We call this Content Gravity—a strategic approach to marketing where your content ecosystem becomes so compelling, so seamlessly interconnected, that your audience is pulled in without resistance. It’s not about sporadic content—it’s about creating a digital force field that keeps your brand top-of-mind.

The Science of Content Gravity

Think of content like planets in a solar system. The more mass (valuable, relevant content) you have, the stronger your gravitational pull. But here’s where most brands get it wrong—they treat organic, paid, and interactive content as separate entities when, in reality, they should be working together to create a seamless experience.

Here’s how to structure Content Gravity for maximum impact:

Organic Content – Your blog posts, social media updates, and SEO-optimized pages build trust and provide long-term discoverability.

Paid Advertising – Amplify your organic content with highly targeted ads that ensure the right people see your messaging at the right time.

Video & Interactive Content – Video content, reels, webinars, and interactive elements increase engagement and retention, making your brand more memorable.

Brand Cohesion – Your Instagram, LinkedIn ads, and website should all speak the same visual and tonal language, reinforcing your brand identity wherever people find you.

Understanding Your Audience’s Orbit

Attraction isn’t magic—it’s data-driven psychology. With today’s advanced marketing tools, brands can predict customer behavior with uncanny accuracy. You don’t need to read minds—you just need to listen.

Analyze engagement patterns – What content gets the most shares, comments, and saves?

Leverage behavioral targeting – Use AI-driven insights to deliver content when and where your audience is most active.

Optimize and evolve – Content Gravity isn’t static; it adapts. As trends shift, your strategy should too.

Create a Brand That Pulls People In.

Marketing is no longer about pushing messages—it’s about creating experiences that make customers want to stay. When your content ecosystem is aligned, your brand becomes impossible to ignore.

Ready to make your brand magnetic? Let’s build a strategy that keeps your audience in your orbit—without the chase.

The post Content Gravity: How to Make Your Brand Magnetic appeared first on 3D Digital.

As we move into 2020, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of what we accomplished this past year.

Marketing

We completed digital marketing campaigns for numerous new and existing clients in 2019. While many of our clients are local, we also work with national and international brands to grow their presence. Duval Ford, a local automobile dealership, has enlisted us to manage their digital marketing strategy, including the addition of dynamic ads. These dynamic ads are a game-changer for them, as they allow advertisements to adapt to the preferences of each unique user.

On a larger scale, we’re proud to have worked with brands like Chick-fil-A, Bubba Burger and Planet Fitness to expand their presence regionally and across the country. Using tactics like targeted display, OTT, and YouTube ads, our digital marketing campaigns soared in 2019.

Video Development

Having an in-house video team at 3D Digital is a huge asset. It allows us to work on video projects more efficiently for our clients. We had the privilege to put together many different video projects in 2019 for clients in varying industries. Two of the largest video projects we worked on this year are both very dear to us. The first is a fan series for the Jacksonville Jaguars, our local NFL team. The Jaguars sought our help to tell the stories of some of their most dedicated fans and what they do to engage in the local sports community.

Secondly, we worked on a video series for Dreams Come True of Jacksonville. This is a nonprofit that grants the wishes of local children with life-threatening illnesses. We produced videos to promote participation in their annual 5K race, with proceeds going to benefit their cause. Additionally, we produced a series of videos to share the stories of a few children they’ve supported.

Websites

Year after year we remain dedicated to helping others build their presence online. Last year, we successfully developed and launched a handful of new websites. Champion Brands (www.championbrands.net), Integrity Spine and Orthopedics (www.integrityspineortho.com), and Golf Range Netting (www.golfrangenetting.com) are just some of the sites we’ve constructed recently. Our team approaches website builds with an “all hands on deck” mentality. In other words, we don’t stop until the finished product is just right.

Overall, we accomplished quite a lot as a team in 2019. Every year we do our best to live out our motto: Define, Design, Deliver. Not only did we live out that motto in 2019, but we have hopes that 2020 will be even better.

