It is time for some forward thinking / Get paid to be you!

Update 7-24-09: I just found out that the groom in this video is a high school classmate and friend of mine.

I was sent this video about 4 hours ago and at that time it had roughly 130,000 views:

Four hours later is it above the 190,000 mark… this puppy is going viral!

That is cool but I am only interested in dollars and cents. What is the return on investment for doing something so unique; what is the value of this video right now?

Weddings are expensive. The average wedding in the US costs around $20,000. Above the direct monetary costs associated with weddings there are the opportunity costs - how much time and effort goes into planning something like this?

Everyone separates work and play, we are encouraged to do it from a young age. I think there is a natural guilt that is developed from that encouragement whenever we even think about profiting from pleasure and what bigger day to feel that guilt than on your wedding day.

But let’s get over that guilt for a minute and think about the future; let’s think about the house this couple is going to want to buy; let’s think about the kids that they are going to want to send to summer camp and college; let’s think about the day they want to retire and not worry about being able to afford to do so; let’s think about the money they left on the table.

Hindsight being 20/20, and me standing on my soapbox not having ever choreographed a dance routine, I want to offer this to anyone making something cool that they are going to post on the web: before you post it, try to monetize it.

We have set in place a standardized system for monetizing the sponsorship of content on the web - yes, social sponsorship - so that great content is no longer just created for promotional means but can serve a dual focus to generate revenue. This revenue is not going to foster a new booming industry that someday will require a federal bailout, but it will help to offset the costs of the promotional content that you need to make to gain attention.

This video was obviously shot by a friend in the crowd on a camera that most of us probably have free access to through ourselves or our friends and family. It was posted to YouTube with minimal editing. Basically, this was free to make. The wedding I can only assume was not.

So, why not try to offset the cost of the wedding with the impressions that this great content could get? Contact a large web based, nationally accessible wedding supplier or relevant company. Incorporate their branding at the beginning or throughout the video and prior to posting the video establish a CPI rate for the video with that company? The couple will still have the original, non branded version to show their kids 20 years from now and will have a few extra dollars to offset the cost of their big day.

To everyone else on the web making content, I hope you get the message and are able to apply the same thought process to your content. Don’t leave that money on the table!