When I first got into the marketing video business 10 years ago, there were very few ways that you could get your video distributed. Either you could get it aired on broadcast television, or you could hand someone a VHS tape. DVD came along shortly thereafter, but the principal was essentially the same as VHS. You needed a TV and the VCR or DVD player. Preferrably a room for everyone to meet in to watch the video. It was a major undertaking to get your video seen.
Today the internet has completely opened up your ability to get your video out into the wild. According to Statistics Canada, 73% of Canadians are internet users. 88% of those internet users have high-speed access at home. With these numbers still growing, the number of people who have the ability to see your video online is comparable to the numbers of people that had VCR’s 10 years ago. With this in mind, here are 5 ways that you can distribute your video.
1. Youtube
It’s the 800 pound gorilla of video online. Yes, you can get better quality elsewhere, but nothing will get your video in front of more eyeballs and into the search engines faster than using Youtube. Youtube also gives you tremendous flexibility with embedding your video into other places, which brings us to number 2.
2. Your Own Website
In the past, to embed video in your website took a lot of technical know-how. Couple that with the small amount of data transfer most hosting plans came with, and putting video on your website was quite troublesome. Today, many of those problems have been eliminated, and having that video on your website will immediately make your website stand out.
3. At your place of business
Whenever I go and stand in line in the bank, usually the banks have a TV or three set up to entertain the folks in line. Usually those TVs are tuned to CNN or the Food Network. It’s an incredible branding opportunity that’s being lost. You have a captive audience that’s already a customer, why not use those screens to let people know more about your products and services, or tell them about all the wonderful things you’re doing in the community? Anywhere that customers are waiting is an opportunity to use video to engage the customer further.
4. Vimeo
Vimeo is a free video sharing service much like Youtube. The main difference being the level of quality is much higher. I’ve used it to post some of our portfolio pieces, and the quality, especially for our high-definition videos, is remarkable. Check out the hi-def version of the Christine Morrison Hospice video.
5. DVD
At the top of this article I mentioned the drawbacks of the DVD format. The cost, the need for a player. But there are some advantages that continue to make DVD an important part of your distribution arsenal.
- Works anywhere. DVD works where internet connections aren’t available. So if you’re in an unfamiliar boardroom making a presentation, a DVD is a great choice.
- Quality. Compared to the online distribution options, the video and audio quality of a DVD is still amazing.
- Sales. If you want to sell copies of your video, the DVD format is still the most effective way to create a saleable product.
The important thing to remember when evaluating your distribution options is to take into account the nature of the video you’re showing, and where people are most likely to consume the information. If it’s in front of a computer, online is the way to go. If it’s in a conference room, you may head in a different direction. The great part about all of these is once your video is finished, your video can be converted and repurposed over and over again to get the most bang for your production buck.
