Video rocks. There is no denying it. And furthermore, there is no disputing that video helps conversion across the board. From landing pages to squeeze pages to sales pages - chances are if you use video - you'll attract more leads and convert more sales. Period.
But, have you ever given any thought to where you 'host' your videos? I mean does it matter if you use YouTube or Viddler? Or what about private hosting like ezs3.com or flowplayer.org? Does it even matter?
Yes, it does. Here's why:
Videos are all about getting a response. Now, the response you want your viewers to take depends on the action you want them to take. And, where you host your videos will help dictate what action is intended for them to take. Meaning - different hosting options for videos will support and dictate what type of response your viewer can (or cannot) take.
For example, if you're hosting a video on a squeeze page or a sales page - what is the desired response from the viewer? Opt-in (in case of a squeeze page) or buy (in case of a sales page.) Correct? So, in that scenario, it makes complete sense to host your videos on a professional service where there is no other option for the viewer to take. You don't want them to click on the video and get pop up ads or invitations to watch other videos or anything like that. The model is this: watch and opt-in or watch and buy. Nothing else. I prefer to NOT have a player bar (that shows the timer at the bottom of the video) to restrict the ability for the user to fast-forward the video. The professional video hosting services can be enhanced to add your logo or branding to your videos as well as offer clickable-links directly in the videos to your shopping cart or buying process.
However, if you're posting a video in a blog post or article - where the desired response from the viewer is to comment on your blog or share it with others through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter - I would definitely recommend using a social video hosting service like YouTube or Viddler. I actually welcome the idea that the viewer is inspired by the video so they click on it and see my video channel with ALL my other videos where they can watch them, comment about them, share them, etc. That's the intent. Branding your 'social' videos on a social site like YouTube makes sense.
So… it DOES matter how and where you host the video. Think about it the next time you're producing videos and automatically choose the same service over-and-over again for hosting. You need to mix it up to get the desired result from your viewers.
Until Next Time… Learn It, Love It, Live It!
But, have you ever given any thought to where you 'host' your videos? I mean does it matter if you use YouTube or Viddler? Or what about private hosting like ezs3.com or flowplayer.org? Does it even matter?
Yes, it does. Here's why:
Videos are all about getting a response. Now, the response you want your viewers to take depends on the action you want them to take. And, where you host your videos will help dictate what action is intended for them to take. Meaning - different hosting options for videos will support and dictate what type of response your viewer can (or cannot) take.
For example, if you're hosting a video on a squeeze page or a sales page - what is the desired response from the viewer? Opt-in (in case of a squeeze page) or buy (in case of a sales page.) Correct? So, in that scenario, it makes complete sense to host your videos on a professional service where there is no other option for the viewer to take. You don't want them to click on the video and get pop up ads or invitations to watch other videos or anything like that. The model is this: watch and opt-in or watch and buy. Nothing else. I prefer to NOT have a player bar (that shows the timer at the bottom of the video) to restrict the ability for the user to fast-forward the video. The professional video hosting services can be enhanced to add your logo or branding to your videos as well as offer clickable-links directly in the videos to your shopping cart or buying process.
However, if you're posting a video in a blog post or article - where the desired response from the viewer is to comment on your blog or share it with others through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter - I would definitely recommend using a social video hosting service like YouTube or Viddler. I actually welcome the idea that the viewer is inspired by the video so they click on it and see my video channel with ALL my other videos where they can watch them, comment about them, share them, etc. That's the intent. Branding your 'social' videos on a social site like YouTube makes sense.
So… it DOES matter how and where you host the video. Think about it the next time you're producing videos and automatically choose the same service over-and-over again for hosting. You need to mix it up to get the desired result from your viewers.
Until Next Time… Learn It, Love It, Live It!
