#just because it increases your chances of your streaming service investing in a second season of your shit

[inazuma-fulgur]

Why do 99% of leftists seem to have never questioned their ideas around ownership?

Which is one of the most basic ideas to challenge and still I see almost everyone spread capitalist rhetoric and propaganda, including high profile/educated people

[preciousmetals0]

Omaha Oracle Blindsided; Tyson’s Chicken Gets Fried

Omaha Oracle Blindsided; Tyson’s Chicken Gets Fried:

May the 4th Be With You

Wall Street faced rising U.S.-China trade tensions and plunging oil prices today … again.

Seriously? Is it just me, or are the writers for this season of “Wall Street” quickly running out of ideas?

But, the real story of the day wasn’t falling oil prices or trade wars — or even the pandemic. It was the infamous Oracle of Omaha and his wild trading kingdom.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A) held its annual shareholders’ meeting over the weekend … and let’s just say that you probably did better trading this market in the first quarter than Berkshire.

Wall-Street Yoda’s company reported a loss of $49.7 billion during the quarter driven by trading losses. In fact, Berkshire’s investment portfolio lost $54.5 billion. Sounds like Buffett could use a subscription to Great Stuff!

In the company’s defense, Berkshire holds a rather diversified portfolio of more than 90 companies ranging from insurance to utilities to furniture. All very exciting, I can tell you.

In case you were wondering, Berkshire’s biggest holdings lie in key American strongholds, such as Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP).

If you’re itching to report your own $54.5 billion loss, rush right out and buy these stocks now. Clearly, I’m joking … or am I?

The Takeaway:

Outside of Berkshire’s heavy trading losses, there was one other major takeaway from the company’s annual shareholder meeting. U.S. airlines are out.

Warren Buffett told investors at this weekend’s meeting that airlines, as Yoda would put it, not make one great.

Berkshire is done with the sector, selling its entire stakes in American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL), United Airlines Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL).

The reasons for Berkshire’s exit are plane as day. The industry has seen a 95% drop in passengers and billions in losses. What’s more, airlines are rushing to take on mountains of new debt to fund operations and remain viable.

“Well, you have to pay that back out of earnings over some period of time,” Buffett told shareholders.

With talk of a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall, getting out of airline stocks now seems like a no-brainer. But then, we are taking investment advice from a company that lost $54.5 billion on its holdings in the first quarter.

If you’re more of a short-term trader than Buffett — and, let’s be honest, most of us are — then the airline sector might hold some opportunities for you following today’s 10% plunge across the board. Many of Berkshire’s former holdings are poised to finish off today’s lows.

Now, we all know Buffett has billions to play with. That $54.5 billion loss is pocket change to him … penny candy money, as we used to call it growing up.

If you’re looking for investment advice from someone who better understands your situation, look no further than Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly.

Paul isn’t messing around with those tumultuous airline stocks or any of the old, stodgy companies that a certain firm just lost billions on. No, sir!  He knows that you want cutting-edge investments poised to lead America into the 2.0 promised land.

In fact, Paul just found one tech stock that’s set to transform the way we use and create energy: “This technology can single-handedly power a major American city … virtually free of charge.”

So, don’t get stuck in the past following bygone demagogues. Get with the 2.0 program and find out more about the one tech stock that Paul recommends you buy now.

Click here to learn more!

Going: She May Not Look Like Much…

… But she’s got it where it counts, kid.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is set to enter the earnings confessional after the close tomorrow — and Michael Nathanson of research firm MoffettNathanson has a warning for DIS bulls. Earnings revisions are going to be “massively skewed to the downside,” Nathanson says. Despite all the hype surrounding Disney+, the new streaming service won’t make up for lost theme park revenue.

“The uncertainty of the present situation creates significant and unrivaled earnings risk for the foreseeable future,” Nathanson continued. He downgraded DIS to “neutral” from “buy” and cut his price target to $112 from $120.

I would like to note that $112 still represents about a 10% upside from DIS’s current levels. Still, Nathanson has a point. Great Stuff remains bullish on DIS, but fallout from the pandemic may not fully be priced into the shares, especially with the Disney+ hype.

That said, never tell me the odds! Any sharp sell-off from this week’s quarterly report could be a buying opportunity for DIS bulls.

Going: “Ample Supplies” of Beef

When “ample supplies” of beef is the best positive takeaway from an earnings report, you know you’ve got trouble.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reported fiscal second-quarter earnings this morning, missing both top- and bottom-line expectations. Earnings missed Wall Street’s targets by $0.43 per share and revenue came up $750 million short.

Despite soaring demand at your local grocery stores for meat — seriously, what are y’all doing with all that hamburger? — the increase isn’t offsetting foodservice losses for Tyson.

However, Tyson said there was no need to worry about meat supplies … unless you’re a chicken. Cattle supplies are forecast to increase 2%, with pork up 5%. Chicken production, however, is expected to come in lower than projections for 3% to 4% growth. That should put a crimp in the chicken sandwich wars.

Today’s statement on “ample supplies” marks a complete 180 from Tyson’s earlier warning of a meat shortage due to processing plant closures. The sharp reversal certainly doesn’t engender confidence, and investors will want to hold off on TSN for now.

Gone: Intel Likes to Moovit, Moovit

Remember self-driving cars? Man, it seems we last talked about those a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) hasn’t forgotten, however. The company is reportedly dropping about $1 billion on artificial intelligence (AI) startup Moovit.

Moovit uses AI and big data analytics to process and analyze traffic data. It then provides transit recommendations based on that analysis, reducing transportation times and costs.

You can see where Moovit’s operations would be extremely beneficial for any company building a self-driving car. Intel is reportedly adding Moovit to its Israeli automotive hub — you know, the one led by self-driving company Mobileye, which Intel shelled out $15.3 billion in 2017.

Neither Intel nor Moovit have commented on the deal, but, if it plays out, this would be a smart acquisition for Intel in the long run.

Today’s Chart of the Week once again comes courtesy of Earnings Whispers on Twitter.

Are you ready for another jampacked week of corporate earnings? I mean, just look at all the companies on tap to release their dirty financial details this week!

We’re going to keep a close eye on Disney (of course), but we’ve also got our eyes on Beyond Meat Inc. (Nasdaq: BYND), Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), Peloton Interactive Inc. (Nasdaq: PTON) and, of course, Roku Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU).

Which company’s earnings report are you paying close attention to this week?

