Cre8ive Marketing offers services that are registered with the Management Capability Development Fund where small businesses may quality for up to 50% of the cost of training.
Small businesses may qualify for funding to help pay for services such as training workshops, courses and coaching that build the management capabilities of their owners and key managers. Management Capability Development funding is only available through the Regional Business Partner Network (RBP) Growth Advisors and can be used with service providers registered with the RBP Network.
Funding may be provided to a business where the Growth Advisors have identified a need for management training as part of an action plan to support the business owner to grow and innovate their business. Business owners are then able to select a service from a registered Service Provider.
For more information on the Management Capability Development Fund or to find your local Growth Advisor go to www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz
We know there are a multitude of benefits that video can have for businesses. However, more often than not people feel out of their depth when creating video content. Inshot is a video editing app which can be a game-changer for businesses wanting to create engaging content for their audience but just don’t know where to start.
InShot is a feature-rich app that lets you drill down into all sorts of editing and enhancement options. Just about everything you’d want to edit on a video can be done within this one app, and there are all different payment options so you can invest as much or as little as you want.
Some of the video editing features that InShot includes are:
Video trimming
Video splitting
Merging video clips
Importing photos or images
Applying various filter effects
Adjusting speed of video
Adding music or sound effects
Adding voice-over effects
Adding animations, stickers or text to videos
Steps to using InShot Video Editing App:
1) Download the app
First off, you’re going to need to download the free app from either the Apple store or Google play.
2) Import and edit videos and images
The InShot app serves as a 2-in-1 editing tool because you can also edit photos. When you open the app, you’ll be asked to choose between importing photos and videos, editing photos and videos, or making a collage.
Once you select a photo or video to edit you should first adjust the canvas. For example, we recommend 1:1 or the square aspect ratio for video posts on Facebook and Instagram and 9:16 for Reels/Stories. From here you can crop it, trim it, add a background or integrate other visual and sound effects. These basic video editing tools are pretty decent for a business but there are far more exciting tools on offer.
3) Add sound and music
After you’ve made basic edits to your photo or video, you can then add sound effects, voice-over effects or music. InShot gives you the option to import a song from your device, or choose from the app’s music collection.
After you’ve selected sounds and music, you can control the volume of each using sliders.
4) Add text
Next, you’ll be able to add text onto the video. There is a wide array of font styles and colours to choose from. The text can be moved around the screen to get the perfect placement. InShot allows you to select start and end times for when you want the text to appear and disappear in your video.
5) Add animations and stickers
Inshot allows you to add custom animations, stickers and GIFs to your video for that fun, personal touch.
6) Save and share
Once you’ve finished editing your video, all you need to do is hit the ‘save’ button in the InShot app. This will begin the rendering process, which may take some time. Once rendering and conversion is complete, the video will be saved and can be easily accessed in your Inshot gallery. From here you can share it directly to your social media channels.
InShot Pricing
The free version of InShot has a wide variety of tools you can access. However, if you like the app and plan to use it a lot, you’ll probably want to upgrade at some point, or at least spend some money on the enhancement packs you’ll use over and over. You can either do one-off purchases of enhancement packs or be a subscriber.
InShot Pro is the app’s premium version and it doesn’t have any limits on the effects, filters, stickers and transitions you can use. Plus, you won’t see the InShot watermark on your creations and there aren’t any ads.
It is a common mistake for a business to think that the more products and services they offer, the more revenue they will make. An increasing body of studies indicate that this isn’t actually the case.
It all has to do with choice. Intuitively we consider choice to be largely beneficial as it indicates that we have autonomy over our decisions and it ultimately gives us a sense of control. However, the relationship between choice and well-being isn’t so straight-forward. The paradox of choice was first discovered in 2000 by two Sanford psychologists. Their study was conducted at a local food market. On the first day there was a display table with 24 different kinds of jams. The following day at the market, people were only given a selection of 6 jam flavours. The larger display attracted more interest than the smaller one however, when it came to purchasing, people who saw the large display were one-tenth as likely to buy as people who saw the small display.
This study, as well as others, has provided evidence for the idea that choice ‘paralyses’ consumers. Overloading a customer with choice will lead to them being far less likely to make any purchase at all. What is more, if they do end up making a decision, the choice overload will reduce their satisfaction with that decision. Even if it was the right choice!
