When you hear the word “deepfake,” you might immediately think of the ethically ambiguous, fraudulent, or even downright unsettling videos that have bobbled across the internet over the last few years. But as deepfake videos – and the AI technology used to power them – only get more sophisticated, it’s imperative that marketers and creators across every industry learn how they work and explore how they can be applied to get and stay ahead in our changing climate.

For the uninitiated, deepfakes are synthetic media that have been digitally manipulated to replace or replicate a person’s likeness convincingly – resulting in the ability to create videos that look and feel real, but aren’t. It’s understandable, then, that they might get a bad rap for spreading misinformation or exploiting peoples’ likenesses. 

Like any technology, though, it’s all in how you use it. Forward-thinking marketers and creators are already using deepfake technology — responsibly and ethically — to create new art forms, tell new stories, and improve their own video campaigns. 

In this article, we’ll cover some examples of deepfake technology being used for good, as well as ideas on how to experiment with the tech yourself.

What is a deepfake?

A deepfake is a video, or audio recording, of a person whose face or body has been digitally altered. Deepfakes use AI to create likeness, relying on pattern recognition to match expressions, tone, and movement. 

Other terms for a deepfake can include synthetic or artificial media, or AI-generated content.

A brief history of deepfakes

The invention of the Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) began the trend of realistic deepfakes back in 2014. GANs are made up of two artificial intelligence agents that forge images and detect forgery, allowing the AI to improve over time. 

Deepfakes can also be created using a deep learning computer network called a variational auto-encoder (VAE). VAEs are trained to encode images into low-dimensional representations of the subject and then decode those representations back into moving images. 

The term “deepfake” wasn’t coined until 2017, and in 2018, the media almost collectively sounded the alarm over deepfakes – with the first viral deepfake videos featuring Barack Obama and Donald Trump making the rounds on social media.

But deepfakes also have uses that are becoming more and more relevant to everyday marketers – not just hackers or internet trolls trying to spread misinformation.

How do deepfakes work?

Machine learning AI is a critical part of developing a deepfake. Deepfakes depend on this tech to spot trends in visuals and information. 

To make a deepfake video, a developer needs to provide these machine learning algorithms with hours of actual footage, which then trains the deep neural network to recognize patterns, tone, facial expressions, and more. The next step involves combining those learnings with graphics. 

It doesn’t take much to create a deepfake, just existing video or audio of the person you’re trying to recreate. And although it may seem difficult at first, constructing a deepfake doesn’t require complicated tools – only basic graphic design knowledge and video editing skills.

Examples of artful video deepfakes

Marketers are still in early stages of adopting deepfakes and other AI technologies for video and digital marketing. The following deepfake examples don’t exactly fit into a marketer’s toolbox just yet, but they showcase the power of these AI technologies right now.

1. Chris Shimojima’s “Dolche – Big Man”

This stunning Staff Picked music video from filmmaker Chris Shimojima takes deepfake technology and turns it on its head, incorporating faces from 14 different performers (and 40 contributions) to tell a single story. The result is an artful, unexpected combination of tech and human expression.

2. David Beckham’s many languages

Malaria Must Die used AI to manipulate soccer star David Beckham to speak in nine different languages, leveraging deepfake technology to make a big splash and markedly increase their campaign’s reach.

3. Salvador Dali’s museum greeting

It took over 1,000 hours of machine learning for the Dalí Museum to get their deepfake version of Salvador Dali exactly right. This innovation gives museum-goers a new perspective: they get to learn about art from the artist himself!

3 everyday uses for deepfake video tech 

While some applications of deepfakes may be beyond the average marketer’s reach, there are many creative and exciting ways to leverage deepfake tech in your own work. 

• Fix flubbed lines in post: For anyone with even cursory editing experience, you know the trials and tribulations of cutting together polished audio from a more conversational interview. Whether your subject misspoke or simply didn’t answer with a full sentence, using deepfake technology to fill in the blanks is a great way to keep your post-production process moving without the need for reshoots. (Just make sure you get the subject’s permission first, of course!)
  
  
• Personalize customer videos at scale: Marketers can implement easy personalization by sending welcome or product videos that include prospect’s names or their company names. All you need is their names and enough audio from your on-camera talent for deepfake tech to add it into any video.
  
  
• Localize your videos: Deepfake tech introduces a new world of easy translation. Instead of relying on subtitles, artificial intelligence can insert translated, spoken audio, either created from an audio bank or from the initial actor’s voice.

New tech, new opportunities

We may not know exactly what the future of AI will bring, but one thing is certain: deepfakes aren’t going anywhere. Just as with other AI-powered tech (chatGPT, anyone?), those willing to experiment with deepfakes with eyes wide open to potential pitfalls will be well-suited to compete in the changing video landscape.

Create captivating videos with Vimeo

57% of Americans watch videos in public. If you’ve ever watched one while walking, working, or in transit, you know what that means — that video needs to be designed for silent viewing.

The solution? Captions. They draw viewers in and hold their attention, even with audio off.

In fact, 80% of people react negatively to Facebook video ads that blast loud audio when they aren’t expecting it. And LinkedIn confirms the majority (80%) of their video views happen in the sound-off mode. 

This makes it a solid case for captioning your videos. But there’s more to this story too — because captions not only encourage viewers to watch your video but also improve your message’s understanding, accessibility, and compliance.

We’ll walk you through it.

1. Meet your viewers’ expectations

First things first, you need captions because your target audience expects you to include them in your videos.

Young generations, in particular, are four times more likely than older viewers to use captions. In fact, four out of five viewers between the 18-25 age bracket say they use subtitles all or part of the time.

And if they don’t see captions enabled in your content? They’d hit exit faster than you can say knife.

What’s also important to understand here is the environment in which people watch videos these days. For one, 90% of people watch videos on their mobile devices — a nod to the fact that most consume videos on the go.

Lots of folks also view content with a snoring partner beside them or a baby they’ve only just put to sleep. And dare I say, some consume them in boring meetings while others watch them while waiting in line to grab their Starbucks (Spanish iced latte, anyone?).

To add, distractions have only just skyrocketed over the years. Meaning: viewers can easily miss a vital detail in your video. Thankfully, captions play a significant role in solving this. They make it easier to process your video in a sound-sensitive environment like a train station.

It’s no wonder LinkedIn found that videos designed for silent viewing are 70% more likely to be consumed all the way to the end. Facebook’s internal research echoes the same sentiment:

“Captioning videos increases their view time by 12%.”

Facebook research

2. Improve your content’s accessibility

In the US alone, roughly 15% of the American adult population (aged 18 and above) report having trouble hearing. On a global scale, over 1.5 billion people live with hearing loss in at least one ear — that’s 20% of the total world population.

Captioning your videos makes your content accessible to these folks.

Also, while research doesn’t confirm captions improve accessibility for folks with ADHD, it does conclude that video subtitles help them retain your message better.

3. Increase content stickiness

Captioning your videos improves their impact by helping you:

• Capture and hold viewers’ attention
• Improve your message’s comprehension
• And, boost your content’s memorability

In short, video captions aren’t just important for getting your audience to watch your video but also retain your message.

Interestingly, this applies to both native and non-native speakers with research confirming that native speakers with no hearing impairment also use captions when watching videos. In fact, the same study concludes video captions improve students’ learning experience.

And a Preply survey confirms — 61% of folks use video captions to understand accents that are difficult to grasp for them.

The takeaway? No matter who you are targeting, you need captions for all types of videos you create — educational, sales, ad, or quiz videos. Because, at the end of the day, captions improve your content’s viewership and memorability. 

4. Reach and engage a wider audience

Subtitling videos opens them to people who are hard of hearing. But there’s more. By adding captions, you can also open your content to your target audience in other countries.

The idea is simple: use the same video but add native-language captions for your target viewers in different countries. On top of improving your reach, this also improves your content’s ROI.

(Easy, isn’t it? And also fast and accurate because human-created captions are 90% accurate. So you only need to review the transcript file once and you’re all set to reach a broader audience  )

5. Create compliant video content

Yet another benefit of captioning videos is checking off compliance from your list — a super smart move for saving yourself from lawsuits.

Essentially, for all website and social media marketing content you create, you need to comply with the standards set in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

It outlines the need to make your content, especially, video content, accessible to people with disabilities. Besides including captions, WCAG also states it’s crucial you make sure the subtitles are:

• Perceivable. That is: there are displayed in a way that they’re easy to read
• Operable. People should be able to view your captions in whatever interface they use
• Understandable. The captions are presented in an easily digestible way 

6. Boost discovery by fixing your video SEO

Google deploys bots to review published content (technically called ‘crawling content’) to understand whether it’s worth ranking for a specific keyword.

The problem with video content? It’s visual by nature and Google’s bots can’t read it or understand what’s in the video. It’s why a simple yet effective way to improve your video ranking is to include transcripts.

Subtitles are text-based, therefore, easily readable for Google’s search bots. In fact, transcripts not only show your video contains the target keyword but also synonyms and related keywords. These further boost your ranking.

In short, add captions to your video to improve your discoverability.

But remember: you need to add stand-alone transcript files in SRT, VTT, and similar external formats to drive video SEO benefits. 

7. Amplify the content experience you offer

With 91% of businesses using video as a marketing tool, the space is increasingly becoming competitive.

Besides ensuring your video content’s quality is exceptional, it’s important to pay attention to the nitty-gritty details to refine your target audience’s experience with your brand content.

