The first click matters: My take on YouTube marketing strategies

Recently I had the opportunity to contribute to a Forbes Expert Panel on strategies for marketing on YouTube. The article entitled ["20 Key Strategies For YouTube Marketing"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/08/22/20-key-strategies-for-youtube-marketing/ is an expert roundup that features strategies for effectively leveraging YouTube's massive platform, which boasts over 2.7 billion logged-in monthly users.

I talked about the importance of making that first click count. Specifically, my input focused on the necessity of having impactful video titles and keyframes, as well as the need for constant monitoring and measuring of your content's performance.

Why the first click matters

In today's saturated online environment, the first impression is often the deciding factor for viewer engagement. If you can’t catch a viewer's eye with your video title and keyframe (the preview image of the video), they're likely to scroll right past your content. This is where impactful titles and eye-catching keyframes come in. Make your titles clear but compelling. Make your keyframes intriguing but relevant. You want to ignite curiosity while also assuring the viewer that the content they're about to see is worth their time.

Test, measure, and adapt

But drawing the viewer in is just the first step; maintaining their engagement is equally crucial. That’s why it’s so important to consistently monitor how your content is performing. This enables you to understand viewer behavior, assess video performance, and adapt your content strategy accordingly.

Time blocks for monitoring

When I talk about monitoring, it’s not just a one-time activity immediately after posting the video. The performance should be checked in predefined blocks of time which could be minutes, hours, or even days, based on the expected traffic and engagement patterns. This ongoing monitoring allows for real-time adjustments that can make all the difference in the world.

Wrapping up

Marketing on YouTube is a dynamic endeavor. It’s a combination of art and science, creativity and analytics. My contribution to the Forbes article reflects this duality. I highly recommend reading the full article as it not only shares my insights but also the wisdom of 19 other experts in the field.

You can read the full Forbes article here.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss YouTube marketing strategies further, feel free to reach out to me directly.

Exploring the Impact of Generative AI on Marketing Creativity

With the rise of generative AI, the marketing industry is at a turning point, where AI has the potential to speed up creativity, provide new inspiration, and generate unique ideas. However, the industry must also be aware of the limitations and risks associated with using generative AI. My latest article on Forbes, "Is Marketing Creativity at Risk? Ask Generative AI," discusses the benefits and pitfalls of AI for marketers, offering insights into how to leverage AI tools effectively while mitigating risks.

Create. Share. Activate. Empower - The Adobe 2020 Creative Residency and Community Fund

It’s May, so it must be time to meet the new Creative Residents for the 2020 Adobe Creative Residency programme. This year, Adobe has welcomed two new residents, Christina Poku, a London, UK based photographer.

She’s using photography, GIFs and set design to make staged scenes that explore how technology can create growth, build community and change barriers to access.

The second creative resident for 2020 is Maddy Beard, a UI/UX interaction design based in Denver, Colorado.

Maddy is exploring the use of interaction design to promote mindfulness in daily life. She’s partnering with brands to design experiences that help people use tech as a tool rather than a crutch.

Both of these designers have some impressive work in their portfolio (Christina and Maddy). Combining this with their goals to build community, reducing barriers to access, and to use technology experience as a tool suggests there will be some exciting work from our Creative Residents for 2020.

In addition to the standard program, Adobe has created a new $1 million Community Fund to support creative communities.

This year, in response to the extensive need in the creative community for monetary support and career guidance, we’ve decided to expand the programme. In addition to the new Creative Residents this year, we’re excited to announce a $1 million Creative Residency Community Fund.

Adobe will be using the Community Fund to fund creative projects and to commission work for Adobe projects. You can make an application to the Community Fund online.

I think it is great that Adobe is doing something new to support members of the creative and design industry during these unprecedented times. You can check out the 2019 Creative Residents here.