Let us know, and we might even add it to the mix! Drop us a line at GreatStuffToday@banyanhill.com.

Great Stuff: Don’t Make These Options Trading Mistakes!

If you’ve ever wondered what getting a bikini wax is like … try trading options during earnings season. (Or so I’m told, anyway.)

But some of us (myself included) are just gluttons for punishment. (That’s for options not … you know … anyway.) After all, trading options brings with it a bit of a rush … especially during earnings season.

I’ve traded options for more than 15 years, and there’s still nothing quite like having your research pay off, making that one trade ahead of an announcement and getting that big, sweet triple-digit payoff. It almost makes up for the many, many losses that came before it.

With that in mind, here are five “options don’ts” that could help save you a bit of skin when trading options:

Don’t Trade Uneducated: Seriously, I cannot stress this one enough. If you don’t understand any of the terms or concepts below, take the time to learn them. Educate yourself. Trading options isn’t hard or all that complicated, but you need to know what you’re doing before you get started. Take a few minutes and read our “Great Stuff Special Edition: Options 101” and continue learning from there. You can thank me later.

Don’t Buy Low Volume Options: What are low volume options? They are options with little to no open contracts, they typically have wide bid/ask spreads and they trade very infrequently. Because of this, your chances of making a profit are significantly reduced.

Don’t Buy Low-Cost Options: Just because an option is priced attractively does not mean it is a good deal. If you’ve traded options before, I’m sure you’ve seen contracts that trade for pennies. There’s a reason for that — market makers don’t believe they will ever be profitable, and they are priced accordingly. You should probably trust their pricing on these options.

Don’t Trade Near-Dated, OTM Options: Unless you really know what you’re doing (or are trading with a service you trust), trading near-dated, “out of the money” (OTM) options is a surefire way to lose money. Why? Because you need the underlying asset to move really far in a very short amount of time. Yeah, you nailed the direction on your TSN put, but the stock only fell to $55 … not $52, and now you’ve lost everything with no time to recover.

Don’t Use Market Orders: Using a market order when placing an options trade puts you and your profits at the mercy of the open market. Sure, your trade will get filled, but at what price? Instead, use limit orders to specify the price you are willing to get in at. Doing so enables you to better manage your trade and realize the profit you planned for when you researched it. Your order might not get filled, but that can be a good thing. Research your trade again and adjust accordingly.

One final point of advice: You don’t have to make the journey into options trading alone. The great people at Banyan Hill are always here to help you along the way.

This market is crazy, and it can be scary to go at it alone. Whether you’re an options expert or a beginner, you can’t go wrong with Paul Mampilly’s research … even during earnings season. You see, Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

That’s a wrap for today, but you can always catch us on social media: Facebook and Twitter. We hope you’re staying well out there!

Until next time, stay Great!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[goldira01]

May the 4th Be With You

Wall Street faced rising U.S.-China trade tensions and plunging oil prices today … again.

Seriously? Is it just me, or are the writers for this season of “Wall Street” quickly running out of ideas?

But, the real story of the day wasn’t falling oil prices or trade wars — or even the pandemic. It was the infamous Oracle of Omaha and his wild trading kingdom.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A) held its annual shareholders’ meeting over the weekend … and let’s just say that you probably did better trading this market in the first quarter than Berkshire.

Wall-Street Yoda’s company reported a loss of $49.7 billion during the quarter driven by trading losses. In fact, Berkshire’s investment portfolio lost $54.5 billion. Sounds like Buffett could use a subscription to Great Stuff!

In the company’s defense, Berkshire holds a rather diversified portfolio of more than 90 companies ranging from insurance to utilities to furniture. All very exciting, I can tell you.

In case you were wondering, Berkshire’s biggest holdings lie in key American strongholds, such as Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) and American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP).

If you’re itching to report your own $54.5 billion loss, rush right out and buy these stocks now. Clearly, I’m joking … or am I?

The Takeaway:

Outside of Berkshire’s heavy trading losses, there was one other major takeaway from the company’s annual shareholder meeting. U.S. airlines are out.

Warren Buffett told investors at this weekend’s meeting that airlines, as Yoda would put it, not make one great.

Berkshire is done with the sector, selling its entire stakes in American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL), United Airlines Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: UAL), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL).

The reasons for Berkshire’s exit are plane as day. The industry has seen a 95% drop in passengers and billions in losses. What’s more, airlines are rushing to take on mountains of new debt to fund operations and remain viable.

“Well, you have to pay that back out of earnings over some period of time,” Buffett told shareholders.

With talk of a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall, getting out of airline stocks now seems like a no-brainer. But then, we are taking investment advice from a company that lost $54.5 billion on its holdings in the first quarter.

If you’re more of a short-term trader than Buffett — and, let’s be honest, most of us are — then the airline sector might hold some opportunities for you following today’s 10% plunge across the board. Many of Berkshire’s former holdings are poised to finish off today’s lows.

Now, we all know Buffett has billions to play with. That $54.5 billion loss is pocket change to him … penny candy money, as we used to call it growing up.

If you’re looking for investment advice from someone who better understands your situation, look no further than Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly.

Paul isn’t messing around with those tumultuous airline stocks or any of the old, stodgy companies that a certain firm just lost billions on. No, sir!  He knows that you want cutting-edge investments poised to lead America into the 2.0 promised land.

In fact, Paul just found one tech stock that’s set to transform the way we use and create energy: “This technology can single-handedly power a major American city … virtually free of charge.”

So, don’t get stuck in the past following bygone demagogues. Get with the 2.0 program and find out more about the one tech stock that Paul recommends you buy now.

Click here to learn more!

Going: She May Not Look Like Much…

… But she’s got it where it counts, kid.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is set to enter the earnings confessional after the close tomorrow — and Michael Nathanson of research firm MoffettNathanson has a warning for DIS bulls. Earnings revisions are going to be “massively skewed to the downside,” Nathanson says. Despite all the hype surrounding Disney+, the new streaming service won’t make up for lost theme park revenue.

“The uncertainty of the present situation creates significant and unrivaled earnings risk for the foreseeable future,” Nathanson continued. He downgraded DIS to “neutral” from “buy” and cut his price target to $112 from $120.

I would like to note that $112 still represents about a 10% upside from DIS’s current levels. Still, Nathanson has a point. Great Stuff remains bullish on DIS, but fallout from the pandemic may not fully be priced into the shares, especially with the Disney+ hype.

