I’m going to be speaking at Mediabistro’s Social Media Optimization Conference (SMOC) on May 23-24 in San Francisco, and presenting on the subject of “social video optimization.” I thought it would make for a good opportunity to share here about the role of social video with eCommerce today, showcase how some successful companies are using video eCommerce to maximize performance and profits, and dole out some of my own tips for optimizing your social video program for the buying and selling of goods, services, and solutions over the Internet.…

I interviewed brand marketers David Brier and Marlene Hamerling about their recently released presentation, “Brand Leaders & Sex: The Untold Story,” and about what they perceived as the links between sex and relationships in social video marketing. Learn from my interviews and research on how brands can build much more engaging and long-lasting relationships with their own customers by balancing “sexy” video for getting attention and building excitement, along with relationship-building videos that encourage ongoing conversations and helpful service.…

As a tie in with April’s “Earth Month”, the CEOs of two organic produce companies, Stonyfield Farm and Honest Tea teamed up for a “cooperative video contest” with two objectives: Promote the companies’ partnership for Earth Month, and generate more awareness of the benefits of organic food and beverages. Below I have outlined how we can learn from their example of doing video in a “cause-related marketing” campaign, and have listed some tips for how your own business can do cause-related video marketing and practice corporate social responsibility.…

The bar is being raised on the quality of user generated video.  Before I begin, I want to clarify what I mean when I use the word “quality” because it falls into a few different areas.  When I talk about quality video I’m specifically referring to production, content and distribution quality.  In short, production takes into account single or multi-camera set up, type of camera, lighting, sound, framing, angles and editing.  Content addresses what you’re actually saying on camera, along with enunciation, body language, eye contact and word emphasis, etc.  Distribution is how you leverage your final video asset to …

An interesting thing has happened to live television in the past year or so. It’s become social.

Using Twitter, and to a lesser degree, Facebook, traditional TV viewers have incorporated a “second screen” alongside their television sets, creating massive social events out of live TV specials such as the Oscars or Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl, popular weekly programs like American Idol, and even—in an odd DVR-era twist—commercials.

According to Twitter execs, during broadcasts of Fox TV’s huge hit series Glee, Twitter usage increases 30 times its normal average for the entire duration of the program. From personal …

Last week I gave my best shot at defining what is “social video marketing.” In today’s article, I showcase 5 examples from companies that I think are meeting that definition.  These examples  are doing social video marketing not just for sales and visibility, but because it reflects an important part of their own business model and business culture.
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What exactly is “social video marketing,” if there is even such a thing? Is it just about placing video on YouTube, other video distribution sites, and social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – or is it something much more than that? I explored those questions and decided that the time is right to give our own definition. Read on and learn about the special relationship between video and social media marketing, and how understanding and harnessing that relationship can help you engage with your customers, and help provide a great competitive advantage with all of your marketing activities.…

Anyone committed to driving social and digital media innovation from inside the marketing machine of a midsize to large company understands well the pressures of proving the value of your efforts. Now, two new studies provide sharp insight into the CMO mindset that must be considered when plotting a course for growth, along with your own internal online video sales pitch.

Here’s the first bit of eye-popping news: According to a new survey by social business software company MindTouch, only 15 out of 143 Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Communication Officers (CCOs) in Fortune 100 companies have active Twitter accounts. …

Recently Facebook announced that their Facebook Credits virtual currency will be mandatory for buying virtual goods in many games and apps on the Facebook platform. Some marketers are predicting the next major step for Facebook will go beyond simple, social interactions to true social commerce – buying real products and services using Facebook Credits. In this article, we will explore live examples of using Facebook Credits with interactive product video.  We will also explore how real Facebook video shopping examples could be further enhanced by having virtual currency available to purchase their own products.…