We’ve compiled the highest necessities it is best to take into account when evaluating an internet video platform, plus a free downloadable template that will help you by the method of writing a necessities doc.
Chances are high your group is creating and sharing extra video content material than ever earlier than and your video library is rising. With that progress comes the necessity to arrange, observe, and measure your video investments’ effectiveness, which suggests the time has come to guage an internet video platform constructed for enterprise.
You perceive the significance of video, however it may be robust to determine what resolution is best for you and ALL your organization’s wants.
There are some important components to remember when evaluating an internet video platform. And that’s why we’ve constructed this information that will help you in your analysis efforts.
- Contents
- 1. How you can Use an On-line Video Platform
- 1.1 Video Advertising
- 1.2 Video for Gross sales
- 1.3 Video for Buyer Help
- 1.4 Company Communications
- 2. How you can Discover the Finest Video Platform
- 2.1 Determine What You Want from an On-line Video Platform
- 2.1.1 A Software to Assist You
- 2.1.2 M is for Handle
- 2.1.3 P is for Publish
- 2.1.4 O is for Optimize
- 2.1.5 T is for Observe
- 3. How you can Write a Necessities Doc
- 3.1 Necessities Doc Template
- 3.2 What to Embody in a Necessities Doc
- 3.2.1 Undertaking Overview
- 3.2.2 Required Use Circumstances
- 3.2.3 Wants/Analysis Standards and Checkbox
- 3.2.4 Present Points or Limitations
- 4. Go Forth and Consider
How you can Use an On-line Video Platform
Step one find the fitting on-line video platform for you is to find out your wants as an organization. Are you seeking to assist advertising with video administration and information assortment? Are you trying to find a platform that permits your gross sales workforce to create and share customized video messages or community at digital occasions? Is your company communications workforce searching for a method to modernize their management messaging and amplify their worker engagement technique?
Think about whether or not you’re capable of make the most of a free video internet hosting platform to examine off these containers or in case your group wants an enterprise video platform. In the event you’re within the monetary providers trade, chances are high you’ll be certain by authorized and safety to make use of an enterprise video platform that permits for safe video sharing.
Whether or not it’s one or the entire above, by determining your use instances, you’ll be able to then tailor your search to ensure no matter on-line video platform you utilize will tick the entire containers.
Enterprise video internet hosting and sharing resolution that’s constructed to fulfill your wants. Be taught Extra Listed below are some examples of widespread use instances for an internet video platform:
Video Advertising
An internet video platform can be utilized to host moviesand measure their influence. It could actually additionally combine video into your electronic mail, content material, and digital advertising methods. Entrepreneurs can use video calls to motion (CTAs) to spice up viewer engagement, speed up the client journey, and convert viewers into the gross sales pipeline. Some platforms (like Vidyard) even have the flexibility to combine with the remainder of your martech stack, like HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce, and extra.
Video for Gross sales
For gross sales, utilizing an internet video platform is a no brainer. Creating movies is a simple method to assist put a face to your identify with purchasers. Video might be leveraged throughout the whole gross sales cycle to speed up offers and enhance win charges. From prospecting to sending out pre-made advertising content material, follow-ups, demos, or pricing proposals—utilizing video for gross sales is shifting from exploration to severe funding for many organizations.
Probably the greatest elements of utilizing an internet video platform for gross sales is having a direct correlation to income by integrating view information together with your CRM. That method you’ll be able to simply see how leads and contacts interact together with your content material, and which movies drive pipeline on your gross sales workforce.
Plus, an internet video platform constructed for enterprise lets your reps create and share video content material from the gross sales know-how and instruments they use day by day. For instance, Outreach, Salesloft, LinkedIn, Gong, or Proposify.
Video for Buyer Help
The use case for an internet video platform doesn’t finish when the client indicators the deal. Put up-sales buyer expertise and help provide further alternatives to interact with the assistance of a video platform constructed for enterprise. The flexibility to create and share video content material can be utilized for buyer coaching and onboarding, lowering help tickets, or to up-sell or renew an account.
