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Why You Should Leverage Interactive Videos [Data from 500+ Marketers]

Video Marketing
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Why You Should Leverage Interactive Videos A 2021 Wyzowl report found that the use of video content from brands has increased roughly 25% over the past six years. Lately, the conversation has been focused on short-form video lately, but interactive video is one we should be talking more about. Learn what interactive video is, how to create one, and examples from some top brands. You can use interactive videos for a number of purposes, including increasing engagement, fostering two-way communication, and boosting conversions. In Q1 2022, we surveyed over 500 global video marketers to ask about their video strategy. Roughly a quarter of marketers surveyed (28%) said they currently leverage interactive content in their videos. Of those who do leverage it, 8% plan to invest in it more than any other video type. There are multiple types of interactive videos: Branched stories – This allows viewers to choose their own path when watching a video and decide what they will watch. Hotspots – These are clickable areas within a video that allow viewers to discover something new in the video. Polls and quizzes – You can engage your audience with questions related to the content in your video. 360-degree view – This allows viewers to immerse themselves in the video and get an augmented reality experience. Interactive video is still relatively new to many marketers with 27% leveraging it for the first time this year. Considering leveraging it? Let’s go over...

9 Tips on How to Leave a Job on Good Terms

Job Search
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9 Tips on How to Leave a Job on Good Terms At some point in your career, you’ll likely quit your job – it’s a normal part of any career. When it does come around, learning how to leave your job on good terms will be key. However, even though quitting happens all the time. it’s easy to ruffle some feathers during the resignation process and burn bridges. In this article, you’ll learn how to preserve a healthy relationship with your employer, manager, and colleagues. Tell your manager first. Give two weeks' notice. Organize your files. Finish strong. Offer to train your replacement. Write a goodbye email to your teammates. Express gratitude. Don’t blast your manager, team, or the company. Give feedback on your experience. 1. Tell your manager first. With such big news, it’s important that your manager hear this news directly from you first. Hearing this from someone else can cause unnecessary friction between you and your manager and end your relationship on a sour note. In addition, you don’t want the news to spread until you discussed an exit strategy with your team. Otherwise, you may get bombarded with questions and concerns regarding the impact of your departure on ongoing projects without a clear path forward. Instead, inform your colleagues only once you’ve had the conversation with your manager – even those with whom you’re close. Your company may want to share...

Best Times to Post on YouTube in 2022 [Research]

Video Marketing, Youtube Marketing
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Best Times to Post on YouTube in 2022 HubSpot Blog Research revealed that YouTube sees the highest usage among social media platforms by video marketers, more than TikTok and Instagram. It’s also where marketers will invest the most in this year. With so much emphasis placed on the platform, we wanted to know what times and days publishers saw the best results. Keep reading to learn what we discovered. Creating a video for YouTube isn’t an easy task. First comes ideation, then scripting followed by filming, and finally editing - and that's just at a high level. Imagine doing all that work just to upload a video that doesn’t get much traction. When you’re first starting out, you’re bound to struggle. However, if you’ve been at it for a while and are still not getting any traction from your videos, your upload time could be the culprit. We surveyed 300+marketers in the United States for our Social Media Trends Report and asked them, “What’s the best time to post on YouTube? ” To start, our report revealed that most marketers surveyed say they post on YouTube four to six times a week – as much as they post on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and many other social platforms. The only platforms where respondents posted every day were Facebook and Twitter. While other social media platforms offer countless formats to engage audiences, from ephemeral content and in-feed posts to polls and live streaming, some argue YouTube is slow...

