Roy Sekoff, President and co-creator of HuffPostLive, kicked off day two of Digital Summit Phoenix #DSP14 with a vibrant and engaging talk about online videos, social engagement, and how they work together.
Sekoff toyed with the idea that television will succumb to the online video market, stating that over 5 million people have cut their cable company cords since 2010, YouTube has increased its viewership to over 1 billion unique visitors a month, and television ratings have been on a steady decline since 2007.
But perhaps the most important topic discussed by Sekoff was engagement. Sekoff disclosed his own tactics and principles and also shelled out sound advice regarding online video content and how to increase engagement in your target audience. Being President of HuffPost Live, Sekoff sees an average monthly audience of over 50 million unique visitors, which he has accumulated by incorporating these tactics.
The team at HuffPost Live discovered that individuals were discussing topics in the comments section of a post and they realized that there was more room for discussion. By giving their audience a platform to voice their opinions and thoughts, HuffPost Live has increased awareness and has amassed a substantial online following. Sekoff attributed this growth to the utilization of online video tools such as Google Hangout, which has yielded positive outcomes for HuffPost Live by giving people from all over the world the ability to ‘chime in’ on a conversation. Informed individuals want to be a part of the conversation, rather than being presented the news in a one-directional format.
Sekoff stressed that authentic content being splashed across multiple platforms is a crucial aspect for a company to raise awareness and sustain their viewership. Ways of doing this is to employ several tools such as online videos and social platforms that allows the opportunity for a community voice. Sekoff expressed a poignant thought towards the end, “Data touches your head, storytelling touches your heart.”
You can follow Roy Sekoff on Twitter at @RoySekoff
