According to comScore research, Americans have doubled the number of videos watched online in the last year alone. Advances in media have made it possible through the Internet to connect and engage with customers in new and unique ways. Businesses that share movies online cater to the younger crowd -- a crowd that is quickly dominating clientele.

In the past, many businesses shunned social networking websites for being either juvenile, faddish, or simply too expensive to justify the cost. But many of these businesses have quickly changed their tune. With the changing face and speed of business, and with more and more websites offering free video uploads, to not share movies online is becoming a risk for new and small businesses.

What To Share

Consider your business from all angles; look at your demographics--can your clientele be expanded in any way? Besides offering new and innovative ways to market your products or services, online marketing can be much more affordable than the old paper, text, and T.V. campaigns.

Photos of your products, or a how-to series can encourage potential customers' interest and also back up your product once they own it, by showing them how it functions. This will create a happy customer, and ensure decades of repeat buyers. Or, simply by posting photos of pleased customers alongside product reviews, the friendly faces of your employees, or successful events where your company set to work out in the community, you can generate trust and familiarity.

When you share movies online, you're able to show your products in action, capturing the different angles of functionality effortlessly. You're also able to conduct one-on-one interviews with staff and customers, again, creating that familiarity that is so important to customers. The significant drop in camcorder and camera prices, and the ease with which most can be used, makes free video uploads a chance new and small businesses can't miss.

How To Share

Your first step is to select a platform to upload and share movies online. There are a number of applications that allow you to manage and share movies online, and quite a few of these sites allow free video uploads without compromising the quality of your video. The trick is to browse through a few of these to see if their uploading methods work with your technology, and to see if their sharing and viewing methods will reach your desired audience and reach the audience easily--without a lot of hassle on their end that can lead to a frustrated customer experience.

Once you've posted your video, it's a good idea to send links out through email and social networking sites, or to place a series of links to the video on your website. Some photo and video sharing platforms allow you to share movies online through your own website in addition to theirs; this, too, enhances viewership and clientele, and can create generate good reviews and buzz both on and off your website.

By taking advantage of free video uploads and other new media abilities offered online, you can take a big step toward boosting your company's business and longevity.