The digital world is growing so fast lately that every business needs to keep up with the latest trends online to stay up to date with this fast-paced world.
Marketers are always trying to find effective solutions for higher reach, better brand awareness and good ROI. Nowadays, the most fruitful solution is a video-based marketing.
According to Wyzowl statistics, 63% of businesses have started using video content marketing. Out of those 82% of businesses feel video marketing is an important part of their strategy.
Other than being one of the most versatile and profitable digital marketing tools out there, videos should be included in your marketing strategy for the following reasons.

1. Increased Conversions
Many recent researches show that video converts more than regular and static images. 74% of users who watched an explanatory video about a certain product have subsequently bought it, which proves that video can lead to direct sales.

2. Higher Engagement
If you think that a nice visual is enough to get a high engagement, then you must think twice. Videos are proven to be the best type of posts that gathers high engagement, as users are 10 times more likely to react, comment and share on a video than on an article or related social posts.

3. Better Google Ranking
We all know that SEO is the way to get your website on the first page of Google search, or even among the 3 first ranks. But did you know that having a video embedded on your website could help your business show up first on Google? It’s simple, having a video on your website means visitors are more likely to spend longer time on your site, which signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and has good content.

4. Appealing to mobile users
With the rise of the smartphones, users have shifted radically from desktop to mobile, specially when it comes to videos. Studies have shown that 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile.
With the growing number of smartphone users, and people favoring watching videos on the go, your audience will keep getting bigger and bigger.

5. More Social Shares
Be it an emotion-evoking video or a silly entertaining animation, interesting content is key to increase the shares across social media platforms. While evoking emotion has been proven to positively impact consumer decision-making in marketing, a fun and entertaining video can have the same effect.
Users are more likely to share your video if it is interesting, which will help increase the traffic on your website, and eventually increase your ROI.

6. Clearer Message
An explanatory video is always preferred over an image or a long article. Showing a video of how your product/service works, is far more effective than a regular picture or text. When it comes to more complicated concepts, an animation can also do the trick.
Nowadays, you don’t need to have special skills to create a video with the rise of the many video editing tools, which will do the job for you and for cheap prices!
 
So, here they are! The many reasons to include video in your marketing strategy and why we believe it is essential to increase your ROI.

Social Media influencers are present almost everywhere in the world, and Lebanon is no exception. Nowadays, people who have unique ideas and innovative mindsets filled with humor, common sense and wit are finding their way into fame with the help of social media. Social media is very exciting, educative as well as entertaining and it’s playing a vital role in everybody’s life, no matter what their working field is. Here are the 7 top social media influencers in Lebanon who will most likely impact the way everyone thinks about social topics and life in general:

1. Gino Raidy:
Gino is a reputed writer and his blog (Ginosblog.com) is very well-known all over the world. He has gained a lot of attention and fame in the digital community in Lebanon. Gino is a militant biologist, atheist and libertarian. You’ll reconsider everything you know once you listen to Gino as he enriches your mind with his groundbreaking thoughts and analysis. He writes about many different topics including human rights, internet policies, dogmatic social, religious beliefs and latest technology updates.

2. Imad Bazzi:
Imad Bazzi is an award-winning cyber activist as well as a radio show host at 90.3 FM (AlJadeed FM). He is the co-founder of a creative entertainment and media services agency.
For his Facebook statuses, Imad mainly uses the Arabic language. As for his tweets, he usually alternates Arabic and English. Imad regularly tweets about “Democracy & Human Rights” and writes in his blog: trella.org.

3. Joumana Haddad:
Joumana is an Award-winning poet and journalist. She is also a women’s rights advocate, reputed thought leader on sexual freedom and secularism in the Arab world. For her social and cultural activism, Joumana has been selected as one of the 100 most powerful Arab women in the world by the CEO Middle East magazine in March 2014. Joumana’s ideas and opinions are sometimes perceived as controversial due to the powerful voice and influence she has in the Arab world.  
Joumana is the kind of aspiration that most of the Arab women look up to. She is an inspiration to all and a role model who will change how women are perceived in the Arab world.

4. Karl Sharro:
Karl Sharro is a London-based Lebanese satirist, architect and commentator on the Middle East politics and culture. “Karl reMarks”, his famous blog has been featured in The Economist, The Guardian, the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, Al-Jazeera, Public Radio International, Al Monitor and The Daily Star. You can definitely relate to “Karl reMarks” if you like some witty satire.

5. Lana El Sahely:
Lana is the founder of “L’ Armoire De Lana” and a freelance stylist. “L’ Armoire De Lana” is rapidly growing and becoming popular among fashionistas, both regionally and globally. Lana is a major influencer and a fashion trendsetter. Her passion is to live through the art of feeling well and looking good. She is working on making a good reference in lifestyle, fashion and other sub-categories, not only in Beirut but also in the Middle-East.  

6. Nasri Atallah:
Nasri is a famous British-Lebanese publisher, author, and producer. He is the author of the “Our Man in Beirut” blog. In addition to writing, he has launched a career in different creative fields where he criticized and demonstrated social issues in Beirut. He is quite active on his Twitter account and Facebook page where you can find his constructive and interesting views.

7. Rabih Salloum:
Rabih is an extraordinary fiction writer, ex-model & lead singer of “Slutterhouse;” the Lebanese electronic pop duo based in Beirut and Paris. His Facebook posts will certainly make you laugh so hard and entertain you with a humorous sarcasm about the Lebanese society and the world.e to edit.