What is Web Video? If I asked that question 10 years ago most people would have scoffed and told me to get my head out of the clouds. However, when three former Paypal employees started YouTube in 2005, marketing as we knew it at that time, slowly began to change.
YouTube allows users to upload videos to the internet on the YouTube Web site. The company also gives users the ability to use YouTube technology to embed videos within their own personal or business Web sites.
About two years after the creation of YouTube, 3G wireless networks were introduced allowing consumers to view video on the go via the smart phone. Since then, the introduction of the iPhone 4 has allowed consumers to view videos on the YouTube platform at impressive speeds.
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Now here we are today. Networks have become faster and more video platforms have been introduced like Vimeo and Film Annex. So the question becomes, if this technology has come this far in just five years, where will it be in five more and what role will it play in the everyday lives of Americans?
There is no crystal ball, but I think you’re going to see more companies investing large portions of their marketing/advertising budgets online. Marketers biggest attractions to the internet are (1) the ability to place advertisements in front of a fixed target demographic (2) the decreased cost of advertising online versus dying traditional media like radio, and (3) the ability to track results in real time. Video only makes all of this better.
Lets look at just a few facts on Web Video:
– A Web site with a video embedded within it is 53 times more likely to appear within the first page of a Google search.
– More than 60% of all Web traffic comes from online video.
– According to Nielson, Americans are watching online video 35% more than last year.
So where is Web Video heading? Nobody can say for sure, but it’s certainly not going away anytime soon.
Here is an example of a short video produced by 1st Team that utilizes YouTube technology. The video clearly defines the capabilities of the client, JWF Defense Systems.