Video was once a marketing tool reserved for big money businesses. However, the sustained Internet growth means that small to medium businesses (SMBs) are increasingly feeling the need to make video part of their budding phase.

Video has become a staple in the industry for both businesses and start ups looking to make themselves known as a way to capture new audiences as well as in the scaling of business operations. Here are four of the most significant ways video is being used by various players in the industry for boosting their growth.

1. Reaching a Higher Number of Mobile Customers

The mobile market has been the most important group that marketers target for several years running now. With the level of popularity that video has been enjoying, mobile users have become more important than ever.

To get a bit of perspective on this, a study by Cisco states that 60 per cent of mobile Internet users only consume video content, which is simply phenomenal to say the least.

This somewhat new concept can be best summarised by a quote that’s probably as old as the first video that was ever recorded: if a picture is worth 1000 words, then a video is worth at least 10,000. It is by quite a considerable margin the simplest way to squeeze a great deal of useful information into a short period of time.

2. Demonstrating How Products Are Used

Try visualising attempting to explain a complex product or even a simple product that’s difficult to explain using just some stock photos and perhaps a few screenshots. After this, try imagining just how simpler the process would be if you opted for a 30-second video or relatively longer video depending on your product’s complexity.

In the process, you will have the opportunity to clear up areas that are harder to get around or understand – say after a redesign of the website, for example. Prospective customers will have their own preconceived notions, perhaps from past experience or hearsay, you will also have the opportunity to clear up such misconceptions.

Videos such as product demonstrations, for example, can be incredibly useful when it comes to shedding some light on how different your product is from that of your competitors. It may also take the form of an instructional video that shows how the relatively complicated aspects of your product can actually be used. The number of valuable customer questions that you will save due to this is remarkable.

3. Provide Third-Party Proof

Marketers often get over their heads s much that they forget that mortar and pestle, besides being old-fashioned, is sometimes the most effective solution available. Simply put, recommendations can be incredibly effective when it comes to getting more people to buy your product or service. 80 per cent of people are more likely to make a purchase after people that they trust recommend it to them.

Attempting to penetrate a person’s inner circle and getting them to recommend a product or service might sound like much more work than it is actually worth. However, a social media recommendation increases the possibility of a purchase by 18 percent more than traditional advertising. It is where the power of video comes in.

4. Growing User Engagement

Engagement has always been a central focus for marketers since it is one of the most effective ways to grow any business. Factors that play a role in the calculation of engagement include likes, comments, shares, how much of the video has been watched, and the number of videos of a similar channel or style are being watched.

Depending on where your company has chosen to focus on most, it would be defined very differently, depending on which of the factors listed above bear the most weight. Its importance is anchored on the fact that more engagement shows that the audience is more investment, which translates to a greater overall impact on people.

Depending on your industry and the type of video you plan to use, it might have to be more informative than entertaining or fast-paced than interesting. In the end, it could take a bit of split (A/B) testing and trial and error to get it right.

Social media is not a new thing for most internet users in the UK. It is a platform where people connect, converse, and network. With over 52 million adult users in the UK, it is still dumbfounding how little is known of the various elements of social media that can be used for marketing purposes.

Social Media Extrovert, Maria McGowan, did an article about social media suggesting that it could be an overwhelming resource for most businesses due to the fact the social media is evolving continually. However, leveraging social media has proven to be a useful avenue for marketing and attracting customers. So significant is the impact of this platform to the point where 78% of companies are investing in having a full-time team dedicated to social media marketing and optimisation.

What Is Social Media Marketing?

It is marketing the focuses on the use of the influential power behind social media platforms to come up with an effective strategy that is aligned with a business’ goals. It is possible to come with a social media marketing campaign that is simple and see significant returns, but there are times when digging deeper into what needs to be done will prove more useful.

The strategies used in planning a social media campaign differ across the different platforms because of the ever-changing focus and measurability. The best results are often seen when the planning focuses on a singular objective based on common goals that range from launching a new service or product, sales promotion efforts, increasing web traffic, promoting the company’s milestone and getting feedback from the target users.

What Are The Benefits Such A Marketing Campaign?

Social media marketing campaigns are designed for advertising and promotional purposes, with the primary goal of increasing brand awareness that translates into more sales. The strategy behind their effectiveness is based on enhanced engagement with social media users. The correct implementation of the marketing plans can have a significant impact on search engine optimisation thereby improving website rankings.

In terms of cost, social media marketing campaigns are an affordable avenue for improving a business’ online presence. For starters, signing up on most of the social media platforms is free, and the same applies to the content you post on them. If you are looking into avenues of advertising your products or services at zero costs, then social media is the place to do just that. And even those that you may have to pay to advertise will be relatively a low-cost prospect compared to other online marketing options.

