Connect with us

SOCIAL

YouTube Adds New Creative Options for Shorts, Expands Shorts Drafts on iOS

Published

on

YouTube Adds New Creative Options for Shorts, Expands Shorts Drafts on iOS

YouTube’s rolling out some new updates for Shorts, including new creation options, and an expansion of Shorts drafts.

First off, on creative options – YouTube’s rolling out a new ‘Cut’ option which will enable Shorts creators to sample a small segment (1 to 5 seconds) from eligible Shorts and VODs to be used as the intro to their Short clip.

The process will provide more ways to lead users into your Shorts, by using popular content as a contextual starting point for your own video.

As you can see in these images, you can access the new Cut option via the ‘Create’ button on Watch pages, or by tapping the three dots menu while you’re watching a Short from the Shorts player.

If you create a Short via Cut, an attribution link will be included in your Short, connecting back to the original source clip.

YouTube Shorts Cut

YouTube says that it’s still establishing the monetization implications for this feature, though as of right now, the creator of the original clip cannot monetize any subsequent Short created via the Cut option. Creators do, however, get additional exposure potential through these referral links.

YouTube’s also provided an update on its Shorts Green Screen feature, which it initially launched to selected users back in May.

YouTube Shorts green screen

YouTube says that the feature is still in the process of being rolled out to iOS users, before being expanded to Android as well.

Much like the same option on TikTok, The feature enables you to sample up to 60 seconds from a Short or other eligible videos across YouTube, which you can then use as the background of your Short clip.

As explained by YouTube:

“You can control if you’d like to use audio or video, or both from the original video you’re sampling, and you can control how prominent you are on the screen by pinching your picture while you’re in the camera. Similar to Cut, if someone samples your content to create a Green Screen video, there will be an attribution link that users can click to take them back to the original source video.”

As noted, the feature has been available to some users for a few months, but more creators will have the option shortly.

YouTube’s also expanding Shorts drafts, with users now able to save as many drafts as they like within the Shorts creation flow.

YouTube Shorts drafts

Up till now, Shorts creators could only store one draft at a time, but the new process will facilitate more drafts, which will provide more options in your process.

Drafts will be available via the Shorts camera, with a new ‘Drafts’ icon added to the bottom right of screen when drafts are present. YouTube also notes that Drafts are device-specific, so if you change devices, you won’t be able to access your drafts from another phone.

Drafts, right now, is only available on iOS.

On another front, YouTube has also provided some interesting insight into how its algorithm highlights older Shorts, and the discovery potential for your clips.

As per YouTube:

“If you go to your YouTube Shorts feed today, you may notice many videos recommended to you that were published weeks or even months ago. A few things to keep in mind – if viewers are showing more interest in an older video, it may be that the topic is increasing in popularity. Google Trends is a helpful tool to see how the world’s interests are changing. New viewers [may] also be discovering your channel and wanting to watch your older videos, and more viewers [may be] choosing to watch your video when it’s offered to them in the feed, or your video could picked up in the press or shared on social media.”

All of these factors, YouTube says, can play a part in how it sorts the Shorts feed, which is interesting to consider in terms of how it chooses to show certain clips to certain users, potentially providing more evergreen value for Shorts clips.

YouTube also notes that it’s working on enabling its Super Thanks creator donation option within Shorts, with an initial beta test process planned for later this year.

Shorts has quickly become an important element in the broader YouTube creator landscape, with Shorts clips, overall, now averaging over 30 billion daily views. The potential for cross-promotion and engagement via Shorts provides more capacity to maximize your YouTube channel, leading to more viewers, and more monetization options within the app.

That could end up being a big lure, especially with TikTok’s monetization tools still being a work in progress. If YouTube can continue to build on its short-form tools, that, eventually, could give it an advantage over TikTok in the battle for creative talent, which may see YouTube ultimately win out from the broader short content trend.

And with TikTok facing more regulatory scrutiny, there is also a chance that YouTube could scoop up many TikTok users who are concerned about the long-term viability of the app.

Sure, Shorts is a rip-off of TikTok, but on balance, it’s very clear why YouTube is pushing the option.

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

SOCIAL

7 tips for creating great digital presence

Published

on

7 tips for creating great digital presence

DEAR READERS: Companies of all kinds are finding it imperative to build a digital strategy to compete in a world where almost everyone is shopping and doing business online. How can small companies, including startups and those with just a few employees, get the kind of following on their websites and social media platforms that they’ll need to succeed?






There are several steps to take to build your business online.




It is a problem many companies are trying to get their arms around, according to everyone I reached out to. Here are a few tips to get started on the road to social media success:

Develop clearly defined goals. “Determine your objectives, whether they are enhancing brand awareness, generating leads or driving sales growth, as they will serve as guiding principles for developing your strategy,” suggests Dmitriy Shelepin CEO and head of SEO at Miromind.

Identify your ideal followers. That means going beyond demographics like gender and age, according to brand consultant Faith James, CEO of The Personal Branding Consultancy. “It’s important to go deeper into their psychographics — how they think, what motivates them, what their core desires are,” James says. “By focusing on the psychographics, you focus on the emotional connectors that build a stronger connection which goes beyond just the transactional ‘buy my stuff.’ ”

People are also reading…

Choose and prioritize platforms. Shelepin says it is crucial to choose platforms “that resonate with your desired audience and align with your business objectives,” and suggests focusing on one or two of those platforms “to deliver quality over quantity.”

