Visual Element Media
117 Olde Farm Office Rd. - Suite 913
Duncansville, PA 16635
814-935-8037
office@visualelementmedia.com

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Best Video Orientation for Social Media Video in 2020

Changes to video in 2020

Recently I was at the Digital Marketing Summit in Dallas, Texas where we were learning about some of the new trends and upcoming changes to social media. One of the things that was emphasized is creating video that matches what each platform is trying to push. Each social media platform is trying out new ways in which we consume video. By thinking about what video orientation each platform prefers, your video will organically reach more people. Let’s face it, we know the more eyes on our videos, the better off we are.

Square – Landscape – Vertical

Okay, so which orientation works best? Square? Landscape? Vertical? Let’s break this down as easily as possible.

Facebook

Vertical video has begun taking over Facebook video feeds. This is mostly because Facebook has seen success with Stories. As we are going about our days, vertical video is much easier for the viewer to consume. Vertical video is also a thumb stopper. This means that it makes people stop because it’s different and something that they aren’t used to seeing on their newsfeed. It’s been said that Facebook will continue to organically favor vertical video in 2020. This means as marketers and business owners, we should start using vertical in our video strategy.

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Even with vertical creeping in, square video is still an effective way to get views on Facebook. We suggest using both video orientations and seeing which works best for you. It’s never a bad idea to mix things up every now and then either.

Instagram

Like Facebook, Instagram has seen a lot of success with Stories. Not enough for them to change how video is viewed in your feed though. Square video is still how your viewers will see content as they scroll down their feed. One thing we would suggest when creating video for Instagram is keeping a slightly different tone behind what you are posting on Stories versus the Feed. Stories need to be interactive and give your audience something to act on. Your feed can include branded content, special offers but still should have a level of engagement for the viewer. Don’t forget to use hashtags!

LinkedIn

We believe that LinkedIn is going to be a HUGE platform to watch in 2020. They are currently using square video orientation on their platform and are seeing good results. LinkedIn is great for B2B video content. That could be branding, promotional or educational. If you aren’t using LinkedIn, 2020 should be the year you look into it. If you need help, vem is here for you.

YouTube

YouTube is still a goldmine. They are currently sticking to landscape or wide-angle video orientation. One of our goals for 2020 is taking YouTube seriously. YouTube is a long game kind of platform. We have a video on YouTube that we posted a little over three years ago, didn’t really do anything with and it’s been viewed over 13,000 times. For a small channel like ours, that’s HUGE. Imagine if we had kept up with posting content. The same is for you. Post content. As much and as often as possible. Make a schedule and stick to it! Done is better than perfect. If you want help creating videos for your channel, let us know. We are here to help.

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Starting a Podcast

Starting a Podcast

Starting a podcast has become as trendy as drinking Starbucks. Everyone is doing it! But why? Are podcasts really that great? Well, it obviously depends on who your audience is. In today’s digital world, we have become consumers of information and enlightenment. We want to know what everyone else thinks about certain things. This is why podcasts have become so popular.

It used to be that talk radio was just a thing that our grandparents listened to. But now, people are using podcasts

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as means to really dig deep into topics like business, health, leadership, sports, finance, fashion, food and pretty much anything else you can think of. Every podcast is different too. One might be 10 minutes and another 3 hours. It all depends on the creator.

One of the things I love about podcasts is that they are mobile. You can listen to a podcast pretty much anywhere! In your car, on the train, on the plane (I just rhymed there), while you’re working out and while you’re working. You can listen from your computer, tablet, laptop or smart phone too. All you need is internet or a cell signal and that is almost everywhere.

Would a Podcast Help My Business?

If you invest the time and attention needed to do a podcast well, yes, a podcast will help your business. The point of podcasting is giving listens or viewers the chance to gain inside access to your business. What you’re planning on doing, why you do things the way you do and it’s a great way to help develop long lasting relationships with clients. Again, it will take time and some resources to make it happen, but given some time, I believe it will have a positive impact on your business.

Not only will podcasting help your business, but if you start collaborating with vendors, partners in the community and even customers by having them on the podcast to share their views, you can help out other businesses and the community as a whole. You want to portray yourself as the leader and expert in the industry you are in.

