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Tag: ‘Internet Delivered Video’

Why Presentation is Everything When it Comes to Web Video for Business

Posted Mar 15 2011 by in Aaron Booker, B2B, Internet Delivered Video with 0 Comments

Internet-delivered video is, at this point in time, an interesting beast – as a result of the user-friendliness of services like YouTube, the public perception is that video and the web go together like Batman and Robin. However, YouTube isn’t an excellent platform for business video unless you like to give up your branding to YouTube – and those services that ARE great for business video can be mystifying (and expensive!) for non-video professionals. Obviously that’s no excuse for a poor-looking video on your website.

Other services, like Vimeo, serve up fantastic-looking video. But look at their Terms of Service – if you use Vimeo for business purposes, you run the risk of losing all of your videos at any time. Vimeo’s uploading guidelines say that Commercial Video (like you’d use for your business) is not allowed. A few years ago, when Varvid was just getting started, Vimeo was one of the few sites that supported HD video. We were thrilled (we were early adopters of HD) and started putting all our video on Vimeo. We even bought a paid account, only to later realize that all of our videos could be taken down at any time. No fun!

Over at the blog ReelSEO (which we read daily, naturally), the prolific Grant Crowell wrote an excellent post about why just having a video on your website isn’t enough – it needs to look its best. For MSPs, VARs, and other businesses in the IT Solution Provider space, the presentation of video on your website is especially important because computing solutions are the core your business. If the video on your webpage doesn’t load correctly, or play on the ever-increasing plethora of smartphones, it could seriously impact confidence in your service offerings.

“But Aaron!” You cry, “I just paid through the nose for a professionally produced video! Shouldn’t it just work on my website???”

The short is answer is yes, it should just work. Unfortunately, the realities of web video mean that there are several parameters that can effect the appearance, playback quality, and marketing effectiveness of your video: quiet or out of synch audio, improper video codecs, HTML5 readiness (or lack thereof), poor thumbnail images, choppy stream quality, and the ever-annoying auto-playback, just to name a few. If you don’t know what any of those words mean, it’s a good thing you’re reading this, because we can help. With VENUE, video just works.

VENUE stands for Video Editing Network and User Education. With VENUE, Varvid gives you the tools, knowledge, and confidence you need to shoot a high-quality, effective marketing message. You send us back your footage (in the cloud, of course), and we’ll take care of all the editing, uploading, and delivery. You get to make sure that visitors to your site see the marketing message you want them to see, and we make sure they stick around to watch it. With tiered pricing plans, we have solutions for entrepreneurs, small- to medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and everything in between. Still not convinced? Watch the video below:

For more information on our VENUE packages, please contact Drew Graham by email at drew@varvid.com, or by phone at (360) 255-7223.

Varvid Staff At MVP Nation 2011 in Full Force!

Posted Mar 4 2011 by in MVP Nation, Varvid Partners, Varvid Team with 3 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just set up our booth here at MVP Nation 2011 in Seattle, and we’re geared up for a long day of video, VARS and Vendors. Check varvid.tv later today for interviews with Harry Brelsford, CEO of SMB Nation, and other members of the SMB Nation crew.

MVP Nation is a new event that connects three important communities in one place at one time, Microsoft MVPs, community members (composed of customers, channel partners, consultants, and members of the public) as well community sponsors.

Business Side of Video Encoding Rears its Ugly Head Again

Posted Jan 28 2011 by in Apple, Google, Internet Delivered Video with 2 Comments

Google and Apple are (in a roundabout way) at it again, as both make attempts to bring their own video encoding technologies to the forefront of internet-delivered video. The most recent shot was fired from the Google Chrome camp, when they claimed that future versions of the Chrome browser would not support H.264 (Apple’s favorite), instead boosting support for the WebM and Theora codecs. WebM is Google’s favored “open source” video codec, in contrast to H.264, which is licensed by the MPEG LA patent consortium, who hold Apple as a member.

Google’s announcement comes as another turn in the long-drawn battle for online video supremacy. Back in April of 2010, Steve Jobs wrote a long manifesto on why Apple products don’t and won’t support Adobe’s Flash codec, and would be promoting H.264 as the web-video standard for mobile and desktop viewing. Many were outraged at the time, and couldn’t conceive of an internet video experience without Flash. And yet by May of last year, H.264 was already the format of 66% of web videos. Many more, I’m sure, didn’t notice at all when their beloved funny cats YouTube videos were in a different format than before.