It is important to ask yourself whether or not you are offering too many choices to your clients. Ultimately, there is a diminishing marginal utility in providing alternative choices. If you can understand that each new option will subtract from the feeling of well-being your client walks away with, then you may realise that you’re offering too much. Psychologists have shown us that more options to decide between requires increased time and effort and can lead to anxiety, regret, excessively high expectations, and self-blame if the choices don’t work out. By reducing the amount of choice you offer, these impacts become negligible.
Obviously choice does provide some benefits, the more shoe sizes a store offers, the wider their customers base will be. However the paradox of choice requires us to think about the balance of how many products or services businesses create. You can overwhelm your customers with too many options and this could lead to indecision and consequently nothing purchased. A business that can understand the fickle balance of choice will be amply rewarded.
With over 1 billion users, Instagram has grown to be one of the most influential social media platforms in the world. It is known to generate the highest engagement rates out of any platform, because of this, it pays to keep on top of all the movements and evolutions that are occurring within the site.
Here are just a few of the latest updates that all digital marketers should be aware of.
Reels Expands to 60 Seconds
While Reels were originally limited to 15 seconds and then quickly expanded to 30 seconds, we've been limited to that for a while. But now, all users should have access to the option to create 60 second Reels.
New Reels Effect Grid
In another move to imitate TikTok, Instagram Reels have a new ‘Effects’ area and the grid where you choose your effect looks very TikTok-esque. If you haven't noticed it yet, go to Reels and select ‘Effects’ to see the new layout.
Facebook Shops
Facebook (owner of Instagram) has recently made a huge step into eCommerce by introducing Facebook Shops that are accessible though both Facebook and Instagram. Put simply, businesses can now create customisable catalogues of their products that users can browse, save, share and purchase from.
Insights for the Last 60 Days
IG insights in-app previously only gave you the last 7 days in the overview section. But now there is 60 days of data in the overview section and they'll be expanding this to 90 days in the coming months. On top of this, stories archives seems to have also been extended from 14 days to up to 2 years old.
Instagram Video Ads up to an Hour Long
Instagram is now allowing video ads up to an hour length for Feed, Stories, and Explore placement. While an hour-long video ad won’t be that appealing, this does at least mean you can use video ads longer than 2 minutes (the previous limitation). This will also allow you to include your Facebook video ads (that are longer than 2 minutes) in Instagram placements for more exposure.
Added Alt Text Feature
Instagram has introduced a new option of adding alt text to images. Not only does adding alt texts to website images help to better SEO ranking, it also means people with visual impairments can enjoy the social media platform more.
Stickers to replace ‘swipe-up’ links on Instagram
Instagram has just removed (end of August 2021) the ‘swipe up’ link in Instagram Stories in favour of a ‘link sticker.’ This link sticker will behave much like the poll, question and location stickers in that creators will be able to resize it, select different styles and place it anywhere in their stories. Ultimately this will enable greater engagement between audiences and creators.
If I could only share one single tip with marketers and business owners around the world, it would be to enable 2 factor-authentication across your most important accounts, right now. I have heard so many stories of Facebook Page’s being lost because someone was able to hack into an Admin’s email.
Why is 2-Factor Authentication so important?
It’s far easier than you think for someone to steal your password. Common actions like using the same password on more than one site, downloading software from the internet, or even clicking on links in emails can put you at risk of having your password stolen. There are a variety of harmful things a hacker can do once they gain access to your account. First and foremost they will lock you out of your own account. By having the 2 factor authentication in place means hackers can’t get into your account, even if they have the password.
How It works
If you set up two-factor authentication, you'll be asked to enter a special login code or confirm your login attempt each time someone tries accessing Facebook or Google from a browser or mobile device isn’t recognised. This login code will be sent to your phone via text, voice call or through the sites mobile app. You can also enable either Facebook or Google to send you alerts when someone tries logging in from a browser or mobile device that the site doesn’t recognise.
There are slight differences in the way each website’s 2-factor authentication works. It's best to follow these links and the instructions they give when setting them up.
Don’t lose control of your Facebook page that you have worked so hard to build. Make everyone who is an Admin on your Facebook page use 2-Factor authentication. It takes less than a minute, do it today.
The age of social media has meant that attention spans have been dwindling. To market effectively, it's becoming more and more crucial to do so in a concise yet entertaining manner. Instagram Reels is fast becoming a popular marketing tactic to convey messages in an easily digestible, fun way.
What is Instagram Reels?