Why Workplace Authenticity Matters More than Ever, According to Credly’s VP of Customer Success

Leadership
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Why Workplace Authenticity Matters More than Ever, According to Credly's VP of Customer Success Pre-pandemic, it was relatively easy to keep tight boundaries between our personal and professional lives. But in a post-pandemic world, things have shifted. Now, people have their dogs or children in the background during Zoom calls. Others have yoga breaks and book clubs blocked into their work calendars. Companies have also put a bigger focus on their employees' mental and physical health: For instance, HubSpot began offering its employees access to mental health tool Modern Health, as well as an employee discount for the Headspace app. All of which is to say: The workplace has changed, and whether people work from home or return to the office, they're going to want — and expect — the freedom of bringing their full selves to work. Here, I sat down with Krystal Lamoureux, VP of Customer Success at Credly, to learn her leadership tips for encouraging employees to bring their full selves to work. Let's dive in. What It Means to Bring Your Whole Self to Work, and Why It Matters For starters, I asked Lamoureux what it means to bring her 'full self' to work. She told me, "I think the pandemic has helped me realize that being a professional does not mean I have to check my personal life at the door. It forced me to shrink everything about me to fit inside the four...

16 Leadership Resources for Any Stage of Your Career [+ 9 Extra Tools]

Leadership
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16 Leadership Resources for Any Stage of Your Career When you think of leadership resources, terms like ROI, budget, and management might come to mind. But the data is in. There's a new way to think about leadership. It's time to focus on the relationships that are essential to business success. According to a 2021 Gallup report, only 20% of employees feel engaged at work. Low employee engagement is a quality of life issue, and it’s also expensive. Low engagement costs companies $8.1 trillion per year. Whether you’re starting your first job or managing a tough team, these resources for leadership development can help. These are the tools that can help you thrive both personally and professionally. While there are many qualities that make someone a great leader, this list focuses on three areas that anyone can use: Leadership Resources for Empathy Leadership Resources for Communication Leadership Resources for Support and Development Let’s get started. Leadership Resources for Empathy Empathy makes it onto every top ten list for leadership qualities. Empathy can improve: Innovation Engagement Retention Inclusivity But a 2021 EY study says that 54% of employees left their jobs because of a lack of empathy from their boss. These resources can help you be a more empathetic and authentic leader. And they can help you whether you’re working to support your teammates or leading your own team. 1. The Radical Candor Framework Book, Podcast, and Workshops Price: $18 for...

11 of the Best Microsite Examples We’ve Ever Seen

Website Design Examples
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11 of the Best Microsite Examples We've Ever Seen They say the best things often come in small packages. Think about it: jewelry, books, the keys to a new car ... all of these things support this notion. And with our attention spans shrinking below that of a goldfish, it should come as no surprise that we crave more focused content at a smaller scale, too. Here’s where microsites come into play. Unlike regular websites, microsites tend to be simplistic and easier to navigate. This isn't to say they won't make you want to poke around for a while, though. In fact, the really great ones do just that. In this post, we’ll show you some great design examples of microsites in action. What is a microsite? A microsite is a web page or small website made to promote a company’s product, service, campaign, or event. Microsites typically use a different domain or subdomain from the main company website and include links back to the main website, but act as a separate entity for the brand. Microsites can help brands achieve a number of things. As HubSpot Product Manager Alex Girard puts it, “You can use a website to create a digital experience for a number of different moments in the buyer’s journey. It doesn’t have to be just a corporate ‘.com’ website for converting visitors to leads. You can build digital experiences that span the entire customer journey.” For example, many companies use them to highlight a...

How to Write Professional Yet Kind Rejection Letters [4 Templates]

Human Resources
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How to Write Professional Yet Kind Rejection Letters It's never easy notifying someone that they didn’t get the job. This often leads to generic emails, or worse, complete silence – that’s where a rejection letter template can come in handy. While it’s never fun to do it, there are kind yet professional ways to reject an applicant that preserve your employer brand. How to Write a Rejection Letter You might not think twice about a rejection letter once you send it. But the truth is, your rejection letter is a reflection of your company. If it’s poorly written, that leaves a negative impression of your company that could easily spread to other candidates. This is why writing a thoughtful rejection letter is key. It allows you to maintain a good relationship with the applicant, even if they were not a good fit for a particular role. Who knows, you may want to circle back to them if another position opens up. When that comes up, you want a candidate to be excited about the prospect of working with you – and how you communicate plays a pivotal role in this. It's critical you remain positive with your language and focus on language from the job description itself. In addition, keep in mind that a rejection letter is a fantastic opportunity for the candidate to receive positive feedback and learn how to do better in the future. Consider how you can include specific and valuable feedback. A rejection letter...

