Businesses Rush to Online Video - And YouTube Ain't the Solution

Digital Media Buzz (DMB) recently published an article about the "corporate land rush" to online video -- and the unique power of video to engage with, and market/sell to, prospective customers. I have written about this previously as well -- and about the fact that, for 99% of businesses on the Internet, the relevant question is not about monetizing/selling the videos themselves (contrary to most of the focus in the press), but rather is about using online video to better market/sell your goods and services (i.e., build your business).

And, although YouTube is frequently used by businesses as their online vehicle, in the words of DMB, "there's a price to be paid" for that choice -- in other words, "free" is not really free (as I have also written before).

First, there is the fundamental issue of quality -- quality should be "job 1" for all businesses using online video as video quality is a direct reflection of your business; and, let's face it, YouTube ain't got it (compare videos on YouTube to videos encoded and published on our 360 video platform as an example).

Second, in the words of DMB, "every video seeded onto YouTube has the site's ubiquitous watermark stamped across the image." Moreover, "Until the YouTube juggernaut shifts course, companies needing control over their brands [which should be every company], the look and feel of their video players [again, everyone] ... must look to video hosting and distribution services outside the free video-sharing networks."

Quite simply, YouTube and other so-called "free" sites really are too costly to your business ...