Most small businesses rely on a web hosting service, like WordPress or HostGator, for their website. This is a wonderful service as it is inexpensive and keeps the business from having to worry about all of the technical aspects of having your own website. However, it does mean that you are sharing a server with many other companies throughout the country or even the world. This is not necessarily a bad thing, except for when you want to incorporate videos.
As you know, videos are some of the biggest files in terms of size – even weighing over 100 MB. Most web hosting services have a maximum file limit that your HD videos will not meet. Even if you are able to get the file uploaded, it will likely still result in many problems. Visitors will make comments like “all I see is a black box” or “I can’t get the video to play without stopping,” and you can forget about the video streaming on mobile devices. These complications arise from the fact that you are exceeding your allotment of bandwidth. Your shared hosting server gives you a certain amount of bandwidth based on your average monthly traffic, and inviting many people to view a video that the same time quickly consumes all of it.
What are your options?
- Not use videos – This is definitely not the right option as videos have been proven to be the most effective marketing tool a company has. They are also great for training purposes, virtual tours and so much more.
- Host your own website on your own server – For small businesses this could be more complicated than you think. First, it is expensive. Second, you are opening yourself up to a lot of IT problems that you will require you to either hire an in-house IT person or find a company that provides immediate service.
- Invest in a 3rd party video streaming service – This is the best option! Hiring a 3rd party video hosting service is the answer to all of these problems. You can upload your videos, as many as you want, and send them to whomever without any negative effects on your website. Even better, if you find a company that offers white label hosting, your videos will be on a webpage with your branding and logos, meaning visitors will not even realize they have left the site.
Many people choose YouTube as opposed to investing in a video hosting service, but YouTube has its own list of complications. First, you are sharing your videos with the world and giving them permission to do whatever they want with them. You have no control over who views them, downloads them and claims them as their own. Second, YouTube puts ads in the video that will draw your audience to a competing site. Lastly, there is no method for collaboration.
Our Private Media Channel™ offers secure video hosting for businesses. With our security features, no one can view or download your video without permission. Users can access videos and files from any device and will be able to seamlessly stream the video. We also offer the white label hosting so that when users are viewing your files, they see your branding. When it comes to using videos for your business, our Private Media Channel is the best option for sharing them while keeping them safe. Contact us to start a free trial and see for yourself.