That said, never tell me the odds! Any sharp sell-off from this week’s quarterly report could be a buying opportunity for DIS bulls.

Going: “Ample Supplies” of Beef

When “ample supplies” of beef is the best positive takeaway from an earnings report, you know you’ve got trouble.

Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) reported fiscal second-quarter earnings this morning, missing both top- and bottom-line expectations. Earnings missed Wall Street’s targets by $0.43 per share and revenue came up $750 million short.

Despite soaring demand at your local grocery stores for meat — seriously, what are y’all doing with all that hamburger? — the increase isn’t offsetting foodservice losses for Tyson.

However, Tyson said there was no need to worry about meat supplies … unless you’re a chicken. Cattle supplies are forecast to increase 2%, with pork up 5%. Chicken production, however, is expected to come in lower than projections for 3% to 4% growth. That should put a crimp in the chicken sandwich wars.

Today’s statement on “ample supplies” marks a complete 180 from Tyson’s earlier warning of a meat shortage due to processing plant closures. The sharp reversal certainly doesn’t engender confidence, and investors will want to hold off on TSN for now.

Gone: Intel Likes to Moovit, Moovit

Remember self-driving cars? Man, it seems we last talked about those a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) hasn’t forgotten, however. The company is reportedly dropping about $1 billion on artificial intelligence (AI) startup Moovit.

Moovit uses AI and big data analytics to process and analyze traffic data. It then provides transit recommendations based on that analysis, reducing transportation times and costs.

You can see where Moovit’s operations would be extremely beneficial for any company building a self-driving car. Intel is reportedly adding Moovit to its Israeli automotive hub — you know, the one led by self-driving company Mobileye, which Intel shelled out $15.3 billion in 2017.

Neither Intel nor Moovit have commented on the deal, but, if it plays out, this would be a smart acquisition for Intel in the long run.

Today’s Chart of the Week once again comes courtesy of Earnings Whispers on Twitter.

Are you ready for another jampacked week of corporate earnings? I mean, just look at all the companies on tap to release their dirty financial details this week!

We’re going to keep a close eye on Disney (of course), but we’ve also got our eyes on Beyond Meat Inc. (Nasdaq: BYND), Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), Peloton Interactive Inc. (Nasdaq: PTON) and, of course, Roku Inc. (Nasdaq: ROKU).

Which company’s earnings report are you paying close attention to this week?

Let us know, and we might even add it to the mix! Drop us a line at GreatStuffToday@banyanhill.com.

Great Stuff: Don’t Make These Options Trading Mistakes!

If you’ve ever wondered what getting a bikini wax is like … try trading options during earnings season. (Or so I’m told, anyway.)

But some of us (myself included) are just gluttons for punishment. (That’s for options not … you know … anyway.) After all, trading options brings with it a bit of a rush … especially during earnings season.

I’ve traded options for more than 15 years, and there’s still nothing quite like having your research pay off, making that one trade ahead of an announcement and getting that big, sweet triple-digit payoff. It almost makes up for the many, many losses that came before it.

With that in mind, here are five “options don’ts” that could help save you a bit of skin when trading options:

Don’t Trade Uneducated: Seriously, I cannot stress this one enough. If you don’t understand any of the terms or concepts below, take the time to learn them. Educate yourself. Trading options isn’t hard or all that complicated, but you need to know what you’re doing before you get started. Take a few minutes and read our “Great Stuff Special Edition: Options 101” and continue learning from there. You can thank me later.

Don’t Buy Low Volume Options: What are low volume options? They are options with little to no open contracts, they typically have wide bid/ask spreads and they trade very infrequently. Because of this, your chances of making a profit are significantly reduced.

Don’t Buy Low-Cost Options: Just because an option is priced attractively does not mean it is a good deal. If you’ve traded options before, I’m sure you’ve seen contracts that trade for pennies. There’s a reason for that — market makers don’t believe they will ever be profitable, and they are priced accordingly. You should probably trust their pricing on these options.

Don’t Trade Near-Dated, OTM Options: Unless you really know what you’re doing (or are trading with a service you trust), trading near-dated, “out of the money” (OTM) options is a surefire way to lose money. Why? Because you need the underlying asset to move really far in a very short amount of time. Yeah, you nailed the direction on your TSN put, but the stock only fell to $55 … not $52, and now you’ve lost everything with no time to recover.

Don’t Use Market Orders: Using a market order when placing an options trade puts you and your profits at the mercy of the open market. Sure, your trade will get filled, but at what price? Instead, use limit orders to specify the price you are willing to get in at. Doing so enables you to better manage your trade and realize the profit you planned for when you researched it. Your order might not get filled, but that can be a good thing. Research your trade again and adjust accordingly.

One final point of advice: You don’t have to make the journey into options trading alone. The great people at Banyan Hill are always here to help you along the way.

This market is crazy, and it can be scary to go at it alone. Whether you’re an options expert or a beginner, you can’t go wrong with Paul Mampilly’s research … even during earnings season. You see, Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

That’s a wrap for today, but you can always catch us on social media: Facebook and Twitter. We hope you’re staying well out there!

Until next time, stay Great!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[jobsearchtips02]

If You’ve Got $4,000 to Invest, Purchase These 4 Top Stocks Today

The trends that were powering these companies’ development are only accelerating due to the modifications wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bearish market induced by the COVID-19 pandemic appears– at least for now– to be in hibernation, as the significant stock market indices have gotten between 19%and 29%given that bottoming out on March23 Those indices, however, are still down by 9%to 16%this year.

While it’s still unclear whether the bear has loaded it in for the winter season or is merely regaining its strength before delivering another rout, 2 things are particular: Investing uses the clearest course to generate wealth over the long term, and there are still stocks worth purchasing prior to the market goes back to setting brand-new all-time highs.

Presuming you have a sufficient emergency fund developed and $4,000(or less) that you do not expect to need in the next 3 to 5 years, here are four companies that will grow in the coming years

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Shopify: E-commerce is blazing a trail

While the most obvious recipient of the pandemic-fighting stay-at-home policies is Amazon, investing in the tech giant is not the only method to take advantage of the nation’s higher reliance on e-commerce. Rather than putting your money behind the most significant player, why not bet on about 1 million smaller entrepreneurs that will be up and running once the health crisis has passed?

E-commerce platform Shopify( NYSE: SHOP) provides financiers the opportunity to do just that.

