12 Ways You Can Make
Money with Web Video
The long awaited
promise of high-quality, fast-loading web video has finally arrived. And with
it, comes enormous opportunity...
Here are the 12 best
ways you can start profitting from web video today...
1.
Upload Your Video to Ad Revenue Sharing Sites
YouTube is the big daddy of user-submitted
video web sites. With 35,000+ video submissions each day, their daily traffic
places them in the top thirty most visited sites on the web.
YouTube is the
leader, but they are not alone. There are dozens (if not more) copycats trying
to break into the online video sharing market.
I'm still not sure
what their business model is (rumor has it, they're not too sure, either). It
costs them a small fortune to serve video to millions of people each day, and
most venture capitalists don't enjoy seeing their money disappear into the
ether.
A likely scenario is
that sooner or later, in order to stay afloat, they will have to invite
advertisers to help foot the bill. If so, they won't be the first to give the
ad-supported business model a try.
That honor, goes to Revver.com...
"Revver
connects creators, viewers, and advertisers in a sponsorship marketplace for
online video, taking full advantage of the open flow of information on the
Internet, rather than trying to fight it. Revver provides all the tools you
need to distribute your original work online and earn money. Revver strives to
support free and accessible videos online and still reward creators."
Here's how Revver
works...
1.
You upload your video to Revver.
2.
They attach a brief, unobtrusive ad at the end of the video.
3.
People watch your video at Revver.com, or on other sites where
people have embedded your video.
4.
If someone views your video and clicks on your ad at the end, Revver
deposits a portion of the click-through value into your account.
5.
You then track your video's performance through your Revver
account (e.g., how many times your video has been seen, and how much money
you've earned).
6.
Eventually, they send you money. (When, I'm not sure, as my
running balance has only reached $45.23.)
One of Revver's more
prolific video creators is fellow web video obsessive and WVZ member, Kevin
"Nalts" Nalty. When not working full
time at his day job or writing for his web video blog WillVideoForFood.com, Kevin has somehow
managed to create and upload more than 200 videos to Revver - just this year.
I talked to Kevin yesterday
about his experience with Revver. He told me...
"They
don't announce payout averages, but it for me it works out to be about $.01 per
viewing. But you have to market the %$@# out of your video if you want a lot of
traffic. That means sending bloggers your URL, getting it featured on non
Revver sites, etc..."
Kevin isn't getting
rich off Revver, but he'd doing OK (it would pay my mortgage). If he keeps it
up, and they don't go out of business, he'll continue to have a nice little
part-time income stream coming in for quite some time.
Other sites that
offer revenue sharing similar to Revver include:
· Blip.TV
· Google
Video* - just released news today that makes it look like they
are getting into the rev-share game
If you can
consistently create and upload videos, this can be a good strategy for
developing a long-term, passive income stream.
2.
Place Affiliate Links in Your Videos
People come to your
site to watch your video. You have their attention. Then what happens when the
video is over? Re-direct them to an affiliate partner who sells what you
covered in your video!
For example, if your
video is about:
· Powerdrills... send
them to an online hardware store.
· A newly released book
or DVD... send them to Amazon.com.
· An exciting vacation
location... send them to Priceline.com.
...just be sure to do
it with an affiliate link so you earn a commission if a sale results.
This is easy to do
with the WebVideoZone Player. Just put your
affiliate link in the "End of Movie URL" field, and use one of the
"Click Here for More Info" buttons available in the player
image gallery. Viewers who click on the closing graphic will be
taken to the URL you specify.
3.
Create Google Video Web Sites
Most movies available
on Google
Video can be
embedded on any web page. If the option is available for the video, there will
be a link next to it that says "Embed HTML." Click on it, and the
necessary code to display the video on a web page will be shown. Add the code
to any web page where you want the video to appear.
How to monetize
Google Videos...
What you want to do
is create a theme-based site on a certain niche or industry (e.g., martial
arts, quilting, etc.). First, search Google Video for using those theme
keywords to make sure there are already videos online related to your chosen
niche.
If so, register a
domain name such as martial-arts-videos.com or free-quilting-videos.com, and
create a basic web site using the name. Use blogging software such as WordPress or MovableType to simplify the process.
