By Brigette Flood

Not sure if you’ve heard yet, but there is a lot of buzz about video in the world of social media marketing. It sounds like this: Videos add value without adding cost. They’re great for all devices. They give you better search results. They work across platforms. They go viral which brings fame and fortune.

While I haven’t bought into all the hype, its’ true videos offer quick, creative engagement and take advantage of several key marketing axioms: 1)  go where your audience is, 2) make it easy and fun, 3) make it memorable.

Every company and marketer I know is either working on some video project, whether it’s hyper produced, shot from the hip, home-video style, an imbedded tv/video stream or a YouTube channel. Are you thinking, “Sure YouTube is fun and all, but how does it turn into profit, other than those one in a million fateful uploads like Rebecca Black?” By the way, she reportedly makes upwards of $26,000 per week in royalties from sales of “Friday” from iTunes.

Don’t’ believe me? Two words: Old Spice. Of course the ads have the benefit of being funny and being bundled with an … ahem … compelling spokesperson. But now it’s nearly newsworthy whenever a new installment of their Smell Like a Man, Man campaign is released. Sesame Street saw the rocketing viral appeal and quickly threw Grover in a towel for his Smell Like a Monster video. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a look – VSFW, verrry safe for work).

Still unsure about video’s potential? Keep watching keyboard cat videos while these stats tick across the bottom of your mind: over 490 million people search, watch and share videos on YouTube per month, with an estimated 92 billion monthly page views, according to Mashable.com. Good news for audience members: more creative engagement is on the way. Good news for those making them: there’s a huge audience waiting. Wow them.

Great news for local social mediaphiles and Atlanta INtown readers: James Andrews of Social People and Famous PPL (formerly of Everywhere, an Atlanta-based social PR firm) sits down to download what this all means with me on MakingSenseofSocial.com.

Follow James on Twitter @socialpeopletv or visit their website at socialpeople.tv. Follow me @brigflood. Check out Atlanta INtown’s YouTube channel: AtlantaIntownPaper