Did You See That?
Hey friends! We’ve got some awesome new articles coming your way this week. We’re covering content marketing, eye catching brand secrets, Snapchat and a new storytelling format you might want to test out.
Do you have ideas for next week’s roundup? Want to learn more about content marketing, marketing tools, social media platforms or something completely different? We’re all ears! Leave us a comment, send me a note at danielle@photoshelter.com or shout out at us on Instagram @getlibris.
Roundup:
Facebook Messenger Day launches as a Snapchat Stories clone for making plans
TechCrunch
By Josh Constine
In our last roundup, we focused our attention on Social Media Week in NYC, where one of the main topics was how social platforms are stealing from each other left and right.
Well, the grabs fest is not quite over. This week, Facebook launched a new feature, Messenger Day. Messenger Day allows for instant photo sharing on Facebook’s Messenger app. Plus, you can add filters, faces and party hats galore….much like Snapchat.
Facebook is still ranked the leading platform for social engagement but it still has to keep up with up and coming platforms like Snapchat to stay relevant. The question is will it survive? Anyone remember Poke or Slingshot?
People still poke other people on Facebook? pic.twitter.com/MxoVUZcq86
— Portrait Artist (@badt_BOI_) March 6, 2017
Poke and Slingshot were both attempts at one to one ephemeral messaging, but both were a flash in the pan. Will Messenger Day be different? Will Facebook be able to ride the popularity of Snapchat now that the world is so accustomed to snapping instead of talking or texting? The answer is yet to be determined.
Josh Constine points out that Facebook is privileging Messenger Day when you open the Messenger app, pushing your actual messages out of your initial screen view. This shows that Facebook is betting on visual content messaging.
Visual communication is the future, and as I wrote yesterday in my deep dive about Messenger’s evolution, any chat app that doesn’t get on board is doomed. Still, Messenger is taking a risk here by putting Day above your threads, reducing the number you see on your screen at first. Branching out so aggressively into social media isn’t worth hampering Messenger’s growth in traditional chat, so Facebook will have to watch carefully to make sure different demographics around the world don’t message less after the rollout.
I agree with Constine that Facebook will have to keep an eye on this new rollout to ensure it doesn’t drive users away.
What The Best Brands Will Do in 2017
LinkedIn Pulse
By Andreas von der Heydt
This guide by Andreas von der Heydt is one that you should bookmark on your desktop to follow for the rest of the year. It’s loaded with insights on a wide range of topics including better customer service, data collection, creative innovation, video and much more. It’s an interesting comparison coming out of Social Media Week in NYC.
One of my favorite quotes from Heydt’s guide gives a gentle wave to startups who aren’t afraid to dive in and make a bold move to get their audience’s attention.
More than ever, a key 2017 responsibility of marketing leadership is to create a mindset, framework, and culture of innovation based on the willingness to become a data-supported idea and creativity factory. In this respect organizations can learn a lot from agile and bold startups.
Content Marketing: 55 Proven Ways to Help your Business [Infographic]
Here’s a colorful piece from Skilled in collaboration with the infographic makers at Venngage. Rather than writing a full text article, Skilled worked with Venngage to tell their story through one long infographic.
Infographics are making a wave in the rapidly changing landscape of content marketing. Increasingly, audiences want to consume content visually. Check out a quick taste of the infographic with one of my favorite segments about visual content.
10 Ways To Humanize Your Brand Through Storytelling
Forbes
By Ekaterina Walter
Ekaterina Walter’s piece in Forbes this week makes a great point about humanizing your brand. How do you touch your audience without coming off like you are shoving your product down your viewer’s throat? There are way too many ad campaigns out there putting the brand in the spotlight, rather than the customer.
I love nothing more than to be surprised by a brand or to feel like someone understands where I’m coming from. It piques my curiosity. When a brand catches my attention with a great story, I’m more likely to seek out additional information, visit their site or even make a purchase.
Walter’s example of the Plum Organics ad campaign, “Do Your Part[ner]” had me laughing at my desk. This commercial is way offbeat from your usual baby food commercial. It’s smart, witty and unexpected. In fact, you have no idea you are watching a commercial about baby food until the end. (Note, you may want to watch with your headphones on – it’s a little edgy.)
I like to think of this kind of marketing as that conversation you have with a friend that starts with Topic A and ends with Topic Z that has you saying, “how did we get on this topic again?” It’s funny, relatable, engaging and discreetly on brand. It catches your attention without putting the product in the spotlight.
Vimeo introduces support for 360-degree videos
The Verge
By James Vincent
Here’s another tool to include in your content marketing arsenal. Vimeo just launched 360 video capability, which is destined to be a game changer for many users and brands. Many brands use the professional video platform to share and showcase their work, and the new 360 video capability opens the door to new storytelling opportunities for your brand.
360 video has taken visual communication by storm and we don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.
“Vimeo has always been committed to preserving and delivering the highest quality video and our move into 360 expands our premium video technology solution to 360 filmmakers,” said Sara Poorsattar, Vimeo’s director of video product, in a press statement.
Take a look at the clip below created by the American Museum of Natural History to get ideas for how 360 video could transform content for your brand.
Fossil Hunters of the Gobi: A 360 Scientific Expedition from AMNH on Vimeo.
In Case You Missed It
Here on the Libris blog, we shared two amazing case studies about real-time photo sharing – one with a professional baseball team, the other with a nonprofit refugee agency. Plus, with South by Southwest kicking off in Austin, TX, we’ve got everything you need to know in the Ultimate Guide to SXSW 2017.
- A Step by Step Look at the Colorado Rockies Real-Time Social Media Workflow
- How a Real-Time Photography Workflow Helped HIAS Tell Refugees’ Stories Worldwide in Less Than an Hour
- The Ultimate Guide to SXSW 2017 for Creatives and Content Marketers
Cover photo by Dani Maczynski.