An appearance at its most current profits report provides a preview of what to expect from the business in a post-coronavirus world.

While management withdrew its assistance due to the current financial uncertainty, Shopify reported that declining foot traffic at brick-and-mortar sellers was driving more businesses online– which will benefit it over the long haul. Shopify has likewise taken a variety of actions to assist its merchants, consisting of extended 90- day totally free trials, gift card accessibility, and supporting in-store and curbside pickup and delivery for its point-of-sale merchants.

It does not hurt that Shopify has a strong balance sheet, with $2.4 billion in money and no financial obligation.

Image source: Getty Images.

2. Activision Blizzard: The video games we play

One of the methods individuals are whiling away the seemingly unlimited days and weeks on coronavirus-induced lockdown is by playing video games.

The business is the purveyor of such top-selling franchises as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, with each offering relatively endless permutations for their particular fan bases. Call of Responsibility: Warzone— its free-to-play, battle royale offering– boasted 30 million players less than 2 weeks after its March 10 debut.

Investors shouldn’t underestimate the capacity of esports, which is expected to grow from a $694 million market in 2017 to $2.17 billion by 2023– a compound yearly growth rate (CAGR) of almost 19%– according to research study company MarketsandMarkets.

Activision Blizzard owns and operates 2 esports leagues tied to major franchises, namely the Overwatch League and the Call of Responsibility League. While the former is working to resume its city-based matches as soon as stay-at-home constraints are lifted, the Call of Responsibility League moved its inaugural season to online-only competition without missing out on a beat.

Activision Blizzard is also well-positioned to ride out the storm, with $5.8 billion in cash and simply $2.7 billion in debt.

Image source: Getty Images.

3. Netflix: Time to binge

Companies of stay-at-home home entertainment are seeing dramatic surges in traffic in a world beset by COVID-19, and streaming video services have actually experienced some of the biggest gains. While the trend was already well-established, many people who had been withstood the siren call are now gathering to platforms with the most significant libraries, and no platform has more content than Netflix( NASDAQ: NFLX)

A growing cadre of analysts has chimed in on the company in the weeks because the pandemic started. After deploying a range of analytical tools, they have actually all concerned the conclusion that viewers are flocking to Netflix in extraordinary numbers.

The most recent prognostication comes from analyst Matthew Thornton of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. After analyzing a combination of search data, app downloads, and local information, Thornton believes Netflix will report a near-record high of at least 9.5 million new subscribers in the very first quarter, 2.5 million more than Netflix’s current forecast and 2 million greater than experts’ consensus quote of 7.5 million.

Thornton believes the company will see a boost in the second quarter as well, as more people who registered in March will roll off their totally free trial durations and become paying customers. Thornton also cites a strong slate of content– like the breakout hit Tiger King— along with the appeal of locally-focused programming in countries across the globe as factors that will not just draw in new subscribers, however keep them around long after this crisis is over.

Netflix has $5 billion in cash, however regrettably, its long-lasting financial obligation has swollen to $15 billion, so it’s heavily leveraged. The good news is that with more than $5 billion in new income each quarter and speeding up customer need, Netflix should be able to easily ride out the pandemic.

Image source: DocuSign.

4. DocuSign: Indication here

Another casualty of social distancing could be the custom of signing files in individual.

Its earnings grew by 39%in 2019, a velocity from its 35%gain the year before.

With work-from-home mandates stretching into the foreseeable future, services will be much more most likely to embrace DocuSign’s technology. And when they’re on board, chances are they will remain as customers.

The business’s balance sheet is slightly concerning: It has $656 million in money and short term investments, however $465 million in financial obligation. It deserves noting, however, that the debt is convertible to equity, so it represents less of a monetary danger.

Investing takeaways

Some financiers will ask the unavoidable question, “Why purchase now?” To that concern, I would respond, “Why not?” We can’t know if this volatile market has already reached its pandemic bottom or if it has further to fall– and anyone who declares otherwise is simply blowing smoke. Because the market invests more time increasing than falling, the finest time to buy stocks is always “now.”

For financiers who are not completely persuaded that now is the very best time to buy, I suggest another time-tested strategy: Relieve in slowly, buying some shares now and adding to your positions later on

Danny Vena owns shares of Activision Blizzard, Amazon, Netflix, and Shopify and has the following options: long January 2021 $22.50 calls on Activision Blizzard. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Activision Blizzard, Amazon, DocuSign, Netflix, and Shopify and recommends the following options: short January 2022 $1940 calls on Amazon and long January 2022 $1920 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

“> John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, belongs to The Motley Fool’s board of directors.

Danny Vena owns shares of Activision Blizzard, Amazon, Netflix, and Shopify and has the following choices: long January 2021 $22 The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Activision Blizzard, Amazon, DocuSign, Netflix, and Shopify and recommends the following choices: short January 2022 $ 1940 calls on Amazon and long January 2022 $ 1920 calls on Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy

” >

. from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/if-youve-got-4000-to-invest-purchase-these-4-top-stocks-today/

[maritzaerwin]

20 Money-Saving Tips for Millennials for 2020

Rumor has it that Millennials are world-class spenders and terrible money savers and according to a survey by CNBC, the rumor might be true. The survey found that 67% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 have savings of less than $1,000. What’s even worse, 33% of them have no savings.

Most of them live by the rule: work hard, play hard. What’s the point of working hard if you can’t enjoy it, right?

While it holds some truth, saving money can actually make your life better in the long run. If you’re a heavy spender, it’s time to change things up. Here are some of the benefits of saving your money.    

The Benefits of Saving Money

a) Sense of Security

Life is unexpected, you never know what will happen next. Saving money will give you a sense of security knowing that you’ll be prepared if something bad happens. So, restrain yourself from buying unnecessary things and save your money in case something bad happens and you have to pay the hospital bills.

b) Freedom

If you have enough savings, you can buy most things with cash and avoid being trapped into credit card debt. This way, you don’t need to worry about having to pay your debt every month. And forget about those debt collectors knocking on your door too. This is the kind of freedom that everyone wants but only money-savers can have.  

c) Flexibility

Saving money gives you the flexibility to live on your own terms. You’ve got the extra money to open a side business, invest in stocks, or go on a vacation. Those are the things that are impossible to do when you live paycheck to paycheck.

