2010 Video Marketing & SEO Predictions

This time last year I predicted that I would have a video SEO blog , and that came true in a BIG way ! This year I decided to try my luck and make a few, more daring, predictions about the world of online video marketing in 2010:

Be sure to let me know what you think in the comment section.

YouTube Will Allow Brands to Sell Items Directly on YouTube

YouTube has already found a way to sell music used in a video by offering links to iTunes and Amazon, and I think we’ll see YouTube expand their commerce capabilities even more in 2010. This could come in multiple forms, but one way I see would be similar to the Amazon aStore (see what an Amazon aStore looks like on vidiSEO) where you can embed your stores e commerce environment on a video watch page.

TubeMogul Will Be Purchased by Adobe

You can’t get through a single video SEO presentation without someone mentioning TubeMogul. They’re almost as prevalent as the “YouTube is the #2 Search Engine” fun fact, and rightfully so. They offer a pretty killer product for distributing and monitoring your video across multiple platforms.

I know this prediction is a long shot, but when I heard that Adobe snatched up Omniture this year I thought that the addition of TubeMogul would provide the ultimate video marketing trifecta. Adobe already has best in class video and web creation software, and they kinda OWN Flash (the life blood of online video). Omniture already has a powerful video analytics tool, but it only works with self hosted video. TubeMogul, on the other hand, works with a massive amount of video sharing sites. So, if Adobe were to purchase them you could then create, edit, optimize, distribute, and track your online video in one place. I also believe one of the co-founders of TubeMogul used to work at Adobe, so it could be a heartwarming reunion.

Subscription Based Video Services will Explode

Although I believe video producers will see greater advertising revenue from their content in 2010, I also see subscription or pay-per-view video content exploding in 2010. I think this is partly because video advertisements will become so much more prevalent that people will see a value in paying for uninterpreted content when it is useful. A perfect example would be a site like Lynda.com. They offer high quality tutorials on a myriad of topics with a monthly or annual subscription.

YouTube Mobile Will Become the 3rd Biggest Search Engine

AT&T’s iPhone contract expires in 2010, which could allow another carrier to snatch it up or it could mean the end of iPhone exclusivity all together. This plus the hoard of new Android phones entering the market in 2010 will make internet capable touch screen phones more prevalent than the Motorola Razor circa 2004. Thus mobile video searches will skyrocket in 2010. Good day.

YouTube Will Partner With a Live Streaming Video Provider

I highly doubt YouTube will begin offering their own live video platform (they already handle 20 hours of incoming videos each minute as it is), but I do believe YouTube will partner with a live video streaming site like UStream, LiveStream, or Justin.tv

30 Second Ads Will Die

30 second commercials just don’t work in the online video world, and 2010 is the year that brands realize that. Brands that don’t realize it will see lackluster video performance and either decide that online video doesn’t work for them, or go back to the drawing board.

Viewers may tolerate 30 second commercials, but in general they don’t love them (or share them, or comment on them, or embed them). Brands that create social video and interact with their customers in 2010 will bury their competition.

Say Goodbye to View Counts

Remember the early days of the internet when any website worth it’s weight in animated gifs had a counter at the bottom of the page ?

How many visitor counters to you see on modern webpages ? None, because view counters alone are pointless. The same is true with video view counters, and that’s why the most viewed video isn’t necessarily the highest ranked video.

View counts can be faked and manipulated, but actions can’t. If your website or video doesn’t drive your preferred action (comment, rating, sale, email, etc), then all you have is a highly viewed piece of garbage. That’s why I believe sites like YouTube will either give you the option of hiding video view counts or remove them all together from public view (making them available only to the video creator or potential advertisers).