Reels was developed by Instagram as a direct reaction to the popular Tik Tok platform that gained huge momentum during 2020. Instagram realised they needed a new feature to gain back some of the market share it had lost to Tik Tok.
Reels’ design is very similar to that of Tik Tok; bite-size video clips (15, 30 or 60 seconds) which can be edited with text, filters, stickers and music.
Unlike Instagram stories which are temporary photos or videos that expire after 24 hours, and IGTV long-form videos, Instagram Reels are short-form videos that can live on your profile indefinitely. The casual format of Reels and the editing features within the Instagram app makes it much more feasible to create clips which don’t require high-end production. Reels offer a place to share informal, behind the scenes glimpses into you and your brand. The feature can be a very useful tool to a business wanting to share information in an engaging way.
Instagram Reels is Currently the Favourite Child
At Facebook’s Q2 earnings call in July 2021, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Reels is the largest contributor to engagement growth on Instagram. Facebook, which owns Instagram, will be doing all it can to promote the new feature among its users. Uploading a Reel to your account will likely mean that it will get pushed to the Explore page of your followers. This will reach more of an audience than a normal Instagram feed post would. In order to maximise your reach and exposure, utilising Reels is definitely something to try given its current status as the favourite child.
Improved Engagement on Reels, is this the case?
Engagements such as views, comments, likes and reshares are important in order for your post to rank in the feeds of Instagram users. Many companies have seen their engagement skyrocket since switching to Reels - although it is not as straightforward as uploading a reel and forgetting about it. Improving engagement on Instagram through Reels can be done, however it requires careful care and attention. The Instagram algorithm will give your Reel more exposure but it's your job to create relevant, engaging content. The more likes/comments/shares you receive on a reel, the more Instagram will increase the reach of your Reel which means more eyeballs on it. It eventually becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Its also important to try and cultivate conversation on your reels. This can primarily be done by responding to comments on your Instagram Reels, or at the very least ‘hearting’ them.
Instagram Reels are currently one of the hottest topics in the world of digital marketing. This is party due to the fact that Instagram has been pedal-to-the-metal since releasing the feature. In a bid to compete with Tik Tok they’re doing everything in their power to promote the feature. This plays into the hands of any digital marketer. Through careful attention to the content you create, using Reels is currently the best tool you have to increase your organic, free reach.
If you have paid attention to the URL of a website, you may have noticed that some websites begin with http://, while other start with https://. The extra s in question indicates that a website is secure and has SSL certification.
Websites need SSL certificates to:
Keep user data secure
Verify ownership of the website
Prevent attackers from creating a fake version of the site
Convey trust to user
Help with search rankings
HTTPS is the secure form of HTTP, which means that HTTPS websites have their traffic encrypted by SSL. Most browsers tag those websites without SSL certificates as not secure. This sends a clear signal to users that the site may not be trustworthy.
SSL certification is also one of the most important factors in attaining a higher search engine ranking as well as earning the trust of clients.
Having no SSL certification will become more pressing from August 2021, as Google Chrome unravels its latest browser update, Chrome 90. It is expected that the browser will have an HTTPS only mode. This means that websites with no SSL certificates will automatically be directed to a warning message.
Google Chrome is making this move in order to safeguard the private and transactional information of its users. Non-HTTPS websites will not only come with warning messages but they will also be impacted by a lower ranking in the search engine results.
It’s obviously a big deal, so where can you get it? Ask your web developer or web hosting agent about getting an SSL certificate installed on your site. The cost of an SSL certificate can range from free to hundreds of dollars, depending on the level of security you require.
No matter who your audience is, they are likely using YouTube. YouTube is the second most visited website in the world (second only to Google) with two billion active users per month with an average number of one billion video views per day across 91 countries in 80 different languages. YouTube is mainly used for entertainment, music, informational or tutorial purposes. It is so popular because it provides easily consumable content, especially on mobile that eclipses desktop viewing time.
Despite the popularity of YouTube, many businesses are overlooking this powerful platform as a marketing tool.
Why should businesses care about YouTube?
Videos are more entertaining than reading a blog, and can provide the same information comparable to written text that sustains interest.
They are a great way to:
Connect with your target audience and reach new people
Visually showcase products and services
Show client video testimonials
Present your business and brand in a personal way
Establish credibility in your industry and grow brand awareness
A study from Brightcove (an online video company) showed that 76% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.
If you're ready to use YouTube to help your business reach and capture new audiences, here are 10 free tips to accelerate your YouTube channel growth.
