Inbound Marketing Blog

Motion graphics; two broad words combined to create a broad phrase. What exactly are motion graphics? No official definition currently exists, but Wikipedia sums it up pretty well: Pieces of digital footage or animation which create the illusion of motion or rotation, and are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects.

In the last couple years, the popularity, accessibility, and overall awesomeness of motion graphics have shot through the roof. With the technology more readily available to the average Joe, motion graphics are here to stay.  Motion graphics and special effects are just one way to up your video marketing game. In this article, you will learn about the contemporary trends in the motion graphics industry: what was hot in 2017, what is not so hot anymore, and predictions for the rest of this year.

Blue Frog Marketing teamed up with our client, Larry’s Window Service, for their third annual event with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. The event is more than just your typical window wash. Larry’s Windows takes their washing to another level with the help of a few friends. Their team dressed up as Batman, The Flash, Spiderman, and Captain America and soared around Blank Children’s Hospital to surprise the kids. The superhero’s greeted the kids, played a few games, and brought big smiles to the staff and family's faces. 

The almighty GIF—we’ve all seen them. Short for graphics interchange format, the GIF is an image format that first emerged on the tech scene in June of 1987. GIFs work by compressing several frames into an image sequence that can be looped forever or for a set amount of time.Their popularity has fluctuated since then, but according to Google Trends, the search term “animated GIF” has been rising in popularity over the last five years.

A big component of a video shoot is wardrobe selection for the talent. Not only does it need to be flattering on camera, but it also has to fit the theme of the shoot. Luckily, today’s technology is more forgiving than in the past; however, it’s important to keep a few things in mind when selecting wardrobe. The three major areas of concern when choosing what to wear are pattern, color, and shape. Additionally, there are specific things to keep in mind for women’s and men’s wardrobes.

Are you feeling like you’re not on your A-game and you just can’t seem to win over your viewers with your video marketing? Don’t let a few strike outs discourage you. The game of video marketing involves risks, time, and a lot of practice. Sometimes you'll woo your viewers, and other times you might feel stood up. The secret, however, is that attention to a few key elements can make your viewers fall in love with your videos.

Your company has jumped on board and decided to implement a video marketing strategy this year. There are many different types of videos you can create to promote your business, and there are many factors that go into the production of a video. Most businesses don’t realize that the pre-production phase is just as, if not more important than, the actual video shoot. The pre-production phase is where all of the planning takes place. There are a number of elements that go into producing a video. The success of your video project will largely be determined by the time and effort you put into properly planning it. This article is a tool to guide you through the pre-production process.

When you’re planning to shoot a video, you need to have some basic things in place. If not, not only will you waste a lot of time and money, but you run into the risk of not having any sort of backup plan or schedule in the event things don’t go as smoothly as you’d want. That being said, this is also an exciting phase because you get to be creative and collaborative.

If you’ve been keeping up with digital marketing trends this year, you already know that video marketing is a hot topic. You see video everywhere—on websites, social media, sporting events, business/corporate events, on your smart TV, and more. Video content is here and is here to stay. The Blue Frog team learned from Salma Jafri, a video content strategist and speaker at INBOUND 2017, that 64% of your audience says marketing videos influence their purchase decisions. That being said, if you don’t currently have a video marketing strategy in place, it’s time to start thinking about one—and thinking about it seriously.

If your business is advertising on Facebook but you haven't started incorporating video ads into your campaigns, now is the perfect time to start! The visual appeal of video plus Facebook’s extensive targeting options make video ads a powerful tool, especially in 2018 as the popularity of video continues to grow.

Video has become an integral part of inbound marketing strategy. Why? Because video stands out, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.

Attention spans are dwindling, and research shows that marketers have only eight seconds to capture a user’s attention. The easiest way to grab someone’s attention is to create content that is easily-digestible and engaging. From vlogs to testimonials and tutorials, video has proven to be successful. So, finding ways to incorporate video into your marketing strategy is more important now than it ever has been before.