Digital Dish

Pay Attention to Promoting Web Shows

September 12, 2008 5:56 PM

With Internet video revenue still in an early phase, much of the budget for Web TV content goes directly into production. This is true particularly for producers who are creating on their own (without a brand sponsor). It leaves very little for marketing your work.

But the good news is that the barrier of entry for publicizing projects has never been lower, thanks entirely to the Web. Just a little time and effort on someone’s part can help generate buzz and traffic for just about anybody producing shows. All it takes is a few quick steps:

Distribution is important. Where you put your content counts. Consider various options and create a strategy before you launch. Work with larger brand/recognizable sites or marry the audience to yours, but have a firm, solid idea in advance. All your marketing/promotion efforts will stem from there.

Get cozy with relevant bloggers and media. I think a successful buzz campaign includes both traditional media and blogs that cover Web TV (yours truly is an example). Contact information is generally available on most sites. Update reporters/bloggers on what you’re doing. Be sure to keep it simple.

Social network. Get the word out but keep it targeted. Use the majors like Twitter, Bebo, MySpace and Facebook and keep the emphasis on moving the audience to your Web site via link-backs, etc. There is no reason to do the effort if it’s not generating a visible return. I’m a fan of offline campaigns as well, but be selective! They usually cost more time and/or money.

The strategies vary in size and duration depending on the nature of the project and who is behind it, but little has changed in what works in marketing content from the past. Even though it’s by way of a new distribution channel (the Internet), the same strategies generally apply.