Now that you know what social media marketing campaign is and its benefits, below are tips on how you can organise one:

1. Campaign Goals

You should set a primary goal for the campaign. It could be to highlight business, to increase social media followers, to enhance your website’s online awareness, or to generate more online engagement. You should have your sights set on what you want to achieve with the campaign before you start. Ensure that your objective fits with your overall social media strategy.

2. Approach And Content

Aside from setting goals for the campaign, you also need to have an idea of the kind of approach you will use for its implementation. For instance, you need to clear about the content material you will use for marketing and advertising your products or services. It could be in the form of an article, video, blog or vlog. Also, put in some effort to add some value-adding element that will aid in grabbing the target users’ attention. You can do this by offering freebies, running a competition, or giving discounts.

3. Social Media Platforms

Evaluate the many social media platforms out there to decide which ones will be most useful in your social media marketing campaign. In as much as you may be using some of the platforms for your personal use or your business, do they reflect your target audience, and if they do not, then what can you do to turn things around to include them in your campaign?

4. Engagement

Once your marketing campaign is up and running on social media, and you have shared different content, you then should be amply prepared to engage with your audience, actively. Avoid posting materials and posting it and assume all will be well as you let things run their course. By actively engaging with the participants you are improving the effectiveness of your social media campaign. It also is an excellent way of validating your presence on social media as you build and solidify your relationship with your consumers.

5. Evaluation

Take the time to evaluate your campaign from time to time, more so when you are starting a new one. Review the previous campaign to see what worked, what didn’t, and reasons for such outcomes. Your social media marketing campaign will evolve with time, and you put in the time and effort. Therefore, you should be aware of the positives and negatives of your inputs. Did the campaign reflect your social media marketing plan? Did you manage to attract a new audience or uncover new information? Go over every little outcome to ascertain that the campaign met its goal.

The use of videos for marketing purposes was once a reserve for companies with deep pockets. But with technological advancements that birthed the internet and more media channels, even the small and budding business can enjoy a piece of video advertising and marketing cake.

Emerging enterprises will often need to invest more for them to be seen let alone known. The use of videos is one of the primary avenues that they will use to captivate new audiences and to scale up operations. Below are some of the ways that different industries are using to market themselves, their products and services, and to boost their growth.

1. Reaching More Mobile Customers

Mobile consumer space has gained significant prominence and is in the sights of many marketers. With most mobile devices have features that can be used to create videos, mobile users have become an essential element in what is today’s marketing target.

Cisco did a study whose findings shows that 60% of the mobile users who use their devices to access the internet will focus on video content alone. Such statistics perfectly exemplify the saying that a picture can be worth a thousand words. If that is true, then a video is nearly worth ten thousand words. With the videos, you are presented with an opportunity to say what you want in living colour and a concise manner.

2. Demonstrate How Your Product Or Service Is Used

Take the example of a complex service or product you wish to advertise; it will be hard to do this using a few screenshots or stock photos. Image how simple the process would be if you opted to use a short video for the same objective. It can be as short as thirty seconds or longer than a minute, as long as it gets the message home.

With the short clip, you can redesign your marketing approach and be able to clear up any bits of the message that may be hard for your audience to understand. Keep in mind that every customer will have some preconceived notion about your product or services based on past experiences or hear-say. Therefore, you should try your address such misconceptions using the videos.

Doing videos such as demos for your products or services can prove useful when you want to cover a particular aspect of what you have to offer and how it is different from the competition. The demo video can be an instructional can touch on various bits of your service or product and can prove useful in answering questions that your customers may have.

3. Leverage Recommendations

When marketing, it is necessary to try and borrow from the old as you look into the new strategies that you can use. For instance, recommendations are a useful resource when it comes to getting the word out to increase sales.

80% of the people that buy something do so based on information (recommendations) they go from people they trust. As such, you should try to penetrate your audience’s inner circle as you push your product or service to try to get them to suggest it to their peers. You can do this more effective if you use social media for your video marketing.

4. Enhance User Engagement

No marketing campaign can be successful without putting in an effort to engage with the target audience. The growth and success of a new business are also pegged on active engagement with all stakeholders and the customers. The implementation of this regarding video marketing will focus on getting as many likes, shares, and comments as possible, and if they are positive, the better. Consider how many times the video has been viewed and how much of it has been watched.

Also, find out if other clips are similar to yours so that you know how to squash the competition. You can focus on taking a different angle in the message based on what factors of your product or services have the most weight. Overall, the objective is to create content that will bag a high viewership, and this translates into a higher engagement that will be an indicator of a more invested audience. Strive to strike a based between creating a video that is entertaining as it is informative; the side you will lean on most will depend on your industry, and what you are going for in the message you wish to send out.