Create a web page for
each video, including a text description of what's covered in the video.
Depending upon the theme, you may be able to find hundreds of related videos.
Each one would then have its own unique web page on your site.
Add Google AdSense
ads and/or related affiliate links to each page. Include an opt-in box so
people can join your mailing list, allowing you to notify visitors of new
videos and special offers related to your theme.
If you have success
with one theme-based site, find another topic, and repeat the process with
additional sites.
4.
Sell Your Video Content at iStockVideo
iStockVideo.com is a new service from the the folks
who brought usiStockPhoto.com, a wonderful royalty free
stock photo web site (learn more aboutroyalty
free stock photos). With iStockVideo, you'll get paid for
uploading video (stock footage) that other people want to use in their
videos...
"We
want to see animations, stop motions, digitized film footage, video clips, and
wacky abstract movies. We need video, from you and all your friends. Contribute
a video in the first 90 days and receive 10 free credits, to use anywhere on
iStock. Then, tell you friends about iStockvideo, and we'll pay you as much as
50 dollars. Refer your friends and receive $1 for every clip that they upload,
up to the first 50."
Since this is new,
it's hard to say how much money you can make. Either way, if it's anything like
iStockPhoto, it's going to be a wonderful resource for web video creators.
5.
Find Sponsors for Your Videos
Are your videos
interesting, professional, and do they target a specific market that
advertisers would like to reach? If so, there's a good chance you might be able
to find sponsors who will pay you to reach that audience. (If not, these web video tutorials will help you create better videos.)
With the WebVideoZone
Player, you can give sponsors the opportunity to advertise during and after
your video using the Logo and Exit Image features. (See How
to Use the WebVideoZone Player and Using
Video to Create a Call-to-Action for more.)
Charge sponsors by
the month, per click-through, or per unique viewer. By checking your web video player stats, you and your
sponsors will know exactly how many people watched the video, and when.
6.
Use Web Video to Sell/Support Your Own Products
Do you have your own
products/services to sell? If so, use video to help tell your story and turn
prospects into customers. Using the WebVideoZone Player, you can easily use
video to...
· Show your products in
action.
· Demonstrate the
problems they (you) solve.
· Sell your products on
eBay.
· Show video tours of
your facilities.
· Do short video
introductions of your staff (customers like to know there are real people
behind the scenes).
· Use video to explain
your guarantees.
· Show video
testimonials of satisfied customers.
· Use video for support
issues (e.g., how to solve common problems).
Almost anything that
can be sold online can benefit from a well-made internet video supporting the
product or service.
7.
Combine Web Video with Affiliate Marketing
Sure, you can use web
video to help market your own products or services. While this may at first
seem like a no-brainer, there are more opportunities here than you might
realize.
Most people think
this is limited to putting promotional videos on their own web sites, hoping
this will increase sales. Sure, done correctly, it should. But let's take this
a step further...
If you sell your own
products and services, you
need to look at using web videos to draw prospects into your site. For
example, by combining the WVZ Player with your own affiliate program, you'd be
packing a powerful "one-two punch" when it comes to your internet
marketing.
And here's how you do
it...
By using the
WebVideoZone's Video Affiliate System™, you can make it
simple for your affiliates to place your videos - with their affiliate links
built into the player - on their sites.
This system
integrates seamlessly with any affiliate program.
If someone who views
the video then clicks on the call-to-action features of the player (e.g., your
custom logo, "click for more info" exit images, etc.) and then buys
at your site, the affiliate gets credit for the sale.
For example, you can
combine the WVZ WebVideoPlayer and Video Affiliate System to promote your site
via...
· A video "tip of
the week" report
· Video product reviews
· Video news reports
for a specific industry
· A regular vlog
· Video tours of remote
locations
As long as you have
something to sell, use can profit from combining web videos with your affiliate
program.
In essence, the WVZ
Player you offer your affiliates is a giant, eye-catching affiliate link
pointing back to your site!
And remember, when
you update your video at WVZ, it will automatically update on your affiliates'
sites in real-time. Your affiliates don't need to do anything.