Company Communications
Worker engagement is a big use case for an internet video platform, particularly now that companies made the transfer to distant or hybrid work environments. Utilizing a video-sharing platform, senior management can document and share movies for govt updates. For HR, the flexibility to have coaching movies, worker updates, and recruitment all accomplished by one central and safe platform is game-changing.
We all know that “zoom fatigue” is an actual factor and that it takes a toll on workers. An internet video platform that has the flexibility to create and share asynchronous movies may also help eradicate the variety of every day conferences wanted and reduce down on worker burnout.
How you can Discover the Finest Video Platform
With a purpose to purchase the most effective on-line video platform on your firm, you’ll first want to determine what your wants and aims are. Give attention to what enterprise issues you’re making an attempt to resolve by evaluating a brand new platform.
After you’ve accomplished an preliminary define, examine in with workforce leaders from different departments, together with authorized, IT, ops, finance, advertising, and gross sales, to make sure that methods are aligned and that you simply’ve captured wants throughout the corporate.
Whether or not you’re employed in monetary providers, the tech trade, or different enterprise-level companies, utilizing an internet video platform constructed particularly for enterprise will make your video content material extra highly effective, scalable, and safe.
Determine What You Want from an On-line Video Platform
To establish your wants, it may be useful to consider what issues you need to resolve. Do you want a video platform that’s safer than YouTube? Are you searching for a instrument that can permit workers to display document from wherever they work? Do you want a platform that has cell capabilities like an app? Are you in want of a full-service platform supplier that provides coaching and help on your workforce? Will you require a platform that may combine with different packages? And if there’s a really specialised requirement your organization has, can the seller construct it for you?
Take into consideration what you require from a vendor and ask how they’ll help you when you’re reside with the platform.
A Software to Assist You
In the event you’re searching for a useful gizmo that will help you navigate the method of determining your wants, take into account the acronym MPOT, which we’ll cowl in additional element beneath.
M is for Handle
The “handle” class facilities round what your administration necessities for an internet video platform are. Think about the issues you’re making an attempt to resolve or that will come up from the sheer quantity of video content material being created and uploaded throughout the group. How do you count on to handle and arrange the content material not solely on your wants as we speak however as your wants change, develop, and increase over time?
When fascinated with your administration necessities for an internet video platform, take into account for those who require:
- A central library for content material with folder group
- Taggable folders
- The flexibility to develop your video library with out worrying about blowing by bandwidth limits
- Completely different ranges of viewing permissions
- Safety Settings for “non-public” and “internal-only” content material
- Content material gates to gather viewers’ lead info
After getting an thought of what options you need, you’ll be able to appraise on-line video platform candidates with extra confidence.
P is for Publish
The flexibility to publish movies from an internet video platform is essential. When trying on the “publishing” class, take into account your publishing necessities. Will you need a program that can handle all of the totally different distribution channels you’ll be publishing to? Will you need strong integrations between the web video platform and your different programs?
Think about whether or not it has the next capabilities when it comes to common distribution and sharing:
- Embed on a number of platforms (like your web site or content material expertise websites)
- Social channel integration
- Capability to customise and apply your model by integration to CMS platforms like Adobe Expertise Supervisor
- Integration with electronic mail platforms
- Integrations with MAP touchdown pages and gross sales engagement instruments akin to Salesloft and Outreach
- Display recording capabilities
- Stay stream capabilities
- Customization of dynamic thumbnails
O is for Optimize
When trying on the “optimize” class, take into consideration what you need the platform to do for you and the way you need to optimize the client expertise by your content material. Do you need to present closed captions and meet all accessibility necessities? (You need to, and legal guidelines are coming into place to be sure that corporations are.) Would you like built-in search engine optimization options to assist your movies rank in search outcomes?
