truly interested in creating explanation videos." Paying attention to traffic patterns like this can help you fine-tune your campaigns and figure out what customers are expecting when they arrive. A sale may hinge on the context of the ad that sent them there, or the appeal of the site itself. Do you have your own tips for new AdWords users? Share them in the comments. More Business Resources from Mashable:
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, kycstudio More About: advertising, Adwords, Google, MARKETING, small business For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| Top 5 YouTube Marketing Mistakes Committed by Small Businesses Posted: 27 Mar 2011 07:34 AM PDT This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.   The path to YouTube marketing success can be littered with potholes that budget- and time-strapped small businesses can’t afford to fall in to. We’ve spoken to three top experts in the video marketing arena to get professional advice about the common mistakes that small companies make on the video-sharing platform so that you can avoid making those same errors. For your viewing pleasure and enlightenment, we’ve also included a few successful YouTube videos that were produced by small businesses. 1. Having Unrealistic ExpectationsSome businesses mistakenly believe that they just need to upload a video to YouTube and wait for viewers to watch by the millions. According to Sarah Wood, founder of social video distribution and engagement company Unruly Media, this rarely happens. “Yes, there is a massive appetite for online video content, but there are 35 hours of video content uploaded to YouTube every minute, so the competition for eyeballs is intense,” says Wood. You need to manage expectations when it comes to the success of your YouTube content. There are a ton of high-quality, company-made videos on YouTube that never manage more than a few thousand views. “Remind yourself that having a video go viral is a notable success, not the norm,” says Matt Smith, director of strategy at digital agency The Viral Factory. Smith counts Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” series (see above) as one such success. “Blendtec happens to be one of the most brilliant viral marketing campaigns ever, and it’s the exception rather than the rule,” he says. No matter how good your content is, you can’t just upload a clip, sit back and wait for people to come to you — you need to have a promotion and distribution plan. “You need to think through why you’re on YouTube and what you want out of it, then tailor the content and the delivery strategy appropriately,” says Smith. “Putting content on YouTube is step one, step two is getting out there and promoting it.” Justin Gonzalez, social media strategist for creative video agency BARS + TONE agrees that videos won’t go viral on their own — you must allocate time and resources to seed it properly. “Try using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to get your social strategy started — then promote your video using those vehicles. At the very least, friends and family are a great way to get a video to start circulating,” says Gonzalez. “After all, you put money into making the video, so you better do it justice and get it in front of the right people.” 2. Thinking SmallAlthough expectations need to be kept realistic, don’t think that viral success is totally out of reach just because you’re a small business. “There are plenty of small brands that think they need to be a Nike or an Adidas to be successful in social video,” says Wood. “This is simply not true! Any brand, large or small, can score a hit in social video.” And Wood has a great example of a small business with a successful video: Alphabet Photography’s Christmas Food Court Flash Mob (see above). The clip was one of the surprise hits over the holidays last year, garnering more than 30 million views and almost 773,000 shares on Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere, according to Unruly Media’s Video Viral Chart.” 3. Treating a Viral Video as a CommercialYouTube is new media, it’s social, it’s about engagement. Don’t sign up for the platform with a limited, old media perspective. “When you go into online video with the understanding that it can do more than just sell a product or service, you're already ahead of the game,” says Gonzalez. YouTube is a social channel where people want to consume and share fun and engaging content, so don’t hit them over the head with a sales pitch. “YouTube requires as much thought as any other social media channel and shouldn’t be looked at as a dumping ground for marketing videos,” says Gonzalez. “Everything you post should represent your brand’s personality and inspire some type of reaction from your viewers -– whether it’s provoking thought, laughing out loud or making a purchase.” 4. Putting All Your Eggs in the YouTube BasketIt’s certainly the biggest, but don’t forget that YouTube isn’t the only online video platform, and it may not offer the best chance of success for your brand. Vimeo, for example, could be considered a more credible platform for creative professionals. “Businesses that want to leverage the word of mouth potential of social video need to focus away from just YouTube and explore the world of social video that exists beyond YouTube, Twitter and Facebook,” says Wood. Wood also names action-sports site Mpora and comedy site Funny or Die as effective outlets for hopefully-going-viral videos because they can “deliver high-quality video engagement to a more targeted and niche demographic.” 5. Basing Success on View Counts AloneToo often, businesses produce videos and hope to get 1 million views. On today’s social web, success isn’t always counted with stats or measured in view counts — meaningful engagement is what matters. “At Unruly, we place a greater emphasis on brand engagement, so we also look at the number of times a video has been shared on various social media platforms, time spent with the video and uplift in relevant brand metrics,” says Wood. Gonzalez thinks this is a particularly important point for small businesses, which have limited resources and must decide from the outset what they hope to gain from YouTube. “Sometimes marketers get bogged down in looking at the metrics and trying to determine whether the number of video views really made a difference in the bottom line, or whether it was just enough to build buzz around the product or service,” says Gonzalez. “When you can clearly define why it’s necessary for your business to be on YouTube, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.” BONUS: Don’t Underestimate the Power of CatsAnd finally, Smith chimes in with the most insightful and important point of all that will help any brand on YouTube — regardless of size or industry. “Don’t ignore cats. Failure to put a cute or funny cat in your YouTube marketing material will cost you dearly in terms of exposure, credibility, sales and reputation,” he opines. “Everyone will know you are a failing business, and they’ll hate you and your product.” More Marketing Resources from Mashable
