My company is doing a lot of work with video these days. We've always been heavy into text content distribution, but video is something a little new for us. We are already seeing some fantastic results, and it is clear that video is a major trend that is here to stay. Don't believe me? Here are some eye-catching statistics from PEW Internet and American Life Project:

From December 2006 to December 2007, the percentage of Internet users who visited a video sharing site such as YouTube increased from 33% to 48%.

On an average day, the number of Internet users who visit a video sharing site doubled in the same period.

From year-end 2006 to year-end 2007, the number of men who had ever visited a video sharing site increased from 40% to 53%; the number of women increased from 27 to 43%. So there is still a somewhat higher proportion of men who view online video, but women are catching up fast.

In other words, a LOT of people are viewing online videos. So how do you take advantage of this phenomenon? Here are 6 keys to keep in mind when getting started:

1. Your videos do not have to be complex or look like a Hollywood production. In fact, it doesn't even have to have actual video footage. How do you make a video without video? Just combine a voiceover or some other kind of soundtrack with still images and save it in an acceptable video format. BAM! Instant video.

2.Your videos should be short in length. The Web is a medium built for short bursts of information. You have two things going against you with long videos: people's impatience with download times, and short attention spans. Keep it short, snappy, and to the point.

3.Your videos should be titled and tagged with the best keywords related to your business. This is absolutely critical to your business, assuming you are doing video distribution for marketing purposes. If you're just doing it for fun, then it really doesn't matter.

4.It is fine to distribute a video multiple times. It sounds like spamming, but it truly isn't if you do it right and for the right reasons. The main reason for distributing a video multiple times is to give it exposure via a number of different keywords, which could potentially expose your message to many more people who might not otherwise find you. However, it is advisable to make a slight change to the video each time - length of video, file type, etc.

5.Set up accounts at multiple video sites. YouTube is the best known such site, but there are lots more. Don't limit yourself to one site just because it happens to have the most users. Stretch out. There are online solutions that can make this process much easier if you really get serious about giving your video wide distribution.

6.Have fun! Making videos can be a very rewarding activity. And the more fun you have with it, the better your videos will be.

If you follow the above tips, you will be well on your way to being an online video marketing master.