Author: Content Curator

Animated explainer videos are a perfect tool for attracting visitors to your site and telling them about the key benefits and features of your product.

According to Nielsen Research, Training and Consulting Group, the average user spends about 10-20 seconds on a site if there is no compelling reason to stay longer.

And the first ten seconds are critical for giving the user this reason to stay by clearly setting out your value proposition.

Having such a short period of time, you cannot rely only on text and graphic ways to attract their attention.

If you do differ from your competitors, have a distinct advantage, or offer a unique service/product, you have to SHOW this to the users, who often have neither time, nor desire to investigate why they should take YOUR offer.

Why does video work better?

It’s gone missing…

Your engagement. Your click revenue. Your publishing business.

For years publishers have relied on social networks as a means of amplifying their message and growing an audience. You’ve relied on AdSense, banners, pop-ups, and native ad widgets for click revenue.

The game is changing…

Your readers want the social experience for discovering content, but social networks are making you pay to reach an audience that used to be free.

This problem isn’t new. In fact, native ad networks have been trying to relieve the reliance on social networks as a content distribution platform for almost a decade now.

But the current landscape of native ad widgets is underwhelming. Your audience wants a more “natural” experience than what is on the market.

Why native ad feeds are intriguing for publishers

Native ad feeds are a significant upgrade on traditional widget-based recommendations because they combine the popular experience of a social newsfeed with the smart placement of native sponsored content on your web property.

One obvious benefit of … Read More

Have you ever wanted to run multiple websites from the same platform? If so, you probably put in the necessary time and research to view the many different options available. Something you also probably came across, is the wide range of solutions, their pricing, and how they differently cater their needs to a small business.

The bottom line is – running multiple websites on one platform can be done for business, brands, and even individual bloggers and content creators who simply want to have more control.

At the end of the day, not even businesses that are focused on a multi-website business model or infrastructure often know exactly what they need, until after they get started. For times like these, it’s not only important to know what options are out there, but also how the landscape and technology that might be powering your online business will also be changing as well.

When it comes to software and management tools for online business, the industry is always changing. This can clearly be seen in the recent news of Adobe phasing out Muse and the same happening with Business Catalyst. While these solutions might not be the world’s most popular site builders, su… Read More

A Facebook study found that people gaze 5x longer at video than at static content on Facebook and Instagram. And digital influencer, Jay Baer, says that video is the new blogging.

As such, are you prepared to create high-performing videos for Facebook?

Well, similar to blogging, it should come as no surprise that there is no magic ticket to video success.

But wait! Don’t stop reading just yet. Rest assured that luck also has nothing to do with it.

After all, the brand or influencer you admire most for producing amazing videos didn’t just wake up one day with millions of views. Their success is the result of time-consuming hard work to develop video content consistently, and investing in video on social media.

So, roll up your sleeves! You’re going to have to work at creating videos the same way you worked at blogging – by trying, trying, and trying again.

How do you create videos for Facebook that stand out?

Luckily, there are over 3 million small and medium businesses who have already posted videos to Facebook, and I have seen from my research at Animoto that there is a similar structure to what makes certain videos stan… Read More

“There’s only one thing that’s worse than having an unhappy childhood, and that’s having a too-happy childhood.” – Dylan Thomas

Research shows that the majority of successful people had a tough start to their lives.

But we can’t choose that.

That just happens.

Maybe being happy is overrated.

So the reality is that some of us have more resilience than others dialled in.

Then it became embedded in their DNA.

And being innately fragile is sometimes unseen.

The human condition

As humans we play on the edge of success, chaos and tragedy.

This often happens while we are planning our lives.

That is the human condition.

The unexpected intersects with stability and security.

Events beyond our control.

We need resilience to ride over these speed humps.

But many of us aren’t prepared for those events.

Building muscle

Being born with resilience is one thing. But most of us need to work at it.

You can develop that muscle.

There are routines and habits that allow us to manage our emotions, handle situations with some clarity and ride out the storm.

Being resilient is a range of skill sets.

Born out of experience, necessity and an attitude… Read More