1. Use relevant search terms in your video title and description
The title of your video is just as important as the content. Using appropriate keywords in your title will help draw in engagement from your audience, and it will also help YouTube’s sorting algorithm pair your video with the correct viewers. The same can be said about the video description – include relevant keywords here to further support the appropriate pairing of your video with viewers. Using relevant keywords in both your video title and description is an effective way to reach more people on YouTube.
Test your title by starting to type into the YouTube search bar the words you WERE going to use in your title. Which search results come up? Now try other words (one word at a time because YouTube will autofill based on popular search terms) and you can see what other people are ACTUALLY typing into YouTube. This can give you a better idea of what to use for your video title and what words to use in your description.
2. Design an eye-catching thumbnail
The thumbnail image you choose for your video is important because people naturally look at images rather than text. Use your thumbnail as another visual location to engage viewers and convince them to click on your video. Make sure your thumbnail is eye-catching, and if possible, include brief text in the image that relates to your video content - but not too much text where it makes the thumbnail cluttered.
Always use close-up content in the thumbnail image. Many people view YouTube videos on their smartphone or tablet, therefore a close-up image (relevant to your video) will be easier to see on smaller screen sizes to grab people's attention and interest.
3. Consistency with posts
Much like other social platforms, being consistent with posts is one of the most important tips to grow your YouTube channel. The people who subscribe to your channel expect consistent content with regular posting – that’s why they have subscribed. Viewers won’t subscribe if it doesn’t look like you post regularly. YouTube’s algorithm is also influenced by regular posting – it heavily favours channels that upload at least once a week.
4. Include video tags
Think hashtags – but for YouTube! Tags are a great way to further optimise your video. Just like hashtags for other social media platforms, tags can provide extra information about videos to both viewers (to give them additional context on the video) and YouTube’s algorithm (to assist in ranking and pairing the video with searches). To save time, you can prepare tags in advance that are automatically populated every time with every video you upload.
To create these default tags, go to: YouTube Studio>Settings (left side)>Upload defaults>Scroll down to see the Tags section>Add tags>Save.
To add specific tags at the time of uploading a particular video, while on the upload screen, go to: Click on MORE OPTIONS. Here you will see your default tags where you can simply add to them.
To add specific tags after uploading a video, go to: YouTube Studio>Videos (left side)>Select video>Click on SHOW MORE and tags>Save (Top right-hand corner).
5. Collaborate with other creators
A simple and fun way to expand your channel's organic reach is to collaborate with other people on YouTube. Naturally, when you do a collaboration, your video will get views from your regular viewers in addition to the viewers coming from the other channel – this benefits both channels. A common misconception with collaborations is that you must do them with people in the same industry as you. In fact, people watch a variety of content on YouTube, and don’t just watch one topic of a video, so being more creative with who you collaborate with may even expand your reach more so than collaborating with someone from within the same industry.
6. Having captions can expand your reach
Captions contain the text of the audio used in your YouTube videos. Since more and more users are watching videos on-the-go or in public places, many prefer to watch videos on mute and simply read the captions. A survey of U.S. consumers found that 92% view videos with the sound off on mobile according to a report from Verizon Media and ad buyer Publicis Media. The report also recommends that advertisers caption because 80% of consumers are likely to watch an entire video when captions are available.
There are two types of captions: open and closed. Open captions are a fixed transcription embedded within the video that can’t be removed, while closed captions can be turned on or off. YouTube reports that videos with closed caption options enjoy 12% more view time than those who do not. YouTube automatically transcribes captions for your videos using machine learning with speech recognition AI technology. The accuracy of the captions is dependent on audio quality however, since captions are generated by AI.
You can help YouTube get every word right by uploading a transcript rather than trusting their voice recognition.
Making the transcript yourself is one option, but these days, it’s fast, easy, and inexpensive to get an .SRT transcript file from a service like Rev for your video. The transcript will help YouTube understand what topic your video covers, and help it show up as a suggested recommendation.
Adding closed captioning also opens up your videos to a wider audience, including those who may speak a different language or those who may be deaf or have difficulty hearing.
Bonus: If you add open captions, every word said in your video will be searchable on Google.
7. Use YouTube cards as free mini-ads
YouTube cards are a great way to direct viewers to other content online. YouTube cards are small pop-ups that you can choose to appear at any point throughout your video, where you can direct viewers to watch another one of your recent videos, visit your website, or even subscribe to your channel. Viewers can click directly on the card and it will bring them exactly where the cards want them to. It is a great interactive way to link to other content of yours.
