Content is King But Online Video May Well Take the Crown
With the growing use of mobile and the ability to view videos on mobile devices, the impending domination of HTML5 and the global expansion of video-hosting sites, make sure video is at the forefront of your marketer’s mind.
Why Video ?
Online video in the business space started, mainly, as talking heads played on a constant loop on corporate websites. Today, the channels videos are being watched and shared on are growing and diversifying all the time.
When the iPhone came to market about five years ago, the way people used mobile devices changed forever. Ever since then, the smartphone has changed the way in which businesses and marketers talk to current and potential customers.
With mobile internet usage tipping over one billion users in 2011, and with 80 new tablets announced at the Mobile World Congress at the start of 2011, mobile should be rapidly climbing to the top of any online marketers agenda. Due to this trend, more and more people are watching and sharing video through their mobile devices, and video will become an increasingly integral part of mobile marketing strategies.
Of course though, with every silver lining there is a cloud. Apple and its iOS mobile operating system still dominate the market, and many of the interesting and engaging animations developed in Flash are replaced with a black box when a user attempts to view them. The rise of HTML5, supported by all mobile operating systems, may, however, ensure that video continues to be a popular content sharing platform through all devices.
So what next for online video in online marketing?
As social networking and use of social media channels becomes part of the thread of marketing strategies, producing and sharing videos will become increasingly important to organisations. YouTube will continue to grow, but as online video matures, more video-sharing sites such as Vimeo will be put solidly on the map. If companies succeed in cutting the main barriers to video production – time and money – then the potential is huge.
Remember in online marketing content is king and online video may well take the crown.