The post 3D Digital at a Glance appeared first on 3D Digital.

When a customer looks for someone to come to the rescue, your HVAC business should be the one that stands out from the rest. Here’s how this can be done:

Video

Videos are an effective way an HVAC business can reach out to its customers. In highly competitive areas where having a functioning HVAC system is a necessity, like Florida, a video introducing your company is a great way to familiarize your audience with who you are and what you do.

Video can help retain existing customers by promoting regular maintenance or upgrades to their systems. In areas of extreme heat, creating seasonal videos describing money-savings tips and tricks is a good idea to boost sales and conversions during slow times of the year. There’s a constant influx of new technology and more effective methods pertaining to the HVAC industry. Creating regular videos highlighting these changes can help your customers understand exactly what it is you’re doing.

Digital Marketing

You’ve created a video! Now what? Creating a captivating and engaging video is only half the battle. Knowing where and how to promote it is critical to the video’s success. There are numerous digital marketing strategies you can use to get your message out to the public. The overall goal of these marketing efforts is to instill awareness in consumers. When they need HVAC services or are searching the web for related topics, your name could be the first that comes to mind.

An addressable geo-fencing campaign is a great way to promote a video across numerous screens. This solution targets devices in specific households, usually in a business’ local area, to potentially result in a higher ROI. Addressable OTT ads target selected consumers on popular streaming devices to deliver video in the places they already consume it the most.

Creating a captivating video and marketing it correctly is a job best left to the professionals. We recommend partnering with video and digital marketing experts, like the team at 3D Digital, for the best chance of creating a successful video campaign for your HVAC business.

The post Marketing Tips for the HVAC Industry appeared first on 3D Digital.

Hold onto your witches’ hat! Here are some examples of Halloween-themed digital marketing campaigns that organizations have launched in the past.

Seasonal Videos

Video content gets the most organic engagement. If your business utilizes video regularly, creating a spooky themed video may best route to get some scary good conversions.

Geico Insurance is a big player during the holidays with their seasonally themed advertising campaigns. They recently launched the “GEICOween” campaign with a series of commercials. In the most talked about commercial, the Geico gecko and the new homeowners explore the old attic only to find presumably haunted mannequins. How eerie is that!

Themed Targeted Display Ads

Svedka took the prize in 2017 when they launched their Halloween “Banner Ad Curse” campaign. This campaign used a person’s location, vodka preferences and browsing habits to create personalized targeted display ads that followed the users from site to site with creepy messages. Further, the only way to “break the curse” was to click on the ad.

Evil genius? We think so. This data-driven campaign broke the normal mold of targeted ads in a terrifying yet totally creative way.

Social Media Campaigns

Fanta’s 2017 Halloween campaign used distorted reality to create scary Snapchat filters during the spooky season. The Snapchat filters could only be unlocked using the exclusive Snapcode on the back of Fanta beverages, which helped increase sales of these limited-time products. The filters got progressively scarier as Halloween got closer. This digital marketing campaign was a huge success because it boosted product sales while maintaining customer engagement.

Blog Posts

Blog posts (like this one) are a great way to treat your audience while also boosting your SEO. Halloween is a hot time for interesting and trendy searches since millions of people are looking for costume and party ideas, tips and tricks, and so much more. If you’re searching for a spooky blog post idea, checking out the Halloween Google Search trends is a good way to see what people are currently interested in.

Halloween is a perfect time to break out of the usual digital marketing mold. Take the leap this year and start brewing some of your own ideas for your Halloween campaign!

The post 4 Digital Marketing Ideas for Halloween appeared first on 3D Digital.

59% of company decision makers would rather watch a video than read an article or a blog post (Forbes)

Decision makers are some of the busiest people in an organization.  Most of them don’t have time to read a long article, so video is a great way to gain their attention. It conveys information in a way that requires little work on the viewer’s part. In general, it’s easier to keep people engaged with video compared to text. When trying to boost engagement, video should be at the top of the list.