The first step: subtitling your videos. But here’s the thing, you can boost experience by taking care of the small details too when it comes to adding video captions. Follow these tips:

• Choose an easily readable font size and type

Use at least 22 pt font size and steer clear from a fancy font type. Stick with easily understandable fonts like Arial, Times, Verdana, and Helvetica Neue.

• Position captions for maximum readability

After having added subtitles to your video, review them to ensure none of the text interrupts your content. Also, break long subtitle lines down into short ones so they’re easy to follow on the screen.

• Choose the right color contrast for your captions

Pick a font color for your captions that doesn’t blend in with the rest of the video’s colors. WCAG recommends using a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 so the subtitles are readable to color-blind folks too.

In a nutshell, no matter which device your viewers use to watch your videos, ensure the subtitles are easy to read and digest. 

Ready to add captions to your videos?

Remember, good subtitles play the same role as a video’s audio by:

• Increasing your watch time and engagement
• Boosting content accessibility and compliance
• Offering a superb content experience

So make sure you add subtitling to your content in your video production workflow. Of course, manually adding them would be a total time suck. But adding Vimeo’s automated captions to your videos is a sweet solution to that problem. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s a time saver with multiple benefits — a marketer’s dream, really.

Auto caption your videos with Vimeo. 

TikTok is still the wild, wild west of social media. A place where day-in-the-life videos, lip-syncs, beauty tutorials, and hilarious skits all coexist in perfect harmony.

It’s the perfect terrain for brands looking to make a splash with engaging and creative content and capture the attention of billions of users worldwide.

Still, navigating this popular social media landscape can be tricky, especially when it comes to making money. In this guide, we’ll show you the ropes of TikTok marketing and how your brand can strike gold.

1. Create engaging TikTok videos

When it comes to marketing on TikTok, there’s one golden rule: make sure your videos aren’t boring. TikTok users value authenticity, creativity, and humor. So, if you want to stand out from the millions of other videos out there, you need to serve up content that aligns with these values. Essentially, anything that’s going to stop someone from mindlessly scrolling and say, “Hey, this is worth watching!”

The more engaging the content, the more likely users are to watch, like, comment, and share it. And the more engagement a video gets, the more likely it is to be recommended to other users by TikTok’s algorithm, leading to more views, more engagement, and eventually more sales.  

If you can master these tips, your brand will be well on its way to TikTok fame (and fortune):

• Be authentic: TikTok users can spot a phony a mile away. 84% of TikTok users come across content they can relate to on the platform, so don’t be afraid to show off your brand’s personality and values in your videos.
• Keep it short and sweet: limit your TikTok videos to 60 seconds. According to research, the average TikTok video length for most accounts is between 32.4 and 41.9 seconds.
• Use trending music and sound effects: TikTok is known for its viral music trends and sound effects, so use them to your advantage! In fact, 58% of TikTokers are more likely to share an ad or talk about a brand if a video features a song they like. 
• Be creative with transitions: Learn how to creatively edit your TikTok videos and make transitions like a pro. Try experimenting with different transitions like the “Inverted” or “Spin” transition effects to add a bit of flair to your videos.
• Use eye-catching visuals: TikTok is a visual platform, so use bright colors, bold text, and visually interesting props to grab viewers’ attention.

Crocs does a great job of creating fun and playful TikTok videos. Their videos often include fast and creative transitions, engaging visuals, catchy music, and lots of humor.

@crocs Do other shoes even exist anymore? #MyCrocsEra ♬ How about take a photo? – Official Sound Studio

2. Build a strong relationship with your followers

Don’t be a TikTok wallflower! TikTok is all about interaction, so if you want your content to be recommended to other users, you need to show some love to your followers. According to research, 73% of global users “feel a deeper connection to brands they interact with on TikTok, compared to other platforms.”

Plus, engaging with your audience builds trust, credibility, and fierce brand loyalty. People will buy your stuff and rave about it to their friends and fam when they feel a personal connection with your brand.

Let your followers know that you’re listening and care about their feedback by answering questions and responding to their content, comments, and messages.

You can also participate in TikTok challenges to show off your brand’s creative side and engage with your audience in a playful and interactive way. Look for challenges that align with your brand’s values and resonate with your audience.

Chipotle’s collaboration with the “Corn Kid” (real name Tariq), is a great example of creative and authentic brand engagement with fans.

When Tariq broke the internet with a viral video in which he declared his love for corn, Chipotle took notice and decided they needed to be part of the conversation in a natural and genuine way. And after discovering that Tariq visits his local Chipotle in Queens once a week, the brand connected with him to create a sponsored video, and the rest is history.

The video is now Chipotle’s top organic TikTok video of all time.

3. Sell your products through TikTok Shop

There’s a reason why #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt exists. According to research, 55% of users use TikTok to discover new brands or products. And two out of three users are likely to buy something while on the platform. Selling products on TikTok is a great way to rake in some serious dough.

Some of the products that people sell on TikTok include fashion and apparel, beauty and skincare items, handcrafted and artistic goods, and digital products like e-books and online courses. These are all things that today’s content creators are using to make passive income and land partnership deals with brands.

And TikTok Shop makes it easier for users to discover and purchase products directly from the app. TikTok Shop provides three easy ways for brands to sell their products:

• Shoppable videos: These short-form videos include clickable product links. Viewers can easily make a purchase by tapping on the link in the video.
• Product showcase: This is a dedicated page where brands can feature their products in a visually appealing way. Brands use this page to highlight their products, showcase their brand identity, and encourage viewers to make a purchase.
• Live Shopping: This feature allows brands to host live streams to showcase and sell their products in real-time. During the live stream, viewers can purchase products directly from the stream and interact with the host and other viewers.

Benefit Cosmetics regularly hosts a series of live shopping events on their TikTok account. 

In one instance, when the brand used a live event to launch their TikTok Shop, it received 62.5k live audience views and 2.5k new followers.

4. Tap into the power of TikTok ads

TikTok ads are the perfect way to expand your audience, target specific demographics, and show off your products in a visually pleasing, thumb-stopping way. According to a survey, compared to other social media platforms, TikTok ads are better at capturing people’s attention, with 67% of respondents agreeing that TikTok ads are eye-catching. 

Here are the different types of ads you can use to expand your reach and make bank on TikTok.

• In-feed ads appear in the user’s “For You” page feed and can be up to 60 seconds long. These ads are great for creating brand awareness and driving traffic to your website or product pages.
• Brand takeovers are full-screen ads that pop up when a user first opens the app. They are highly effective for promoting a new product or service or for building brand awareness.
• Branded hashtag challenges are for brands that want to create their own hashtag challenges and promote them using in-app ads. They are the perfect way to encourage user-generated content and engage with your audience.
• Topview ads are similar to brand takeovers, but they appear after a user has been on the app for a few seconds. These ads are highly effective for promoting new products or services and building brand awareness.
• Branded effects and filters can be created for your followers to apply to their videos. This is a great way to build brand awareness and encourage user-generated content.

And here’s an insider tip: Vimeo Create provides customizable TikTok ad templates you can use to create ads that put your products right in front of your target audience. When NaturalAnnie Essentials, a maker of vegan candles, started using Vimeo to make video ads, the brand saw its conversion rate jump by a whopping 5.5x in just a few weeks.

“We don’t need expensive equipment and tools to get our message across. Vimeo helps us take our production in-house, without a budget..”

Annya-White Brown, founder, NaturalAnnie Essentials

5. Build authentic partnerships with influencers and content creators

Partnerships with TikTok influencers and content creators also generate revenue on TikTok. And influencers are often worth their weight in gold, especially on TikTok, where they have a higher engagement rate than on other social media platforms. 

Contrary to popular belief, influencer marketing doesn’t require a large budget. Collaborating with micro-influencers is the way to go for smaller companies with limited budgets.  

Micro-influencers offer more affordable rates than larger influencers. And while they may not have the same level of reach as top TikTok stars, they often have a highly engaged audience that trusts their opinions and recommendations. In fact, they have even higher engagement rates on TikTok, with an engagement rate of 17.96%, compared to 3.86% on Instagram and 1.63% on YouTube. 

You can partner with influencers on various types of content, such as sponsored posts, affiliate marketing partnerships, influencer takeovers, giveaways, or contests. 

For example, skincare brand Bubble frequently showcases TikTok tutorials featuring small creators and micro-influencers.

@bubble

The verdict is in. Our Level Up moisturizer definitely lives up to the hype and we’re not surprised one bit.

♬ original sound – Bubble

Frequently asked questions

Strike gold on TikTok with Vimeo

The bottom line is that TikTok is a gold mine for brands that know how to mine it right. By crafting content that captivates, teaming up with TikTok influencers, and selling digital goods, you can reach unprecedented audiences, ultimately driving more sales. With the continued growth of TikTok’s user base and its innovative features, there has never been a better time to hop on the app and start cashing in on its potential.

Create captivating videos with Vimeo

Published November 2021, updated May 18, 2023.

Using screen recording tools in your marketing campaigns can be a game-changer. Instead of laboring over long, hifi how-to videos and carefully-storyboarded product screens that take weeks to spin up (not to mention tons of creative resources), you can create tailored customer marketing with screen recordings.

They’re short, sweet, and visual, so you can ramp up your video presence on different channels without a hefty video production budget.