Think about how the web video platform in query will allow you to optimize and map the totally different options within the buyer journey or funnel. Search for options like:
- search engine optimization options and metadata
- Closed captions and accessibility necessities
- Automated transcriptions
- XML sitemaps
- Interactivity capabilities like branded pop-ups
- Calls to motion constructed into the video platform with additional integration capabilities
T is for Observe
Monitoring is all about analytics. What’s the purpose of creating content material with out with the ability to establish your viewers and measure the influence of video on your online business? Think about what kind of metrics and analytics could be beneficial to your and your organization. What sort of issues are you making an attempt to resolve and the way would analytics assist with that? Are you seeking to establish viewers and demographics to plan advertising methods round? Are you seeking to purchase a platform that can combine viewer information to different programs you already use like Salesforce or Marketo?
When fascinated with what you need from an internet video platform, take into account the next analytical capabilities:
- Viewer identification
- Demographic monitoring
- Efficiency metrics (like views over time and combination consideration spans)
- Viewer system metrics
- Integration of viewer information to different core programs akin to Salesforce, Marketo, or Hubspot
“The MPOT acronym helps organizations of all sizes cowl the important thing pillars of what a real B2B video platform ought to present them. Everybody out of your video producer and content material workforce to metrics-driven entrepreneurs and prime gross sales reps could have their wants lined for those who’re following the MPOT construction.”
Cole McLayVidyardAccount Government
How you can Write a Necessities Doc
Now that among the capabilities you have to be searching for in an internet video platform, it’s time to jot down a necessities doc.
In a necessities doc, you collect preliminary info like a mission overview, use instances, wants, and obstacles. It’s an amazing useful resource to then go over with a consultant from the web video platform supplier you’re assessing to debate whether or not they can meet your necessities.
Professional Tip: If your organization requires you to undergo the formal RFP course of, we nonetheless extremely suggest writing out a necessities doc so that you simply clearly perceive what you want from a vendor.
Necessities Doc Template
We’ve made a helpful free downloadable necessities doc template that will help you by the method of discovering and evaluating an internet video platform. It’s an amazing instrument to get you began with an easy-to-follow construction and guidelines.
Professional Tip: When working by this template, take into account your long-term company-wide methods. Have conversations with leaders from totally different departments to ensure everybody’s wants are included within the requirement doc.
What to Embody in a Necessities Doc
In your quest to guage an internet video platform, right here are some things you’ll need to embody in your necessities doc. (We’ve additionally included these in the downloadable template.)
Undertaking Overview
Describe your organization and what you’re seeking to obtain by the usage of an internet video platform. What issues are you making an attempt to resolve? What’s the general purpose of the mission?
Required Use Circumstances
Listing your anticipated use instances, huge or small. Are you piloting with one group inside your group, or is it a company-wide rollout? Regardless, take into account who’ll want to make use of the platform each out of the gate and probably down the street. And ensure you seize their necessities.
- Does your advertising workforce need to use video for campaigns?
- Does your gross sales workforce need to create and ship prospecting movies?
- Does your govt workforce need to ship inside weekly company-wide updates?
- Does HR need to movie recruitment movies with the intention to maximize expertise acquisition?
- Does IT need to have extra safety measures round your content material?
- Does Operations need to have the ability to combine the platform with different programs?
Wants/Analysis Standards and Checkbox
- Following the MPOT mannequin (handle, publish, optimize, observe), what are you seeking to get out of the chosen on-line video platform?
- Do you could have customized design or API improvement necessities? If that’s the case, does the seller have knowledgeable providers workforce obtainable to help you?
- What does the implementation and onboarding course of seem like from the seller?
- How will the seller help you when you’re reside?
Present Points or Limitations
- What roadblocks would having an internet video platform alleviate?
- What has stopped you from getting one earlier than?
- Why are you contemplating switching suppliers?
- What points may come up from having one? (ex. Want to rent somebody to handle it)
- Will you want coaching to make use of an internet video platform?
Converse to one in all our specialists to be taught extra about what Vidyard can provide as an internet video platform. E book a Name Go Forth and Consider
We hope this information lets you start the analysis course of for an internet video platform. In the event you’re searching for further assist constructing out your necessities, you’ll be able to e book a video teaching session with one in all our specialists. We encourage you to take a look at the remainder of our weblog articles for all the guidelines, tips, and traits it’s essential succeed with video!
This weblog was initially printed on March 5, 2021. It was up to date on Might 23, 2022.
