By now, it’s no surprise that video is a popular marketing tool for brands. The numbers are staggering. A whopping 86% of businesses use video content, and 93% of marketers who use video say that it's an important part of their strategy. With over 2 billion YouTube users it’s no secret why!  

So yes, video is popular. But, just because brands use it and people watch it, doesn’t make all video effective. Video for the sake of video won’t cut it, which is why the savviest of marketers have set their sights on what’s called “branded video.” 

Not many people leave home today without their mobile phone. Who are we kidding? Not many people leave the room without their phone! So we know being able to access your content and data on-the-go is critical for today’s marketers. That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of our new Widen Collective^® mobile app. 

Anyone who has worked in digital marketing knows that marketing and technology go hand in hand. Successful marketing strategies rely on a variety of tools to evaluate data, connect with audiences, and create engaging content. With thousands of martech tools to choose from, the key is determining the right ones for your team. 

Imagine that your marketing team has the ideal technology stack. The customer experience is seamless across every device and channel. Your analytics give you insight into every touchpoint of the customer journey. All your software is integrated, redundancies are eliminated, disconnects are connected, and bottlenecks are gone. It’s a nice dream, right?

With the right marketing technology team, you can bring a lot of that dream to life. Probably even more of it than you think. Assembling an effective group of martech heroes takes some work, but you can do it. Just like you would map out the ideal future state of your marketing technology (martech) stack, you can map out the people and team structure you need.

Video has proven to be one the best tools — if not the best — for communication and promotion. Its ability to convey and elicit emotions is without equal. So it’s not surprising that  video is now the number one form of media used in content strategy, overtaking blogs and infographics. 

And while demand for video is expanding, so are the tools to take high-quality video. Cameras in today’s smartphones have better video capabilities than professional cameras had as little as 10 years ago. With the right knowledge they can yield extremely high quality results — without a George Lucas-level budget. Let’s explore four areas where the right tricks and tips can help your videos look professional and achieve the desired impact:

Around 15 years ago, digital marketing technology was in its infancy. Marketers were searching for ways to sell to individuals rather than to mass markets. They were trying to create the marketing approach outlined in the 1996 book from Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, “The One to One Future.”

That quest for one-to-one marketing led to a group of new tools. “Contact managers” and “sales force automation” software from companies like Brock Control Systems became best sellers. It was those early efforts that birthed the customer relationship management (CRM) industry, finally promising the holy grail that might deliver on the promises of one-to-one marketing. 

Now, digital marketers have CRMs, digital asset management (DAM) software, product information management (PIM) solutions, customer data platforms (CDPs), and predictive analytics. Consumers have TVs, smartphones, smart watches, social media, Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual reality (VR) at their fingertips. Between all of those, there are thousands of tools, technologies, and apps to tie the customer experience together.

That kind of complexity requires a whole new species of marketer: the marketing technologist. These individuals know the technology and have the organizational skills to make the one-to-one customer experience possible. If you’re one of these rare creatures, you could even aim your career at the role of Marketing Technology Officer or Chief Marketing Technologist. To get started, you need to develop a certain kind of mindset.

It’s no secret that implementing a new software platform is a big job. It entails gathering feedback from numerous stakeholders, meeting a range of deadlines, and managing expectations for everyone involved! But with the right approach, it can be a seamless success. Here are our key strategies for navigating the digital asset management (DAM) implementation process with confidence and ease.

Purchasing and implementing a digital asset management (DAM) system can feel overwhelming. There are new concepts to learn, stakeholders to educate, and aggressive timelines to meet. There might even be concerns that this investment won’t improve workflows as anticipated.  

If you have similar thoughts and feelings, you aren’t alone. Many of our customers felt anxious about the launch of their Widen Collective^® site. But with the help of the Widen’s Implementation team, they have replaced these worries with DAM success stories. We've captured their experiences in our DAM implementation series on the Widen podcast, designed for anyone who is thinking about, preparing for, or working through a DAM implementation. 

It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the new martech tools. Just look at the 8,000 solutions that show up on the 2020 ChiefMartech marketing technology landscape, which grew 13.6% from the previous year. 

While understanding the functionality and benefits of all  these technologies would be overwhelming (to say the least), you can still make learning a priority for you and your team. Well-rounded marketing technologists develop a habit out of experimenting with new systems and technologies, seeking out
martech training, and talking with technical experts.