Screen recordings help you show rather than tell customers what your product stands for. They’re also a way of building rapport, problem-solving, and bringing your content to life. But without effective editing, screen recordings can look amateur and lackluster at best. 

In this post, we’ll share tips and best practices so you can create eye-catching screen recordings that entice your target audience to take the next steps.

Why start using screen recordings in your marketing? 

People are visual and are demanding more video content –– 31% of marketers say that their key audience seems to prefer videos over other content types. 

At their core, screen recordings are a versatile tool that can help marketers communicate more effectively with their target audience. Given they’re budget friendly and easy to produce, it’s no surprise they’re becoming a staple of video marketing campaigns.

In 2022, 57% of video marketers created screen-recorded videos.  

Improve user experience 

Screen recordings make it easier to communicate with customers. It’s usually simpler for customers to watch a short screen recording than read loads of text and try and decipher what your product is about. 

Short screen recordings can also walk customers through their product questions or teach them how to make the most of new features. 

Personalize communication 

Screen recordings feel friendlier than formal video voiceovers. They’re a more human form of communication and can help build rapport throughout customer onboarding or during tutorials with existing users. They’re also quick to make, so it’s easy to personalize them to individuals.

They offer a peak behind the corporate curtain and can be an opportunity to show the fun side of your business.

Save resources 

Nearly all teams face budget and bandwidth restraints. Screen recordings are a budget-friendly way for your team to make on-brand assets without bothering your creative team with endless video requests.

They’re also simple to make––anyone from your sales reps to your customer service team can make on-brand assets.

How to crop and edit your screen recordings 

The secret to a slick screen recording is all in the edit. The good news is, cropping and editing your screen recordings is simple with Vimeo. Downloading a desktop app is optional––you can use Vimeo’s online screen recorder through your browser or a Chrome extension. 

How to use Vimeo to record your screen

1. First, navigate to Vimeo’s free screen recorder for Windows and Mac. 

2. Click Get started for free. Next, you’ll need to log in or create a free account. 
3. Now you can choose to start screen recording off the bat, download the app, or install the Chrome extension.

4. To start recording, click Open Vimeo Record. On the right-hand side, choose whether you want to record your screen from your camera or both.

How to crop and edit screen recordings with Vimeo Create

Vimeo Create is a free easy-to-use video editing software. It comes with a set of basic editing tools that simplify cropping your screen recordings. 

Here’s how to get started: 

1. Select or upload the screen recording you want to edit. Choose a screen recording from your Vimeo Create Library or upload a new video. 

2. Select your video orientation. You can choose portrait, landscape, or square. If you’re cropping the recording to publish on social media, consider each platform’s specs first. 

3. Use the Crop + Fit feature to crop your video. Frame your video using the Crop + Fit tool, and choose the right aspect ratio. Then pinch to drag it to reposition or adjust its scale. 

4. Preview, save, and share your cropped video. Preview your video so you’re sure it looks just right. Then save it to your desktop or upload it to Vimeo Create. 

Pro tip: Learn how to crop a video on iPhone and Android.

6 ways to use screen recordings & why you should

Screen recordings can make your content more visually engaging. Jump start your screen recordings with these six ideas. 

1. Product demos

Simple how-to videos are an effective way of showing customers your product in action. 

People often prefer to see how something works rather than trying to imagine it from a written text––96% say they have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

Tap into this preference by sharing product-focused screen recordings on your site. Customers can then see how your product works for their specific use case. 

Screen recordings are also a great way to introduce a new feature with a short teaser video instead of getting your audience to try and interpret a text. For example, social media management platform Hootsuite regularly shares screen recordings of feature demos and teasers on Instagram.

2. Troubleshooting

Instead of relying on live chat, email, or phone support, customer service reps could use screen recordings to give customers visual walkthroughs of how to solve their specific issues. Support reps will likely solve problems more quickly and customer satisfaction will increase. 

To help customers solve common queries, you could swap out your written FAQ section for visual screen recordings.

Garrett Smith, the head of local SEO for GMB Gorilla explains that screen recordings help the business provide better technical support. “We use screen recordings in service demos whenever we set up a Google Business Profile for our clients. We do the same for troubleshooting technical requests. It helps to avoid repetitive requests because clients can just review the previous recording about the same issue.”

3. Customer interviews

Marketers can use screen recordings to gather customer complaints, suggestions, and feedback. These visual interviews have the advantage of letting customers share their screens and turn on their webcams to communicate with the interviewer. 

It’s more personal than a simple survey or phone call––there’s the added benefit that marketers can interpret the customers’ body language and facial expressions.

Teams can analyze the feedback in the video clip and share key information with stakeholders.

4. Technical tutorials

Customers that have advanced product use cases may prefer personalized video tutorials to written guides. You can also create training videos for new team members!

Tomas Laurinavicius, a growth manager at SaaS.group explains that visual tutorials are usually more effective, plus they’re easy to repurpose. 

“You can write the best text-based tutorial, but it’s just not the same as seeing someone walk you step-by-step through the whole process while talking to you directly. It’s more human and easier to grasp and internalize. You can repurpose these recordings into social media posts or product documentation.”

Tomas Laurinavicius, growth manager at SaaS.group

5. Sales enablement 

Instead of generic sales decks or product intro videos, sales reps can use screen recording software to provide personalized videos of the product’s specific use cases. 

Emily Brook, a senior marketing manager at The Influencer Marketing Factory, explains that using screen recordings helps the team showcase their offering. 

“Screen recording tools are an effective way to highlight our services and share insights in a personalized way.  As an agency, we utilize Vimeo in a few particular ways including embedding gifs into cold outreach, internal slack channels, and to amplify the quality of podcast distribution clips.”

6. Content walkthrough

Using screen recordings in your content can help your content appeal to a broader audience. People may not always have time to read a 3,000-word step-by-step guide. Instead, they may prefer a snappier video summary of the post. 

For instance, marketers could use screen recordings at the start of blogs as a short visual summary of the written content. 

Instead of using a series of screenshots, why not use screen recordings to help bring product-focused content to life? 

Berenika Teter, an SEO specialist at Klaus, explains how she uses screen recordings to highlight real-life examples to her audience.

FAQs about screen recordings

1. Can you crop a screen-recorded video? 

Yes, you can crop and edit a screen-recorded video. Depending on your chosen software, you may upload the screen recording onto your browser or edit it on a desktop app. 

2. What software can I use to edit screen recordings?

Vimeo Create is a free online video editor that makes it easy to edit screen recordings. All you need to do is upload your screen recording. Then you can crop, edit, and reposition the video directly in your browser. 

Putting it all together

Screen recordings can help you create content that sparks action. They’re a way of turning complex topics or dull written explanations into fun and engaging visual content. 

From product teasers to troubleshooting videos, screen recordings help put your audience first. They’re also an effective way of maximizing your resources without relying on your design or creative team. Keep these ideas in mind to help answer your audience’s questions, provide helpful how-to resources, and nurture relationships with your prospects.

Ready to record? Try Vimeo’s free screen recording tool.

So you’ve run your virtual event, and it was (yay!) a resounding success. You’ve created your post-event summary, added your attendees’ emails to your mailing list, and you’re happy with your event results. Time to close the chapter on this event and start planning the next one, right?

Wrong.

“The potential to use virtual events to raise brand profiles and engage with prospects and customers shouldn’t end once the event is over,” says Sanina Kaur, director of SK Copy Co. “From a content marketing perspective, it’s only just the start in relation to generating increased return on investment (ROI), nurturing leads, and turning customers into brand ambassadors.”

Virtual events offer marketers an unparalleled opportunity to repurpose event content to boost brand awareness, grow their communities, and drive registrations for future events. Below, 13 marketing pros share their top tips for repurposing your virtual event for maximum impact and engagement.

Plan your repurposing strategy before your event

While your exact repurposing plans will largely depend on the content your event generates, you should still be creating a general plan of attack long before your event kicks off.

Rachel Heller, Sr. Event Content Manager at GitHub, recommends bringing your demand generation and content marketing teams together ahead of time to brainstorm ideas based on your event’s run of show.

“Sit down with your content marketing team in advance of the event and walk through the agenda with them. This will enable them to come up with the post-event content plan that they can act on quickly vs. letting the content sit and get stale,” Heller recommends. She continues:

Some virtual event platforms — like Vimeo — will let you automatically sync your event analytics to marketing platforms like Marketo, Hubspot, and Mailchimp. This makes it easier than ever to use these analytics and attendee actions to send individuals relevant and targeted follow-up content.

Creating a repurposing strategy before your event will also help you ensure you have a plan to capture all of the recordings, polls, and conversations you need during the event.

“We’ve started to reformat some of our webinars specifically to make repurposing easier,” says Joe Michalowski, Director of Content at Mosaic. “We run Q&A-style sessions now where we bring together a panel of experts. That way, we get perfect sound bites to repurpose into video clips that we share on LinkedIn and drive more awareness for our brand.”

Map the content type to the right repurposing channel

Below, you’ll find countless ways to repurpose your content — but make sure that when you’re doing so, you’re not trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Map the type of content to the marketing and sales channels you have available to you.

“All you have to do is think about the audience’s intention behind why they consume content from a particular channel, and you’ll be surprised to learn of the ways you can repurpose a video to serve that channel well,” says Laura Kluz, Director of Content at ProductLed. As an example, she shares:

“We host a ProductLed Summit twice a year that brings in thousands of registrations and features 20 to 30 videos from experts on every topic related to product-led growth. We take those videos and repurpose them in countless ways. Interview-style videos are added to our podcast lineup. Other videos are turned into blog posts. We upload all of these videos to YouTube, and are sure to link back to each other if they are related.”

