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Study: 44 percent of Americans say video content inspires them to convert

In content marketing, brands constantly look for new angles or avenues to amplify their core messages and outperform the competition. Video content, for example, was born from the idea that today’s consumers prefer to engage with interactive visual media, not text-only publications. While blog content has its own place in the marketing mix, new data shows many companies have seen results from their video marketing efforts, and companies will continue to invest in visual media as internet users consume more of it on a monthly basis.
A new study from Celtra found internet users complete online video clips more than 47 percent of the time. Of course, 80 percent of all online video content tops off at approximately a minute in length, but creating longer-form media shouldn’t be off the table either. While Celtra most closely looked at video ads – the type of content that plays before YouTube clips or as part of enhanced banner ads – similar trends could reflect the emergence of opt-in video engagement, too.

11 percent of respondents engage more than 10 video clips before they buy.

A new report from Invodo may encourage even the most skeptical marketers to consider investing in video production and distribution. The company’s “How Consumers Shop With Video” report showed that 44 percent of surveyed consumers either strongly or somewhat agree that they purchase more products after viewing a related video. In fact, Invodo noted that prospects even watch several production videos before converting, with 11 percent of respondents engaging with more than 10 clips before they buy.
Video marketing can be a dynamic part of any content strategy, but brands must realize that visual media needs to be produced at scale with goal-oriented strategies to see results. People not only watch a lot of video now, but they often view clips on the same topic before making up their minds about brands’ offerings. The more high-quality content a company produces, the higher the odds of it pushing leads further along the sales cycle.

link to full article

CEA executive offers "The Ten Commandments" of sales

I Command Thee

The Ten Commandments of sales.

Sunday, April 14, 2013 By Dan Cole

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Soon, as is the case every spring, we’ll be treated to a re-airing of the 1956 movie classic, “The Ten Commandments.” I got to thinking: If there exists a set of 10 commandments for the game of life, does the same hold true for the game of selling? I say yes.
Commandment I: Thou Shalt Prepare
Some salespeople like to wing it. Not so fast. There is nothing more insulting to a prospect than demonstrating that you’re clueless about them or their company. Don’t just jump on that phone call or make a visit—know before you go.

Commandment II: Thou Shalt Serve
In the grand scheme of things, selling is ultimately about helping others. Your product or service is going to solve some sort of problem or improve upon some sort of situation. By helping others, we help ourselves.

Commandment III: Thou Shalt Sincerely Seek to Understand
“No one cares about how much you know, until they know how much you care.” And so how do we demonstrate that we care? We ask thought-provoking questions with a degree of sincerity that is palpable. And then we shut up and abide by the next commandment.

Commandment IV: Thou Shalt Listen With Empathy
I’ve heard it said that bad salespeople are like alligators. They have long snouts that allow them to talk and talk and talk. And they have virtually no ears, so they are incapable of listening. Don’t be an alligator. Ask, and then listen. 

Commandment V: Thou Shalt Remember WDTMTM?
Ever heard the phrase, “You’re telling, but not selling?” Prospects don’t want to be told anything. Keep your opinions and preconceived notions to yourself. No one cares. In the end, prospects want to know one thing: What Does This Mean To Me? Selling is about relating your product to your prospect within the context of their world. Make it about them.

Commandment VI: Thou Shalt Sell Value to the Customer
It’s not always about a product’s price. That’s the value of the product. But what’s its value to your customer? Refer to Commandment V above. If you’ve done a good job of asking questions and listening empathically, then you can emphasize the value of your offering to the customer as the product to solve their problem(s) or address their issue(s).

Commandment VII: Thou Shalt Work Hard
I know all the clichés about “working smart.” I agree. We need to “plan our work and work our plan.” However, that does not absolve us of our responsibility to do so with the most aggressive work ethic possible.
See Also: Sam I Am

Commandment VIII: Thou Shalt Never Be Satisfied
There’s always another mountain to climb. There’s always another goal to conquer. There’s always something we can do to become better. Go and take that risk. Make your mistakes. Learn. In doing so you’ll get better and better and better.

Commandment IX: Thou Shalt Be Urgently Enthusiastic
I’m always amazed by how some of us don’t act with a sense of urgency when it comes to serving or selling to our customers. Sales superstars are passionate. They employ the desire, determination and discipline necessary to succeed.

Commandment X: Thou Shalt Be Accountable
Bob Marley said: “Before you start pointing fingers…make sure your hands are clean.”  Here’s the deal: You are president of “You Inc.” You can blame your failures or hardships on just about anything. In the final analysis, it’s about you.
So there they are: my take on the 10 commandments of selling. I’m no Moses, but consider me a friend with prophetic advice. I wish thee good selling!
Since 1995, Dan Cole has served as vice president of business development for the International CES and the organization that produces it, the Consumer Electronics Association. He has won numerous awards including IAEE’s most outstanding sales and marketing executive and the International Business Awards’ most outstanding sales executive.

Full Link:http://www.expoweb.com/article/i-command-thee?utm_source=MV_Expo+Magazine&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTMLLinkID%3A+3&utm_campaign=I+Command+Thee...#.UXrpkErwwXH

Expert Weighs in on Speaker Placement

How to Purchase A Sound System

Hints and Tips on How to Purchase an Edifier Sound System

Purchasing a new sound system, or even upgrading an existing one can be a daunting task. The following hints and tips by Peter Duminy, Edifier’s Executive Director of Research & Development, may well prove useful for you to consider.

