Are you ready to turn your idea into a visual masterpiece?

If so, you might have guessed that the most essential tool needed for hosting a video is, of course, a camera. Beyond this standard piece of filming equipment, there are plenty of tools that can enhance your production value, reach the largest amount of viewers possible and provide invaluable insight into how your content is performing.

In this blog, we discuss using the following 10 best tools for effective video hosting:

1. Staging
2. Editing Software
3. Video Management
4. Audience Management
5. Portal Management
6. Website
7. Live Streaming
8. Fee or Free
9. Monetization Options
10. Payment Processing Platform

By embracing hardware and software that facilitate increased reach and engagement, there is unlimited potential—your video could even “go viral”!

According to HubSpot, in 2019, 87% of businesses were using video to market their products and services. This statistic also shows an increase of 28% since 2017, which indicates a steady rise in the value of video in any digital marketing plan.

To compete with the overwhelming presence of online video, it’s crucial to produce the highest quality content possible. Without the necessary tools to design an engaging video, it’s easy for viewers to focus their attention elsewhere. Avoiding that preventable mistake allows you to stay competitive and appeal to a number of discerning audiences.

As soon as your camera is in a steady hand or an even steadier tripod—if not before—you should consider utilizing the following tools throughout your video creation process. Categorized into three stages of video production, each of these 10 specific tools serve an equally important purpose to assist in producing optimal visual content.

Video Production Tools

1. Staging: With readily available and cost effective production tools, people have unprecedented access to devices that offer high production value.

To shine the spotlight on your creativity, you should consider investing in proper equipment that accentuates your vision. For example, a versatile green screen and sound stage provide a creative foundation to enrich the message within your video.

2. Editing Software: Although a one-take shoot would be ideal, it’s possible that a combination of human error, technical difficulties and unexpected disturbances will disrupt the flow of your content.

To prevent the substantial labor and financial investment to re-shoot scenes, having appropriate editing software can save you a great deal of time and money. Also, navigating the editing process with artful precision will give your viewers a seamless viewing experience that will be unhindered from choppy or awkward editing.

Video/Stream Hosting Tools

3. Video Management: How you distribute your video is both an art and a science.

Presentation should be aesthetically pleasing and meticulously organized. For instance, depending on the number of videos you already have on your website will determine whether you need a scrolling function or "slider" for easy browsing.

Ensuring that each of your videos is presented in a user-friendly fashion will prevent any one being lost in the mix or overshadowed by another—cannibalizing your own content can be just as detrimental as a competitor vying for your viewer’s attention.

4. Audience Management: From reaching your target segment to managing their access to your content, audience management encompasses the entire user experience.

To promote your brand and create a loyal fan base, features such as customizable embed codes, social sharing protocol and user access, customize how you intend your content to appear and subsequently enjoyed.

For example, if you wish to share an exclusive event—let’s say a Quarterly Update with investors—sharing a private link via an updated email address list rather than live streaming the presentation on social media offers much needed security and confidentiality.

5. Portal Management: Who controls your back-end website operations—and with how much ease they can make changes—should be considered with portal management.

Issuing administrative permission to the appropriate team members allows your content to be adaptable and responsive to unanticipated events. Despite our aversion to unpleasant surprises after publishing a video, the fact of the matter is that a smooth content rollout can be impeded by unforeseen bumps in the road.

To combat these unforeseen problems, unobstructed insight into analytics makes it possible to adjust with necessary course corrections and analyze trends in how receptive your audience is to your content.

Monitoring your video’s performance is key to understanding the desires of the viewing public and influencing the tone of future projects.

6. Website: Creating a website that stays true to your brand speaks volumes to your audience.

Implementing a recognizable theme that enhances your video’s message will offer viewers the familiarity needed to form an allegiance with your unique brand. This means choosing consistent colors, logos and language to promote awareness in a vast digital sea of aggressive branding initiatives from your competitors.

Then, once you have your brand persona solidified, finding suitable channels to broadcast your content should complement your overall image.

7. Live Streaming: Whether you are streaming a fast-paced sports game, an informative talk or a sensory-stimulating concert, anticipating pressures that result from the unexpected nature of a live broadcast can be the determining factor of a successful event.

First, sharing your live event with your target audience on appropriate streams begins with preparing how the content will be accessed. Since timeliness is key in any live stream, communicating with your viewers about start time via a countdown can make sure that none of your content is missed.

Following the live stream, it’s also important to consider whether you'd like to continue to offer the event on demand to those who missed the original broadcast or to viewers who'd like to revisit the video to enjoy it later.

Repurposing content can be ideal for video producers who are limited on resources needed to regularly release new projects.

Video/Stream Monetization Tools

8. Fee or Free: Depending on the goal you have in place for your video, you’re either focused on profit-seeking or simply building exposure. Deciding on which of these goals you have in mind will dictate whether you offer your content at a cost or share it free of charge.

As the owner of your content, it’s reasonable to expect to retain 100% of your earnings—after all, you deserve to benefit from your video. Therefore, sidestepping video hosting platforms that collect a percentage of your earnings can be a strategic way of maximizing profits.

Reaching the largest possible audience is of the utmost importance, which sometimes means having to remove financial barriers. Whether you’re promoting a not-for-profit organization, or you simply want to ensure your content or event is accessible to everyone, it’s entirely your decision whether or not to charge viewers.

9. Monetization Options: There’s a multitude of diverse options to earn revenue from your videos—each of which offers optimal value depending on your unique business goals. Once you’ve created your original content or decided to share an exciting event with the world, finding customizable monetization solutions to help you profit from your videos is key to establishing positive cash flows.

• Banner Ad: Embed a company’s advertisement on your web page.
• Pre-Roll Ad: Allow advertisers to place one of their ads at the beginning of your video for a predetermined amount of time.
• Pay-per-view (PPV): Charge your viewers each time they view one of your videos, thereby allowing them to view the content for an allotted period before having to purchase it again.
• Subscription or Membership: Give your loyal viewers the economic option of paying a flat fee for access to all of your content.

You have the freedom to choose whichever form of monetization best suits your business needs. Customizing your earnings model gives you the ability to personalize your services rather than having to fit into a one-size-fits-all type of payment structure.

10. Payment Processing Platform: Entrusting your finances with a reputable payment-processing platform gives you peace of mind that your earnings are deposited securely and immediately.

For instance, Stripe’s easy-to-use payment services ensure that when viewers pay for your content—whether it’s a single video or a subscription—the funds go directly into your account so you can maintain control of your budget.

Having the right tools for the job can make the difference between an overlooked piece of content and a highly successful video. As such, having these tools at your disposal not only supplement your original concept or anticipated event, but unleashes its full potential by making your video aesthetically pleasing and captivating to a number of audiences.

Visit our website for more insight into effective video hosting tools and techniques or to book a free demo with the Vidflex platform.