Share access to session recordings

One of the very first things Nick Gaudio, Director of Content at Rattle, does after an event is get session recordings transcribed and captioned ASAP. This makes it easy to upload accessible recordings to your website or landing page, which can then be shared with attendees as well as registrants who didn’t make it to the event.

“Repost the recording on your website. This is great for anyone who might’ve missed the event and for your future visitors,” says Jen Weber, Director of Digital Marketing at Bright Funds. “You can choose to gate this page so that you can capture their information and include them in emails about any future events!”

Looking for inspiration? Jillian Wood, a B2B content and brand strategist, points out Loopio’s Loopicon 2022 on-demand portal as an example to emulate.

Within their Loopicon 2022 page, Loopio doesn’t just share recordings of their sessions — they also link out to any slides and resources discussed in each talk. Talk about a value-add.

Share video snippets on social media

Sharing short clips from your virtual event on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn might be one of the most common ways to repurpose virtual event content, and for good reason: it’s effective.

“This is a stellar way to create more interactive content, and lots of tools make creating engaging social video templates fast and easy,” says Wood. If you’re new to creating social media videos, she recommends getting started with Canva, Lumen5, or Milk Video. She continues:

“Consider using recordings to create shorter, informational videos on specific topics. Cut out insightful parts of the recordings and use titles or talking-head footage in between to tie clips together into a cohesive story. These can be how-to videos, news-style recaps, presentation teasers, or SEO-focused.”

For a successful example, Ilija Sekulov of Mailbutler says to look no further than TED, whose Instagram account shares short clips of TED Talks daily to over 6.6 million followers — sparking interest in both the longer-form videos and TED’s events themselves.

Don’t be scared to get creative with the snippets you share, either. As long as you have permission, sharing specific moments from speakers and attendees can be a great way to foster a sense of community among those who attended, and often, will prompt those featured in your video to share it with their own networks.

Feature key takeaways in an email

While video recordings are an obvious way to repurpose your virtual event content, keep in mind that not everyone consumes content the same way. While some people prefer video, others prefer to read content.

Make sure you’re serving that audience, too, by sending a recap email after your event. This can be sent to not just attendees, but all registrants, customers, and others on your mailing list. (Ideally, this will spark their interest in future events!)

“One less video-focused thing we do to repurpose webinar content is create a follow-up email full of callbacks to the event,” says Michalowski. He continues:

“Instead of ‘Thanks for registering, here’s a recording,’ we’ll reference specific comments people left in the chat, highlight great questions that came from the audience, and provide some key highlights from the event — all in an effort to create more of a community feel to our webinars.”

Joe Michalowski, Director of Content at Mosaic.

Create blog posts

Often, a single, hour-long virtual event can provide you with enough content to generate multiple SEO-focused or thought leadership-style blog posts. A longer event can provide you with content ideas for weeks, if not months.

To get the ball rolling on ideas, Heller recommends having a content marketer sit in on each session to take notes and generate blog post ideas. This works especially well for panels or discussion-based sessions.

You might be surprised at just how well this approach works: Kluz shares that in 2020, the then-VP of Product at Netflix spoke at the ProductLed Summit. Kluz and her team then packaged that talk into a popular blog post that is still paying dividends today.

“[His talk] was repurposed into a blog post and the video is packaged within the blog post as well,” Kluz says. “It’s consistently the top blog post on our site and ranks #1 for a huge number of keywords.”

Make your blog posts as rich as possible by adding in any useful slides, graphics, video snippets, and resources (with the speaker’s permission, of course).

“Share frameworks, processes, and playbooks for actionable takeaways,” recommends Tyler Wade, a content marketing manager who has previously worked with companies like Superside and Ratehub. “Use the blogs in persona-based email nurture sequences. Ideally, you have more middle-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel content you can use to fill out the gaps as a customer moves through the flow. ”

Use event audio in your podcast

Podcasts have only grown more popular over the last few years — making them an excellent avenue for repurposing your virtual event content.

“For our recent virtual events, we’ve turned recorded roundtables and panels into podcast episodes — with the guest’s consent, of course,” says Allie Decker, co-founder of Omniscient Digital.

This channel works especially well for fireside chats, panels, and other discussion-based sessions. You can also pull audio snippets from across a number of different sessions to feature on podcast episodes that center on specific topics. This lets you add a greater variety of voices and perspectives to your podcast episodes without having to schedule new interviews.

Repackage event graphics

One often-overlooked content source during virtual events is visual graphics, in the form of presentation slides, data, and event photos.

“Repackaging presentation slides and visuals from virtual events into easily digestible infographics or visual summaries is another highly effective tactic,” says Sekulov. “Sharing these visuals on social media or incorporating them into email campaigns can catch the attention of new prospects and drive interest in your upcoming events.” 

And don’t stop there. Keep an eye out for any memorable moments and think of how you can share them in creative ways later on. 

“Make memes out of anything that gets a laugh from the attendees,” says Wade. “If they feel that pain, there’s a story worth being told. They’re great for social and sales enablement.”

Take advantage of user-generated content

Hosting an interactive virtual event isn’t just great for keeping attendees engaged — it can also provide you with a mountain of user-generated questions, discussions, and statistics that you can then use in future pieces of content.

“Run polls during the webinar and use that to create unique statistics,” Aman Ghataura, Head of Growth at NuOptima. “For example, we ran a poll [during an event] and found that 76% of our attendees had never heard of keyword clustering. This became a unique statistic that we can push in point-of-view pieces.”

Allie Beazell, Marketing Chief of Staff at Census, also recommends combing through your event’s discussions for additional content ideas for future workshops, webinars, panels, and blog posts.

“Use the questions asked as jumping off points for additional follow-up events or written content,” she says. “You can post the questions one by one (or as a thread) to social networks, give the ‘too long; didn’t read’ answer, and then link to your long-form answers or the gateway to your follow-up event if it was a meaty question.”

Create courses or webinars

After NuOptima ran an event teaching 500+ attendees how to increase their organic traffic, Ghataura saw a unique opportunity to repurpose the resulting content into a free course.

“Create a gated course and promote it post-webinar to a cold audience,” Ghataura recommends. “They’ll sign up with their email, and you can promote the next webinar to them.”

Alanna Gerton, founder of LANA, points to another (wildly) successful example of this approach: HubSpot. 

“HubSpot repurposes their event content into courses, which attendees can use to learn more about specific topics that were discussed during the conference,” she says. “This not only adds value to the attendees but also allows HubSpot to extend the value of the conference content throughout the entire year.”

Create case studies and testimonials

If any of your customers present at your event, turn their stories into written case studies and video snippets to share on social media. That way, they can impact far more potential customers than just those who attended your one-time event.

Wade describes doing just this — with great results — when a customer spoke at a Superside event. “I took a case study interview, added some narrative, and created a 60-second clip to be shared on social that made the sales team jump for joy,” he says.

The result? A case study and short video that the Superside sales and marketing teams can leverage for years to come.

Get everything you need to run (and repurpose) your next event

Every virtual event you host serves as a potential gold mine of content. Make it even easier to repurpose that content by hosting your event on Vimeo: with its intuitive accessibility features, in-depth analytics, and marketing superpowers, our virtual event platform will let you extend your events’ reach long after the show is over.

Check out how Vimeo can support your next virtual event.

Most people can’t get on –– or out of TikTok for that matter –– without heading down a rabbit hole of endless entertainment. Looping videos, AKA short video clips on autoplay, make it all too easy to watch over and over again.  

That’s great news for marketers looking to boost engagement. But knowing when to publish video loops on TikTok or Instagram can be a challenge. How do you know if your content is right for a video loop? And does it even affect video views or engagement? 

In this guide, we’ll look at whether looping videos can up your view count, when it’s best to loop videos, and hear from our in-house expert, Derick Rhodes. 

What is a looping video? 

A looping video is a video that repeats itself automatically. It could be short like a funny gif or longer like a step-by-step recipe tutorial. Video loops autoplay and repeat indefinitely, until the viewer interacts with new content (or stays on an infinite loop).

You can loop videos to repeat in full or in part, depending on the platform’s requirements and your content goals. For example, you may choose to only loop the most relevant part of the video or loop a video to maximize your exposure. 

Does looping a video increase views? 

Short-form videos usually have higher watch rates than longer clips. Looping videos plays into this desire for shorter content by automatically repeating the same video file over and over.

Given their shorter format, looping a video may boost the video completion rate since viewers may want to watch the video multiple times or share it with others. This can lead to an increase in engagement metrics including likes, comments, and shares which gives off positive signals to Instagram and TikTok algorithms, potentially showing the content on the platform’s for you page. 

Each time a video loops, it counts as a new view. These views continue to compound and boost your overall view count––if one video loops three times for one user, it counts as three separate views. 

Experiments with TikToks and Instagram Reels prove that video completion is a key metric alongside views, shares, and likes that algorithms take into account. 

Derick Rhodes, VP of Industry & Influencer Relations at Vimeo, explains that in the eyes of the TikTok algorithm, the view count is more important than other metrics in determining what gets shown. 

“Looping videos might feel like a fad, but “completing the loop” has also become the metric that is the number one indicator of success on TikTok at this point — even above comments or views, which have historically been the focus.”