Video will make up over 80% of all internet traffic by 2021 (Cisco)

Videos are incredibly popular, and the popularity only seems to be increasing. By 2021, videos will make up most of all internet traffic. This goes to show just how many people watch videos every day.  Now’s the best time to start filming and producing videos if you want to stay ahead of the game.

81 % of businesses are now using video for marketing (Hubspot)

Many companies are already producing video content for marketing purposes. Pretty soon, video strategies are going to be a major differentiator between competitors. Your video strategy could be the one thing that convinces someone to do business with you instead of someone else. Connecting with an audience through video can help build brand reputation and establish trust.

Live video will account for 13 % of traffic by 2021 (Cisco)

Live video consumption is consistently on the rise. As of now, traditional video is still king, but live video has its benefits. There’s just something about watching a person or event live that people can’t resist. Maybe it’s the fear of missing out or maybe it’s just human nature, either way it’s a great tool for businesses wanting to connect with people on a personal level. Instagram Stories, Facebook Live and Snapchat take the concept of live video even further. Including them in your strategy can help extend your reach.

Clearly, video is one of the most important online formats right now. A solid video marketing strategy can really help a company succeed, especially with engagement. If you aren’t making video a part of your digital marketing strategy, now is the best time to start.

The post Why Video is Vital for Online Performance appeared first on 3D Digital.

Have Purpose

To connect with Generation Z, your business needs to have a purpose. Yes, every business has a purpose to make money, but to win over this upcoming generation it must go deeper than that. These young people prefer to get behind brands that serve a greater good and have environmentally or socially conscious roots. Gen Z mentality is all about expressing individuality and being who you are. When they find a brand that expresses public support for people like them or for a cause they’re passionate about, they’re more likely to become a loyal customer.

Use Video

Video is a great way to boost awareness and engagement in general, but is even more significant to Generation Z. More than 70 percent of teens spend at least three hours per day watching videos on their mobile devices. With such a focus on video content, reaching out to this generation through any other medium just isn’t likely to be as effective. Whether it be through videos embedded on your website or short video ads on YouTube, video marketing is a must if you want to increase your conversions among this demographic.

Support Mobile

If your online presence isn’t yet optimized for mobile devices that should be your top priority. Without a properly developed mobile site, you’re not only missing out on the majority of Gen Z, but a lot of people in general. Incredibly, more than half of all teens use their smartphone for shopping. As more people begin the transition to online shopping and brick and mortar stores continue to decline, having an attractive mobile website is more important now than ever before.

Diversify Social Media

Facebook is king… or is it? While Facebook is still the most popular social media platform among the general population, the same can’t be said for Generation Z alone. According to Google, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular social media platforms for this age group. Many businesses are familiar with Facebook and Facebook marketing, but not many have bridged over to Instagram and Snapchat in the same manner. If you want your brand to stay relevant moving forward, diverting more resources to these platforms is a one-way ticket to social media success.

With such a diverse group of individuals and free thinkers, the best way to connect with those in Generation Z isn’t the same across the board. Without a straightforward solution, observing their habits is extremely telling. Having a greater purpose, utilizing video, supporting the mobile experience and broadening your social media presence are some of the best ways your business can connect with Gen Z today.

The post How to Connect with Generation Z appeared first on 3D Digital.

Video

We’ve seen more and more people talk about video this year and it’s steadily grown. By the start of 2019, it’s expected to make up 80 percent of all internet traffic. Consumers value it because it provides an emotional connection between them and a business, something that’s not easily accomplished without it. Creating videos to share on your website and social media accounts gives you the opportunity to speak directly to your audience and show them exactly what you want them to see. The uses of video are endless, but promoting your products and demonstrating their abilities are both great uses, as the consumer can see exactly what it is they’re purchasing. Creating pieces of video content on a variety of topics to distribute throughout the year will help your company stay top of mind and make you a valued resource.

