Having a video site is an effective way to get monetization. So now that you have decided to build a video site, congratulations! You have taken a huge step forward in getting income from monetization.
But now what?
Creating a video site might be a daunting task. There are countless platforms available that you can choose from.
However, creating a new video site doesn’t have to be difficult.
We are here to help you start your first video site. Transforming your ‘know what?’ into “I’m clearly ready!’
We will guide you through some strategic and technical topics, such as content organization and platform selection.
In the end, you’ll be sure you can create a video site of your dreams.
So, let’s begin:
Step 1: Write down all the requirements and ideas for your video site
Of course, you don’t want to start a mess by taking action without full consideration. In creating a video site, avoiding this mess will save you a lot of time and effort.
Before deciding on a platform to develop on, visualize your project and take some time to determine what you need from your video site. You can even categorize the requirements into things that you need in the beginning and things that you need later.
Here are some ideas to consider at the very beginning before starting to develop your video site:
Design
Do you know any template to use or do you wish to customize it? Or do you prefer to build the site from scratch? How much authority do you wish to have over your design choices? During this process look at yourself to determine what you can do and what you can’t do. Which part of the design project that you want to do by yourself, by hiring a freelancer, or by solely relying on the platform feature?
Marketing and sales features
Some platforms offer marketing and sales features. It can be monetization, affiliates, discount codes, giveaways, and newsletters. Many people have misled that the more features that you have the better it will be. Which is not true. Every business might need different features. One feature can be suitable for a kind of business but might not be useful for different businesses.
Premium or free content
Since many video site publishers offer both free and paid material, make sure the platform you select allows you to easily place specific exclusive content.
Other content support
Having blog posts or other content on your video site is good for your marketing strategy and search engine optimization. But not all platforms support other content than videos. So make sure if the platform is possible to publish a blog and upload pictures. You can get a higher reach and impression by publishing various kinds of content.
Live streaming support
Will you be live-streaming any content? Make sure the platform you are considering makes it simple to support both free and premium streams.
Community features
Events, public and private chats, community challenges, user-generated videos, social profiles, and other community-focused tools enable you to interact with your members and expand your audience.
TV & mobile app
Small publishers might not need it yet, but in the long run, TV and mobile apps give your business a genuinely polished appearance. It’s a good idea to have it ready when your audience has grown significantly.
And that’s pretty much it! We know that it sounds like a lot but it’s worth doing so up front. That’s because selecting the appropriate platform the first time is far simpler than switching platforms once your video site is published and running.
Step 2: Select the platform
It's time to choose the best platform for your requirements now that you've determined what matters to you. Although there are many platforms available, just a few of them are helpful for the video monetization market.
Set your must-have features
Take the list of features you made in step one and give them a rough ranking before you begin comparing them. For instance, while some platforms are more focused on live-streaming services, others could place a higher value on creative freedom.
Your decision over the platform to use to develop your video site will be guided by this priority list. As we'll discuss later, it might also affect how much you pay.
Here is an example of a prioritized features list; feel free to suit your project. Make it longer, shorter, simpler, or more complex.
Free and paid exclusive content including how easy it is to manage the swift of paid content become free or vice versa.
Live-streaming
Blog/social posts
Community chat (public and private)
No-code app builder
Pricing
The cost of video platforms might vary. Depending on how many subscribers you have, how much video you keep, what services you may access, or a mix of all of them, you may find that you pay a monthly membership plus costs.
Once again, give priority to the features you will use immediately, but keep an eye out for ones you may desire later.
Check the design preview
A video site with a polished appearance has a higher chance of attracting new clients. Make sure the platform offers a good selection of templates. Don’t forget to ensure their previous works are professional by looking at their portfolios.
Get a demo
The majority of the platforms provide free demos, so get in touch and ask a representative to show you the features you'll probably use.
If you have tried and considered some platforms, it’s time to make a decision. Although switching platforms in the future could be inconvenient, keep in mind that you are not permanently locked in. Now that you've done your homework, it's time to decide.
Now let’s start the most exciting part!
Step 3: Start building
The first thing you need to build is the homepage. One of the most crucial sections of your website is the homepage. It is worth to invest some effort in it.
The majority of video platform providers offer a wide range of themes, templates, and customization choices. You can choose the style that best suits your brand identity. For some people, starting from scratch can be overwhelming, you can always pick a template. But, whatever template you finally choose don’t forget to put these crucial elements on your homepage:
All of your branding elements
Engaging video thumbnail with engaging video description
The most viewed or liked videos
Users comments or customer testimonials
Benefits that users will have
Policies and legal aspects
Free trial or sign up button
Step 4: Content organization
Now that your homepage has been constructed, you may focus on your content pages, which are the foundation of your website.
Video production is another process, but we do totally understand that the video production process is not as easy as it seems. Depending on the type of your video site, some platforms, like Ampliffy, also offer video production services so that you don’t need to worry about preparing your content.
Organization is crucial for your content pages. It’s important to make the content navigation simple so that users can easily explore the videos, especially if you have hundreds or even thousands of them. You have spent so much effort to record high-quality videos, that it would be such a pity that users won’t find them because of poor content organization and navigation.
Step 5: Market your video site
You can start considering what you’ll need on your website to support your marketing strategy.
For instance, would you use written content as a part of your marketing strategy? If yes, then a blog page must be developed. Ideally, a few posts should be ready before you publish the blog section.
What about deals? Limited-time promotions, free trials, and affiliated promotional codes are examples of deals that can support your marketing strategy.
Keep in mind that all marketing features are not necessary for every video site, but they can be highly beneficial if you want to grow your audience.
Step 6: Grow your community
Creating a strong brand and maintaining audience engagement may be achieved by creating a strong community. You can have a community feature on your video site, like a chat service or forum, if your provider offers that. But even if you only have a basic and simple video site without community features, you can always build your community on another platform, like social media or a mailing list.
Create your video site now with Ampliffy
Creating a video site for the first time can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be hard if you plan it well and work with a reliable partner to provide a white-label video site with easy customization. By doing so, creating a video site can be less overwhelming.
So now, let’s be less overwhelmed and contact Ampliffy to schedule a demo of your white-label video site. We will provide you with the best features and solutions.