Money-Saving Tips

Saving your hard-earned money every month isn’t easy. If it is, then everyone would be doing it. But the truth is, only a minority of people have financial awareness to save for the future. In this article, we’ll help you become one of those selected few people with these actionable money-saving tips and ideas:

1) Use Cash More

Paying with cash, instead of cashless payment methods will make it much easier for you to track your spending because you have to physically count the money every time you buy something. Research from New British has also backed this claim as they found that digital payment methods have caused consumers to overspend.

2) Rent, Don’t Get into Mortgage Yet

Don’t force yourself into buying a house via mortgage when you can’t afford it yet. Only consider a mortgage if the monthly payment isn’t more than 28% of your income and you have no other debt. Otherwise, it’s better to rent. You could also get a roommate to share the cost if you’re comfortable living with another person.

3) Apply for Scholarships

It’s no secret that college fees aren’t cheap. As a result, 71% of students are reportedly caught in student debt. To avoid being stuck in a debt, apply for scholarships to cover the costs of your education. Apply as many as you can to increase your chances.

If you fail and really need to take the loan, take the federal loans instead of private ones. The federal loans usually offer more flexibility, like payment deferment and rescheduling options.

4) Sell Your Car and Take the Bus

If you have a car, consider selling it to save on gas, parking, maintenance, and loan interest. You can then use the money to pay off your other debts like student loans. There are a lot of cheaper alternatives to commute. You can take public transportation, share a ride with your colleagues, or even ride a bike.

5) Cut Down Your Electricity Use

Cutting down your electricity use will not only help your finances but also the environment at the same time. Do an energy audit in your home to find areas that you can cut down. Usually, cooling and heating appliances are the biggest energy consumers in a household.

6) Don’t Eat Out Too Often

Eating out with your friends is fun, but doing it too often will damage your financial condition. Instead of going out to a restaurant or cafe, invite your friends to come over to your house. There, you can cook your own meals and coffee. It’s a great way to save money while still being able to have fun with your peers.

7) Cancel Unused Memberships and Subscriptions

Cancel all memberships and subscriptions that you don’t really need anymore. When was the last time you went to the gym? If you have a gym membership, consider canceling it. Instead, do free work-outs like running in a park as well as doing push-ups and sit-ups.

8) Cut Your Cable

With the growing popularity of streaming services like Netflix and video sharing platforms like YouTube, TV cable has become a thing of the past. They cost less than cable, while also giving you the flexibility to choose what content to watch and when to watch it.

9) Learn to Say NO

According to Credit Karma, 40% of Millennials overspend and get caught in debts just to keep up with their friends. Don’t make the same mistake. Learn to say no to your friends if they invite you for a night out when you’re running low on cash. 

Photo Credit -Pixabay.com

10) Refrain from Overusing Social Media

Social media can be harmful if you overuse it. Everyone is using social media to brag about their latest trip to Europe, their newest collection of Gucci bags, and anything necessary to make them appear cool and rich.

Limit your social media use to avoid being influenced to buy unnecessary things just to look cool. Just remember that your friends won’t be there when it’s time to pay the credit card debts.

11) Buy Higher-quality Clothing that Lasts Longer

Buying cheap products doesn’t necessarily help you save more money. In fact, it’s much cheaper to buy high-quality stuff that costs more but lasts longer than cheap knock-offs that you can only wear 2 or 3 times before it breaks.

For instance, spending $300 on a pair of jeans that you can wear for 3 years is much better than spending $10 on a pair of jeans that you can only wear for a couple of months.

12) Avoid Impulsive Buying

Living in an era of online shops and social media, Millennials are under constant threat of impulsive buying. With eCommerce sites like Amazon all over the web, purchasing something online has never been easier. Not to mention those Instagram ads that know exactly what kind of shoes or watch you like.

To avoid impulsive buying, it’s necessary to create a monthly budget and stick to it no matter what happens. It may be hard, but saving money is all about being disciplined and having a strong commitment.

13) Use a 30-day Rule

To avoid impulsive buying, you need to practice the 30-day rule of shopping. The rule of the game is simple: if you want to buy something really bad, wait for 30 days. After 30 days, you’ll realize where the urge of shopping comes from. Do you really need the item? Or is it just your appetite? Most of the time, it’s the latter.

14) Eat First Before Shopping for Groceries

Never shop for groceries while you’re hungry. When you’re hungry, every food will look extra delicious and you might end up buying too much food that you don’t actually need. Creating a grocery list before you go shopping will certainly help you stay on track. And also, don’t forget to eat first.

15 )Make Extra Money

Cutting down life expenses can be difficult to pull out at times. No matter how hard you try, there’s just not enough money to save at the end of the month. Especially when you’re married and have kids. If that’s the case, making extra money is the most reasonable route to go.

There are many ways to make extra money depending on your skills. You can do freelance jobs, start your own online business, teach online courses, or even offer house cleaning services for your neighbors.

16) Borrow, Instead of Buying

Don’t ever buy what you can borrow, it’s a waste of money. Things that you must borrow are those that you need for the time being, but not for a long time. Things like books, movies, lawnmowers, ladders, chainsaws, carpet cleaners, tables and chairs for events, as well as tents when you decide to go camping.

17) Don’t Let FOMO Get the Better of You

FOMO is an acronym that stands for Fear of Missing Out. This is a social anxiety that’s commonly found in Millennials. Basically, it’s a feeling of wanting to catch up to what your friends do, whether it’s having fun with friends, going on a luxurious vacation, or buying the latest gadgets.

Instead of buying something you need, you’ll buy something because other people do the same. And you want to look cool. It’s in human nature to crave acceptance and not wanting to be left behind. But if you let FOMO control your life, you won’t ever be successful.

18) Buy Used Furniture and Items for Your House Decoration

Your house is the place you spend time with your family and rest after an exhausting day. Of course, it needs to be comfortable and nicely decorated. Who wants to go home to a place that looks like a dump, right?

Nicely decorated doesn’t always mean expensive taste. You can buy used furniture at a garage sale, flea market, second-hand store, or even a shop of a charitable organization. You can also recycle unused junk into beautiful home decor items with some creativity.

Source: Pinterest

19) Purchase Something That’s on Sale

If you can, avoid paying the full price when you purchase something. Instead, wait for the sale season to begin before going on a spree. Big holidays like Christmas and New Year certainly offer a lot of discounts. Also, look for the occasion. Purchasing winter boots and coats during summer will usually be much cheaper than during winter.

