Here's some current stats that are worth your consideration...It’s All About the MessageHoliday-related video campaigns aren’t just about metrics (even if they are really impressive) it was about sharing a holiday message with your audience and giving them a gift they could pass along. You want to be creative and think outside the “inbox” to reach them with your message.

Haven’t we been hearing for the last several years that “THIS” is the year that marketers are going to embrace video and take their digital marketing to new heights to find only larger branded organizations barely jumping into the video pond? I actually think that 2018 is the year of video! When we look back on the year, my guess is that we will see that more small to mid-sized companies will have started to get serious about including video as a “mainstream” marketing tactic. However, video is still a substantial investment (although a marketing tactic you can actually measure!), so take the time to rev up your video marketing strategy so you can achieve the greatest results from your video investment.

Can you imagine inviting friends over for a nice dinner at your house and not offering dessert? The dinner might taste great, but it would be more satisfying if you went the extra step to enhance your meal with a sweet treat.That may seem obvious to some people, yet I see so many companies doing the same thing with video. They finish their video and consider it done rather than going the extra mile to promote it properly and get more bang for their buck. If you produce a video without thinking through the distribution and promotion, you miss too many opportunities to increase its audience and effectiveness.

Did you know brand stories shouldn't be about YOU but about your customers? It's true! It might sound crazy or made up, but sharing your customers' stories, in turn, helps to tell your story, too. But customers' stories are more compelling and resonate better with your audience. You could spend all day telling people how great your company is, but when a customer says that, it's more trustworthy and believable.Finding stories to highlight your brand can be challenging, especially when you factor in your subject matter expert's availability, writer's block, the amount of ongoing content, and your deadlines.

2018 is the year of video for your company! The boss says you’ve got the green light to begin producing video as part of your marketing strategy and the leadership team supports you 100%. All you have to do is put together a video marketing strategy that they will sign off on! It sounds simple enough, and yet, there are a number of roadblocks that can make this simple exercise not so simple. The first will be budget. Yep, you’ll soon find your boss doesn’t really know how much video costs to produce and you’ll feel overwhelmed. Secondly, there’s a good chance your boss will think you’ll produce one video and all of a sudden leads will start to roll in — like a commercial that just hit the airwaves. Unfortunately, this is a different ballgame.

When it comes to business, the only thing that ultimately matters is whether or not you can close deals and customers. You can have the best marketing program, but if your sales team can't sell your products, none of it matters.And while the marketing world is constantly touting the benefits of video for your online presence, many companies have yet to embrace the power of video for sales. Well, if you believe that video is such an important investment for marketing, why wouldn't that carry over to your sales team as well?