Another trend making waves this year is live video, also known as live streaming. This feature, commonly found on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, lets you instantly connect with your audience from anywhere in the world. It creates a new experience for your followers and gives them the opportunity to talk to you directly by making comments and getting a response from you in real time. Regularly live streaming can establish a relationship between you and your audience that was never possible before.

Influencer Marketing

Promoting a product isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. With so many outlets to choose from, the path to success may not be clear. One way to give yourself an advantage is to include influencer marketing as a digital strategy. An influencer is a person who has the power to influence other’s decisions, which is usually someone with a large following like a celebrity or internet personality. Let’s say Cristiano Ronaldo, who happens to be the most followed person on Instagram with nearly 150 million followers, posts a video promoting Coca-Cola. He’s telling all his followers that he enjoys Coca-Cola. The company then hopes that more business is generated from his fans who want to drink Coca-Cola simply because he drinks it. Find a person who has influence over your specific industry and you’ll likely see higher conversion rates than you would from using a random influencer. If you are a video game company, you probably wouldn’t want to use a reality TV star to promote your new game. A smart choice would be someone in the gaming community who already has millions of like-minded followers.

Single Page Web Design

Cluttered web pages are a thing of the past. Simplicity and uniformity are highly sought after this year, as more time online is being spent on mobile devices rather than traditional computers. The number of single page websites is exploding as we crave simpler designs that are mobile friendly. Single page websites are basically what they sound like, just one page. No more fumbling with lengthy drop-down menus and expansive toolbars. Single page sites give you all the available information neatly on one page, so you can find what you’re looking for quickly, translating to higher conversion rates. Updating your web design is always important; however, next time try condensing it down to a single page site to be even better prepared in the long run.

This doesn’t mean a single page website is for everyone. If your brand calls for a more in-depth experience, do it. Making sure the user has a great experience, no matter the device, should come first.

Bonus: Addressable Geo-Fencing

Many marketers this year will be taking advantage of an innovative tool called addressable geo-fencing, which provides the means to target up to one million unique street addresses. This is revolutionizing the world of digital marketing because now you can take your existing audience base, or those who have shown interest in you, and only target devices within the boundaries of their addresses. Instead of manually drawing a geo-fence around a general area, you can now advertise exclusively to those you know will be interested, resulting in a higher chance of conversions.

Digital marketing isn’t an easy area to stay on top of.  As people grow and change, so do their online habits. This makes it difficult to always pinpoint what is going to be successful in the future; however, what we do know is what’s on trend now. Video, influencer marketing, single page web design and addressable geo-fencing are all currently transforming the world of digital marketing and should be looked out for in 2019.

The post Digital Trends to Look out for in 2019 appeared first on 3D Digital.

Storytelling makes an impact. Video marketing is a great strategy for any nonprofit to tell its story. If there is any hesitation when hearing the word ‘video’, you can let it go now. Gone are the days when creating a visually appealing video costs a fortune and takes months to produce. These days, anyone with a smartphone and basic editing software can create an effective video in just minutes, eliminating expensive production costs. Professional studios, such as the one at 3D Digital, are also more available than ever, often willing to work with nonprofits bearing smaller budgets.

The power and influence of video marketing are mind-blowing. More than three-quarters of donors say that online video advertisements are the most useful medium when deciding to donate to a nonprofit. Along with that, more than half of the people who watch a video make a donation to the cause. These statistics are staggering and show just how effective video marketing can be for gaining awareness.

YouTube is Key

When designing a video marketing strategy for a nonprofit, YouTube should be at the top of the list. It’s the most popular online video platform with more than 1 billion current users. Having that many users generate an insanely high amount of traffic. More than 1 billion hours of videos are watched daily, resulting in billions of video views. The potential to have a lot of people see your video is within reach.

