For most marketers effective usage of video sharing sites is restricted to putting up their TV commercials online. We say....what a waste of the medium!

Videos are the best routes available for brands to reach out to consumers. Humans, as a rule, are better consumers of visual content as compared to any other type of content. Through videos brands can entertain, create awareness, educate and connect with their consumers.

What is essential to the success of online videos however, is fresh, interesting and original content. The trick is to make the videos engaging which makes the viewer want to see it and share it with others. One of the legendary YouTube videos 'Where the Hell is Matt' boasts of a whopping 15 million views (and this is only Youtube statistics!) and counting and was used for a Visa commercial. Such is the power of good video and the viral effect it enjoys once it is promoted on various social media platforms.

The success of online videos lies in understanding the medium for which they are being made. Extensive budgets, great locations, world-class direction will all amount to nothing, if you don't have a good idea. Coupled with that the execution as the viewing window is of a particular size!

1.Low Cost per Contact:
Videos can be uploaded on various free video sharing sites like YouTube, MetCafe and Rediff I-Share. These sites attract huge traffic and videos uploaded here can get their share of it. As there are no airing costs, the video duration can be increased beyond the standard 30 seconds. As an aside, the average YouTube videos are 2.46 minutes long.

The videos once uploaded on the video sharing sites remain there for good. There can only be removed by the user if required. This sort of permanent visibility ensures that whenever any user searches for related key words, the video will be featured and will be viewed then. This permanent listing and availability of brand video practically nullifies the cost of contact for the brand.

Videos can also be promoted on portals like yahoo or msn which attract millions of viewers every day. The brand can be exposed to its potential customers here where the cost per view is significantly reduced.

2.Customization of content:
Leaving aside a few large brands, most brands cannot afford to make more than one TVC per year partly because of the prohibitive production costs. As a result, the same brand advertisement is played on a general entertainment channel (GEC) on one hand to a niche infotainment channel like Discovery on the other.

With online videos, the production costs are minimal which allows brands to customize their videos as per the kind of viewers. Smaller brands too can churn out fresh set of communication at frequent intervals to reach out to a various types of viewers.

3.Actual views:
All video sharing sites show the number of views of the video uploaded thereon. These views are actual in number as the user has to play them if he is in interested. In the case of the TVCs, the brand manager can never be sure whether the brand advertisement has really been watched or was the channel changed by the user of the time of advertisement being played.

4.Interactive Medium:
All viewers can rate and comment on the videos uploaded on any video sharing site. This feature gives instant feedback to the brand manager on the nature of his communication which can help him/her further to understand his customer's mindset.

5.No duration bar:
Usually on television, the length of the TVC is in jumps of 5. So the creative has to be adjusted keeping this is mind. Also there is a high probability of drop shots if the brand film is of odd '35-second' or '25-second' as the channel has to adjust it with other films duration within the time frame of a commercial break. In the online world, all films are viewed independently and hence an odd brand film duration of 1.07 minutes is not a worrisome factor.