The marketing takeaway from today's column is to pay attention to the complementary relationship between social media and online video. Enjoy his view and share yours. - Larry Thomas, Latergy.

Most professional communicators have subscribed to the concept of content market and are now working on creative ways to generate enough content to meet the demand of customers, clients, employees, investors and other target audiences. One extremely effective vehicle to generate authentic, narrative content is webcasting. My client, Onstream Media, pioneered the industry in 1997 and I'm proud to have been part of that as their first webcasting client. Here are a few basic tips they've assembled to help newbies and veterans alike.

As professional marketers, we are constantly trying to draw conclusions from the abundance of online data to refine and retarget our campaigns. The new metrics about engagement, impact and conversion can be overwhelming but we must continually monitor, interpret and adjust to maximize ROI. That applies to webcasting, as Mark Hirsch clearly points out in today's post. Please like, share and comment. Thanks! - Larry Thomas

e-marketer indicates blistering growth in online video advertising over the next 5 years. Driven by a proliferation of ad networks, demand-side-platforms and scalable, social video production solution-providers, e-marketer sees online video ad spending nearly doubling in only four years from $4.14 billion dollars in 2013 to $8.04 billion by 2016, a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

I swung at the pitch to write a post comparing how the Mets and Yankees use video to deliver messages, engage fans, build brands and drive revenue. After all, most professional communicators can learn from professional sports marketers and this would be an outlet for me to do what Bronx Bomber fans love to do (besides win) - bash the team from Queens and add to the pain (all in good fun).

Ed Garsten, Head, Chrysler Digital Media, provides tremendous insight into how Chrysler practices "corporate journalism" while leveraging and developing in-house resources to manage Chrysler LLC's media website, broadcast communications, social media and video production. My agency, Latergy, provides similar services for clients who, unlike Chrysler, do not have the talent and resources in-house. For those who do, I thought you'd learn from Ed's post and point of view. Enjoy, share, comment and share! - Larry Thomas

This week, Vimeo announced that it was launching a forward looking Video on Demand service. Now video and film producers can rent or sell their videos at a price of their choosing and keep 90% of the proceeds. This is a radical new approach for independents who can't afford to give iTunes or Amazon a 30% to 50% cut or who create shorter content not suited for these distributors. Producers can also embed the service on their website.

Editor's Note: Ian Buck has worked on campaigns for Facebook, American Express, Samsung and other large, leading corporate brands. In 2012, he started www.notchvideo.com, an online marketplace where businesses can find the right video creators for their needs. His mission is to help businesses of all sizes produce online video content efficiently & cost effectively. My agency, Latergy, believes in the same thing and I thought you'd learn from his post and point of view. Enjoy, share and comment! - Larry Thomas

Greg Ball managed the Burger King worldwide video communications department for many years, before creating his own video production company, Ball Media Innovations, Inc. In this post, Greg addresses a much debated topic - Outsource or DIY? He makes several valid points about the value of a brand and the need to represent it properly. My agency, Latergy, believes in setting the tone with professionally produced video. DIY has it's place and UGC is a powerful component but professional marketers should invest in professional video to protect and enhance their brands. Enjoy, share and comment! - Larry Thomas

Social Media Marketing is no longer the “next big thing” – it’s “the thing.” When the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) surveyed their membership in 2012 they found that 90% of marketers were using social networking. That’s up from only 20% in 2007 when the question was first asked.

Back in the early days of TV advertising and print media in the last century, it was enough to say, “Acme is the best”. And people would buy because you said so. Then, when enough people were saying “we’re the best” Madison Avenue (New York) stepped in with the new age of “hype”… And apparently, in the 21st Century, “hype” is still alive and well.

By Larry Thomas, Latergy Video Marketing and Public Relations While at the PRSA International Conference in San Francisco a month or so ago, I noticed a significant increase in the number of attendees,...

Editor’s Note: When Deborah and I worked together at Medialink, her experience as a journalist and a PR executive helped clients generate the best possible return on their investment in...

While millions of Americans watch the games of the 30th Olympiad unfold live on tape-delay, the London 2012 host committee is maintaining a dynamic YouTube Channel with content that you won’t find anywhere else. While the channel itself isn’t a flawless example of how to use to the medium, there are a few things that businesses and organizations of all sizes can takeaway (besides the typical advice of transcribing, filling out titles, descriptions and keywords, etc.) to improve their own YouTube presence and video marketing strategy

Marketing and industry events are great places to easily produce video for later use online. These types of events are typically a festive atmosphere, are full of industry experts and have a lively backdrop – much more engaging than a stuffy office. Here are just a few ways that video can be effectivelyproduced at an event with minimal planning.

By: The Social & Digital Media Practice at Hunter PR Social media has forever changed the way people share information. But the origins of social media behavior can be traced to an exercise most learn at a young age: show and tell. While traditional media has always done both, the early days of social media included long-form blogging and a Facebook page that featured only one image—your profile photo. Today, Facebook’s Timelines highlights images more than status updates and microblogs lean on photo captions more than narrative posts

What does the future of business communications look like? The answer isn’t down the hall in your conference room or the next AE’s cubicle. It’s at school. That’s because today’s students are tomorrow’s hires—and the tools they use both in school and in their daily lives are the tools your future employees and clients will be using. So, exactly what does social and video media look like in today’s classroom?

By Andy Wilson-SVP Product & Marketing Management, Cinsay.com Video marketers love to talk engagement. And since video is the most engaging content form, any marketer worth their salt has a stack of...

Q&A with Will Richmond by Larry Thomas Note: Will is a 20-year veteran of the broadband, cable TV, content and technology industries. His commentary and analysis focus on the business and technology...

When it comes to viewing television or movies, an actual TV set used to rule. That may no longer be the case. The term “second screen” has been coined to refer to secondary devices, such as computers, smartphones and tablets that can be used in conjunction with your television. But what happens when more and more of your time is focused on your second-screen device than on the TV? What happens when the second screen becomes the first screen?