Derick Rhodes, Vimeo Vimeo of Industry and Influencer Relations

But, keep in mind looping a video may not guarantee increased views or engagement on social platforms. Algorithms are complex, when they choose what content to show to users, they consider multiple factors like user behavior, video quality, and relevance.

3 reasons to consider looping your videos 

Loops have the potential to increase your video view count. But potential views shouldn’t be the only reason behind your decision to loop videos. 

Capture the user’s attention

On average, people watch 17 hours of online video content per week. That may sound like a lot, but many users just scroll through an endless sea of content without truly engaging. TikTok and other social media platforms like Instagram move fast. You need to grab a user’s attention instantly, or you may risk losing them to the infinite scroll. 

Looped videos feature continuous movement which can catch a user’s eye as they scroll through their feed, making the video stand out from regular videos or static images. 

Looping videos can also pique users’ curiosity. When a video loops, viewers may be intrigued to watch it again to see if they missed something or to understand the context better. 

Many social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have an autoplay feature where videos start playing while users scroll through their feeds. Looped video clips take advantage of this feature as they automatically restart and play again, boosting the chance of catching a user’s eye.

Tell a story 

Looping a video can help you tell a story in a short and compelling manner. By repeating a key scene or action it can reinforce the narrative and make it more memorable for viewers. 

If you’re sharing humorous content, looping videos can enhance the comedic timing by repeating a funny action or gesture, making the video more entertaining for viewers. 

Looping also works well for music-related content like looping dance routines, music covers, and lip-syncing content. Since 93% of TikTokers use the platform with sound on, and 88% say sound is “essential” on the platform, looping sounds are another way of catching viewers’ attention and getting them to rewatch before scrolling further. 

Tutorials also work well for a loop format. If a viewer misses the first step they can keep rewatching the looped video to see the full version. 

Stick to platform-specific content requirements 

If you want to share a video that’s shorter than the maximum playtime on a specific social media platform you could loop it to fill up the time and video exposure. For example, Instagram has a maximum video length of 15 seconds for Stories and 60 seconds for the feed. If your video was only 7 seconds long, you could loop it twice to fill the 15-second limit for a Story. 

On TikTok, videos can be anywhere from five seconds to ten minutes long. TikTok recommends videos should always be longer than 10 seconds to engage with users. So if your animated gif is only five seconds, you could loop it twice or more to increase your chance of engaging users. 

When looping or video editing, Rhodes suggests creating platform-specific content  instead of modifying existing content for different formats. 

“A lot of us fall into the trap of making one hero asset and then creating cutdowns for different platforms/formats, but the way that content is evolving, it’s important for creators to consider making specialized content for each platform first.” 

He adds that creating platform-native content can be an effective way to improve engagement. “Calm, the meditation app, does a nice job of this, creating these Instagram-native loops for viewers to take a moment and breathe, rather than trying to adapt a more traditional :30 ad to work on the same platform.”

Frequently asked questions about looping videos

1) What are the benefits of looping videos?

Looping videos on social media offer several benefits to marketers, including: 

• Longer viewing time. Looping videos can encourage viewers to watch the video for longer as they play automatically without requiring users to manually replay the video. This can result in higher view counts and watch times which sends positive signals to algorithms that there’s higher interest in the content. 
• Save time. Looping videos are usually shorter which can make it easier for users to match social media limitations on file size or length. 
• Stronger message delivery. Looping videos are helpful for conveying messages or telling stories that benefit from repetition or reinforcement. This could include product demos, tutorials, or other educational content. 

2) What is the difference between a loop and a repeat?

A video loop and a repeat sound similar but are two different concepts in video marketing. A video loop is a video clip that plays continuously in an infinite loop without interruption. When the clip reaches its end, it automatically restarts from the beginning creating a continuous playback loop. 

A repeat usually refers to a feature that lets a user replay a video from the beginning after it reaches the end. Viewers may need to tap an onscreen button to initiate the replay. There may be a short pause or gap between video playbacks. 

3) Does looping a video increase views?

Looping a video can potentially increase views on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Looping videos can grab the viewer’s attention and encourage them to watch multiple times which encourages algorithms to show the content to other users. 

Putting it all together

Video loops can create captivating visual experiences. They’re a simple way to keep your audience hooked, and potentially boost your content’s exposure, views, and overall engagement. 

Keep in mind that looping videos doesn’t guarantee success on social media. Instead, prioritize creating relevant platform-specific video content that resonates with your audience first — that’s the surefire way to their hearts (and screens).

Learn more marketing insights from Vimeo.

Embedding videos on your site has tons of advantages. It lets you fully control what visitors experience and increases conversion rates. And if you can get your embedded videos to appear in Google’s organic search results, it will quickly become your most cost-effective sales channel. There’s just one big hurdle — YouTube.

YouTube is the world’s biggest video hosting platform, most of the videos in Google’s search results are from YouTube, and it’s why many people equate video SEO with optimizing videos for it. But what if I told you your site could outrank YouTube with your embedded videos? It can, and this video SEO guide will show you how step-by-step.

In the competitive sphere of video SEO, providing the right set of data to engines is critical in helping people find and connect with the videos you work so hard to create. 

Let’s go behind the oft-opaque curtains of the SEO world, so more eyes can happily stumble upon your next video. 

Choose an optimized video hosting platform

This may come as a surprise, but if you plan to embed videos on your site and want the videos on your pages to appear in search results, then you probably shouldn’t host them on YouTube. 

As a video hosting platform, YouTube is designed to draw viewers to YouTube. 

Videos set to Public on YouTube will almost always outrank embedded videos on your site, and Unlisted YouTube videos embedded on your site will never rank because they block Google from indexing them.

Similar indexing and ranking issues exist with other video hosting platforms, but not with Vimeo. That’s because Vimeo is an early adopter of a new tag called indexifembedded that makes it possible for Unlisted videos using iframe embeds on sites to rank in Google Search. 

Did you know? Vimeo’s search engine optimizations for embedded videos are so effective that Google published a case study about them!

Where you upload and host your videos matters, and Vimeo provides your embeds with the best opportunity for visibility in Google Search. 

Read more about video uploading and hosting

Add descriptive text to the video and page

Videos need relevant titles, descriptions, and more because — even though search algorithms grow more and more impressive by the day — video content is still difficult for search engines to comprehend.

Write a concise and focused title

An optimized video title should briefly describe the video content and include the relevant keywords a person might use when searching for the video. Here are several examples of optimized video titles.

• Instructional: “How to make a ceramic mug at home”
• Interview: “Interview with Hugo Gameiro, founder of Masto Host”
• Movie trailer: “Everything Everywhere All at Once movie trailer”
• News: “Cat rescued with drone after getting stuck on pole”
• Presentation: “SXSW 2022 keynote presented by Beck”

Create a keyword-rich description

After the title, the next most important text for search engines is the video description. A video description should be a 1-2 paragraph synopsis and include topics, people, places, and things mentioned in the video. It can also repeat words used in the title if it’s relevant for the description.

Consider adding video chapters

Video chapters allow viewers to jump to different sections of a video, and they provide more ways people can find your video in search engines. Adding chapters is also super easy if you host your videos with Vimeo.

Adding chapters can also enhance the video’s appearance in search results because Google Search may display chapters as Key Moments. 

Alex Cherny, Sr. Director of Product at Vimeo said this: 

“One of Vimeo’s goals is to make video as powerful as possible, and that extends to helping anyone achieve reach and exposure without having to be an engineer or SEO pro.

Unlocking the knowledge within video content is part of this focus and Key Moments makes this possible right from a customer’s search results page, enhancing the value of their videos.” 

Alex Cherny, Sr. Director of Product at Vimeo

Include a video transcript

Video transcripts provide additional context for videos to search engines. They’re also important for accessibility because they’re used for closed captioning. All paid Vimeo accounts have AI-generated auto-captions for every video they upload. Transcripts can also be created by professional transcription services like Rev and added to the video using Vimeo.

When a video is embedded on a page, consider including the transcript on the page. And if you want the transcript hidden by default, consider using the Details disclosure element. It’s a search engine-friendly way to hide and show text on the page. 

Make video embeds prominent

Google Search has a strong preference for single videos prominently displayed on a page and gives them the best visibility in its search results.

Main page vs. supplementary content

When Google discovers a video, it analyzes its relationship to the page and determines if the video is the main content or supplementary content. If a video is embedded on a page within a lot of text, like an article, Google usually determines that the video is supplementary, significantly reducing the chance it will appear in its search results. 

However, if Google determines the video is the main content, there’s a high probability Google will index it and display it in its results.

How to make videos prominent

For a video to be considered the main content of a page, it must appear above the fold in the browser window (the area before you scroll) and fill up at least a third of the page width. 

The ideal page will be a video playback page containing only the video, title, description, and transcript (if one exists) as its main content.

Videos intentionally embedded in articles as supplementary content can still be treated as the main content of a page if they are also embedded on a separate video playback page. 

And in some cases, Google will link to the article instead of the playback page when it displays the video in its search results.

Include VideoObject Schema structured data

The content on web pages is unstructured, making it difficult for search engines to understand the content fully. To solve this problem, Google created a vocabulary called Schema that enables sites to communicate the structure and meaning of page content to search engine bots.