Starting a Business Podcast

So what should you do? The first step would be to look over what you want your podcast to be able and plan out some possible guests. From there you will want to decide where you’ll be recording. Will it be just audio or video as well. I love the aspect of video because

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people love watching videos. If they just want to listen, they can do that too. The next step is going to be purchasing some equipment. If you’re on a budget, you could just use the microphone from your iPhone or Smartphone. Microphones are fairly inexpensive and can connect right to your laptop via USB (in most cases). If you’re looking to go all out for your podcast, you could grab a multi channel mixer, some broadcast mics and a lot of sound board (not completely necessary)

If you’re thinking to yourself, “This sounds like way too much work, why can’t I just go somewhere and record a podcast?”, then you’re in luck! Here at our Visual Element Studios, we have a 4 person podcast studio that you are able to rent out plus we will take care of all the audio and video stuff so you can focus on talking. It’s a win win!

Check out some of the podcasts we have recorded for #loveLocal. If you are interested in learning more about podcasting or starting your own, please connect with us. We would love to share with you some more information about how your business or organization could benefit from starting a podcast.

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‘Wake Up Entrepreneurs’ a motivational video for business owners.

A New Opportunity

Every morning, we are given a new day. A new opportunity to do something good, to do something we love. When I was little, my dream was to be an entrepreneur and to own a business. Today, like so many others, I have worked hard to build my business.

entrepreneursPeople say we put a lot of work into our business. I say we put a lot of passion into our business. You see most don’t understand the mindset of people like you and me. That’s okay. We weren’t all created to be the same. We just learn as much as we can and try out. new things We focus on creating a great product or service. Sometimes we fail. But failing is just another way to learn. We pick ourselves up, take a breath and go back to the drawing board. Every time you fail you become one step closer to success. When you look back on your life, will you wish you had given it one more chance?

I was told that I would fail, to get my head out of the clouds. Go get a real job. But I didn’t listen. Yes, I’ve failed, I’ve fallen, but I never gave up and because of that, I have succeeded.

It’s Time to Wake Up Entrepreneurs!

It’s time to wake up entrepreneurs! Your dreams will stay dreams unless you get to work!. You are the writer of your story and today is a new chapter. Start networking, start sharing your dream. Speak it into reality.

Find people that lead by example. Find people who have a deep passion for what they do. Fellow entrepreneurs, help out the next generation of thinkers and do-ers. Chances are someone along the way inspired and helped you. It’s time we stand together. Each day you sit on the sidelines is another day that you don’t live the dream.

Look up

entrepreneurYou will face hard times. In those times instead of putting our heads down, we need to look up and pray, “God, show me my way, give me the confidence to trust in your plan and inspire me not to give up. Lord let me use my gifts to the best of my ability. When I fail, let me be humbled. When the competition succeeds, remove my pride and cheer them on for I know my time will come. When I succeed, let me give you praise and renew my focus”

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

It’s time to wake up entrepreneurs because the sun setting.

A little bit about Scott Cunningham

entrepreneursScott started Visual Element Media while still in college in 2008. He moved his company to Pittsburgh in 2009 where he found that small businesses were at a major disadvantage when it came to digital marketing. Scott wanted to provide small businesses with the opportunity to use video, social media and professional web design, but on a small business budget. In 2015, Scott moved his family back to his hometown of Ebensburg to continue working with small businesses. Visual Element Media now provides video, social media and web design services in Altoona, Johnstown, State College, Bedford, Somerset and everywhere in between!

You can contact Scott and his team at:

814 | 935 | 8037 or office@visualelementmedia.com

 

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Shop Small, Build Community

Turkey, Family, Football & Shop Small

It may not be a surprise, but my favorite day in November is Thanksgiving. Where family and friends gather to give thanks for the blessings they have been given over the past year. We eat too much food, have good conversation and of course, watch football.

For some, Black Friday is their next favorite day. Big sales, crazy lines and 12 cups of coffee.small-business-saturday-2016

Small Business Saturday is my second favorite. Small Business Saturday is a day devoted to supporting our local small town businesses. What I love about this day is that it gives our small businesses a chance to really show who they are and why they are in business. In today’s mobile based world, big business tends to overshadow small businesses. They have more selection, lower prices and terrible customer service. The thing is, you can find pretty much everything you need at a local small business. You may not even know that the business exists because Siri didn’t find it for you.