Provide value. James says value can come in various forms, but stresses that it boils down to “helping your audience get a small win in the areas that are meaningful to them.

“If a hair salon is looking to grow their following, they might offer tips on their website and social media platforms such as ‘How to Have Your Hair Color Last Longer,’ ‘3 Tips on How to Beat the Humidity Frizz,’ or ‘How to Avoid Chlorine Damage While Swimming at the Pool,’ ” James says.

Value also can come by educating and informing your audience with things like educational blog posts that establish industry expertise, Shelepin adds.

Invite engagement. This is an essential step, James stresses. “In all instances, the business would invite the audience to share their own hair drama stories, share their own tricks they are using to make their hair color last longer, and invite the audience to submit their own questions about hair care,” James explains.

Build relationships. “Use social media to connect with customers, respond promptly, and share relevant content,” Shelepin says.

Don’t forget about email. It is a great way to maintain customer relationships and to deliver exclusive content and special offers like discounts, Shelepin explains.

Shelepin acknowledges that businesses won’t realize success in the digital realm overnight, but stresses that success is possible to achieve.

“It’s important to maintain consistency, in creating content and engaging on media platforms, as building an online presence takes time,” Shelepin concludes. “By adhering to these strategies, small businesses can cultivate a strong digital presence, enabling them to thrive in today’s competitive landscape.”

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

SOCIAL

LinkedIn Expands ID Verification to More Regions

Published

on

LinkedIn Expands ID Verification to More Regions

LinkedIn continues to expand its own identity verification offering, via a new partnership with Persona which will enable users in more regions to confirm their ID in the app.

As you can see in this sequence, with LinkedIn’s new ID verification process, users in certain regions now able to confirm their ID documents with Persona, in order get a verification badge added to your LinkedIn profile, which confirms that you’ve uploaded and verified your government ID with one of LinkedIn’s partner providers.

LinkedIn Persona ID confirmation

You can see the verified icon next to my profile name in the second image, which adds another level of assurance that I am, in fact, a real human being, with a government ID linked to my identity.

LinkedIn initially launched ID verification for users in the U.S. back in April, via a partnership with identity platform CLEAR, which is best known for providing faster check-in at airports. LinkedIn then expanded its CLEAR partnership to enable users in Canada and Mexico to also confirm their documents, with this new partnership providing the ID confirmation option to a lot more users.

As per LinkedIn:

In Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the identity verification is performed by Persona, a third-party identity verification service. It’s available in each country for those with a valid NFC-enable passport.”

(Note: It may not be available to all users in all of these regions as yet)

So, the requirement is that you need a government-issued passport, with an NFC chip, and a means to scan that chip in as part of the process, though Persona notes that “if you’ve ever used your phone to tap for payment, then it is NFC-enabled”.

So now, a lot more LinkedIn users will be able to confirm their identity, and add an extra layer of assurance to their profile, helping to let people know that they are dealing with an actual person, and that your information is more likely to be legit.

And given the latest advances in generative AI, and LinkedIn’s rising push to add generative AI tools into every aspect of its platform, it does seem like this could become an essential step, as more bot profiles and personas get added to social apps.

That’s been part of the justification for X’s broader push on ID verification, which has now stretched to charging new users in some regions a small fee to interact in the app.

X owner Elon Musk has repeatedly noted the rising risk of AI-enabled bots taking over social apps, with user payments, in his view, being the only way to stop them. But LinkedIn’s trying another approach, and it does seem like providing free ID confirmation will be more widely adopted, which could make it more effective in this respect.

And by outsourcing the actual verification element to a third party, it’s also less labor intensive, though it does also mean that another group is involved, which can make some feel a little uneasy about sharing their documentation and selfies.

Still, it’s a pretty simple process, and it’s free, and if LinkedIn starts putting more emphasis on verified accounts, by say, ranking them higher in search results, that could get a lot more people taking it up, and adding a gray tick.

The other question then is what do CLEAR and Persona get out of this deal?

In both cases these ID platforms get more data, with users also required to open a CLEAR account when confirming their info via its system. Persona will also take in some user data, which will expand its database, though you can opt out of letting either company keep your info in perpetuity.

Persona also notes that it will generate “facial geometries for both the image obtained from your government ID and the user submitted selfie”, which it will then use in its analysis with your ID to confirm your info, though Persona won’t keep your geometric data on file.

Essentially, you’re going to have to trust your ID data with another company, which not everyone will be comfortable with. But if you’re okay with it, again, the process is easy, and it could add some extra assurance to your LinkedIn presence.

You can learn more about LinkedIn’s ID confirmation options here.

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

SOCIAL

Ad Spend Wasted On Invalid Traffic Could Reach $72B In 2024 11/28/2023

Published

on

Ad Spend Wasted On Invalid Traffic Could Reach $72B In 2024 11/28/2023

The latest analysis of the effects of
invalid traffic/IVT estimates that the problem will result in $72.37 billion in wasted ad spend in 2024 — up 33% from an estimated $54.63 billion wasted in 2022.

The report, from marketing efficiency platform Lunio, was based on an analysis of 2.6 …



Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

Trending