In the ever-changing online world, Twitter and Youtube have recently debuted their new cards. What are these cards exactly you ask? You are probably familiar with annotations which have been used on videos to communicate and engage with viewers. They are the small popup messages that appear during a video that prod viewers to do things like subscribe to the channel they are watching or leave a comment.

Youtube Cards are Visually Appealing

Youtube cards are a somewhat more sophisticated version of annotations. They are also more aesthetically appealing in appearance. Like annotations, they can be placed anywhere throughout the video.

Currently Youtube offers six types of cards which video creators can use in various ways. They include:

  • Merchandise – Allows viewers to click over to a product or store on one of the supported merchandise sites.
  • Fundraising – Encourages viewers to donate to your favorite causes on supported fundraising sites.
  • Video – Promotes another video to be viewed.
  • Playlist – Promotes a playlist.
  • Associated Website – Features the creator’s website.
  • Fan Funding – Allows viewers to make donations to support the video creator’s Youtube channel.

Video creators like the fact that the cards, unlike annotations, can be viewed across all devices, either in portrait or landscape mode. The cards can are easily accessed through a tab in the Video Editor where they can be created and edited.

Watch this YouTube tutorial to find out more:

Twitter Cards

Twitter is a platform that can boost your SEO and market your brand. And Twitter cards are only making it easier to do so. Twitter cards debuted last summer and they can be added to a Tweet for viewers to see. A plain text based Tweet is transformed when a card is attached displaying an engaging piece of content, media or call to action. As the importance of visuals continues to grow, Twitter cards are a welcome feature to both users and viewers.

Twitter offers eight types of cards that give users a variety of options. Let’s take a look at what they are and how to use them.

  • Summary card – Can be used to link to a blog or information page. Users can add a title, description, thumbnail or larger image, and Twitter handle.
  • Photo card – Allows users to feature art or photography. Title, description, Twitter handle and image are displayed.
  • Gallery card – Similar to the photo card but allows up to four images to be displayed.
  • App card – This card is for those offering apps either free or for sale. When viewers see a tweet with this feature from their desktop, a link to the app is displayed. Those viewing from a mobile device are prompted to download the app.
  • The Player card – Gives the user the ability to share their videos and audios. The card places a player in the tweet that viewers can use on Twitter.
  • The Product card – Users can include a title, description, thumbnail and Twitter handle for their product. Important information such as price, availability, etc., can also be included.
  • The Lead Generation card – With a click of a button viewers can share the email address associated with their Twitter account with you right on Twitter.
  • The Website card – This card includes a thumbnail image of your website, the title and a call to action that encourages viewers to click through to the site.

To find out more about how to use Twitter cards, watch this YouTube tutorial:

With the exception of lead generation cards, Twitter cards are free to use.

Both Twitter and Youtube cards give users much more creative functionality. Take some time to experiment with these added features to see the kind of increased engagement that you can create.

(Image Credit: 742680)

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