The time for online marketing is now. But make sure you market in the right place.

An article from this week’s print edition of The Economist observes: “Online marketing [is] increasingly aim[ing] for [customer] awareness, consideration, preference and loyalty all at once.” In other words, companies are now expecting more. Gone are the days of modest expectations from flat banner ads. A marketplace based on static ad impressions and a “hope-they’ll-click” mentality just won’t cut it anymore.

As companies increasingly focus on new social media strategies, it’s important to keep in mind the ideal results from this kind of investment. Your online marketing is good if and only if it helps your company increase brand exposure and brand ambassadorship within your target audiences.

In addition to focusing on emerging forms of advertising and marketing, the Economist article also pays due attention to the environments in which these new kinds of video and media are being presented. While the quality of one’s content should always remain a primary consideration — after all, no video platform can transform a dead-boring clip into a truly viral campaign — there’s one more equally vital issue/question that needs to be answered thoughtfully by video marketers everywhere: Where exactly are you placing your content?

This is a simple question, but it’s deceptively simple, in that it tends to lead organizations to act on the first familiar things that come to mind. Where should I show my video? — Well, I’ll post it to YouTube and it will spread that way. Or: Well, I’ll just upload it to YouTube and place a video embed on my company’s website.

The downside of this traditional, first-reaction approach rests on a faulty assumption, which is best summed up as follows: If I upload it, they will come. This isn’t to say that sites like YouTube don’t have valuable communities that brands can tap into: sometimes you do get picked up by the YouTube masses, and all’s well that ends well. On the other hand, why take success for granted in a loud ecosystem where millions (including amateur videographers) are competing for scarce attention? Instead of crossing your fingers that your audiences will find and choose your content, why not focus your video marketing on where these audiences already are — and, for that matter, where they’re already intensely active and engaged?

This is where social networks come into play. Of special note is Facebook, which has over 100 million members and counting. Later this month, we’ll be posting a new profile on Serena Software, which took a “go-to-where-they’re-already-engaged” strategy to heart in launching their own Involver-powered Facebook campaign. Using this case study, we’ll discuss some best practices that any marketer can use to execute an effective video campaign. Stay tuned!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!