You may have heard the expression, “When you buy from a local business you’re not helping a fat cat CEO purchase his third vacation home. You’re helping your neighbor or friend pay bills, put food on their table and make that donation to your school’s arts program.” I love this quote because it’s true. Small business owners are a unique kind of individual. The emotional rollercoaster they go through on a daily basis is something you can only really experience first hand.

Three ThingsShop Small

I’d like to challenge you to go out and and shop at local small businesses first, then go to the big box store. Three things that may surprise you are:

  1. There are A LOT of small businesses in your area.
  2. They carry many of the products you need and are fairly priced.
  3. In most cases, the owner of the business will be in the store! The majority will take the time to welcome you because they rely on customer service, unlike big box stores.

We have all seen the stories about local businesses closing and small towns becoming almost vacant. Many will find something to blame, like the economy, but truly it is 100% preventable. If we come together to support one another, our communities will thrive. When you get to know the business owners and what they give back to their communities, you won’t want to spend your money anywhere else. As we build up our small businesses, new ones will start to pop up and jobs will be created. Our small downtowns will start seeing more foot traffic, word of mouth and social media will help spread the word, and suddenly you’ll find yourself shopping in these small stores versus the big box stores.smiling-woman-standing-outside-flower-shop

Make the Commitment

But none of this can happen unless each of us personally takes responsibility and makes the decision that we are going to shop small and build community. Instead of going to the big name auto store, find a local one. Get your taxes filed by a box store tax service, go to a local accountant. Buy that gift card for the chain restaurant, get one from a local eatery. There are so many opportunities that we commonly overlook.

Help spread the word. Get on social media, connect with local small businesses and give them a chance. You and the community will benefit from it.

A little bit about Scott Cunningham

Scott started Visual Element Media while still in college in 2008. He moved his company to Pittsburgh in 2009 where he found that small businesses were at a major disadvantage when it came to digital marketing. Scott wanted to provide small businesses with the opportunity to use video, social media and professional web design, but on a small business budget. In 2015, Scott moved his family back to his hometown of Ebensburg to continue working with small businesses. Visual Element Media now provides video, social media and web design services in Altoona, Johnstown, State College, Bedford, Somerset and everywhere in between!

You can contact Scott and his team at:

814 | 935 | 8037 or office@visualelementmedia.com

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Cunningham Named Foremost Under 40

Cunningham Named Foremost Under 40

Ebensburg, PA – November 3, 2016: Visual Element Media owner, Scott Cunningham was named as one of the Foremost Business Leaders Under 40 by Pennsylvania Business Central. Each honoree was selected by their editorial board for their grit and determination to keep growing in their chosen field. Fellow Ebensburger, Nick Damin, of Damin Printing Company, was also honored in the release.

ScottCunningham_VisualElementMedia“Such an honor”
Scott is so excited to read about the other individuals chosen in the Foremost Under 40 article. “I have actually had the chance to meet several of the finalists in the Under 40 publication and they are definitely tomorrow’s leaders.”

This is just the start:
Even though this is such a great honor, Scott is looking forward to further his plans for Visual Element Media and #loveLocal. “Now that we are getting acclimated here in Ebensburg, I’m excitcropped-VEHalfLogo_Color.pnged to start putting plans in motion to help even more small businesses in our area grow by using social media, video and web. #loveLocal is also a major passion of mine and we are continuing to develop content and visit various communities to help tell their stories. For me, this is just the start.”

If you would like to learn about Scott’s vision and how Visual Element Media can help your small business, please give him a call! 814-419-8379 or 814-935-8037 We look forward to hearing from you!

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Check out the new Ebensburg Magazine!

After a few years away from the area, Ebensburg native Scott Cunningham returned to the area just a little over a year ago in May of 2015 with his company, Visual Element Media, to help bring big city marketing to small businesses.

Story and photo by: Katie Smolen, Our Town Correspondent

Cunningham describes his company as a content media company and the company develops different content media that would include social media, videos for web release and web design and branding for all clients.