A clever thing to do is to have the cards visible moments before the user navigates away from your video. Always make sure that the cards link to your channel's content that is relevant and interesting to your users to keep them engaged and interested in your other videos.
To add a YouTube card to a video, go to: YouTube Studio>Videos (left side)>Select video you want a card added>Cards (right side)>Select a card category you'd like and populate with the appropriate content at a specific point in the video timeline>Save.
8. Don’t forget your end screen
End screens are a great place to consolidate all of the information you want your viewer to see – especially because they made it to the end of your video. Use your end screen to promote your other videos, display contact information, or to provide a link to your website or social media channels. In addition, end screens play a contributing role in extending the total session time of the viewer. Similar to cards, end screens can be used as a place to encourage viewers to take action and view more of your content.
To add a YouTube card to a video, go to: YouTube Studio>Videos (left side)>Select video you want a card added>End screens (right side)>Select the type of end screen you'd like (to promote specific things like another related video or channel) and populate with the appropriate content>Save.
This is an example of an end screen from the small business Adventure Horse Trekking NZ where the owner is using an end screen to promote three other videos she has created.
9. Group your videos in YouTube Playlists
Since 2015, YouTube has incorporated an autoplay feature where, when one video ends, another starts immediately after a few seconds. A great way to ensure that the next video played is from you (and not from a different channel with a related video) is to set up playlists on your channel. Playlists allow you to group related videos on your channel together into one collection, so that viewers can watch your videos consecutively, without needing to continuously make multiple clicks around the webpage.
You could group playlists based on video type or videos that are part of a series – really in any way that you choose!
In this example, the playlist is of client testimonials.
Playlists can also play an important role in minutes watched – which is what YouTube is referring to as "watch time". This is important because YouTube no longer promotes videos and channels based on views but rather on watch time. This is being done to prevent people from posting short three-second videos with clickbait titles and racking up views that mean nothing – this shifts the goal of a YouTube channel to creating LOTS of content and LONG content that people really want to watch.
If you can keep people watching, i.e., through the use of playlists, you will be rewarded by the YouTube algorithm in future searches.
In addition to playlists, another way to extend watch time is to save important information for the end of the video, and let your viewers know. For instance, you could say something like “and remember to stay until the end as I have a really great bonus to tell you about.” It's a great way to keep people watching to the end of the video.
10. Promotional strategy
Promote your channel and videos on your other social media channels, emails, print, business store and website so people know your channel and videos exist.
Theses are some of the many ways to nurture and grow your YouTube channel.
If you need any advice on where improvements can be made on your YouTube channel for improved content and engagement, get in touch with cre8ive@cre8ive.co.nz.
Customer feedback is one of the most valuable resources for any business. Understanding what your customers love about your products and services, as well as what they wish could be better, can provide valuable insight to both your business itself, and for future customers.
Research has shown that prospective customers look at reviews while considering buying products or services.
Customers may choose not to use your company and go elsewhere if you don’t have any reviews, even if your company does great work and has a great reputation.
How to Make it Easy for Your Customers to Leave a Google Review
Many customers often don't leave a review after having an experience with a business, simply because they were not encouraged to give feedback or they didn’t know how to. Providing a review link soon after they make a purchase or experience one of your company’s services will help generate feedback.
The review link brings them directly to your Google My Business listing where they can easily give their input on how their experience went. A little encouragement on your end can go a long way for your business’ future success!
Google offers an easy way to generate a review link direct to your Google My Business listing's review section - just follow these steps:
Step 1: Create your @shortname Log into your account to create your @shortname - a new feature Google added in the dashboard. This is an important part of your listing, so choose carefully. The best names will be simple and easy for people to understand and remember. By creating your business' short name, it will be contained in the link, instead of random letters / numbers.
Step 2: From the home tab, scroll down and you will see "get more reviews."
Click on this and you will have a couple of ways to share the link - if you click on 'email' you can copy the link for future use.
The review link will bring users to a page which looks like this:
If you need any assistance with your Google My Business listing or would like a Google My Business audit to see where improvements can be made with your listing, get in touch philippa@cre8ive.co.nz. Our audit also includes our comprehensive, step-by-step guide with our best tips and actionable tactics to help you get more visibility on Google, generate more leads and engagement.
