Among the multiple innovations the internet introduced to the field of marketing, there is no doubt that the most entertaining one is the viral video. Video sharing, which started as what seemed to be a teen fad, exploded into the primary content trend offered online today. And where the creative juices are flowing, it doesn’t take long for advertisers to jump in and join the current.

A huge part of the popular viral videos of the past were amateur stuff featuring home videos that range from funny to shocking. Everybody’s pet became a video star. But along with professionally produced material such as tv sketches and music videos, banned tv ads that started popping online were the first seed for commercial videos made straight for the internet. At first, when the videos or their links used to be spread in emails, spam guards and size limits slowed down the process, but video sharing giants like YouTube made the world a stage – the most accessible stage we ever had.

Most people flip tv channels when the commercial break is on, so what makes them tune in voluntarily? Internet videos are usually bolder, edgier, and more creative, and the people who make them are internet users themselves who take active part in video sharing communities; internet marketing companies who create viral videos understand the medium intimately and the truth in its core – that author and audience had never been closer, and in fact interchangeable. The fact that the person watching your video now is the author of the video you’ll be watching in a few minutes is the basis of genuine respect for the viewer. Internet ads don’t pound their commercial message with a hammer, or spoon feed us. They have to be more sophisticated and entertaining, because switching off is much easier.

Commercial viral videos are the best marketing strategy out there today to create brand awareness. What could be better than having people recommending your commercial to their friends? And with a wide range of video upload websites, you can publish your vision for free. That’s right, who needs to pay for air time when you’ve got web time?

To make it work in media sharing communities, your video needs to be interesting and surprising, and keep a high quality standard of image. People will tolerate the most grained and disrupted streaming from amateurs, but the pros have to deliver great graphics and processional work as seen in this funny and provocative internet commercial, The Interrogation The Interrogation . But it doesn’t stop there, before the video runs on its own you need to give it a hand, by networking with other members on your video sharing community to reach more exposure. Internet marketing companies usually devote considerable resources for this purpose, and rightly so.

The archives of sharing sites are already packed with millions of videos stored, but as long as there are people out there looking for laughs, interest and some entertainment, your audience is waiting for you.

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Arguably, the best way for you to market your business is to have someone else do it for you for free, over and over and over again!

To many marketers this may sound like just a ‘dream’ but it happens everyday via ‘word of mouth marketing.’ You know the kind I’m taking about. That’s when you’re chatting with a friend and they start to tell you all about this new ‘gizmo’ that they are using and how much they like it.

And because they like it so much they personally recommend you buy it too. In fact, they may even encourage you by telling you “you have to get it!”

This of course is every marketers dream because the referral comes with a built-in testimonial (product endorsement) from one personal friend to another and it doesn’t cost you a dime!

Often times, friends have a powerful influence over how we act, and even what we buy. Just think of how many things you have bought in the past simply because a friend recommended it. Have you ever gone to see a movie at the recommendation of a friend? How about that restaurant they recommended?

We are naturally more inclined to do something if a friend tells us to because we know, like and trust their opinion. This is the power of word of mouth marketing.

Understanding this, the trick then becomes figuring out how to get one friend to virally pass your message along to their friends, who pass it along to their friends, and so on.

But before we discuss how to do this, first let’s take a look at what I like to call the ‘Goo-Tube’ phenomena.

Chances are, by now, you have heard about Google Video and Youtube. Well there is good reason for that. You see, Youtube.com is the 8th most visited site on the net today while Google is the 3rd.

This is good to know because both of these websites offer free video sharing services allowing you to tap into their massively trafficked sites virally!

If you have been on the net for a few years you’ll remember how expensive it can be to host large files such as audio and video on your server. Even if your site got just a small amount of traffic to it that watched your video or listened to your audios you could expect a hefty bill in the mail from your web hosting company for “exceeding bandwidth”. I don’t know about you but the term ‘bandwidth’ quickly became a bad word in my office.

But like always, especially on the Internet, times are quickly changing. When it comes to hosting video on or web sites, we no longer have to be concerned about that awful thing called bandwidth. Nope, no more.

