Many companies are just now starting to realize the power of online video. Video production initiatives, especially in the automotive aftermarket, are showing up more and more on large, and even small, company marketing budget plans. However, it is surprising how many of these same companies believe that YouTube is the only relevant distribution outlet of their content. It is true that YouTube videos typically make their way to multiple platforms outside of just the website, such as mobile phones and set-top boxes. Plus, YouTube makes it easy to upload your video and track it’s performance using their built-in analytics, right down to being able to view how much of a video your viewers are watching before they click away.
But have you done enough by uploading to YouTube alone? I can tell you after years of distributing my own show on the Internet: No. Did you know that a lot of people can’t even get to YouTube? Many large corporations block their employees from youtube.com. Heck, even one of my own sponsors can’t view my video content there.
And, just like any other medium, whether it be newspapers or magazines, people like to consume their content using the outlet that is best for them. That’s why in order to effectively reach your audience you need to use multiple mediums.
Here’s another example: how many people do you know that use Facebook? How many people do you know that use Twitter? Now think about how many people you know that use both Facebook and Twitter? If your friends are like mine, they use one or the other, and rarely both. Think of YouTube as Facebook and Twitter as the rest of the pack. If you aren’t reaching the the rest of the pack of available video outlets, then you are missing out on reaching more customers and generating more sales.
Whether a potential viewer is blocked by their employer or they choose to use a medium other than YouTube, there are some easy solutions that don’t take much more effort to reach distribution outlets beyond YouTube. Two that I have used with much success are TubeMogul.com and Blip.TV. Both allow you to upload your video once, then use their service to distribute your video content to a vast array of other places, which include other video distribution sites like Vimeo, niche automotive sites like StreetFire.net, other platforms such as iTunes (which reaches Apple TV, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and more), and even set-top boxes like TiVo.
On a related note, there’s also a similar solution for social networking. Yes, you can post your status updates to one service called Ping.FM and they will post it automatically and immediately to dozens of social networking outlets, just like TubeMogul and Blip.TV do for video.
Imagine a perfect world where you can upload your video to one place, add your metadata (title, description and keywords) and have it distributed to dozens of outlets… all for free! Well, it exists today and you should be taking advantage of it.
Of course, this massive distribution does present it’s own set of problems. How do you know where your content is being viewed? All video distribution outlets offer metrics in some form or another. You can view those, or just ask your customers when they fill out your website feedback form. It’s as simple as asking the question “Where did you hear about us?” or adding a drop-down menu with predefined selections.
Putting all of your eggs in one basket (Happy Easter, BTW) is not a good idea when it comes to video distribution. It’s akin to putting a full page ad in Truckin’ magazine, but ignoring every other form of marketing available today. Yes, your content will be seen by a lot of eyeballs, but that amounts to a small percentage of the estimated 2 Billion Internet users online.
These free services are also constantly being updated and improved all the time. So, adding onto your mega distribution is typically as simple as clicking a new checkbox and pressing the Submit button. You do little else, but sit back and enjoy the additional response from your video content, and hopefully that equates to additional sales! If your company needs assistance in making sense of video distribution, give us a call. Martin & Company is the official sales agency of Motorz TV.
Written By: Chris Duke, Host & Producer of Motorz TV
Online at www.motorz.tv
About Duke Networks
Duke Networks, LLC (www.duke.net) produces Motorz TV(TM), a DIY automotive television show, in partnership with the Sears Blue Tool Crew. Motorz TV is broadcast on cable and satellite television to over 100 Million homes through DirecTV, Dish Network, and Cable providers and published to over 30 distribution partners including TiVo, YouTube, and iTunes. Duke Networks is a SEMA member and Motorz TV is distributed internationally via OTPL Worldwide. For more information please visit www.motorz.tv.