YouTube can easily be considered King of the online-video scene. No force has dethroned YouTube from its number one online-video platform—but it looks as though there may be a challenger. Hulu.

According to comScore, in March 2009, Google sites ranked as the top U.S.-video platform with 5.9 billion videos viewed. YouTube accounted for 99% of views on this video platform.

Rising quickly and steadily, Hulu has reached the number three spot on top online-video properties among U.S. internet users and is beginning to take a step into the international realm of online-video.

According to WebProNews, the UK is already beginning to provide full television episodes to viewers, and Bollywood is in negotiations with Hulu, as well.

According to eMarketer.com, comScore reported that Hulu’s total video streams grew 14.3% in March, and the number of unique viewers was up 19.7% in the same period. Although Hulu hasn’t yet reached YouTube’s video-guru status, it’s definitely on the rise and is something YouTube needs to consider as a major competitor. With video spending expected to rise past the $1 billion line by 2011, according to eMarketer.com, competition between the two video platforms could get fierce.

According to eMarketer.com, MAGNA Global stated that approximately $530 million was spent on online videos last year and this number is expected to rise 32%.  

Since there is a significant growth in professional video production, many advertisers are taking the online-video route for their marketing campaigns’, and it’s only a matter of time before online-video properties are advertisers’ main vehicle for advertising.

According to a May 2008 eMarketer report, social networking and email spending is expected to increase in the next three years. The survey, conducted by Eloqua, reports that:

• 74% of marketers surveyed plan to increase email ad spending.
• 9 out of 10 surveyed will continue to increase their direct online ad budgets.
• Survey respondents projected to increase social network ad spending to $2.4 billion in 2011, a significant increase from the $1.4 billion this year.

Online marketing / advertising is growing. Are you ready to take your marketing digital?

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With so much competition, thinking outside the box is crucial to attracting your target market. Nearly everyone, it seems, uses the internet for research, entertainment, purchases and chatting with friends, you must ask yourself, ‘what activities do my potential customers take part in online?’ 

Take for example entertainment and communication sites. One of the biggest online frenzies internationally is social networking. Nearly everyone has an account with LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace or YouTube, and the list goes on. Advertising with any of these social networks will gain you a great deal of attention. Simply being a registered user with one of these networks and you will reach out to potential customers. Facebook is a great way to reach a very large audience because its visitors vary in age, from high school students to 35-year-old college alumni. And advertising with Facebook is an inexpensive and easy way to reach a large audience of potential customers. Facebook provides your business with demographic data about the people visiting your ad and the site works with you to reach an even greater clientele. Facebook offers social ads, Facebook beacon, Facebook platform, insights, pages, and polls to satisfy the needs of your company. Currently, there are 70 million active users on Facebook. That’s 70 million potential customers for your business. It is also the sixth most visited site in the world.

Integrated social networks on the web are so intricate and virtually all connected, that by participating in one, you are bound to get a heavy traffic flow into your business site.  LinkedIn has different circles of personal connections such as “circle one,” with your very personal contacts and “circle two” with the contacts of your contacts.  If you only had one contact, you could virtually have 130 contacts in your second circle just from that one person. With social networking growing, is important for a growing business to associate with social networks and drive large amounts of traffic to your site.

Advertising doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, it can be free. Advertising online, specifically in the ezines your target marketing is reading, is an excellent way to drive traffic to your site.

A number of ezines will swap ads. Others offer inexpensive ad rates. Research ezines that speak to your target market and then subscribe to them. Get a feel for the content. Make sure it’s a solid, quality publication. Read back issues. When you have 5 to 10 ezines on your list, inquire whether or not the editor will swap ads or how much it costs to place an ad.

4 tips to find the perfect ezines to advertise:

1.     Make sure it’s an ezine your target market is reading. If it’s not relevant to your target market, you’re wasting your time. Read plenty of back issues before you make a decision.

2.     Look for ezines with larger subscriber lists. You want to reach as many prospective customers as you can. Ezine directories often list subscriber amounts.

3.     Look at the ads they have now. Who’s placing those ads? To whom are they speaking and is it relevant to your target market’s needs? Some of them may not be, and that’s okay. Overall, ads usually are a good indication of who is reading the publication. 

4.     Does the ezine have quality features packed with information? And is it a reputable website, one you would feel comfortable associating with? If the answer is no, move on to the next one on your list.