When Schema is added to web pages, it’s invisible to people viewing the page, but search engine crawlers, such as Googlebot, can see it. Google uses structured data to improve and enhance how different page content is displayed in its search results. Videos can benefit from using Schema by using the VideoObject type.

How to add Schema to videos

Schema structured data is complex, and if one thing is incorrect, Google Search will ignore it completely. Schema can be coded by an experienced web developer or built with a tool, but the most foolproof way to add it to videos is to automate it with software.

Use Vimeo embeds

Vimeo is one of the few video hosting platforms that automatically generates and inserts VideoObject Schema with its embeds. When you add Vimeo’s video embed code to a web page, the Schema is dynamically included, and Google’s crawler can read and analyze it. 

Adding Schema in a CMS

If Vimeo’s embed code is pasted into a Custom HTML block in WordPress, Vimeo will automatically insert the Schema when the page is loaded in a browser. Alternatively, plugins, such as Yoast Video SEO and Schema Markup Plugin, will automatically generate video Schema for any videos added using WordPress’ Video block.

Make your videos discoverable

Do you ever publish great content or upload an awesome video only for it to get buried or worse, not noticed at all? SEO for videos follow a similar rulebook as written content. For SEO to really work well with videos, search engines must first find the pages that have your videos embedded.

Here are two of the best methods for discovery: 

Method 1: Use an RSS feed or XML sitemap

RSS feeds and XML sitemaps are files that list the pages of your site, and adding an RSS feed or XML sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools will notify them when a new page is added. Most content management systems like WordPress create RSS feeds out of the box. And if you prefer to use an XML sitemap, plugins like Yoast SEO will generate them automatically.

Additionally, if you only want to share details about embedded videos, a video XML sitemap or mRSS video feed can be used.

Method 2: Share on social media

Google Search monitors major social networks closely, and sharing links in posts helps Google discover those pages. Even better, when those posts experience high engagement, they can be a strong signal for Google to give it better visibility in its search results and on Google Discover.

P.S.) Don’t forget to check that your content on social has a compelling thumbnail image. These can go a long way at grabbing someone’s attention span on social media. 

Putting it all together

Now you know — getting your embedded videos to appear in search results isn’t impossible. It just requires effort beyond simply uploading your video. 

To recap, all it takes to increase visibility to videos on your site is: 

1. Choose the right video hosting platform for your needs 
2. Add descriptive text so algorithms know what your video is all about — your title, description, and chapters all matter! 
3. Make your video embeds prominent, aka place a hero video above the fold and make sure it takes up significant width on the page 
4. Include Schema (don’t worry, there are tons of plug-ins and free generators available online for free!) 
5. Use an RSS feed or social sharing to make your videos more discoverable

These five simple ingredients create a proven, winning recipe for organic traffic and make it easier for both search engines and potential customers to find your videos. 

Pssst…Did you know that you can embed Vimeo’s ad-free, HDR, 4k video player pretty much anywhere? Learn more about Vimeo’s video player. 

Making branded content that tells a story and sells a product requires a complicated dance between passion and practicality. For skilled (and Staff Picked!) filmmakers like Mark Molloy, the real magic comes when creative expression is allowed to grow within the parameters of a brief. 

Mark has established himself as a master of branded storytelling with his three-part series for Apple, known as The Underdogs. The series has garnered more than 80 million views, and Mark’s career to date has earned him numerous accolades including Cannes Grand Prix, multiple Cannes Lions, AICP awards, and many others.

At this year’s SXSW, Derick Rhodes, VP Marketplaces at Vimeo, had a chance to sit down with Mark to break down the elements of branded storytelling and screen a few of his greatest hits. The session began with a screening of Mark’s latest installment of The Underdogs, and Best of the Year winner, “Escape From the Office,” which you can watch below.

Read on for highlights from the full chat. Interview answers have been edited for brevity.

On writing great characters:

Mark: “Everything starts with writing. The key concept behind the original story, four office workers droning away on a keynote presentation, wasn’t exactly inspiring. But building great characters unlocked the story. We spent a lot of time thinking about who these people were, how they contrast and compliment each other, and how we could use them to make it entertaining and funny.

We wanted to present the problem and each character’s flaw to make them more relatable. That’s where the authenticity comes in. I try to make everything imperfect and celebrate that, because that’s what makes characters lovable. That’s why you love it. 

The key is to not treat these films as typical commercials. I like going deep into each character’s backstory. The more details, the better. Those individual backstories inform the characters right from the start including: production, design, wardrobe. This makes it easier for the audience to understand who each character is onscreen. So, I create these characters for the actors to come and inhabit, and you can feel that when you watch it. I think when you start to watch the three films, you really start to feel the ongoing effect.”

On breaking the rules:

Mark: “My tip would be to speak to people like people. Keep it as honest as possible. So much of the advertising world is manicured. You go through that advertising process where the edges of characters and stories are so sanded back. My advice is to push back on that process and don’t be afraid to show the world as it is. 

For example, in the first film I ever did with Apple, I had a guy lick the iPad. I had this kid lick the iPad and then we’re on set and everyone’s like, “What the hell’s he doing?” I’m always telling them, “Oh, can we smash this? Can we think? Can I use it as a coaster?” Just make it real. Come back to finding the truth in the work, in the stories we tell. That’s what engages people and makes stories and characters endearing.”

On integrating the product:

Mark: “How you see the product in these films is very considered. It all comes back to the writing. I try to make the product a key ingredient in each scene. I write around the product, build scenes around the product. We need the product to take us from here to there. When you weave the product into a film like that, then it’s not gratuitous — it’s part of the story you’re telling.”

On taking risks:

Mark: “Apple’s ‘The Surprise‘ was a brave ad: basically telling parents it’s okay to use an iPad to quiet your kids. But there is a truth there. Apple is brave. Most clients would not take those risks. There’s always got to be light and shade. Unfortunately, advertising doesn’t like the shade as much. They like the light. But you’ve got to have a bit of the darkness for the light to seep through.

You have to take risks to make good entertainment and to create a connection to your brand. I think that’s the biggest thing: you have to be prepared to take some risks, but also nurture good relationships with the people you’re taking risks with, too. Advertising often gets protected or sheltered from that work. But if you peel back some layers, you can speak to people like people.”

Check out more Best of Year Staff Picks Award Winners

The best marketing tools save you money, time, and make your job easier, but here’s the kicker — finding them is never easy.

Testing out tools to see how well they’ll fit in your workflow is a hero’s quest. It takes time, effort, and cold sales emails galore. The result? You try a bucketload of free tools but rarely ever find the champions.

Good news though: we’ve put together this list of 41 free online marketing tools to pull you out of this conundrum. Here, you’ll find tried-and-true tools that I’ve either personally used (and recommend) or real marketers use and swear by. 

Be sure to bookmark this piece so you can revisit it anytime you need a shortlist of tools, from AI-powered writing hacks to time-savers and project management platforms. 

Free CRM software

1. EngageBay

EngageBay is great for solo and small business marketers for tracking and managing sales deals in one platform. It offers an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface and filters to segment contacts.

2. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is part of Zoho’s suite of products, giving you 5,000 records for free with the option to remove untouched records from your leads, freeing up space in the freemium version. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Freshsales CRM. It gives you artificial intelligence-based features to prospect, qualify leads, and close deals. 

Video makers

3. Vimeo Create

Vimeo Create is an easy-to-use tool to whip together high-quality, professional-looking videos using templates (or start with a blank canvas if you prefer).

Edit the video you make to add titles and elements to it and use the aspect ratio option to resize videos within seconds. You can also connect your account with platforms like Facebook and Constant Contact to share the video content you create directly from Vimeo Create.

4. iMovie

iMovie remains a staple for video making, especially for beginners. This free video maker for Apple devices helps you create simple videos on the go. Start from scratch or get help from the software’s Storyboards or premade templates. 

Paid option to consider when ready: 

Vimeo Create’s premium plan for advanced features like adding custom CTAs and end cards to your videos and accessing their engagement analytics. 

Social media tools

5. Buffer

The free Buffer plan helps you manage three social channels, letting you plan and schedule ten posts for each channel (such a time saver!). 

6. Social Mentions

Social Mentions monitors your brand mentions and hashtags across social media, showing you how often and in what tone your target audience is talking about you or using your custom hashtag(s). 

7. Hypefury

Hypefury is a Twitter-specific scheduler — great for marketers doubling down on this platform. You can schedule not only tweets but also Twitter threads using this tool. 

8. Sparktoro

Sparktoro is an audience research tool. Its free tools give you a score of Twitter users’ real influence, help analyze their followers, and show what other marketers are talking about and sharing on Twitter.    

Paid option to consider when ready:

Hootsuite for planning, scheduling, analyzing — even reporting on your social content using one tool. 

Writing and editing tools 

9. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor improves your writing’s readability score. To do so, it highlights long, difficult-to-read sentences as well as those that use passive voice.

10. Grammarly

Grammarly freemium catches typos and checks your grammar.

11. ​SpeechTexter 

SpeechTexter allows you to speak into the tool so it can type out your content — great for days when you don’t feel like or can’t (God forbid) type. 

12. ChatGPT

ChatGPT helps with brainstorming ideas, getting first drafts out, writing meeting itineraries, and more. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Writer for improving content readability, grammar, and repurposing while maintaining your brand voice and editorial standard. 

Brainstorming and collaboration

13. Miro

Use Miro’s free plan to create three editable mind mapping and brainstorming boards (or pick from their pool of brainstorming templates).