Image courtesy of Flickr, Brandi Sims More About: advertising, adverts, MARKETING, video, videos, viral videos, web video, youtube For more Business & Marketing coverage:
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| HOW TO: Hire a Great Web Designer, With Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Posted: 27 Mar 2011 06:59 AM PDT This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.   If you’re looking to hire a web designer, you probably have dozens of questions swirling around in your head: How do I really know if this “kid” is as good as he says he is? Will a work-from-home designer slack off and overcharge me? Will my website look awful if I use a cheaper designer from overseas? Garry Tan knows more than most do about hiring great web design talent. As the designer-in-residence for Y Combinator, a highly influential startup incubator, he’s compiling a directory of the best web design talent around the world, which means he spends a lot of time poring over portfolios, client lists and resumes. When it comes to finding a phenomenal web designer for a small or new company — especially one with a strong web component — Tan knows how to find the right people at a good price. Here are his insights on how to hire a great web designer. Mashable: Does the adage, “You get what you pay for” always hold true with web designers? Can you find phenomenal talent that’s less expensive by looking for remote employees or younger designers? Tan: I think it’s really about risk. If you are willing to take on some project risk, you can reduce cost. A local designer whom you can meet and has a great track record will give you consistent output, and for some, that is worth it on its own. That being said, you can get remarkable talent from both remote and overseas designers. Eastern Europe seems to be a source of a lot of high quality work. If you have an eye for visual design, you can pick out young designers fresh out of school based on their portfolio. All of these options are great ways to save on cost. Mashable: For the less technically minded hiring manager, what are the tell-tale signs of a bad web designer? Are there any tell-tale signs of a good one? Tan: This is a tough one. There’s a reason why people should be managed by people who have done the work before — they have a clear way to evaluate talent and performance. My advice would be to ask a friend or colleague whom you trust to evaluate the output and determine if it comes to fairly qualitative measures of aesthetics, fitting your brand, etc. That’s why some managers rely so heavily on quantitative measures — if you measure it, you know if it’s working from a business perspective. Mashable: Is there any particular advantage to having an on-site designer as opposed to one who works remotely? Tan: There are definite advantages. So much communication happens nonverbally, and being able to whiteboard is tremendously valuable. It significantly helps you and your designer work together to find solutions faster. Mashable: At what point does a company need to hire a full-time web designer instead of working with contractors or freelancers? Tan: For startups on the web, design is often a fundamental differentiator. It’s important to have a design leader in the company as early as possible — and he should be given say over schedules, deadlines and product strategy. Usually, the issue is that the founding team doesn’t have that capability and can’t hire founder-level design talent. But you do your best — freelancers and contractors can get you pretty far. A trusted design firm or good design freelancer can create the brand and set the visual language for a site with a contract at the beginning, and your team can basically use and remix those elements to great effect moving forward. Mashable: What’s your take on outsourcing work to super-cheap designers in, for example, India? Tan: I don’t really care where a designer is — it is more important that they do good work, and that shows in their portfolio and communication styles. All the issues with working remotely are magnified, however — be prepared to have calls very early in the morning or late at night. Mashable: When you come across a web designer with a trendy-looking portfolio and a slew of social media profiles, does that send certain signals to you? If so, are those signals mostly positive, negative or neutral? Tan: I focus on the portfolio and the work they’ve done. Most everything else related to how much they use social media is not really an indicator. Mashable: Does a web designer necessarily need to be a cultural fit in order to turn out great work for an organization? Tan: For contract work, no. For full-time work, yes. Culture fit is at the heart of any successful team. Products are created by teams, and teams are created by the personalities and motivations of their people. Mashable: Is there a single, most important thing for hiring managers to keep in mind when looking for a great web designer? Tan: Empathy is the most important trait a great and well-rounded designer will exhibit — an awareness of the experiences of other people. An eye for visual design is another one, but that’s more of an innate trait — either you have it or you don’t. It’s a mix of creativity and the ability to identify great work. That’s almost unrelated to empathy, and it’s a certain craftsmanship that is necessary but not sufficient. It won’t make or break your product. Great interaction design and product design is the core that will make or break your product. How it works influences the visceral and functional reactions of your customers or users. The only way a designer can successfully create interactions for other people is via his ability to wipe his own desires and context and replace it with that of one of your users. Empathy is that editing eye, but for great interaction. More About: garry tan, hiring, smb, web design, web designers, y combinator For more Dev & Design coverage:
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