Web-Based Video Marketing for Small Businesses
by Paul Burani

Major corporations awoke to the potential of web-based video a long time ago, making online video, whether professionally produced or user-generated content, an important part of their brand marketing agenda. Video is, quite simply, where the growth is. But how can a small business join the party? Often times, all it takes is a digital camera, a computer, and a little bit of creativity.

Establish a content development strategy.

Who do you want to watch these videos, and what would you like to tell them? This is the most important part of the process, the base off which all your potential will be realized - or squandered. Take the time to put every good idea on the table, and then see if it meets the following criteria:

• Can I get my message across in ten minutes or less?
   
• Am I adequately promoting the product without being too pushy?
   
• Does the video convey a message which is consistent with the corporate strategy?
   
• Is it plausible that a viewer would watch it and be compelled to share with others?
   
• If the viewer does not become a customer, will the video still impart some value?
   
• Would the video be different from what's been in done in past?

Syndicate your video content far and wide.

TubeMogul is an online video syndication platform that helps small business marketing by publishing video content all over the web. On an internet cluttered with tools, widgets, and social networks offering the same old things, TubeMogul is a tool to keep on your short list of go-to resources.

Once you've set up an account, the next step is to create and consolidate accounts with all the other major video websites. After inputting the necessary login information, you'll simply upload your video to TubeMogul, and they'll take care of broadcasting it to all the other sites.

Get social!

Many of the TubeMogul partner sites include a social component; YouTube is a perfect example. Small businesses can create channels where all their videos are consolidated; visitors can subscribe to these channels to be notified of forthcoming videos. The marketers can also join groups populated by their target market or other industry professionals. By reaching out to individuals and groups, the account's "friends" list expands, creating new options for targeted marketing communications.

The social component of web-based video marketing can also be taken to other social sites with a small business focus. Google's Local Business Center allows account holders to upload videos and place them next to user reviews. Merchant Circle, a more reviews-focused site, directly embeds YouTube videos without the need for messy code. Briz.com makes it easy to align your video campaigns with other content driving your customer relationship management (CRM) initiatives.

Just like all other content on the web, the value of videos increases a hundred fold when they're used to proactively engage people.

Bring your videos back home with you.

Just because your videos are now live on a dozen or more sites doesn't mean you can't keep squeezing value out of them. Your own company website or blog, for instance, is an ideal place to embed your content (e.g. YouTube shows the embed code right under the description, which can be pasted as raw HTML directly into most web pages). This presents your video in a little player module, allowing the user to watch the video without even leaving your site - this way they process the information in the context you choose.

If you're promoting video content about your flagship product or service, would you rather it be seen on a third-party site like YouTube - or on the site of you the owner, next to detailed specifications, customer testimonials, special promotional discounts, press releases and related PR, and so on? It's a no-brainer.

Video sites and search engines will drive a lot of awareness, but the best viewers of your content are the ones who came to your site to begin with.

These are your numbers. These are your numbers going "crunch."

Here's where TubeMogul will once again come in handy. After you've let some time pass and some views accrue for your video content, go back into your account and from the Dashboard, choose Track Videos. You'll see a list of your accounts with all the sites for which you provided logins. Click on one of these and you'll be treated to a chart showing the daily, weekly, or monthly accrued views and comments for your videos. You can add other individual videos or entire accounts to the graph, to see the impact that each has had on your entire video marketing effort.

As always, the analysis of your content's performance is worth little without subsequent execution. Was your content viral enough to sustain itself after you first spread the word? Did you succeed in reaching the right target? Are visitors to your channel being compelled to subscribe?

Now you know a little bit more about how to make your next video even better.

For a more detailed look at Web-Based video marketing ― including more tips and instructions ― read Paul's white paper Small Business Guide To Web-Based Video Marketing or download it in PDF format here. 

About the Author

Paul Burani is the owner of Clicksharp Marketing, a New York internet marketing agency which helps entrepreneurs and small businesses promote themselves on the internet.