14. Figma

Figma is a free team collaboration tool for prototyping and collaborating on designs. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Twist for organized async team collaboration including organized file sharing.

Content marketing tools  

15. Coschedule headline analyzer

Headline Analyzer scores your headline titles for SEO and click worthiness, helping create engagement-driving headlines. 

16. Blog Topic Generator

Enter five words related to your niche or blog theme and HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator will give you a week’s load of ideas to blog about. 

17.  Content Idea Generator

Portent’s Idea Generator is perfect for sparking ideas for content writing. Enter a keyword and the tool will give a fistful of fun suggestions that you can then improvise on.  

18. PrimoStats

PrimoStats gives you original stats to add to your content without wasting time down in the research rabbit hole. The free plan gives you access to 1,200 stats.    

19. Yoast

Yoast is a free WordPress plugin that helps optimize your content for SEO by evaluating its keyword usage and readability. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

GatherContent. It’s a content operations platform that lets you manage your entire content marketing — create templates, briefs, style guides, and content workflow complete with an editorial calendar.

Freelancer management tools

20. Toggl Hire

Toggl Hire lets you assess freelancers’ skills before hiring them by creating assessments for their skills. 

21. Google Meet

Use Google Meet to hop on free calls with freelancers to explain your brand and content requirements.

Paid option to consider when ready:

Content Harmony to generate briefs for freelancers. 

Invoicing tools

22. Zoho invoice

Zoho Invoice lets you create free invoices.

23. Deel

Deel is a secure payment platform for hiring and paying global teams in 90 countries (in the free plan). 

Paid option to consider when ready: 

Deel premium to automate invoicing, pay contractors in 150+ countries, and more. 

Graphics and design tools

24. Canva

Canva is a super simple and easy tool for creating blog and social media graphics within minutes. Use their templates to get started or start from scratch if you’ve a knack for designing.

25. Venngage

Venngage is another intuitive DIY design tool that lets you create five free beautiful visuals including presentations, infographics, reports, charts, graphs, and printable. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Visme. Use it to create animated visuals including videos and access your visual content’s performance analytics. 

Productivity tools

26. Otter.ai

Otter’s basic, free plan transcribes 30-min long videos, webinars, and podcasts so you don’t have to do it all manually. You can transcribe 300 minutes per month and upload up to three audio and video files. 

27. Vimeo screen recorder

Vimeo’s free screen recorder is a Chrome extension for recording unlimited — up to two hours long — video messages (record with or without your webcam footage). It’s perfect for making videos for internal team comms, briefing and sharing feedback with freelancers, and creating product explainer videos. 

28. Pocket

Pocket lets you save content (videos, podcasts, and blog posts) for reading them later. You can also add tags to the content to reference them easily and get the audio player to read written content for you. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Evernote for taking and organizing notes, setting reminders, and sharing them with your team. 

Free time-saving tools

29. Zapier

Zapier helps you connect different apps and automate steps between them using zaps. The free plan lets you create 100 one-step zaps per month.

30. Waldo

Waldo is a free Chrome extension that speeds up your research. It offers an ad-free Google search experience; pulling out content from ranking pieces for easy skimming, and offering filters to let you find whatever you’re looking for easily and quickly. 

31. WayBack Machine

WayBack Machine is another Chrome extension that works by giving you website archives. Use it to source examples for the content you create and review how competitors and/or inspiring businesses planned different campaigns in the past.  

Paid option to consider when ready: 

Zapier Premium for creating multi-step zaps. 

Project management tools

32. Trello

Trello is an uber easy-to-use project management tool, giving you ten free Kanban boards to manage your work in as many columns as needed.

33. Notion

Notion is a fully customizable project management tool. You can use it to create Kanban boards, tables, documents, or whatever you want. It also comes with Notion AI that summarizes content, creates tables from linked content, and more.

34. ClickUp

ClickUp is another intuitive and customizable tool. Use it to create documents, get different views of your project pipeline, and a lot more. If getting started feels overwhelming, simply pull out one of their templates and you’re good to go. 

Paid option to consider when ready:

Asana. It’s great for task, project, and work management and comes with tons of integrations. 

Free SEO tools

35. Google Trends

Google Trends shows you how popular a keyword or phrase is across defined time brackets.

36. Keyword Rank Checker

Ahref’s Keyword Rank Checker shows you where a keyword you search for is ranking in the search engine results pages.

37. Website Authority Checker

Another free tools by Ahrefs, Website Authority Checker show you a target site’s domain authority (DA).

38. AnswerThePublic

AnswerThePublic enlists all the questions people are asking related to a keyword.

39. Keyword Tool

Free Keyword Research Tool by Ryan Robinson gives you keywords for terms you search for, showing you their search volume and ranking difficulty. 

Paid options to consider when ready:

Semrush or Ahrefs for a full suite of keyword research tools and link building and Clearscope for optimizing content to rank better.  

Analytics tools 

40. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free tool to track your website traffic and engagement behavior (how long they’re spending on a page, for example).

41.  Hotjar

Hotjar’s free plan gives you unlimited heatmaps to understand how your site visitors are interacting with your website — the CTAs they’re clicking, and where they’re getting stuck.  

Paid option to consider when ready:

Chartbeat for tracking content engagement analytics in real-time.

More free resources  

Here’s hoping you’ve found useful software to try from this list of free marketing tools. And if you’re looking to learn more about video marketing, in particular, we’ve got tons of resources for you:

• The art of video storytelling and why it matters
• Proven tips for social media video marketing
• How to make a video podcast

Many SaaS (software as a service) companies focus on short-term wins. Heck, we’ve been trained to do everything in the short-term: more subscribers, faster sales, and for some companies…sheer volume! Volume was king (yes, just like content). 

But the times are changing. SaaS companies face shrinking budgets and a turbulent climate where every effort counts. Translation: B2B marketers are doing more with less. Volume plays do not a sustainable, intent-driven marketing strategy make.

There’s a better approach to SaaS content marketing. In this guide, we’ll discuss what’s tired in content marketing and hear from real marketers who’ve tested and proven new channels and tactics that your brand can take and run with.

What’s tired in SaaS content marketing

Let’s examine a few exhausted content marketing that we don’t recommend.

Cold outbound email with no supporting content 

For the uninitiated, a cold pitch is typically sent as an outreach email with no supporting content or value proposition. The prospect doesn’t know why or how to respond and hasn’t been given any reason to care about your product or service.

This approach may have worked when folks were more receptive to sales pitches and were always primed to buy, but it doesn’t work anymore. Today, prospects are inundated with these types of emails, and most ignore them because they don’t provide any real value or insight into what your product can do for them.

Phil Strazzulla, the founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website dedicated to helping HR teams find and buy the right SaaS platforms, agrees:

“The least effective method in 2023 will be cold outbound email with no support. Everyone gets too many emails from people we don’t know due to tools like Outreach, Apollo, and SalesLoft, making it so easy to automate and scale outbound email campaigns.“

He added, “Marketing teams need to pair this approach with brand advertisements focused on the same target accounts, calling efforts, and offline mail campaigns where your budget supports it.”

Generic content that doesn’t address a specific audience 

It’s tempting to think any content will work across your entire audience, but that’s not the case. Your audience has different needs, so you must tailor your content to meet or even challenge them.

B2B audiences want information on how they can use your product or service to solve their problems. They want proof that it works, but they also want tips on how to use it more effectively.

A classic example of this is HubSpot. The HubSpot blog features articles that directly solve common problems of their target audience, who are digital marketers, salespeople, and customer service professionals. 

Moreover, HubSpot includes tips and best practices about how to solve these issues using the HubSpot product itself, making this content valuable for prospects and customers alike (a.k.a. customer marketing).

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Long-form content for the sake of it

Long-form content isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but it doesn’t always stand out in the eyes of busy prospects and casual subscribers. Unfortunately, many B2B brands produce similar guides, so gated offers and nurture sequences don’t pack the same punch they once did.

The same goes for longer pieces of content like white papers or research reports. These can also be challenging reads as they can be highly technical—and only interesting to a select few prospects. Even lengthy case studies, while valuable social proof, can lose prospect’s limited attention. Who wants to be just another open tab on a marketer’s crowded desktop?

We’ve seen content like videos and podcasts replace these long-form pieces; your audience doesn’t have to spend as much time reading. After all, video storytelling is a more appealing way to nurture prospects.

If you’ve already invested in long-form written content, consider repackaging the copy into short videos for quick consumption and distribution.

For example, content marketing agency Omniscient Digital includes short video case studies as a complement to their regular written case study. This is a great way to showcase results without requiring folks to read the entire article if they prefer video (which most of us do).

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Blindly emulating competitors 

It happens all the time: a company creates a blog and starts copying its competitors’ posts one by one. It’s a common SEO conten tplay and is especially common with companies that sell software to other businesses because those companies often look at other SaaS companies as competitors even though they’re different markets and niches.

Yash Chavan, founder of SaaS-based influencer marketing platform Saral agrees that copying other companies and marketing blogs is not a good idea. Chavan suggests:

The best channels for SaaS content marketing 

Ultimately, the best channels for reaching your customers will vary depending on your audience’s interests and pain points, but here are four powerful channels for SaaS content marketing—yes, including video!

1. SEO and evergreen content

Search-friendly, evergreen content is any content that remains relevant over time. It’s also known as timeless content because it doesn’t become outdated or irrelevant as quickly as other types of content.

