Clearly, I am biased, but if you’re trying to tell the story about your company’s products or services, video will trump text everytime.

But what other benefits are there to creating, AND OWNING, your great video content? Well, in the first place, you have complete control of your own brand’s story and message. But, perhaps more importantly, you control the distribution. Instead of buying out of reach advertising on TV, you can create your own channels online to distribute your content. It’s worth remembering that “www” stands for WORLDWIDE web. Nowadays, internet users (read: everybody) expect to find video when they search.

Online video can help you reach multiple goals at once:

• SHOW, don’t tell, about a new service or product or destination.(Remember what your high school English teacher used to say? I think the band Rush might have said it, too.)
  
• Introduce your employees or executives to the public. This is not ideal or even necessary for every business, but imagine if your people ARE your business. Think of a law firm or accounting practice. Maybe even a dental practice where people can be hesitant, or even fearful, of engaging. There is an adage that people don’t buy things, they buy people. If you can jump start the sales process, you are ahead of the game.
• Enhance your company’s credibility and shorten the sales cycle with potential customers.

There are so many ways to get your content distributed, and tracked, widely nowadays that there is no excuse to NOT be online. Obviously, you want people to come to your website, but they might not. So you need to be where they are. You must deploy your content to where the audiences are.

Don’t misunderstand: quality matters and slapping up any old video can often do more harm than good. But a well thought out and executed online media plan is a must in today’s marketplace.

Now, how do you make sure people actually SEE your awesome video? Check back next week for that all important follow up post.