Web Video is Changing the Way We Live
Jeff Bradshaw
If it hasn't affected your business or personal life yet, it will in the near future: Web video is quickly becoming a standard form of communication for employee training, sales, marketing, corporate communications and, of course, entertainment. When you mention the words "Web video," most people think of
YouTube. But Web video is so much more.
It is an effective and efficient form of communication. The companies who are keeping pace in the global economy already know that Web video must play a role in their overall communication strategies. Video has long been the most powerful communications and branding tool available to marketers, and the Internet’s reach to the marketplace is enormous. Not surprisingly, these two combined factors have fueled the recent explosion of the Web video market.
For companies that recognize the potential of Web video, technology is not the issue anymore. The focus is now on content. For both business and entertainment, the race is on to create compelling content that’s ready for Web video. The possibilities are endless. Imagine every corporation having their own online video network full of content that trains staff, engages customers, broadcasts executives messages, informs investors, launches new products, and promotes existing products and services.
On the entertainment content side, my company –
Zoom Communications Inc. – is launching a video-based Web site in April that will replace our original plans for a TV series. Five years ago, this wouldn’t have been feasible, because high-speed Internet connections weren’t as prevalent.
In the next five to 10 years, I predict that we’ll see ultra-high-speed wireless Internet connections almost everywhere in the world. You’ll have high-speed Internet access in your bathroom, kitchen, workshop, vehicle and on your PDA or mobile phone. You’ll also have access in airplanes and at sporting events. And if people have access to video everywhere they go, companies will have access to consumers, employees and investors everywhere they go, at a fraction of the cost of traditional communications tools.
So what does this mean to EOers? Well, in my opinion, if you’re not already using Web video for your sales, marketing, training, investor relations or general corporate communications, you should consider it. I can almost guarantee that your competitors are either already thinking about it or will be in the near future.
