Extend Your Online Video Distribution, Think Outside the YouTube Box
uStudio | Industry Trends
Moving images have always moved us. From the first time an animal was captured in action–Eadweard Muybridge’s “The Horse in Motion,”–to today’s cat videos, we’ve been hooked on this medium’s effectiveness to tell a great story. We even have some proof that there’s method to our madness: watching a minute of video is the equivalent of reading 1.8 million words, according to Forrester’s Dr. James McQuivey.
We know a good story when we see it.
That’s why the numbers Rocky Walls cites in, “Four Tips to Improve Your Video Content” shouldn’t shock us. Walls, a leading video strategist, calls out some compelling stats. These tell the story:
In 2012, marketers number one spend was on YouTube and video marketing. And the numbers are not expected to change anytime soon.
Some 85% of online users watch video. And of those, almost half say videos inspire them to click through for more information about the product.
Net net: Online video is a highly effective and fast growing way to tell a story.
But you knew that. What you might want to think about is not how powerful video is but how powerful the internet is from a distribution (read: reach all my audiences everywhere) perspective. Unlike analog story delivery forms, there’s more than one way to skin that cat and reach an audience.
That’s why those charged with developing video strategies need to think big. Seth Godin’s June 20 blog, Adopting the post-obedient mindset, reinforces this elegantly and from a slightly different perspective. For reasons he explains in his blog, “ … the entire world is available.” He urges us to cross boundaries because in today’s “connection economy” (his words, not mine), the valuable asset is the ability to convene: “The entire world is available.”
Do you know the boundaries? They extend outside the YouTube-only universe. Your audience is on more than just YouTube. Think iTunes, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, DailyMotion and more. Your video needs to be everywhere your audience is. Make sure you have the technological ability to do that. Then dare to go there. As Godin says, “Crossing boundaries is where we thrive.”