20) Don’t Get a Pet Just Yet

Adopting a pet might seem like a fun idea until the bills come in. The average yearly cost to raise a small dog is around $2,674, and it grows as the dog gets bigger. Medium dogs will cost $2,889 and large dogs will cost $3,239 yearly. And don’t forget about those medical emergencies that can cost you thousands of dollars!

Conclusion

In the last few years, Millennials have been heavily criticized for their lack of ability and willingness to save money. Yes, studies have confirmed that Millennials indeed have a lower savings rate than both Gen X and Boomers but, it’s not entirely their fault.

Today, everything is significantly more expensive than it was back in the day. Education costs are much higher, forcing students to take up student loans. Not to mention credit card debt, car loan, and mortgage on top of it. Millennials spend most of their income to pay off their debts until there’s barely enough to save.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t cut down on your expenses and start saving.

Here are some actionable money-saving ideas that you can try right away:

Use cash instead of cashless payments.

Don’t get into a house mortgage when you can’t afford it, rent instead.

Apply for scholarships to help finance your study.

Sell your car and take public transportation to commute.

Cut down your electricity use.

Don’t eat out too often, cook your own meals.

Cancel all memberships and subscriptions that you no longer use.

Switch from TV cable to Netflix or Hulu.

Don’t get easily influenced by your friends and social media posts.

Buy high-quality fashion items that last longer, as opposed to cheaper knock-offs.

Use a 30-day rule before purchasing something.

Borrow what you can, and only buy items when it’s on sale.

Don’t go shopping for groceries while being hungry.

Do side hustles to earn extra pennies.

Buy second-hand furniture, or make one from unused junk in your home.

Don’t get a pet when you’re still in debt.

The post 20 Money-Saving Tips for Millennials for 2020 appeared first on CareerMetis.com.

20 Money-Saving Tips for Millennials for 2020 published first on https://skillsireweb.tumblr.com/

[margaretbeagle]

Can you make a great six-second ad? Here’s what we learned from the best

When marketers wish for more time and resources, they often wish to spend it on video marketing.

Well, what if you only needed six seconds of video to make your impression?

The current run of 6-second ads on platforms like YouTube and Twitter has opened up new options for marketers who are looking to get their message heard via video without going overboard on video resources.

We’ve taken YouTube’s best practices and looked at the list of the best six-second ads to find all the secret ingredients behind short and snappy video marketing. We think these tips will help you craft the perfect YouTube bumper ad, Twitter video, Instagram story — you name it — and will make video marketing a cinch for you and your brand.

The benefits of being on YouTube

YouTube is a bit of a different animal when it comes to social media marketing, particularly because it has such a heavy emphasis on, well, video content. On Twitter, you can type out a message and hit send. On Instagram, you can upload a pretty photo or a meme.

On YouTube, you have to create a whole video!

We’ve written lots before about how to create awesome videos, whether you’re a newbie or on a budget .. or a seasoned pro. As with most marketing activities, it’s not as difficult as it might look at first. The hardest part is getting going.

Still, it can feel like a big hill to climb. 

So why bother climbing?

Well there are a couple strong points in your favor for putting in the work and making things happen on Youtube.

First, YouTube is gigantic.

Chances are that if you’re targeting consumers, then consumers will have some sort of connection with YouTube.

Take these stats for instance: 

YouTube has over 1.9 billion monthly active users.

In the U.S. over 90% of 18-44-year-olds watch videos on YouTube.

Not to mention that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine and the second most popular website behind Google.

Now, we’re not necessarily talking about becoming a YouTube influencer or growing your channel to millions of subscribers and views. That would be great, of course. But it’s not needed in order to get value from YouTube. 

Spending some of your ads budget on YouTube ads can help you reach a targeted audience through a medium that is engaging and very strong on the storytelling side. 

Which brings us to the second reason why it might make sense to invest some in YouTube advertising … 

One of YouTube’s best formats is six-second video ads.

You don’t have to make a mini movie or spend a lot of time and resources to build something long and lasting. You simply have to fill six seconds of time with a catchy, on-brand message. 

Seem doable? 

A lot of brands think so, which is why the ads format on YouTube has proliferated. There are a lot of options now — and if you spend much time on YouTube, you’ve probably seen a lot of variety in the ads also. It’s becoming a hot space. 

We’ll cover some of the basics of this ad format and then spend the majority of the episode diving into what makes a great YouTube ad by studying some of the best ones out there. 

Your YouTube ad options for videos

YouTube offers three types of video ads

Skippable video ads that viewers can skip after five seconds. These ads come before, during, or after the main video.

Non-skippable video ads must be watched before your video can be viewed. These are a maximum of 15-20 seconds long

Non-skippable video ads that can be up to 6 seconds.

Specifically for this blog post, we’re going to focus on the six-second ads. These appear in the pre-roll — the ad that shows right before your video starts. 

Because of this, you pay for bumper ads by impressions. They are charged by CPM – cost per thousand impressions, meaning that you pay for a bumper ad for every 1,000 impressions of your video. 

YouTube ads typically have an average cost-per-view of $0.10 – $0.30. And according to an AdStage report, in 2018 the average CPM on YouTube was $9.68. Additionally, the average cost per click was $3.21 and the average click-through rate (CTR) on YouTube was 0.33%.

How does this compare to other social networks?

It’s on the higher end because of the high engagement on YouTube’s video ads. Facebook is near $9.00 CPM, but Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn benchmarks are closer to $6.00. 

Best examples of six-second ads on YouTube

YouTube recently announced its list of the top six-second ads from the past year. The list included:

Subaru

Frito-Lay

Doritos

Oreo

Eggo

Almond Joy

and many more

Personally, I love what Geico dos with six-second ads: they’re often quite brilliant and funny and play with the form really well. 

What do all these videos have in common? There are a few elements that we noticed, plus YouTube has shared some of the qualities that it believes are key to a successful ad and video on its network. 

How to make a successful YouTube ad

1. Put your brand front-and-center

There are a couple reasons for this. Featuring your brand early on will help orient the viewer and increase engagement with your ad. Also, the first few seconds of the video are crucial, whether you’re making a longform video or a six-second ad. 

YouTube recommends starting with a powerful brand moment rather than a slow build. And of course, when making a six-second ad, you don’t really have time for a slow build!

You can do this in a lot of different ways. If you have a product, you can feature it in the first frames, as Doritos does in its six-second ads. Other brands start with a shot of their logo or a logo overlay onto the video. 