Importance of Mobile Video

Optimizing videos for mobile devices should be a part of any video marketing campaign. More than half of all video views on YouTube are from a mobile device. The number of mobile video viewers is consistently rising in the United States. In 2017 alone, 161.5 million people viewed videos on a mobile device. This number is expected to continue to rise to 179.4 million people projected in 2020.

Keep it Brief

Online videos should be brief and concise, especially for mobile viewing. People on mobile devices tend to be on-the-go and are not willing to dedicate an extended period of time to a video. Make sure the message is clear and presented not long after the start of the video. If you don’t engage viewers within the first 30 seconds of a video you’ve already lost a third of the audience.

Video marketing for a nonprofit is proving to be extremely effective. With the number of online video viewers on the rise, there is only more and more potential to gain awareness and bring in needed donations. Engaging with an audience through a video is the best way to tell them who you are and what you’re working towards. Allowing them to visually see your mission is vital to expanding your reach in today’s technological society.

The post Video Marketing for Nonprofits appeared first on 3D Digital.

Video Ad Length & Audience

Identifying the target audience of your advertising campaign is key to determining which video ad length will produce the best results. For example, millennials consume content completely different than their parents and grandparents. They want things fast and in bite-size pieces, and they want to consume it on their mobile devices. Micro video ads that run between six and ten seconds in length are a great fit for millennials. For older audiences, however, longer video ads are better. The optimal length for this group tends to fall between 30 and 60 seconds.

Although micro ads may play well with a millennial audience, research has shown that shorter ads work best for established brands and not those who need to build awareness or convey complex messages. For relatively unknown brands, or new businesses, a video ad should be at least 15 seconds in length to drive any type of measurable action. Recent data has also shown that video ads that fall between 15 and 30 seconds get the most views. To ensure your audience is getting the message and retaining it, we highly recommend keeping your videos in this range, though there are exceptions to every rule.

Video Ad Length & Social Media

When Google introduced 6-second YouTube bumper ads in 2016, many were skeptical that six seconds could adequately convey a brand, let alone a message. Fast-forward to 2018, and these creative little blips are still going strong. Maybe it’s because the average attention span is now shorter than a gold fish, or maybe it’s because we’re spending more time consuming our information through social media platforms; whatever the reason, these short video ads perform well on most social media platforms, especially Snapchat.

All social media ad consumption, however, is not the same. There are certain nuances for each platform, so it’s important to not only know which video specs work best, but also which video ad length will get the best results.

Instagram

Instagram may be a relative newcomer to video advertising, but it’s quickly becoming a major player. In fact, Instagram surpassed Facebook and YouTube in video engagement in Q1 2017.  The average time spent per day is between 24 and 32 minutes (depending on your age), but most users are only on for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. That’s why Instagram video ads are between 15 seconds (Instagram stories) and 60 seconds (in-feed & carousel ads). If you have a longer video ad, simply re-purpose it for this channel by breaking it into smaller ads that play more like a movie trailer. This not only works better for this audience, but keeps them coming back for more. Bumper ads (six-second ads) are very effective on Instagram, as well.

Facebook

Over 100 million hours of video per day is consumed on Facebook. That’s a lot of competition, so you’ll need to make sure your video ad stands out. The first three seconds of your video ad are the most important. If you don’t “hook” viewers during that time, they’re likely to move on to something else in their feed. You’ll also need to add text to your video since most Facebook users consume video without sound. Be sure your video ad is also optimized for vertical viewing. Research shows that mobile devices are in vertical (portrait) mode 98 percent of the time. Vertical video completion rates are also 9x higher than horizontal. More importantly, keep Facebook video ads around 10 seconds for optimal engagement.

Twitter

Twitter offers two types of video advertising: promoted videos and pre-roll ads. Both will autoplay on mute as users scroll through their timelines and allow up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds of ad time. For larger brands, this stretches to 10 minutes. Does that mean your video ad should be the maximum length allowed? No. Twitter users like things short & sweet. If you plan to advertise on this platform, we highly recommend keeping your ads around 30 seconds. Just be sure to grab them early and end with a strong call to action (CTA).