Working remotely using Teams and Office 365

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Like many others, I am now working for home as part of efforts to keep our colleagues and our teams healthy and manage COVID-19 infection rates. As a regular remote worker and user of Microsoft Office 365, this transition has been seamless for me.[/vc_column_text][us_image image="7294" size="us_600_400_crop" align="center" meta="1"][ultimate_spacer height="32"][vc_column_text]Using core elements of Office 365 such as Exchange and SharePoint to power Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, OneNote, and Planner means we have been able to continue without missing a beat. My telephone extension is also a Teams number, so I can still make and receive telephone calls as usual (with the benefit of emailed voicemail transcript and MP3 file).[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For those who are new to remote work, the Microsoft blog has had several posts to help with this transition.

• Staying productive while working remotely with Microsoft Teams
• Working remotely during challenging times
• The top 9 ways Microsoft IT is enabling remote work for its employees

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]IT leadership and Microsoft deserve kudos for building a sustainable solution for businesses and teams of all sizes. I can work from anywhere with access to the tools and resources I need to deliver[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The two most important pages for creators to read

If you are a designer, creator, artist, or maker, these two pages of highlights from the Adobe 99U event are the most important thing for you to do right now. Better than trying to find a new book to read, better than the news, or other blog posts.I’m sure that the content in these two pages will spark an interest, idea, or question that will lead you somewhere good in your life and career.

• Event highlights part one
• Event highlights part two

Go and have a read now, and take notes.I'll be here when you're done.

Our world is

Our world is random and messy. Collecting data does not make it more perfect or more controllable.

Giorgia Lupi, Partner & Design Director, Accurat

Image by H Heylin

Introducing the 2019 Adobe Creative Residents

Adobe have recently announced the designers who will take part in the 2019 Creative Residency. 

The designer and project that I'm most interested in following is that of Patricia Reiners. Patricia is a Berlin-based UX/UI designer exploring the city of the future and how new technologies like AI, voice control, and augmented reality will change our interfaces and design decisions. 

Post-residency, she’d like to work with companies that share her passions for problem-solving and using new technologies to benefit society. You can see some of Patricia’s past work here.

Think beyond the pixel

Introduction

This is part three in my series of articles building on the Adobe 99U profile piece on Katie Dill, the Vice President of Design at Lyft. Katie has made a sizeable team of more than 100 designers at Lyft. In the 99U article, they cover what she regards as eight important parts of scaling a design team.

I will post my article on each of the eight points over the coming days. I hope you stick around for all eight as there is much valuable information and benefit. So, let’s continue with the third of Katie’s topics on scaling your team, that of ensuring your team can think beyond the pixel.

3. Look for designers who ‘think beyond the pixel.’

It’s easy for design leaders at tech companies to get swept up in the online experience, but the offline experience is just as important. “Yes, a lot of our work is related to those pixels, but as a customer, your experience of us isn’t just in the app – it’s on a street corner, it’s sitting in the back of a car, it’s riding a bike, it’s talking to someone who moments ago was a stranger,” says Dill. That’s why she looks for designers who pay attention to more than what is on the screen. “Do they think beyond the pixel? Do they think about every moment of the journey and all of the different modalities of that interaction — from a billboard to an app, to a seat cushion, to the person-to-person interaction? That’s what we want.”

I think that there is much complexity hidden in the simple statement of being able to ‘think beyond the pixel’. You cannot be a successful designer if you are not able to think beyond the screen for the projects and art that you’re creating.

What is the message you are trying to convey and to whom are you trying to communicate it? Flight information in airports is shown on large banks of monitors where 95% of the data displayed is useless to everyone who looks at it? Many of those looking at the arrival and departure boards may also be tired, stressed, dealing with early starts or late finishes, or flying with small children or other family members with a world of their own emotions and events. How do you ensure that the customer receives useful information?

Here is a very, VERY, small selection of examples that go beyond the screen that you need to think about how it will impact and interact with the art you are producing.

Are there any trends in your industry, or society in general such as #MeToo, for marketing and communication material? Should you be following these trends, or not? Whatever your choice you need to know why you made that choice.

Photo by Deva Darshan on Unsplash

For projects with physical material as a finished installation, such as for signage and exhibitions, can you visit the location of where the art will be? Alternatively, can you see photos from different angles and times of day? Can you see floorplans of venues? Do these floorplans show who your fellow exhibitors are, and who will be nearby? Where will your work sit and how will the environment around your art impact it or interact with it? Is the impact or interaction good, or bad? Is it something you can leverage and use to your advantage or an unresolved exposure?