2. Use catchy music and sounds. 

95% of video watched on YouTube are played with the sound on, so music and voice are an essential component to your ad’s success. This is a bit different from other social platforms where sound is often turned off and captions are necessary. You don’t need any captions here. 

If your ad doesn’t necessarily have a strong audio component, another way to capture attention is from quick editing. This is obviously used quite well in the six-second ad formats. 

By putting multiple shots into the first few seconds, you can capture attention quite well. 

Looking at some of the top 6-second ads on YouTube, for example, Doritos put five shots into its six seconds, and Dove had seven shots — more than one shot per second. 

3. Think mobile-first when building your ad.

The majority of YouTube watching happens on mobile devices, so you’ll want to consider this experience when you’re coming up with your ad idea and your production. For instance, consider how people are using their phones — people may be watching on battery saving mode which means darker screens and less visibility, so bright colors and big text will make the biggest impact in your ad. 

Ok, let’s take a quick music break and then come back with some final advice on making the most of your YouTube ads.

Strategy: What are six-second ads good for? 

It’s not a lot of time to drive an action from your viewer, which might be why a lot of brands use the short videos for increasing brand awareness.  Of course, this comes with challenges of its own. How do you even measure brand awareness?

YouTube has thought of this. They offer a brand lift survey that you can run to measure the direct impact that your ad is having on the perception of your brand and the behaviors that you’re influencing. The survey measures a number of different factors: 

increases in brand awareness

ad recall

consideration

favorability

purchase intent

brand interest

They even let you optimize your campaigns while they’re happening, based on the results from this brand lift survey.

Of course, if a Youtube brand lift study is outside of your budget, there are other ways to measure its impact, too. You can look at foundational metrics like view rate and click-through rate to determine which of your ads are working well. 

Now there has been talk about the super-short ad format being too short to effectively communicate a message. There may be some truth to that, but at the same time, there is science and research behind just how quickly we’re able to process ads. 

In a recent study, brain researchers found that mobile ads can trigger an emotional response in less than half a second. The brain only needs 400 milliseconds to see and react emotionally to mobile ads. YouTube in particular has a couple things in its favor: video ads were twice as likely to stimulate an emotional response than static images, and mobile ads are a full one to two seconds faster to get a response than desktop ads.

Strategy: Cross-channel marketing

We’re big fans of repurposing content here at Buffer. We love taking a blog post and turning it into a SlideShare, a podcast episode, an infographic, and more. So we think it’s great to be able to do the same with ads.

Fortunately, there’s not much that needs changed with six-second videos because so many other places support this short format. 

I’m sure you’ve started to see this format on places like Hulu and other streaming services. On the social media side, Twitter has recently rolled out 6-second ads as a new ad type. Early tests with some brands on Twitter have shown up to a 22% increase in view rate.

What’s really interesting, as we mentioned earlier, not everyone browses Twitter with the sound on. So if you’re planning on using your short YouTube video ads on other social networks, it might be useful to really lean into the strong visual branding side of things.

In fact, a study by EyeSee showed that short-form videos with the sound-off that included clear branding, delivered a significantly better ad recall and message association compared to typical TV-style ads. 

Alright, one final strategic point we wanted to share is more like a quick time saver. When it comes to making short, six-second YouTube ads, you may not even need to start from scratch. 

Tip: You can repurpose existing ads and have YouTube cut them down to six seconds for you. 

That’s right, This year, YouTube began testing a tool called Bumper Machine that optimizes video ads for mobile audiences. The tool uses machine learning to pick out key moments from longer ads and convert them into the six-second bumper ads that we’ve been talking about this episode. 

Some of the elements that the machine learning algorithms are looking for are: 

human characters

motion

the sharpness of the video’s focus 

the quality of the framing

So if you’re looking to create a short ad to try out on YouTube, you may be able to test quite easily by repurposing a well-performing ad to work in the six-second format.

We’ve had a lot of fun researching short ads for this episode. If you have any personal favorites, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to send us a link on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and use hashtag #bufferpodcast so that we can spot it!

Can you make a great six-second ad? Here’s what we learned from the best published first on https://improfitninja.weebly.com/

[mariemary1]

Can you make a great six-second ad? Here’s what we learned from the best

When marketers wish for more time and resources, they often wish to spend it on video marketing.

Well, what if you only needed six seconds of video to make your impression?

The current run of 6-second ads on platforms like YouTube and Twitter has opened up new options for marketers who are looking to get their message heard via video without going overboard on video resources.

We’ve taken YouTube’s best practices and looked at the list of the best six-second ads to find all the secret ingredients behind short and snappy video marketing. We think these tips will help you craft the perfect YouTube bumper ad, Twitter video, Instagram story — you name it — and will make video marketing a cinch for you and your brand.

The benefits of being on YouTube

YouTube is a bit of a different animal when it comes to social media marketing, particularly because it has such a heavy emphasis on, well, video content. On Twitter, you can type out a message and hit send. On Instagram, you can upload a pretty photo or a meme.

On YouTube, you have to create a whole video!

We’ve written lots before about how to create awesome videos, whether you’re a newbie or on a budget .. or a seasoned pro. As with most marketing activities, it’s not as difficult as it might look at first. The hardest part is getting going.

Still, it can feel like a big hill to climb. 

So why bother climbing?

Well there are a couple strong points in your favor for putting in the work and making things happen on Youtube.

First, YouTube is gigantic.

Chances are that if you’re targeting consumers, then consumers will have some sort of connection with YouTube.

Take these stats for instance: 

YouTube has over 1.9 billion monthly active users.

In the U.S. over 90% of 18-44-year-olds watch videos on YouTube.

Not to mention that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine and the second most popular website behind Google.

Now, we’re not necessarily talking about becoming a YouTube influencer or growing your channel to millions of subscribers and views. That would be great, of course. But it’s not needed in order to get value from YouTube. 

Spending some of your ads budget on YouTube ads can help you reach a targeted audience through a medium that is engaging and very strong on the storytelling side. 

Which brings us to the second reason why it might make sense to invest some in YouTube advertising … 

One of YouTube’s best formats is six-second video ads.

You don’t have to make a mini movie or spend a lot of time and resources to build something long and lasting. You simply have to fill six seconds of time with a catchy, on-brand message. 

Seem doable? 