12 of the Best Programming Languages to Learn in 2022

Website Development
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12 of the Best Programming Languages to Learn in 2022 So, you want to learn how to program. Honestly, great choice — pursuing software or website development is a challenging but highly rewarding career path. Now, for your next big decision: Which programming language should you start with? It can feel like a daunting choice, since your first language is your first exposure to the world of programming can set the tone for your learning experience. If you pick one that’s too challenging, you might get discouraged and lose interest early on. Pick one that’s too simple and you may miss out on fundamental concepts you’ll need to lock down an entry-level development job. Plus, with hundreds of programming languages being used today, where do you even begin to look? Fortunately, you don’t have to learn every language under the sun to break into the field. Many developers before you have come to a general consensus about which programming languages are best for newcomers. To get you started coding as soon as possible, we’ve compiled 12 excellent beginner options you can pick from depending on your interests and desired career path. If you’re a beginner, most software engineers recommend learning Python, Java, or C first. Below, we’ll give you a rundown of each of these programming languages and others, while describing what they’re used for and why you might want to try each one. 1. Python Many new programmers will gravitate to Python as their first language. It...

Instagram’s New Algorithm Update Prioritizes Original Content: What Marketers Need to Know

Instagram Marketing
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Instagram's New Algorithm Update Prioritizes Original Content: What Marketers Need to Know Consistently creating high-quality, engaging, and relevant content across social channels can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming for marketers. To combat those challenges, most marketers have relied on reposting content from other creators and brands as an opportunity to fill in their social calendars and provide valuable content on a more consistent basis. In fact, reposting is an incredibly popular option for sharing information, funny memes, or interesting trends with your own audiences without needing to re-create the wheel — consider, for instance, how Instagram's #repost hashtag has over 560 million posts. But as of April 20, 2022, reposted content will no longer be rewarded. Here's what Instagram's new algorithm update means for marketers. What Instagram's New Algorithm Update Means for Marketers and Creators Alike Original Content Will Be Prioritized On April 20, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, tweeted an announcement that Instagram is now ranking based off originality. 📣 New Features 📣We've added new ways to tag and improved ranking: - Product Tags- Enhanced Tags - Ranking for originality Creators are so important to the future of Instagram, and we want to make sure that they are successful and get all the credit they deserve. pic.twitter.com/PP7Qa10oJr— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) April 20, 2022 As he puts it, "If you create something from scratch, you should get more credit than if you're re-sharing something you found...

How to Get Followers on Pinterest: 25 Tips for 2022

Pinterest Marketing
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How to Get Followers on Pinterest: 25 Tips for 2022 Equal parts social media platform and search engine, Pinterest had over 431 million active monthly users in early 2022. But the popularity of the platform means it's a crowded space, and the task of getting followers on Pinterest can feel daunting. Fortunately, there are tactics you can implement right now to increase your real follower count on Pinterest to increase web traffic, drive sales, and help your grand gain authority. Here, we're going to dive into everything you need to know to grow your Pinterest audience today. 1. Use a Pinterest business account. On Pinterest, business accounts have access to tools such as unique content formats, advanced analytics, shopping features, and the ability to create an ad account to promote your content.  When creating a new account, you can opt to turn it into a business account during the setup process. If you have an existing account, you can convert it to a business account to maintain authority. 2. Optimize your username and Pinterest bio. Your username and bio are completely searchable. Make sure you include search terms related to your niche that your customers may be looking for on Pinterest to increase profile visibility.  For example, content creator Chelsea Clark added the keyword "plant-based wellness" to her Pinterest profile, making her content more likely to show up for users who include the term "plant-based" in their Pinterest search. Image Source 3. Post Idea Pins. Idea Pins...