I have several stages for you. Firstly, try to establish your budget. From here, one can then start to look at your musical tastes, choice of movie soundtracks, and also gaming needs. Bear in mind, that the choice loudspeakers will affect the sound quality more than any other component in your system. With this in mind, try to purchase the best speakers you can if they are not in a pre-packaged system.




Next, comes shopping at the store you have chosen. Try to pick a quiet time of the day so you can listen in a more relaxed atmosphere. It is always a good idea to bring along a few of your favorite CDs and DVDs for reference. Try listening to a few systems in your price range, or if you are shopping for loudspeakers, choose no more than three brands and models. This will make your final decision easier after extensive auditioning.

Now you have a good idea of what your needs are for your new purchase or upgrade. Next, I am going to suggest the critical listening stage and what to listen for. All of the following topics are important, and are in no particular order.

Detail
The human voice is always a good test for this category. How convincing does the male or female singer sound? Can you hear breath, texture, and realism? Make sure the voice is clear of chestiness, nasality, and sibilance. Musical instruments should sound very defined and embody as many elements of a live or studio performance as possible. Remember, that bright sounding speakers may sound exciting at first, but can become quite tiring after a few hours of listening.

Bass Punch & Slam
These sonic characteristics tend to apply only to speaker systems that have either satellites and subwoofers, or that are of a larger size, for example, medium sized bookshelf and floor standing models. Pinpointing punch and slam refers to the rhythmic force which you feel as much as you hear, for example, in a kick drum or tympani. Musical style and tastes will also affect the overall bass quality and quantity you hear. For example, Rap and Reggae will have more of a profound deep bass presentation, than say Classical Chamber music. The above attributes are a good guide of overall speaker power and transducer quality.

Overall Timing
This term describes the accuracy of the musical notes embedded within the recording. A good loudspeaker system should be able to communicate the rhythms within the music scores with high precision and tautness. As a result, you may well find that unknowingly, your hand or foot may have been tapping to time of the beat.

Imaging
A rather complex issue regarding phase and time, a fine system will convey the placement of voices, instruments, and sound effects, in front of and between your speakers. In the case of higher end loudspeaker systems with wide dispersion, you will find that the stereo image will extend past the far left and far right of the enclosures. If you close your eyes, you should be able to sense the atmosphere of the recording, and feel you are actually there at the performance.

Ambience
The ambience, together with imaging, will provide you with acoustical clues as to where the recording was made. For example, if you hear a rather spacious echo from a recording of say a sizeable Orchestra, the chances are it was performed in a large Symphony Hall. The best loudspeaker systems are also capable of reproducing the “air” around the voices and instruments within a recording. This attribute further enhances the realism of detail and spaciousness.

Now that you have purchased or upgraded your sound system, I have a few hints that can make your listening experience all the more enjoyable.

• Try to set up your sound system for the best possible chance of success. Try to keep your speakers away from corners and sidewalls to avoid standing waves and unwanted room resonances.

• For desktop Multimedia systems, find the most comfortable chair you can, and place it midpoint between the satellite speakers on your desktop. If possible, try to listen 18-24” away, if your satellites are about 28-36” apart. For Home Theater systems, try to listen 6-10 feet away, if your speakers are 6-8 feet apart. These distances will give you fine imaging and depth.

• Try relaxing and listening to the music or movie soundtrack, and not to the sound system itself. You may find after 10 minutes or so, that you are completely immersed in the performance.

If you follow the above advice, you may well find that music that was once used for just background enjoyment, has now become your primary source of entertainment.

Happy Listening!


Peter Duminy Executive Director of Research & Engineering
Edifier International Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Optical vs. Analog Cable

Edifier Optical Cable and Analog Cable Information

 

A number of Edifier products are equipped with optical, as well as 3.5mm and RCA analog cable inputs. As to which is best, much depends on their intended usage. In the last few years, many ancillary products such a TVs are equipped with only optical audio out sockets. In such cases, using the supplied optical cable will provide excellent results. They have the advantage of supporting stereo audio, Dolby Digital, and DTS 5.1 multichannel audio for people with surround sound systems, all within a thin flexible cable. It must also be noted that optical cables do not support SACD, DVD-A or high-definition audio such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Edifier does recommend keeping optical cables shorter than 15 feet in length due to high light signal attenuation. Care must also be exercised in not tightly bending the cable, as damage to the center core may occur.

Analog cable with RCA and/or 3.5mm plugs and sockets still remain very popular as they are readily available, fairly inexpensive, and unlike optical cable, can be lengthened with adapters. However, in multi channel systems, the necessary cables become bulky, as only one cable carries information for each channel. Edifier recommends that very inexpensive analog cable should be avoided, as they tend to be more prone to hum and radio interference artifacts (RFI), due to poor braid/foil shielding. Over the last few years a number of high-end cable manufacturers offer audiophile, as well as studio quality analog/digital interconnect cable with 3.5mm terminations in addition to RCA plugs. Whilst Edifier does not endorse any particular product brand, subtle sonic improvements maybe obtained with their use.

Whichever cable format is chosen, rest assured the highest quality sound will be obtained from all Edifier products.

Peter Duminy, Director of Advanced R & D

Peter Duminy,Director of Advanced R&D