Statistically, the spring and the start of summer are the best times for British people to sell their homes if they want a quick sale and a good price.

We have been trained, as a culture, to want to cut our carbon footprint. It is something that is a huge part of our lifestyle choices as people move towards more efficient cars, less air travel, and buying locally produced food. Our purchasing habits have evolved, and that applies not just to consumer goods but also house hunting. Today we look for double or triple glazing, ground source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting and solar power. These things can help to make your home far more appealing to the average buyer.

Government research suggests that if you can improve your Energy Performance Certificate for your home from a D Band rating to Band B then that could add at least £16,000 to the value of your property, and it could well make it easier to get a quick sale.

What is the EPC

The EPC is a ranking of the energy efficiency of your home, and it is a scale which goes from A to G. If you wish to sell your home then you are required by law to have an EPC. The certificate gives potential buyers an idea of how well the home performs energy-efficiency wise, and will also give an idea of how much it will cost to run, and what upgrades they may need to do.

Landlords need to have an EPC too. It is now illegal to rent out a property with an F or a G-rating on the EPC.

How Can You Improve the EPC of a House?

The EPC gives potential buyers an idea of the likely running costs of the house, and the costs of the home improvements that they may want to do. The EPC has been the subject of some criticism, in part because it puts a lot of emphasis on the improvementsa property has, rather than specific things which could be important for a given type of property. Take, for example, solar panels and ground-source heat pumps. These can help to reduce your carbon footprint but they may not be the most necessary improvements for a property. Insulating a post-war house to stop heat loss through the roof and walls could be a better decision.

Double Glazing and the EPC

The Energy Saving Trust notes that after roofs and walls, a home’s windows account for the largest portion of lost heat at around 20 percent. Getting double glazing could pay dividends in the long run and reduce the carbon footprint of the property too. Because of this, the type of windows you have is listed in the EPC, with one to five-star ratings. Single or partial double glazing would score one or two starts, with energy efficient double glazed windows or triple glazing scoring five stars.

Upgrading from single panes to triple glazed windows could save a person as much as £160 for a three-bedroom detached property each year. This makes it appealing for many buyers.

If your home is not energy efficient then the potential savings that could be made from basic updates to the property will be listed ont he EPC as well as a rough idea for the cost of that update. This will give any prospective buyer some ammunition to ask for money off the property.

Home Energy Efficiency Matters

Many energy suppliers have increased prices in the last couple of years, and weather appears to be getting colder in the winter. This means buyers are paying more attention to energy efficiency. Around 660,000 people switched energy supplier during February 2018 alone, and the cold snap of the Beast fromthe East made people more aware of how important insulation can be.

What to Do if a House has a Poor EPC

If you are considering buying a house with a poor EPC then you will have to consider the merits of that particular property. Even a period property could benefit from new windows and other small changes, so there are lots that you can do to make a property more energy efficient and to bring it up to scratch.

You drop into the water. Suddenly the world becomes a magical place as you begin your open water dive. Fish, marine plants, and coral reefs overwhelm your senses with their bright colors. You hear the sound of water and life moving about you. It is an experience you never want to forget, an experience that needs to be recorded, relived, and shared. You need the right camera. What type of camera do you need? Is it better to rent or buy a camera? How do you get the perfect shots?

Do You Want To Buy For Repeat Use?

Do you love to go diving and snorkeling and are always looking forward to your next dive? You know an underwater camera will get used on every dive. You are already imaging all of the experiences and scenes you can record to share your love of diving. Does your family go diving with you on your holidays? Owning a camera gives you more flexibility and allows anyone in the family to use it on their next dive.

High-end Camera

The Olympus Tough! TG-5 is the ideal camera for divers who have a little extra room in their budget. Pair it with the waterproof housing and you have a camera that takes beautiful pictures and video. It is priced around £620. The camera works to a depth of 45 metres, so is great for most divers. This camera is rugged and durable, so it can take the abuse of normal diving. The camera features superior colour processing and noise control.

Mid-range Camera

Do you need to save a few pounds, but still want a great camera? The Nikon Coolpix W300 is only £390 and does not require the addition of a waterproof case. It works to 30 metres in depth, so not quite as deep as the Olympus. It provides a high-resolution screen so you can see what you are shooting. The wide zoom range allows you to get up close pictures, even when you’re not close. This camera is so good, that we often choose it above the Olympus when we rent.

Bargain Camera

How cheap can you go and still take good underwater pictures? How does £99 sound? The Fujifilm FinePix XP130 takes high-quality pictures at a bargain price. It is the simplest camera to use in our group but does not provide as clear of pictures. We love this camera for handing to the kids. They can use it to record their dives and we don’t worry about damage. It is good to 20 metres in depth.