Photo by Andreea Popa on Unsplash

For digital art, will it work in all screen sizes, devices, and orientations? Will the audience be able to see your work and interact with it as you intend?

Are you the final decision maker on the presentation of your work? I once met a team of animators at one of the Creative Mornings breakfasts in London. When the group introduced themselves to me, I knew of their latest work. It was great in many respects, but I challenged them over an element of child safety that I felt it had introduced.

The unfortunate team all dropped their heads in frustration. I was not the first to raise this issue. The BBC had shown their series out of order which had caused many issues around child safety as an unintended consequence.

It’s often good to look at things in isolation, or even backwards, from the end to the start, to identify any problems that you can resolve up front.

Photo by Teemu Paananen on Unsplash

For presentations and pitches do you know what equipment will be used to present your work? I was once involved with a large Tier 1 corporate pitch where there was a fault with the projection equipment that was to be used by the proposal teams at the customer venue. This fault was only identified during the rehearsal by one of the companies presenting. We were prepared for this and won the work.

Even further, regarding presentations, do you know the room size, the screen size, the audience size? Will it be a darkened room or will the lights be switched on? Will you have access to the internet over their network or will you be relying on a mobile device and signal. What’s the smallest font size you should use? What colours project well and which don’t? Will the audience be seated or standing? Do you know of any colour blindness in any of the key decision makers?

For branding - how will this be applied in the real world. Is the brand image impacted if the customer fails to dedicate the budget to office refurbishment and signage?

Conclusion

The issues above are only the very tip of the iceberg of the problems that you may encounter with work relating to branding, design, graphics, and creative work. Your team must be able to consider the real world application of their work and the impact that external factors can have. You can’t always resolve for these external factors, but being aware of the issues positions you and the customer for how to respond and manage for them. Of course, there are also times where you can leverage these factors for even better results.

I’ll address the next element of building a great team, that of transforming your mission into values that can drive the business, in the following article.

I’m currently based in both London and Berlin and on the lookout for new opportunities. Please (get in touch using the Contact page) if you’d like to discuss more.

Straightforward colour theory for non-designers

I am slightly biased because of my experience, but I think this infographic from Micah Bowers does a great job to help non-designers improve their decision making when working with colour.

Thankfully, mastery of color in UI and UX design isn’t dependent on guesswork, blind luck, or some intrinsic realization of what colors work well together. Instead, using color successfully depends on understanding repeatable rules, principles, and techniques that can be practiced and improved upon.
And while it’s true that the study of color is an immense undertaking, there are practical takeaways that can drastically improve a designer’s understanding and use of color in day to day design work.

Micah Blowers, Toptal

Colour Theory for Designers — A Crash Course (with Infographic)

Infographic by Toptal

Bauhaus at 100

2019 is the centenary of Bauhaus, the legendary German design school, and a few weekends ago we decided to visit the Bauhaus Museum here in Berlin.

We were disappointed to discover that the main exhibition is closed for three years, during the 100 year celebrations, whilst the new building for the museum is constructed. There are of course events, exhibitions, and celebrations occurring throughout Germany and across the course of 2019.

In light of an increased focus and awareness on Bauhaus, Ink Blot Design has tagged the Bauhaus school as a timely graphic design trend for 2019.

While it could be argued that Bauhaus has never really gone away, 2019 marks the centenary of the founding of the legendary German design school, making it a perfect time for people to revisit the aesthetic to find fresh inspiration and new angles for design thinking.

This could mean modernist fonts, primary colour palettes and styling grounded in Brutalism.

Whatever the influence, there’s never been a better time to revisit this movement for some novel perspectives.

So Bauhaus is back. In Berlin it is being housed in a temporary venue near to Ernst Reuter Platz in Charlottenburg. While it is a much reduced exhibition it is well worth a visit if you’re in West Berlin.

Check out the other eight design trends that Stuart Crawford from Ink Blot Design believes are on trend for this year: The 9 Graphic Design Trends You Need to be Aware of in 2019.