Who doesn’t love a little “light reading” on a regular basis? You do! That’s why you’re in marketing, right? I mean, things change at such a rapid pace in the marketing world that staying fresh on new content is a pretty critical component to keeping your own marketing activities up to snuff.
And since 2015 has been predicted to be the year of video marketing, soaking in everything you can about using video as part of your digital marketing initiatives is a smart move. Good on you, you savvy marketer, you.
Video’s a ‘rising’ medium. Sure, we’ve all been getting lost in that YouTube black hole for a number of years now, but it’s only quite recently that marketers have started to rein in this beast and take advantage of video’s potential. So hey, we’re pretty sure there’s a lot more great content on the way from around the web. But this list should keep your video marketing belly full for at least a few months!
6 Influencers to Inspire New Heights
Here are six great influencers to follow who speak frequently on the topic of video marketing. We’ve even listed our favorite medium for following their thoughts on the topic. However, since these well-respected thought leaders are often sharing their knowledge and contributing content all over the place, the best way to stay on top of them is to create a Google Alert with these video marketing influencer’s names. Jump on it!
David Murdico: David is the Executive Creative Director and Managing Partner at Supercool Creative, a digital creative agency specializing in big ideas, social media marketing, interactive and online video production. He’s a frequent speaker on video marketing and has also contributed to over 300 publications on the topic including AdAge, Business Insider, iMedia Connection, MediaPost, and ReelSEO. David frequently talks about video strategy and B2B content marketing (among other cool things!). We Love David On: Twitter @DavidMurdico.
Tim Washer: Tim Washer is the Senior Marketing Manager at Cisco. On top of that, he’s a comedy writer/producer whose credits include the likes of SNL, Conan, and the Onion Sports Network. His writing has been covered by Advertising Age, ADWEEK, NPR and The New York Times and he frequently speaks to corporate audiences about video marketing, particularly regarding the use of humor to enhance visual storytelling. We love Tim on: his blog or in person, of course! You can also catch a great overview post and video of his thoughts on humor in video marketing here.
James Wedmore: James is the founder of Video Traffic Academy. With a background in video production, James uses his expertise on driving traffic, attracting more leads, and making more sales using the power of video as a medium and YouTube as a channel. He also specializes in the art of outsourcing and using webinars to ‘cash in’. We love James on: his YouTube channel.
Mark Robertson: Mark is the Founder and Publisher of ReelSEO, the leading information resource dedicated to the growth and fusion of digital video, technology, social media, search, and internet marketing. He focuses on audience development and digital video in search (a.k.a. SEO). We love Mark on: his own creation, the ReelSEO blog! His author page is here.
Bruce McKenzie: Bruce McKenzie is the principal and co-founder of the 2-minute explainer, one of the original pioneers of the ‘explainer’ video. Bruce’s past as a public broadcasting executive and a Fortune 50 marketing executive means he has a lot of worthwhile knowledge to share! He focuses mainly on executing short, to-the-point videos for marketing and sales enablement. We love Bruce on: the 2-minute explainer blog. His author page is here.
Tyler Lessard: It’s true, we couldn’t resist. Tyler is the CMO at Vidyard, the world’s leading video marketing platform. A believer in the future of video and harnessing power of video data, his discussions often focus on video marketing strategy and analytics on individual viewing behavior. Tyler often contributes to ReelSEO, MarketingProfs, and of course, the Vidyard blog. We love Tyler on: Twitter @TylerLessard8 Blogs to Snack on Every Day
Next, it’s eight blogs that tickle our fancy. Nobody has time to visit an additional eight blogs per day. I know, I know. So why don’t you just go right ahead and add these beauts right to the “Video Marketing” category in Feedly. Yeah?
ReelSEO: The world’s leading resource for news, analysis, tips and trends for the online video and internet marketing industries.Adverblog: Learn from the best. Adverblog shares the top video marketing examples and has been since 2003.Video Brewery: The blog of a handcrafted video agency, this one frequently has great doses of tips, tricks, and stats on online video marketing.Unruly: A blog that focuses mainly on short form video and using social to improve video effectiveness.Distilled: Distilled is a fantastic marketing blog overall. This particular stream focuses on video but you can bet that some of the other categories like web analytics, SEO, and mobile are applicable to your video learning, too!Magnet Media Films: Learn from the experts at Magnet Media, a video production, optimization, and strategy agency. The combination of the written word and motion graphics makes this blog an engaging one!Visualy: This blog isn’t dedicated to video, specifically. But if you search for video (this link will take you there), there’s some meaty goodness on using video in your broader content marketing!Vidyard: Oh lookee here. This blog (the one you’re reading right now) will always keep you on your toes with frequent posts on video strategy, optimization, and analytics. Stay on top, my friend!10 Books to Keep Those Bedtime Thoughts Tickin’
Seriously, in the age of digital marketing, desktops, tablets, smartphones, those weird in between smartphone-tablet things, who doesn’t love a good book? Lick that index finger and turn those pages! (Or you can download these 10 awesome books onto one of your many devices … I guess.)
Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull‘Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better.’ This book is all about building a creative team and dives deep into the inner workings of Pixar and those that created some of the most successful films in history.Epic Content Marketing by Joe PulizziAuthored by one of the most powerful influencers in content marketing, Joe Pulizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute, this book explains the fundamentals of content marketing. Learn how to draw prospects and customers in by creating information and content they actually want to engage with; a key to any successful marketing video.Your Brand the Next Media Company by Michael BritoContent is still king – and if you’re a brand marketer, you need to start thinking like a media company, too. Your Brand, The Next Media Company brings together the strategic insights, operational frameworks, and insights and practical approaches for transforming your brand into a highly successful media company.The Fortune Cookie Principle by Bernadette JiwaA great brand story will make you stand out, increase brand awareness, create customer loyalty and power profits. This book will take you through the necessary components of a good story in today’s overwhelming age. A step-by-step process that’s particularly actionable when crafting the storyline and script for your video content.The Power of Visual Storytelling by Ekaterina WalterSimilar to the book above, this one focuses on the importance of storytelling but from a visual perspective. With no shortage of real world examples, this book will show you how to use the power of visuals to build a strategy, execute, and grow your brand.Youtility by Jay BaerWe have a theme going here. Jay Baer’s book outlines the difference between selling or building hype around your product or service and helping. Today, with a plethora of consumer choice, it’s those companies who are finding a way to be helpful that are getting ahead. This book helps you determine the ‘help’ that you offer and integrate that into your messaging. Perfect for your next product video!Video Marketing for Dummies by Kevin DaumNo, you’re not a dummy. But this book has some really helpful tips all the way from strategic development to production tips for videos created in-house. Potentially an office lunchroom coffee table book, no?The Video Marketing Handbook by VidyardPerhaps not a physical page-turner, but a page-turner nonetheless! This gem includes everything you need to know about video marketing from strategy to in-house vs. outsourced production tips, managing your video content to analyzing success and tracking individual viewing behavior.How to Shoot Video that Doesn’t Suck by Steve StockmanThis book will come in handy for those in-house productions. It will teach you how to think like a director; the basics of framing, editing, and lighting; different shots for different reasons; and much more!Video Pro by Michael RayThis book specifically focuses on using video to attract more prospects and convert more sales. From strategic development to distribution channels, this book is certainly worth a freshly brewed cup of coffee and an afternoon read.
There you have it! Your video marketing resources to kick off 2015. Do you follow any of these blogs or influencers? Have you read any of these books? Did we miss any? Share with us in the comments!
The post 6 Influencers, 8 Blogs, and 10 Books on Video Marketing You’d Be Cray Cray Not to Follow appeared first on Vidyard.
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