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Business Video: Why Youtube Is Good But Not Good Enough

November 25, 2009 By Ramon Ray avatar

flimp.jpgYoutube is one of the most popular places to host video. It’s free and with millions of users all in one place, it’s a great place to be seen. However, Youtube and other video sharing services have their limitations.
They do not enable you to easily obtain statistics of how your video is being viewed (such as who is viewing it (based on email addresses), total viewing time, number of viral recipients and other statistics.
For companies who want to leverage their video in more powerful ways and measure which videos are more successful, there’s a service I was recently alerted to Flimp.


It is a video hosting platform that enables you to get detailed analytics of your video across a variety of platforms: integrated into your email marketing messages, embed on your own web page, as a landing page on Fimp and more.
A “Flimp” is what the namesake company calls each video landing page – it can contain photos, inks to other online elements, forms and of course other video.
In the video demonstration I saw of Flimp, if you can create a Facebook Page you can easily create a Flimp.
The world of video is wide open to businesses that want to leverage video as a powerful communication tool. Tools such as Flimp. The Flip and yes even services like Youtube can cheaply and quite powerfully enable low cost video to enable revenue generating results.
What does it cost: $3,000 a year for 5 Flimps.
Some video sharing services such as Vimeo, Blip.tv and Brightcove provide detailed analytics, but they are in a different class than Youtube and similar more consumer focused video sharing services.

About Ramon Ray

Ramon Ray, Editor & Technology Evangelist, Smallbiztechnology.com - see his full bio at http://www.ramonray.com Read More

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  • http://www.flimp.net Jenn O’Meara

    As you mentioned, YouTube is beneficial for elements of web video marketing. However, many businesses find that it is more beneficial for them to create Video Landing Pages (VLP) than just posting videos to sharing sites. One key benefit that a VLP offers is the ability to integrate audiovisual content with direct calls to action.
    The whole point of engaging with web video is to let the content drive the viewer to a specific course of action. With video sharing sites, a marketer’s ability to further engage a viewer is limited. Most video sharing sites only offer one link and most marketers chose to link to a company’s home page. While the content drives the viewer to the homepage, the viewer is left to their own devices and may miss out on pertinent content/offers.
    Multiple distribution methods are another key feature a VLP provides. The VLP can be sent out to a targeted list via email, shared through social networking links and embedded into a website or blog. This lets marketers repurpose content to reach multiple audiences. Through analytics, a marketer can decipher how and where audiences engaged with the video content.
    Finally, VLPs are a great way to present sales collateral in a vibrant format. Companies are able to move beyond pertinent, yet often dull, product sheets and really engage their prospects with interesting information. This helps to convert leads to sales.
    Flimp (Flash Interactive Marketing Platform) really makes it easy for marketers to work with audivisual content.
    Thanks!
    Jenn O’Meara
    Director of Client Services/Flimp Media

  • http://brightcove.com Jeff Whatcott

    I agree with Jenn that posting video to video sharing sites is only one small part of an online video strategy. Organizations need a way to deliver video on their own sites and on landing pages that they create as part of campaigns to get people to engage and take action. YouTube and other video sharing sites are not designed for this scenario.
    To meet the needs of this market, Brightcove recently introduced Brightcove Express, which allows organizations to upload 50 videos for just $99/month (additional capacity available if needed). The Express edition is based on the same core video platform that powers mega-sites like the New York Times and AOL, and it is incredibly easy to use and very affordable. Just upload your video, pick a player template, and paste the embed code into your page and you are ready to go.
    You can get a free trial at:
    http://brightcove.com/trial
    Jeff Whatcott
    Brightcove

Lose tech frustration! Buy Ramon's latest book on Amazon.com. Download two free chapters here.