Both Google Video and Youtube have graciously provided a central location for people like you and I to upload and host our videos for free for other people to view and PASS ALONG!

That’s right — pass along. Ah, I love those words. Why? Because they equate to free, word-of-mouth marketing!

Do not underestimate the power behind this marketing strategy. Google certainly didn’t. In fact, in November 2006, Google bought Youtube (TIME magazine’s 2006 Invention of the Year) for 1.65 Billion in Google Stock!

Presently, both Google Video and Youtube.com remain separate web properties. But who knows what the future will bring. Only time will tell if the two get married and give birth to a big beautiful baby named “Goo-tube”!

As marketers though, what this all really means is a huge opportunity to tap into these incredible resources and drive targeted traffic to your website for free!

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Video Sharing is becoming one of the greatest ways to get all sorts of traffic to your web site these days because it is totally viral and free.

Not only is it FREE, but it is easier to get a high search engine ranking for a video search result than it is for a regular search result.

Listed below are close to 100 Video Sharing Sites that are on the net today.

You can increase traffic to your web site by submitting your videos to these high traffic video sharing websites and and then all you have to do is watch the traffic roll in.

Video Sharing Website List

http://video.yahoo.com/

http://soapbox.msn.com/

http://video.msn.com/

http://video.google.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

http://vids.myspace.com/

http://www.dailymotion.com/

http://uncutvideo.aol.com/

http://video.aol.com/

http://www.veoh.com/

http://video-upload.download.com/

http://www.4shared.com/

http://www.multiply.com/

http://www.metacafe.com/

http://stage6.divx.com/

http://www.yourfilehost.com/

http://www.flurl.com/

http://www.webshots.com/

http://www.break.com/

http://www.tinypic.com/

http://www.broadcaster.com/

http://www.esnips.com/

http://www.buzznet.com/

http://www.livevideo.com/

http://www.mojoflix.com/

http://www.liveleak.com/

http://www.collegehumor.com/

http://mix.lycos.com/

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/

http://www.ifilm.com/

http://www.heavy.com/

http://www.putfile.com/

http://www.ning.com/

http://www.fark.com/video/

http://www.sevenload.com/

http://www.brightcove.com/

http://www.guba.com/

http://www.vidmax.com/

http://www.megavideo.com/

http://www.revver.com/

http://www.addictingclips.com/

http://www.atomfilms.com/

http://www.sumo.tv/

http://www.grouper.com/

http://www.blinkx.com/

http://www.gorillamask.net/

http://www.i-am-bored.com/

http://www.jokeroo.com/

http://www.blip.tv/

http://www.funnyjunk.com/

http://www.vimeo.com/

http://www.vidilife.com/

http://www.dabble.com/

http://www.vidiac.com/

http://www.dumpalink.com/

http://www.funnyordie.com/

http://www.zippyvideos.com/

http://www.maniatv.com/

http://www.yikers.com/

http://www.glumbert.com/

http://www.jibjab.com/

http://www.flixya.com/

http://www.jumpcut.com/

http://www.videojug.com/

http://www.stupidvideos.com/

http://www.freeiq.com/

http://www.expertvillage.com/

http://www.vsocial.com/

http://www.thatvideosite.com/

http://www.mefeedia.com/

http://www.videovat.com/

http://www.kaneva.com/

http://www.funnyhub.com/

http://www.dropshots.com/

http://www.yourdailymedia.com/

http://www.wewin.com/

http://www.ustream.tv/

http://www.vidivodo.com/

http://www.vuze.com/

http://www.5min.com/

http://www.godtube.com/

http://www.tagworld.com/

http://strmz.jot.com/

http://www.sclipo.com/

http://www.onetruemedia.com/

http://www.shoutfile.com/

http://www.twango.com/

http://www.sharkle.com/

http://www.purevideo.com/

http://www.kwego.com/

http://www.spymac.com/

http://www.dailyhaha.com/

http://www.blogtv.com/

http://www.clipshack.com/

http://www.guzer.com/

http://www.needforfun.com/

http://www.castpost.com/

http://www.funmansion.com/

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