Imagine resellers, bloggers and trade press being able to host your videos, screencasts and demos on their own sites while you are  measuring response (engagement and demand).    Your company (especially those of you with reseller channels) should be syndicating your web content to reach a massive, global web audience beyond the reach of your own web site.   The reason is simple; at any given moment online, there are more prospects and customers viewing sites other than yours. Content syndication using widgets (think of YouTube videos that you watch on a site other than YouTube etc.). allows you wider reach and more consistent messaging from  channel partners.  It also allows resellers, bloggers etc. to add valuable content to their own sites at no cost (win/win).  Technically this is a simple operation but it requires leadership to drive this as a company-wide strategy.  Widgets in the consumer space are relatively old news but larger companies are just starting to get the picture in terms of how to create an extended content syndication strategy.   I have yet to see a major non-media company that is executing a strong off-domain strategy.

For more info and syndication resources check these out:

Widget ‘platforms’
These companies all offer basic content syndication to the full range of social networks and blogs.  Very consumer focused.  No commerce or direct-response functionality apparent but that is the obvious direction.

Widgetbox (disclaimer – I have worked with Widgetbox before)
Consumer focused.  ‘Source’ publisher offers content (common blog formats supported).  ‘Distributor’ can design widget by selecting content, style and layout etc.
Example of taking Ben Smith’s blog from Politico.com and creating a widget for your own site here.

Clearspring
Premium platform gives more customization/control to the content owner.

Gigya
Similar to Clearspring.

Commerce widgets
Tumri
“Ad pod” designed to optimize display advertising by dynamically building/testing offers.

Popshops
Commerce syndication.  Let’s you build a store using affiliate programs and feeds from Popshop’s database of merchants.

Cartfly
Similar to Popshops.

Related posts:

1. If You Are Great At Something – Let it Go (Or Resell It)
2. Listening Beats Talking: Four Principles for Doing Business in the Network Economy
3. Moment of Truth: We are all Marketers Now