Some examples of evergreen content include:

• Product content
• How-to guides
• Industry best practices
• Testimonial and customer success stories

To make your evergreen content search-friendly, you have to increase its visibility across search engines like Google and YouTube. This includes building backlinks (links from other sites), writing compelling copy, and including commonly-search phrases in your articles’ title and body to enhance it’s relevance on search engines.

2. Email 

Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of content marketing—and still one of the most effective. As we discussed above, email marketing tactics have changed over the years (bye, bye cold pitches), but the medium remains invaluable for SaaS marketers.

As you create relevant content for every aspect of your customer lifecycle — from nurturing blog readers to onboarding and educating new users with video to reminding them about upcoming renewal dates to offering special upgrade discounts — email enables you to send it out through tailored campaigns.

Email also provides a unique one-on-one experience between you and your prospects or customers…something SEO and social media lacks.

The below example from Zoom showcases how SaaS brands can leverage email content for upgrades and renewals.

Source

3. Events (IRL and virtual)

There are many different types of events that can be used as a channel for content marketing.

In-person events like networking events, conferences, and seminars, while not as popular during the pandemic, are back with a vengeance as folks are hungry for community and live celebrations. 

But virtual events are still popular. In fact, we found that 72% of marketers expect to attend just as many, if not more, online events even as in-person events come back into play. Virtual events like webinars, roundtables, or seminars allow you to interact with people regardless of their location (or your event budget). 

Events help you build and foster relationships with your prospects and customers, gain new insights into your market, validate new product or brand ideas, and network with potential partners, influencers, and industry experts.

Download our Stress-Free Virtual Event Checklist

4. Social media

Social media is both a content marketing medium and distribution channel, making it uber valuable for SaaS marketers. There are many different ways to use social media for content marketing, but here are some tips that can help you get started:

• Use your company’s Facebook page or Twitter account to share valuable information with your target audience. People who follow your brand on social media are opting to trust you and may purchase from your company in the future.
• Post content (videos!) of people using your product or service. Real user-generated content can help followers feel connected to the brand and want to learn more about it.
• Engage with people who comment on posts or ask questions on social media sites. You can even respond by direct message to build more intentional relationships with prospects.
• Don’t forget about influencers and industry leaders! Reach out to them through social media and ask them if they would be willing to share their knowledge with others by writing blog posts, creating videos, or speaking at events.

SaaS content marketing examples to learn from 

HubSpot

Hubspot has been producing blog posts since 2014, and it has become one of the best content marketing success stories. 

The company uses its blog posts to attract new leads and provide value for existing customers. Its Marketing blog covers topics like marketing automation, social media marketing, blogging. 

But what makes HubSpot stand out is its use of multiple formats. 

For example, HubSpot uses a mixture of HubSpot ultimate guides, podcasts, and videos within blog posts to give its audience an option. 

HubSpot Academy is another critical component of HubSpot’s content strategy. This online academy offers quick courses on everything from basic marketing skills like finding leads through social media or creating an email drip campaign, all the way up to advanced certifications like Certified Inbound Marketer certification.

HubSpot is big on video marketing and features supporting videos within blog posts, educational videos on YouTube, and Facebook Live events.

Source

Why it works: 

• A focus on helping customers solve real problems
• A variety of different types of content that appeals to different audiences and interests
• An authentic voice that doesn’t try too hard to be funny or clever

Microsoft 

With its Office 365 blog, Microsoft has created a hub of valuable content that helps customers understand their product range and use cases and provides them with tips on how they can get the most out of their subscriptions.

Microsoft has also done a fantastic job with its Microsoft 365 University website. They have created an online community for students and teachers where they can learn about Microsoft 365 products and services.

They also have an online course, “Create Your First App,” where you can learn how to build apps using Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps Services.

Source

Why it works: 

Microsoft focused on creating an eBook or video series that could live for 18 months, allowing customers to browse the information at their leisure. This strategy eliminates the pressure to create new content all the time and allows Microsoft to focus on addressing customer needs.

Adobe

Adobe launched CMO.com, a magazine/publication that delivers value to readers through content spanning the most critical topics to digital leaders. It encompasses articles from thought leaders in the field and more viewpoints from Adobe on product, technology, and industry trends.

Source

It’s an excellent example of how SaaS companies can use content marketing to drive and nurture customer relationships, leading to more sales.

Why it works 

It works because CMO’s content is product-agnostic, meaning they don’t focus on their company’s products or services. The content concentrates solely on the trends, challenges, and opportunities to avoid digital disruption.

SARAL 

SARAL is an influencer marketing platform that connects brands and influencers. Their blog provides valuable information on the nuances of influencer marketing, not just to promote the services but also to help its target audience (marketers) run successful campaigns.

The company’s founder doesn’t just post blog posts – he promotes two ideas across 50 social channels weekly – thus reaching a broader audience.

Why it works

Yash Chavan, Saral’s founder, says that shifting his focus from publishing two blogs per week to promoting two ideas across 50 social channels significantly impacted his content marketing strategy.

Chavan ran an experiment that showed his site traffic dropped by 35% when he stopped distributing content for one month. He also advises new SaaS founders and marketers to create high-value content instead of lots of low-value content and share it as much as possible.

Video content marketing for B2B SaaS 

Video content marketing is a powerful tool for B2B and B2C companies. That said, the content you create might have different goals for B2B and B2C (i.e., educate vs. entertain). 

B2B brands use video marketing primarily for brand awareness, while B2C brands use videos for advertising. 

In fact, HubSpot Blog Research found that 15% of B2B marketers consider establishing thought leadership a primary goal of their video marketing strategy compared to only 9% of B2C marketers.

Here are some more ways that B2B SaaS companies use video content more than B2C companies:

• Explainer videos
• Product demos
• Live streaming events
• Product videos
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Customer testimonials and stories

If you have a B2C company, your social media strategy will also differ from a B2B SaaS company. The former relies more on TikTok and Instagram, while the latter likely uses Twitter and LinkedIn more often. 

This is because these channels are more suited for their audience: B2C brands want to engage with customers directly, whereas B2B SaaS companies want to reach industry professionals who have longer sales cycles and more decision-makers.

Content strategy tips for SaaS companies 

Let’s discuss some content strategy tips for SaaS marketers in 2023.

Learn all about your audience 

Before creating content, you need to understand who you’re talking to and what they want from you. To do this, conduct market research and speak with potential customers or users of your product or service. Find out what type of information they need and how they prefer consuming it, whether via video, audio, or text.

Then create personas that reflect your target audience’s interests and needs and use those personas to guide how you create, design, and format your content. 

Running feedback surveys is another way to learn about your audience. Feedback surveys are useful because they allow you to gather the thoughts and opinions of real users to shape future products and services.

Pro tip: Look at Google Trends for keywords in your industry and this information to inform which topics you’ll cover in blog posts or social media updates.

Update what you already have 

For SaaS companies, updating your content is a great way to keep high-value content relevant and discoverable. 

As you publish written and video content, keep track of when it goes live and monitor its traffic and impact. Every quarter, review your library to identify drops in engagement, and prioritize those assets for updates. Similarly, as your product grows and changes, make sure your content reflects the correct product features and imagery.

You can also update existing content by adding new data and resources. This will make it more relevant to users who may have been searching for similar information in the past but didn’t find what they were looking for on your site.

Prioritize distribution 

If you don’t have a plan to distribute your content, it will never be seen by the people who need it most. It’s essential to identify where your target audience hangs out online — whether that’s blogs, social media networks, or discussion groups — then develop strategies for reaching them there. 

Don’t shy away from repackaging content to support distribution. For example, if you write a search-friendly blog post about the benefits of using your product, use the exact text to make a video to expand your reach on YouTube or Vimeo.

Know which metrics matter to you 

It’s important to know which metrics matter to you and how to measure them.

Suppose your goal is to build brand awareness, provide value to your audience and increase customer retention. Content marketing is also a great way to achieve those goals — especially if you follow a strategic approach and create high-quality content that will resonate with your target audience.

If your goal is to drive leads, your content marketing should hone in on bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content that naturally features product information and tees up your conversion points (e.g., demo requests or free trial sign-ups). You can also complement your content strategy with paid ads to drive additional traffic to these assets and help drive qualified leads.

Produce unique, data-driven content 

Data-driven content is a powerful way to share insights with your audience. It’s also a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

SaaS companies have an edge on this front because they have access to a wealth of information about its customers and prospects. By leveraging that data, you can create content that speaks directly to them and helps them solve their problems.

SaaS marketer and founder of AdEspresso Massimo Chieruzzi believes that artificial intelligence-based writing tools will soon commoditize content production. And often, the output quality of these tools will be better than that of most copywriters. The only way to beat the AI is to create unique content.

Massimo shares that at AdEspresso, they initially invested in writing content analyzing the billions of dollars of Facebook Ads managed through the platform. This strategy paid off by helping build the brand, creating trust and returning visitors, and attracting many backlinks.

Wrapping up

2023 will be all about providing your prospects and customers with unique and relevant content in multiple formats—including, and especially, video. SaaS customers are busy and need content with a shelf-life and a unique POV.

Videos represent your brand and help you stand out from competitors, but remember — if you provide audience-focused, personalized content that provides someone with real value, you’ll crush content marketing.

See how video can elevate your B2B brand’s content marketing strategy.