If your company is not yet producing video, now is the time. Rich media such as video, audio and Flash have become mainstream media in a rather short period of time, primarily because users get a visually stimulating experience that they’re in control of and can initiate at their own convenience. The growth in video consumption is further documented by a recent AOL/Google study that found 75% of respondents reported watching more video online than they did a year ago, and half (52%) expected to watch more online video over the next year*.

This research shows that the opportunity to engage visitors to your web site with video is very real. However, producing and presenting quality video requires more of an investment than companies may be used to or comfortable with given the lack of experience with the medium. We’ve found that one of the biggest factors in a successful program is to think differently about how you acquire the content.

Before setting up a taping, think about how to shoot the media so it can be redistributed in multiple venues to increase the value of the content, as well as return on investment. It may be efficient to tape video of one segment for other purposes beyond the core program, such as a welcome message for your website, internal communications, or even excerpt parts of the program for distribution via a banner advertising unit which could appear on a publisher web site.  An alternative introduction could be planned for use on another web site, such as a channel partner. You can even utilize the video captured for distribution on video-sharing sites such as YouTube to increase your reach to new audiences.

Utilize various distribution channels

Next, choose a platform that will enable you to embed your video in multiple independent locations - within your corporate Web site, on channel partners' sites, on a publisher's site - all of which offers increased exposure for the program. Taking this one step further, you can modularize your program into “chapters” and launch the most appropriate chapter or segment based on the web page the program is embedded in. For example, if you have multiple products or services to promote, you can create a program with a menu system that highlights each item separately. When you embed the program on the product page, you can launch the segment that is associated with that page content using time-coded links. The end result is that you are able to resourcefully connect the right content with the right viewer.

Companies invest significant time, creative energy, and resources in developing multimedia content that showcases their expertise, products, or services, but many platforms require visitors to leave a Web site to view the program. Embedding your program directly into yours or other sites also brings the very valuable benefit of not requiring users to jump to another location, which ultimately increases engagement with the program and increases yield, if a registration is required.

Contact us, if you'd like to learn more about how to plan an efficient production that can be utilized for multiple purposes, to ensure maximum distribution potential.

* The AOL/Google Online Video Survey was conducted from July 9 to July 15, 2007 by independent research company TNS.