The increasing internet download speeds of the past few years have opened so many new avenues for video to thrive in the online space. And thrive it has! “Video is king” is already cliché, and yet it seems we’re only beginning to tap its potential.
Of course we still have a lot to learn about how to use it well. I’ve compiled some of the top blogs around the web that look at online video marketing. Some focus on news and developments; others gives tips and tricks. But all are worth reading and can help us jump into or improve how we’re using video in our marketing efforts.
If you're looking to get into video production using your computer, be sure to check out this article on some great webcams that will help your video looks as great as you want it!
Lou Bortone
Lou Bortone publishes regularly - mostly about video but with occasional tips and infographics about related areas as well, such as Facebook quizzes. And he’s not hesitant to throw in a fun post either. His well-thought-out strategies give his followers fantastic ideas for how to implement their own strategies.
Streaming Media Blog
As you can tell from the name, Streaming Media Blog is more about, well, streaming media. It’s a look more into the business side of things, including discussions of CDNs (content delivery networks), job openings and even the politics on both sides of net neutrality.
Dan Rayburn brings his years of experience to the field and talks about all matters of issues. Since streaming media is constantly growing, it’s a worthy inclusion here because it presents a side of things we might not normally consider.
Kelly Gerards
Kelly and other authors who have published on his site present a wide range of information. Not all is video-oriented; in fact there are quite a few entries that focus on maximizing LinkedIn for networking. But the information that’s there is solid and worth considering
Sociable Video
This is the website for Social Video YouTube channel. One of the great things about this blog is that it offers tips on things that are key but overlooked by many other sites. For instance, they tackle getting a better video from your webcam and overcoming your fear of being on camera. Ideas like these make it worth checking out!
Yum Yum Video
Many blogs - even some of the best - fall into disuse or only have occasional entries. Granted, Yum Yum Video is relatively new - their oldest entry isn’t quite a year old at this writing. But they’ve consistently published multiple times a week.
Yum Yum looks at fantastic topics in animation including whiteboarding, as well as going into analytics, explainer videos and much more. There’s always exciting new content and hopefully they can keep up the great pace going into their second year!
Global CVM
Global CVM’s blog isn’t about making a video. It’s all about the groundwork you need to do before making a video. They offer great advice on determining what you need and how to put it into action. Topics include using analytics and knowing your needs, among others. There’s not a lot of content, but what there is, is definitely worthwhile.
Spectrecom Films
This is another of those rare blogs that keeps right on going! Spectrecom does produce videos in-house, but also offers great tips for all stages of the process, from making the plunge into video to how to know what kind of video to use. And it’s great to see that they’re involved in social causes as well!
CMA Video Marketing
You know you’re onto something when the feature images for the three latest blog posts are a Harley, a McCafé and Napoleon Dynamite. CMA Video, another regular producer of content, also delves into some interesting content, like using video in your website banner. They’ve even been recognized by Feedspot as a Top 50 blog in the field!
Dana Goldstein offers regular written and video blogs. She’s recently been doing a series called “Girl Crush” where she interviews women she admires for their business success, whether online. But that’s not all there is to her blog; she also talks about diving into analytics and optimizing video for your own needs. Great to follow her!
Derral Eves
Derral is another vlogger who offers some topics I don’t see covered everywhere. He seems to be publishing less lately, but he’s still got some highly.practical and important material. If you need tips like how to blur faces in video or adding moderators to your channel, this is the place to go! (and the drone giveaway he ran a while ago doesn’t hurt either!)
Wideo
Wideo offers awesome tips and tricks for video marketing across social media channels as well as other places online. From Facebook fun to LinkedIn work, they’ve got it all covered. They don’t publish too often but they’re still active and have proven to be a great resource time and again.
Thoughtcast Media
This blog has a lot of great content, but one of the great resources they provide is a multi-part series on whether a business should try doing all their video marketing themselves. Across the series, they look at the factors and ways of knowing what can be handled internally - and when it’s time to call in a pro.
Video Brewery
Video Brewery as a company focuses on explainer videos. But their blog goes far beyond that. I like to find topics that jump out as unique because it gives a blog a special value. One of Video Brewery’s recent topics was recognizing that using a video internationally requires more than just translation. It’s a fantastic topic to look into as the world shrink and markets grow, and it offers a great appreciation for cultural diversity. That’s just one sample of the great work they create.
Supercool Creative Agency
This agency website really provides “super” and specific advice that’s great to find. For instance, not long ago they published an article on how to use video and social media to promote app sales, or how to make great game trailers. That level of attention is great to find and I hope they keep it up!
Wizmotions
This blog from Wizmotions focuses primarily on animation for online marketing as well as creating explainer videos for professionals and other situations. They also present great tips for both high-level and low-level planning related to all your online marketing needs.
StoryMe
StoryMe focuses on all aspects of video - from video marketing across social media to video in email and even marketing yourself in an online interview. They even break their blog down into categories like “trends”, “strategy” and “production”, making it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Viral Video KC
As the name implies, this site with its blog focuses almost exclusively on how to make a viral video. They focus specifically on small business - which is great because it’s mainly small businesses that won’t have the time or resources to have an employee dedicated to video. There’s great advice here backed up by the latest statistics on what works and what doesn’t.
Digital Monster
Digital Monster is no fly-by-night blog. In fact, their menu of just their categories related to digital marketing overflows my desktop’s screen. Of course it’s not the quantity but the quality that matters, and they don’t fall short there. Though they don’t have a specific video category, the topic repeatedly shows up under almost every other field. It’s a great resource when you want an idea of bigger picture and how your video marketing can fit in.
Online Video
This site is more a news clearinghouse than advice on how to run your own video marketing. However, knowing the news will be a huge help in recognizing trends and not falling behind. They do offer a “how-to” section that does have some good content - “how to grow a Facebook Live” audience, for instance. But unfortunately there aren’t frequent contributions there. Still it’s worth paying attention and finding news relevant to video marketing all in one place.
Dremex
This Florida-based company has a great blog on their site where they talk about all aspects of online marketing but the focus is definitely on video. Ivan Hernandez presents great information about knowing your audience, budgeting, where to publish and making the right video for your audience. Definitely worth a follow!
Technology Business Video
This site leans heavily toward one thing: video as a decision-maker. There’s lots of great content here, across a variety of industries, that talks about using videos to close the deal. That doesn’t necessarily mean making a sale. It might be training or conveying a key message to make a point clear. If you’re in human resources or in any decision-making role, it’s definitely worth reading what they have to say.
Video Marketing 2.0
Ok, this might seem strange: a podcast about video marketing. But I guess it makes as much sense as a (text) blog about video marketing, right? This is actually a well-produced podcast that really does try to approach all aspects of video marketing. And the convenience of being apple to listen in the car or while doing something else makes it especially appealing.
Web Video Marketing
One of the great things about the site Web Video Marketing is they get right down to specifics. Where else can you find a blog about how mattress companies successfully use video marketing? (Maybe this one just jumps out because I’ve seen a mattress ad on YouTube a couple hundred times now!) But this site does look at so many ways video can be used and how to use it well - it’s a treasure trove of hints!
Bullhorn Video
This Nashville, TN video production company offers great advice about using video and why it’s so essential - but how it should work correctly depending on your business. From tips on how to do an interview to how nonprofits benefit from video, it’s another fantastic resource to be aware of and follow!
Formerly ReelSEO, Tubular Insights presents news and analytics on all things related to online video, including numbers-based looks at the top video producers on both Facebook and YouTube. They also do an especially fine job looking at the “huge” successes and relating how we can all learn from them.