“We typically work with small to medium sized businesses from Pittsburgh to Blair County.” he said.

Cunningham started the business in 2008 when he graduated from South Hills School of Business in Altoona.

“I was doing some different video jobs and I just turned that into a company and then after I graduated I moved out to Pittsburgh and that was late 2009 and started the business, grew the business,” he said. “And then in the summer of 2015 I moved back to my hometown because I wanted to bring these types of services that usually have a high cost associated with them and I wanted to bring them back to Ebensburg… but be able to offer it on a small business budget, so that’s the business model I’ve been following.”

Cunningham added that he wanted to be able to bring the types of products he was creating in Pittsburgh to the smaller ‘mom and pop’ type of businesses back home because he felt everyone should have that level of marketing available to them.

“I feel that every business deserves a voice and I feel that if you have a small restaurant or small retail store that you deserve to have the small marketing as a big company.” he said. “I don’t think that just because your business is in a small market that you should have lesser quality of work, but then you don’t have the budget to have a high production so we compromised and developed smaller packages at a good price while still providing high quality. So we cut a ton of overhead, a ton of markup on our product, so that we could reach more small businesses.”

He added that they try to get to know all their clients and don’t have one type a client.

“We cater to small businesses, mom and pop store,” Cunningham said.

Some of Visual Element’s current clients include Scanlan Electric Supply, Dodson Electric and Kaza Fire Equipment. Cunningham is the sole employee, but he is looking to soon hire an intern.

Cunningham said that creating a lot of content in house has allowed the business to be more organized and run more efficiently.

He added that he takes photos at each location and creates videos each month to be posted for each client.

Looking forward, Cunningham said he would like to continue to  expand his business and client base.

“We’re continuing to get our name out and network with other business owners,” he said.

“I’m honored to be on the board for the Main Street Partnership here in Ebensburg, which does all the great community events.”

Cunningham added that Visual Element recently released and eight-part mini documentary series called “#loveLocal”.

“It’s a 2-3 minute mini-documentary and we did the businesses of downtown Ebensburg.” he said. “We’re looking to take that to all of central Pennsylvania.. to show people that these places are unique and these business owners care so much about these communities. It’s kind of like the “Shop Small” campaign from American Express”

Cunningham added that keeping young adults local in the area is a focus of his.

“One of my big girls is to keep our talented young adults here, start their businesses here, start their lives here –  and not just Ebensburg, central (Pennsylvania) as a whole. You know, inspire people to start businesses.” he said.

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Twitterbot Tay from Microsoft | Monday Minute

3.28.16 – Last week, Microsoft released their new AI (artificial intelligence) Twitter bot ‘Tay’. Tay is the teen version of Cortana. The bot was created to gather information and start to think for herself based on the types of tweets she received and observed from other Twitter users. Sounds great right? Well, things didn’t exactly go as planned. See some of the tweets Tay sent out in this week’s Monday Minute.Screen Shot 2016-03-28 at 9.33.51 AM

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Spring Into Action & Johnstown Magazine | Monday Minute

3.21.16

Happy Spring! Today kicks off our ‘Spring into Action’ Event here at Visual Element Media! What does this mean for you? This means that our video services are up to 35% off through the end of May. We are also offering savings on our content creation for social media services as well!

Scott was recently interviewed by the Johnstown Magazine as part of their Business Profile. The article turned out great! Pick up a copy of The (S)ides of March edition near you!

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March Madness! | Monday Minute

3.14.16

Tomorrow starts March Madness the 2016 Edition and people are hard at work filling out their brackets. I just printed mine out and feel pretty confident 50% of it will be ruined after the first round. UNC got a well deserved #1 spot while Duke surprised some with a #4 seed. Kentucky will have a hard time coming out of their section which contains the Tar Heels.

Who is your biggest upset? Who will win it all? Is it going to be another #1 or someone else? Let us know your thoughts!

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Pilot: Monday Minute – “Fish Fries!”

It’s the Lenten Season which means it’s Fish Fry Season! I sure love a good fish fry and we have a great variety to choose from in our area. Get out and support local churches, fire departments and other organizations by attending their fish fries.

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