YouTube

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, where people tend to stumble upon video organically in their feeds, YouTube users are specifically looking for videos to watch. And, unless it’s the new Super Bowl ads, they are probably not searching for advertisements, nor do they want them continually interrupting their videos. Remember this when creating your YouTube video ads. Since most people can skip the ad after five seconds (in-stream), be sure to put the important (and interesting) information at the front of your ad. Next, make sure the sound quality of your ad is very good. Unlike the other social platforms, YouTube users want to hear what’s playing. And finally, keep the video ad length between 15 and 60 seconds to ensure more people will watch the ad to the end.

Final Thoughts

As we mentioned earlier, there are exceptions to every rule. These general guidelines for video ad length will work for most digital campaigns, but certain types of video ads demand more time. How-to videos, explainer videos and those with complex subjects typically have longer run times than those pushing a sale or an event. It’s best to experiment with different ad lengths to determine the “sweet spot” for your company’s marketing efforts. Just remember to grab your audience’s attention early and make it entertaining. If you can nail that, you have a good shot at converting some viewers into paying customers.

The post Does Size Matter? Finding the Right Video Ad Length appeared first on 3D Digital.

YouTube

Did you know that we spend a billion hours a day on YouTube? That’s more than Netflix and Facebook combined, and it’s getting very close to matching television viewing statistics. YouTube is also the 2^nd largest search engine in the world. In other words, your brand needs to have a presence on this platform ASAP! This not only includes pre-roll and other video advertising, but also informational videos that help connect people with your brand and your mission. In fact, it’s the longer videos that tend to help you rank better on search engine results pages (SERPs) and increase viewer engagement.

Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg predicts that Facebook will be mostly video by 2020. That’s not a stretch when you consider just how popular Facebook Live has been with users. On average, Facebook receives close to 8 billion video views per day. But, here’s a more interesting fact – nearly 85 percent of Facebook video is watched withoutsound. That means videos need to be entertaining, include captions and subtitles. Live video, as we mentioned previously, also opens the door for brands to actively engage with potential customers in real-time through Q & A sessions, behind-the-scenes snippets and other fun ways. An easy way to infuse some video marketing in your Facebook efforts is to add a video cover to your brand page. This one from 3D Digital gives viewers everything they need to know about the brand in just a few seconds.

Branding

Do current and future customers know who you are as a brand? It’s easy enough to make sure you have brand consistency throughout your print and digital marketing efforts by following established guidelines for fonts, colors and style, but none of those can come close to the ‘personality’ that shines through on video. Videos can turn your company into a living, breathing entity that people connect with on a personal level. It’s also one of the best mediums for sharing your story, vision and mission.

What’s Hot for 2018

Video marketing is literally exploding off the screen this year. New advances have made it more entertaining, more engaging and more eye-catching. Some of the things to look out for in 2018 include:

360-Degree Videos

Videos shot in the 360-degree format allow viewers to feel as though they are in the center of all the action. From virtual tours to product demonstrations, it’s a great way to get people to not only engage with the video, but also take action.

Video Mapping

Video mapping basically involves projecting video onto 3D objects, such as boxes, walls and even trees. The results, however, are anything but basic. Check out this Chevy video to see how video mapping can transform an ordinary product launch:

Virtual Reality (VR) Video

Virtual Reality (VR) has finally gained an audience and brands are taking full advantage of it. Imagine the impact a VR video could make on a donation campaign if people could step into the shoes of a sick child’s family or spend time at a small village across the globe. For house hunters, the need to physically drive to a location would be non-existent with a VR tour of the property. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but nothing compares to the experience of being there without actually being there.

We know that dipping your toes into uncharted territory can be intimidating, but’s it’s time to take the plunge. Be sure that you have a video marketing plan for 2018 that not only complements, but also accelerates your other marketing efforts.

The post Why You Need a Video Marketing Plan for 2018 appeared first on 3D Digital.