8.
Put Google Ads Next to Your Videos
If you create your
own videos, put them online, add a good text description, and put some Google
AdSense ads next to them that might be of interest to your viewers.
For best results:
· Make sure your video
is on a subject that appeals to an audience which advertisers are trying to
reach.
· Limit your videos to
one per page, unless they're on the same topic.
· Be sure to use relevant
keywords in your page title, headlines and descriptions.
· Create an email
opt-in list, allowing you to contact your visitors when you have news or
special offers to share.
(Coming soon at the
WVZ: The ability to add Google AdSense ads to your videos. Stay tuned...)
9.
Create Short Promotional Videos for Local Businesses
For less than $2,000,
you can start your own side business where you create short web videos for
other local businesses. And even if you don't yet have the skills, you can
learn everything you need to know right
here, in a short period of time.
Who might be
interested in these types of videos? The most obvious clients would be...
· Realtors - offer home tour videos of newly listed properties
· New and used car
dealers - create short videos
that car dealers (especially luxury car dealers) can put on their web sites,
helping them to move inventory.
· Travel and leisure
destinations - B&Bs, hotels,
resorts, restaurants, ski resorts, tour groups, clubs, etc.
· Retailers - antique shops, galleries, stores with interesting
inventory to display
What do you need to
get started?
1.
Digital video camcorder camera - $500-750 (see article on How
to Choose a Camcorder )
2.
Computer for editing - you'll need lots of storage space (250+GB
hard drive), and the more RAM you have, the better (at least 1GB) - $1,000+
3.
Editing software - Sony
Vegas Movie
Studio will do the job for
less than $100
You can easily
customize the WVZ Player to blend in with your clients' sites. For an extra
fee, offer them the ability to include special offers at the end of the video -
which you control.
You can keep the
price to shoot the video low, and make it up by charging the client a monthly
fee for hosting it and providing the player.
Don't sell the video
outright - but instead, sell a license for your clients to use it on their
sites. If the client stops paying, simply de-activate their video player in
your WVZ account's control panel. Watch how fast you get your next check.
Print up some
business cards, start knocking on doors and go shoot some video!
10.
Create Video Ads for Other Businesses
Google Video Ads are
the latest ad format to appear on the Google content network. This means you
can now lure targeted traffic to your site by placing short advertising videos
on other sites. (For more, see this article onGoogle
Video Ads.)
This means there are
going to be a lot of businesses that want to have video ads for their web
sites, but most aren't going to want to do the video production themselves.
This advertising tool
is so new, that if you start now, you can easily position yourself as the
leading provider that people turn to when it's time to have Google Video ads
created.
11.
Syndicate Your Video Content
If your video content
is specialized and unique enough, other site owners may be willing to pay you
for the right to put it on their sites. You can charge a yearly or monthly fee
for the license to display your content.
The WVZ
Player makes it
easy. Simply give your syndication partners the small line of javascript
generated by the WVZ Player Maker, and the video will
instantly appear on their sites.
12.
Earn Up to 50% Commission as a WebVideoZone Affiliate Partner
And last but not
least...
As a member of the
WebVideoZone, you are eligible to participate in our affiliate program and earn up to 50% commission on
membership fees (this is not open to the general public).
Commissions are paid
on monthly recurring fees in addition to the new membership fee. This means
you'll continue to collect on-going commission payments for all members you
refer, month after month.
Note: You can
actually turn the WVZ Player you use to display your videos into an affiliate
link. If you choose to display the WVZ logo/button in the bottom of the player,
you have the option of making it an affiliate link. (Learn more about our affiliate program...)
Making
Money with Web Video - Summary
Keep in mind, you
don't have to rely on just a single revenue model. Try different ones to see
what works best for you. Also, it can make sense to combine different
strategies.
For example...
· If you enjoy
producing videos and working with clients, you can create promotional videos
and Google Video ads for other businesses.
· You can activate the WVZ
Player affiliate link, put it on web pages with Google Ads, and use the
Logo/Exit Image features to promote other affiliate programs.
Remember, internet
video is in its infancy, so now's the time to get started. Good luck!