Underwater Photography Tips

Getting your camera is just the start of the adventure, you need to know how to get the best shots to capture those incredible dives. The quality of your pictures takes both a good camera and a photographer who knows how to use it. Here are a few tips to help you get great pictures.

Dive Practice

You have to practice to get the best shots possible. If you want to practice before going on holiday, drop by a local swimming pool and practice. You want to practice your skills at focusing the camera, keeping object framed in the photo, and being able to move with the camera in the water. The fastest way to get these skills is to take our PADI Digital Underwater Photography training. You must be PADI Open Water Diver qualified before you can take the class. This class is great for snorkelers, who do not need the diving qualification.

Light

It is easy to get pictures at shallow depths because you have natural lighting to produce great pictures. In our experience, you get the best pictures with morning light. You will want to get as close as possible to the subject when using natural light.

Taking pictures in deep water is a little more challenging. You will need to use a flash or strobe to provide proper lighting. Make sure you do not disturb the ocean habitat, or interfere with other divers while taking your pictures.

Colour

Proper lighting is one of the key elements in getting good colour in your pictures. Another important element is using a camera with a white balance option. The white balance feature adjusts the blue hues in your underwater pictures, so you don’t have to mess with settings.

If you want to capture a larger piece of the underwater world, use an ultra-wide lens and low aperture. You may need to do a little tinkering with colour when you edit your pictures.

Editing

Even if you have the perfect camera and have practiced your skills, there will be times you need to edit. Today’s editing software allows you to sharpen the image, enhance colours, crop scenes, and make many other adjustments. You take many pictures when you take our Level 2 PADI Digital Underwater Photography course. We send you a copy of every picture you take on our equipment. You can then spend a little extra time using image editing software to bring out those important details and make your photos go from good to incredible.

Brexit will affect UK drivers in EU member states in a variety of ways. This guide highlights some of the adjustments that will happen.

The changes to the processes and regulations that govern driving around Europe will impact driving permits, vehicle insurance, driving licences and a myriad of other circumstances that motorists will have to take into account if they want to drive on European highways after Brexit.

International Driving Permits

If UK proceeds to have a no-deal Brexit on March 29 the Department for Transport has suggested that British drivers who want to drive in EU countries will be necessitated to acquire an International Driving Permit (IDP).

What is an IDP? Fundamentally, it is a translated form of your current licence. It will facilitate authorities in EU nations to confirm your credentials in an expedient manner. One can apply for an IDP at the Post Office. You will have to part with £5.50 to acquire it.

Keep in mind that the IDP will have to be accompanied by your normal photo card licence, on its own, it is an invalid document.

Do you need an International driving permit?

In actual fact, there are two distinct kinds of IDPs you can buy. One is mandated by the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the second arises from the 1968 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.

After March 29, IDPs under the 1949 Act will apply in Spain, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus only. 1968 IDPs will have to be procured by those seeking to travel to any other European Union country. The Department of Transport has indicated that the licence you require will be based on the EU country that you will be driving in. It has also indicated that drivers missing the necessary licence will be turned back at border points or encounter compliance actions such as penalties and fines for lacking the legally required documents.

Green card

British citizens driving in Europe after Brexit will also require a motor insurance green card as a compulsory addition to the IDP. The green card is documentary proof from your insurer showing that you are covered with adequate insurance to drive abroad.

The good thing is that applying for a green card is a cost-free process that is quite convenient, you just require to contact your insurance provider and request for one.

Road traffic accidents

If you will be driving on European roads post-Brexit you are counselled to confirm with your insurance provider on claim processing. Demand for clarity that in case of involvement in a road crash with an EU driver, where you consequently file a claim, your insurance company will follow up on your stead with the EU driver’s insurer and act on your behalf in the matter.

Vehicle registration documents

If a no-deal Brexit happens on March 29, the laws governing vehicle registration when moving within Europe are not expected to change.

The normal practice of always having your V5C log book with you in your car should be continued. In cases where you are using a hired UK-registered vehicle make sure you have a VE103 as evidence that you have the right to drive the car in the EU.

Number plates and GB stickers

As it is currently, UK registered cars on roads in EEA and EU countries must retain a GB sticker fastened at the rear, the exception is only for cars that have a Euro-plate which is a number plate that contains an EU flag symbol as well as a GB sign on the left.

If no-deal Brexit happens UK-registered cars must attach a GB sticker, it does not matter whether they have a Euro-plate or not.

Trailer registration

After March 29, the registration of commercial trailers exceeding 750kgs and non-commercial ones with a weight of more than 3500kg will be mandatory before they are transported to any EU or EAA destination.

Though no legal obligation is necessary, motorists can elect to officially register trailers that are non-commercial and weigh over 750kg.