A lot of brands think so, which is why the ads format on YouTube has proliferated. There are a lot of options now — and if you spend much time on YouTube, you’ve probably seen a lot of variety in the ads also. It’s becoming a hot space. 

We’ll cover some of the basics of this ad format and then spend the majority of the episode diving into what makes a great YouTube ad by studying some of the best ones out there. 

Your YouTube ad options for videos

YouTube offers three types of video ads

Skippable video ads that viewers can skip after five seconds. These ads come before, during, or after the main video.

Non-skippable video ads must be watched before your video can be viewed. These are a maximum of 15-20 seconds long

Non-skippable video ads that can be up to 6 seconds.

Specifically for this blog post, we’re going to focus on the six-second ads. These appear in the pre-roll — the ad that shows right before your video starts. 

Because of this, you pay for bumper ads by impressions. They are charged by CPM – cost per thousand impressions, meaning that you pay for a bumper ad for every 1,000 impressions of your video. 

YouTube ads typically have an average cost-per-view of $0.10 – $0.30. And according to an AdStage report, in 2018 the average CPM on YouTube was $9.68. Additionally, the average cost per click was $3.21 and the average click-through rate (CTR) on YouTube was 0.33%.

How does this compare to other social networks?

It’s on the higher end because of the high engagement on YouTube’s video ads. Facebook is near $9.00 CPM, but Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn benchmarks are closer to $6.00. 

Best examples of six-second ads on YouTube

YouTube recently announced its list of the top six-second ads from the past year. The list included:

Subaru

Frito-Lay

Doritos

Oreo

Eggo

Almond Joy

and many more

Personally, I love what Geico dos with six-second ads: they’re often quite brilliant and funny and play with the form really well. 

What do all these videos have in common? There are a few elements that we noticed, plus YouTube has shared some of the qualities that it believes are key to a successful ad and video on its network. 

How to make a successful YouTube ad

1. Put your brand front-and-center

There are a couple reasons for this. Featuring your brand early on will help orient the viewer and increase engagement with your ad. Also, the first few seconds of the video are crucial, whether you’re making a longform video or a six-second ad. 

YouTube recommends starting with a powerful brand moment rather than a slow build. And of course, when making a six-second ad, you don’t really have time for a slow build!

You can do this in a lot of different ways. If you have a product, you can feature it in the first frames, as Doritos does in its six-second ads. Other brands start with a shot of their logo or a logo overlay onto the video. 

2. Use catchy music and sounds. 

95% of video watched on YouTube are played with the sound on, so music and voice are an essential component to your ad’s success. This is a bit different from other social platforms where sound is often turned off and captions are necessary. You don’t need any captions here. 

If your ad doesn’t necessarily have a strong audio component, another way to capture attention is from quick editing. This is obviously used quite well in the six-second ad formats. 

By putting multiple shots into the first few seconds, you can capture attention quite well. 

Looking at some of the top 6-second ads on YouTube, for example, Doritos put five shots into its six seconds, and Dove had seven shots — more than one shot per second. 

3. Think mobile-first when building your ad.

The majority of YouTube watching happens on mobile devices, so you’ll want to consider this experience when you’re coming up with your ad idea and your production. For instance, consider how people are using their phones — people may be watching on battery saving mode which means darker screens and less visibility, so bright colors and big text will make the biggest impact in your ad. 

Ok, let’s take a quick music break and then come back with some final advice on making the most of your YouTube ads.

Strategy: What are six-second ads good for? 

It’s not a lot of time to drive an action from your viewer, which might be why a lot of brands use the short videos for increasing brand awareness.  Of course, this comes with challenges of its own. How do you even measure brand awareness?

YouTube has thought of this. They offer a brand lift survey that you can run to measure the direct impact that your ad is having on the perception of your brand and the behaviors that you’re influencing. The survey measures a number of different factors: 

increases in brand awareness

ad recall

consideration

favorability

purchase intent

brand interest

They even let you optimize your campaigns while they’re happening, based on the results from this brand lift survey.

Of course, if a Youtube brand lift study is outside of your budget, there are other ways to measure its impact, too. You can look at foundational metrics like view rate and click-through rate to determine which of your ads are working well. 

Now there has been talk about the super-short ad format being too short to effectively communicate a message. There may be some truth to that, but at the same time, there is science and research behind just how quickly we’re able to process ads. 

In a recent study, brain researchers found that mobile ads can trigger an emotional response in less than half a second. The brain only needs 400 milliseconds to see and react emotionally to mobile ads. YouTube in particular has a couple things in its favor: video ads were twice as likely to stimulate an emotional response than static images, and mobile ads are a full one to two seconds faster to get a response than desktop ads.

Strategy: Cross-channel marketing

We’re big fans of repurposing content here at Buffer. We love taking a blog post and turning it into a SlideShare, a podcast episode, an infographic, and more. So we think it’s great to be able to do the same with ads.

Fortunately, there’s not much that needs changed with six-second videos because so many other places support this short format. 

I’m sure you’ve started to see this format on places like Hulu and other streaming services. On the social media side, Twitter has recently rolled out 6-second ads as a new ad type. Early tests with some brands on Twitter have shown up to a 22% increase in view rate.

What’s really interesting, as we mentioned earlier, not everyone browses Twitter with the sound on. So if you’re planning on using your short YouTube video ads on other social networks, it might be useful to really lean into the strong visual branding side of things.

In fact, a study by EyeSee showed that short-form videos with the sound-off that included clear branding, delivered a significantly better ad recall and message association compared to typical TV-style ads. 

Alright, one final strategic point we wanted to share is more like a quick time saver. When it comes to making short, six-second YouTube ads, you may not even need to start from scratch. 

Tip: You can repurpose existing ads and have YouTube cut them down to six seconds for you. 

That’s right, This year, YouTube began testing a tool called Bumper Machine that optimizes video ads for mobile audiences. The tool uses machine learning to pick out key moments from longer ads and convert them into the six-second bumper ads that we’ve been talking about this episode. 

Some of the elements that the machine learning algorithms are looking for are: 

human characters

motion

the sharpness of the video’s focus 

the quality of the framing

So if you’re looking to create a short ad to try out on YouTube, you may be able to test quite easily by repurposing a well-performing ad to work in the six-second format.

We’ve had a lot of fun researching short ads for this episode. If you have any personal favorites, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to send us a link on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and use hashtag #bufferpodcast so that we can spot it!

Thank Can you make a great six-second ad? Here’s what we learned from the best for first publishing this post.