subject: The Evolution Of Youtube Into A Marketing Platform [print this page] YouTube was started in February 2005 and is the leading online video sharing site. It reaches millions of viewers and subscribers globally on a daily basis. This social website allows you to view, upload and share videos across the globe with the click of a button. Through this portal you can also share your views and comment on any video you are interested in. You can use YouTube as a medium for network marketing. Be it profiles, news items, photographs or videos, just be sure to do it with proper care and flair. Your marketing video can have success, but it needs to drive a solid message with value for anyone viewing your video.
YouTube which started off as a website for uploading individual videos is now an acknowledged and definitive medium of reaching out to millions of viewers. As the impact of videos is most among all forms of publicity, companies big and small are resorting to sharing information through this portal. Through YouTube you could reach out to untapped markets or unexplored territories. It is one of the surest ways to address prospective customers for your goods and services. Registered users are allowed to upload unlimited number of videos while unregistered ones are able to watch only.
History of YouTube
YouTube started as a venture capital technology company in 2005 funded by Sequoia Capital. Three PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Jawed Karim, and Steve Chen joined hands to initiate this remarkable venture. Karim and Chen were classmates studying computer science at University of Illinois. Chad Hurley was a student of designing at University of Pennsylvania, Indiana. The funding money for YouTubes establishment was US $11.5 million. This enterprise started off in San Mateo in California and now is headquartered at San Bruno also in California.
YouTube as an Online Marketing Medium
According to market reports till May 2010, YouTube had a dominant 43 percent market share of all online video portals in United States. As on 2010 May, YouTube had a video bank of 14 billion. With eight hundred plus million users, YouTube is currently the third ranked website in terms of visitors. This is a phenomenal figure for any marketing organization. As it is possible to address these huge number of viewers thorough a video posting in YouTube it is natural that companies choose this portal to publicise their products.
Creating an eye catching video highlighting your product or service and subsequently uploading it to YouTube opens up uncharted markets. As YouTube also allows viewers to comment, first hand reactions from existing as well as potential customers might be won instantly. An quick response allows corrective measures, if required, to be taken without delays. YouTube thus works towards reducing the marketing cycle period.
Widespread use of YouTube
YouTube is no longer restricted to sharing of entertainment videos but also corporate videos and online advertisements. YouTube as an online marketing tool does not substitute other online or offline startegies but rather complements them. YouTube is now not only available to computer or laptop users, but also to mobile users. Subscribers using iPhone, Blackberry, smartphones, or Android are accessible to YouTube. This makes the reach of online marketing significantly wider.
