What makes a marketing video successful? Most of the big factors have little to do with the technology, and instead are editorial and promotional in nature: The script, production, talent, and promotion/distribution.

My focus here is on a more mundane issue: where to host the video. That is, where does the video file "live". A video can be embedded into your website, but be hosted by another company like YouTube or Vimeo. (Nearly all of your customers won't notice the difference, and those that do won't care.)

At the NYT Small Business Summit in October, I got formally interviewed on video for the first time. AMEX was the main sponsor of the Summit, and their small business campaign theme is "Share Your Story". They hired a production crew to spiff up the nervous entrepreneurs who were milling about the Hilton, and asked them on camera about their products, their personal saga, etc.