Interview with Roy LaManna, CEO, Vydia

“As the most impactful way to convey a message online, video marketing has been a growing digital trend across all social media networks. The challenge of implementing this strategy is that the process of publishing and tracking across the web is extremely fragmented. “

On Marketing Technology

MTS: Tell us about your role and how you got here? What inspired you to start a video technology platform?
After spending some time as a Freelance Video Commissioner for Def Jam, in 2008 I decided to launch Trendsetter Media & Marketing – a firm that focused on promoting and placing music videos for both independent and top artists. The faster our client list grew, the more I felt the need to optimize technological processes like submitting videos to networks, managing digital rights, and creating reports on video performance. In 2013, I sought out technical co-founder, Mark Allen, to build a video technology platform, Vydia, that would do just that. Our platform has now been utilized by over 170,00 users worldwide and has disrupted the industry standard for how creators market and manage their video content.

MTS: How do you see the video technology evolving around omnichannel analytics experience and customer data management in the coming years?
Analytics and insights can be viewed on every major digital platform these days, however, this data is most powerful when compiled in one place for comparative examination. This is why  Vydia created a centralized reporting dashboard that shows video creators how their content is performing across several platforms. These insights help creators make business decisions on what kind of content should be created going forward. Our product roadmap is focused on expanding an immersive user experience that allows creators to access all the tools and insights that they need to manage their media inside our application.

MTS: How should B2B marketers leverage video content management and social media intelligence for better audience targeting?
Every content creator and brand publishing video online is in need of a better solution to organize, analyze, and protect their content. A new video management tool we created for marketers to automate a big part of this process is Vydia’s Social & Rights Sync feature. This technology allows content creators to be more in control of their media without interrupting the way they are accustomed to posting and ‘going live’ natively on their favorite social media platforms. Once synced to our app, users can apply protection policies and view key data points to guide targeting tactics.

MTS: What are the pain points for marketers in leveraging website analytics for a refined video content experience?
As the most impactful way to convey a message online, video marketing has been a growing digital trend across all social media networks. The challenge of implementing this strategy is that the process of publishing and tracking across the web is extremely fragmented. It is inefficient to check each platform natively to analyze how you should craft your message and promote it on the right platform, using the best parameters. This is why we created Vydia Analytics Reporting that provides users with key data on published content. Reviewing high-level platform comparisons makes it easy to see what content works best on which platforms to optimize future posts.

MTS: How do you see customer experience management platforms evolving with the maturity of AI/ML technologies?
Any technology, that helps customers get the support they need the fastest, is worth investing in. These modern tools are revered for their capability to improve user experience while helping the business to evolve and scale. Specifically, at Vydia, our Data Science team uses Machine Learning to provide insights on how media assets are projected to perform over time in comparison to industry averages.

MTS: What startups in the martech ecosystem are you watching/keen on right now?
Right now my focus is on Vydia. As far as other startups or competitors in our space, I like to refer to the explanation from Jimmy Lovine on HBO’s Defiant Ones about why horses have blinders on – They only need to worry about moving forward. The moment they look at the horses next to them, they lose.

MTS: What tools does your marketing stack consist of in 2017?
We utilize staples like Buffer, MailChimp, Google Analytics, etc., but without a doubt our Marketing team uses the Vydia app to sync all our video content to a centralized place so it’s easy to manage and publish for maximum impact.

MTS: Would you tell us about your standout digital campaign? (Who was your target audience and how did you measure success?)
After launching Vydia Mobile and releasing our Social & Right Sync technology, we ran a campaign targeting users that had previously interacted with our desktop tools to encourage them to download our new app. We followed up with a campaign targeting personas that would find value in protecting and monetizing their natively posted social content. In addition, running ads and blogs, we created educational content that helped users adopt the new technology and understand its impact on their business. The campaign resulted in thousands of downloads.

MTS: How do you prepare for an AI-centric ecosystem as a business leader?
Learn everything you can, embrace its capabilities, and then find a way to get ahead of the curve.

This Is How I Work

MTS: One word that best describes how you work.
Authentically. I think remaining transparent and honest with your team, your partners, and your users is the best way to operate.

MTS: What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Like Social Influencer, Sammy Wilk, said in a recent BuzzFeed article, Vydia is a must have.

MTS: What’s your smartest work related shortcut or productivity hack?
Different approaches work for different people. I believe optimizing your work by focusing in on the time and place you’re most productive. I’m not a morning person, so I wake up and answer emails from home. When I get to work I’m warmed up and ready for a full sprint. It’s impossible to operate at top speed all day, everyday, so taking mental breaks is vital to remain productive. It sounds simple but this is something that many entrepreneurs struggle to practice.

MTS: What are you currently reading? (What do you read, and how do you consume information?)
Reading Industry news remains the best way to get pertinent information but I find an important exercise in consuming this information is seeking out opposing views on the same topic. Approaching information in this way gives you a unique and thorough perspective that shapes your own.

MTS: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Always do fair deals.” Even if the other party is willing to give more value than will be reciprocated, it won’t endure. Think long-term, fully invest in the deals you believe in, and the return will be greater over time.

MTS: Tag the one person in the industry whose answers to these questions you would love to read:
Kevin Breuner, VP of Marketing for CD Baby

MTS: Thank you Roy! That was fun and hope to see you back on MarTech Series soon.