Give us video, make it smart and funny, and let us respond: that’s the message from the Facebook generation on social media marketing.
Nadia Aly holds a Master’s degree in digital media. If you can surprise her or make her laugh, you’ll keep her attention. “I’d like to see more videos,” she says. “I want them to be twominute videos. It shows personality. You can get information across better. I don’t have to sit and read something that you can probably portray in two minutes.”
Forbes.com recently reported that one-third of Internet traffic is now taken up by video. It’s a regular part of business for Ashley King (above right), partner and content director for Haligonia.ca, which uses Internet video to cover local news. “With video, you have the chance to create a little bit of a story and an insight into another human being, and that’s what I think is captivating,” he says.
Users want to see a human story, and they want to respond to it as well, so you’d better have a response function to accompany that video, King and Aly agree. “Something I would say is really important is letting people interact and engage and voice their opinion,” says Aly. “When you go to a static webpage and there’s nowhere to leave a comment, you’ve blocked your customer or user from engaging with you.”
