In one sense we are already there with that as at vzaar we aim to enable businesses and eBay sellers to quickly and easily add video to their website or listings via our platform.
We started off as a consumer play for eBay sellers but it became apparent that the real potential for growth exists in the space where SMEs reside although they have been, in my opinion, slow to embrace the benefits of video and how it can be used as a medium to aid and drive sales.
Because of our connection to the eBay API we make it easy for businesses to upload and add video to listings without the need for complicated HTML (a common SME sticking point). Outside of eBay, the same SMEs have told us that they hate carrying brand names on their site so we launched a non branded video player that they can subscribe to.
Jimm Fox
· 11 months ago
Interesting post Grant. You pose a very good question.
Hulu is an entertainment destination growing quickly in popularity. People go to Hulu because they expect to see the best content there. YouTube is the uberportal for any and all types of video because it thas the most content, it's the most visited and because videos that are hosted on it's servers seem to get good attention from google search (probabaly just a coincidence).
Would business people flock to a generic SMB portal. Perhaps, but I'm not sure.
Would it be like a massive yellow pages? Would it be a directory like Yahoo with video. Would it be YouTube for business? Would it add value beyond search and consolidating similar video types? Would anyone post videos there if it didn't offer any new functionality beyond that of YouTube?
There is a risk that it could become a wasteland of undifferentiated flash slideshows that would all look and sound pretty much the same(30-60 seconds of animated iStock photos with generic voiceovers).
Would I go there if I am looking for a pizza, or looking to buy pizza making equipment or looking to sell my pizza franchise?
I absolutely agree that quality would be a key success factor. If it is riddled with bad content business people would flee and never come back. Getting high quality video would be a challenge. The higher the quality the more selective businesses would be on how and where they promote their brand.
I could also see the big content syndication players taking a shot at this - they have already figured out how to consolidate, distribute, and promote printed business material - video is just another media type.
To be successful a new SMB video portal would require great utility/functionality, good content and deep pockets to survive. That's a tall order.
sedonatv
· 11 months ago
Great article! Our whole focus is SMB. I live in a small town in Arizona and am currently working on a travel video site. We've had one for 5 years but our new site will be different. The hardest part of the business is trying to explain to clients what is going on in the video space online. To me this is a no brainer but I guess they will catch up with a good marketing campaign. I don't know if we have the perfect model but we're trying. We're weeks away from launching the site and I think it will be one of the first of it's kind out there. I read reelseo every day and benefit greatly from it's insights. Thank you! If you want a peek (this is not spam and will not be the final url) http://www.sedona.tv/new
CityMiss
· 10 months ago
I would like to introduce a relevant video portal by recommending 3B NEXUS http://www.3bnexus.com; the professional streaming video portal dedicated to businesses, investors and the financial markets. Free-to-view on-demand videos uploaded and published by companies, fund managers, analysts, industry and market experts.
There are no restrictions on video file sizes; unlimited video uploads; accepts a range of video file formats; easy integration with a choice of flash video players to embed your own video to your website and other private or public sites. Branding space is all yours and you maintain full rights of content ownership; no charges for uploading, encoding, hosting, storage or embedding; you pay only for delivery when your content has been viewed. Real-time and historic video traffic and viewing statistics provide a measure of reach and return on investment.
This is a one-stop shop video portal; a good source of direct financial information for professional and retail investors and an affordable marketing and communication tool that brings together fund managers; analysts, market specialist and commentators and companies to broadcast business and investment messages. Currently in public Beta with a growing number of viewers and interest from professional publishers.
I think what works for us is the dedication to a specific targeted market. There's less noise.
All Comments
We started off as a consumer play for eBay sellers but it became apparent that the real potential for growth exists in the space where SMEs reside although they have been, in my opinion, slow to embrace the benefits of video and how it can be used as a medium to aid and drive sales.
Because of our connection to the eBay API we make it easy for businesses to upload and add video to listings without the need for complicated HTML (a common SME sticking point). Outside of eBay, the same SMEs have told us that they hate carrying brand names on their site so we launched a non branded video player that they can subscribe to.
Hulu is an entertainment destination growing quickly in popularity. People go to Hulu because they expect to see the best content there. YouTube is the uberportal for any and all types of video because it thas the most content, it's the most visited and because videos that are hosted on it's servers seem to get good attention from google search (probabaly just a coincidence).
Would business people flock to a generic SMB portal. Perhaps, but I'm not sure.
Would it be like a massive yellow pages? Would it be a directory like Yahoo with video. Would it be YouTube for business? Would it add value beyond search and consolidating similar video types? Would anyone post videos there if it didn't offer any new functionality beyond that of YouTube?
There is a risk that it could become a wasteland of undifferentiated flash slideshows that would all look and sound pretty much the same(30-60 seconds of animated iStock photos with generic voiceovers).
Would I go there if I am looking for a pizza, or looking to buy pizza making equipment or looking to sell my pizza franchise?
I absolutely agree that quality would be a key success factor. If it is riddled with bad content business people would flee and never come back. Getting high quality video would be a challenge. The higher the quality the more selective businesses would be on how and where they promote their brand.
I could also see the big content syndication players taking a shot at this - they have already figured out how to consolidate, distribute, and promote printed business material - video is just another media type.
To be successful a new SMB video portal would require great utility/functionality, good content and deep pockets to survive. That's a tall order.
If you want a peek (this is not spam and will not be the final url) http://www.sedona.tv/new
There are no restrictions on video file sizes; unlimited video uploads; accepts a range of video file formats; easy integration with a choice of flash video players to embed your own video to your website and other private or public sites. Branding space is all yours and you maintain full rights of content ownership; no charges for uploading, encoding, hosting, storage or embedding; you pay only for delivery when your content has been viewed. Real-time and historic video traffic and viewing statistics provide a measure of reach and return on investment.
This is a one-stop shop video portal; a good source of direct financial information for professional and retail investors and an affordable marketing and communication tool that brings together fund managers; analysts, market specialist and commentators and companies to broadcast business and investment messages. Currently in public Beta with a growing number of viewers and interest from professional publishers.
I think what works for us is the dedication to a specific targeted market. There's less noise.