Currently, MPEG LA is offering H.264 as “royalty-free”, primarily due to pressure from the press when they got wind of the free open source codecs. However, “royalty-free” does not mean free for all: H.264 is only free for those who would use it for Internet-delivered non-commercial uses. All other uses of H.264 run the risk of being asked for not-insignificant amounts of money from MPEG LA. Google’s announcement implies that it would be better for everyone if they switched over to WebM – less risk for encoders, better for the open-source community, potentially better for end-users – but the real question remains to be answered: How is it better for Google?

And so, Adobe may indeed be the Helen of Troy in this battle between titans. Because, as it turns out, Adobe Flash supports WebM technologies, and is in fact a WebM partner. Was it a heartfelt plea from Adobe that got Google to lay the smackdown on Apple favorite H.264? Or are they really in it to uphold the principles of open source? As usual, we, the little guys, will have to wait for the next press release to find out.

Thanks to Peter Csathy for his blog post on the background of the encoding business.

Varvid Partners UnicomIT, CW Dash, Forza, Proactive Networks all Benefit From Video

Posted Dec 9 2010 by in Varvid Partners, Video Delivery with 1 Comment

Check out these Varvid partners: Unicom is IT,CW Dash, Forza Technology Solutions, Proactive Networks and see how they’re using Internet Delivered Video to boost their SEO, generate more leads and gain customers. We’d also like to give a shout out to our friends at Pronto Marketing an awesome MSP Marketing company that helps people boost their online presence, website, newsletter, SEO, AdWords Campaign Management, and create press releases.

Facebook and Microsoft Team Up to Improve Bing

Posted Oct 18 2010 by in Social Media, Varvid Team, VENUE Packages, Video Delivery with 0 Comments

Last week, Facebook and Microsoft held a press conference at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley headquarters in Mountain View to announce the major changes in Microsoft’s search engine Bing.  The buzz on the web is attributing this partnership a strategic move by both companies to compete with a common opponent: Google.

The plan is for Microsoft to incorporate the social aspect of Facebook into Bing, allowing people to not only seek out relevant sites, but also for social opinion, which is being incorporated into the search via Facebook. This will be done by using the “like” feature that has become so popular for Facebook users. To put it into perspective, the “like” feature is currently being used on over 2 million sites. This statistic, matched with the fact that there are currently a little over 500 million Facebook members, indicates an abundance of untapped data that will offer Bing a search potential that isn’t available to Google.

The angle that Microsoft and Facebook are taking on this new idea is that, until now, search results have been limited to keywords and haven’t taken popular opinion into account. The internet has evolved from a web of documents into a web of social relations just as they exist in the real world. The structure of the internet has become rife with digital representations of people and places, and social media has provided an outlet for people to express their opinions of both the real world and the representations. Microsoft and Facebook look to capitalize on this by enabling Bing to blend social information in with the “web of documents”.

This is great news for anyone in the marketing world, especially those involved with Internet Delivered Video, as this new social aspect of Bing will allow people to find videos much easier. It’s recently been reported that Facebook holds the number two spot for online video content property, meaning this partnership will not only align Microsoft and Bing with the most popular social network in the world, but they are also teaming up with the site that has the second highest online video viewership; talk about two birds with one stone. In searches of the past, people relied on keywords and descriptions to get their videos out into the world, but this new “social opinion” aspect of the Bing search will allow users to find relevant videos that have become popular in their network, without having to match exact keywords! For those trying to get a product or service recognized on the web by using video, this means that a video can be popular in certain niches without being popular for everyone on the web. Every successful marketer knows the secret to making a sale is to avoid being broad and hitting a wide audience with generic advertising, and the true key to success is to go after particular subgroups or smaller markets that have a high interest in their company’s service. With the implemented changes Facebook and Microsoft are making to Bing, videos will be able to reach the “right” viewers more efficiently than ever before.

If you’re interested in an accessible and affordable means of creating internet video content, check out Varvid’s new VENUE Packages.

Varvid Makes Internet Delivered Video Affordable for Anyone with New VENUE Packages!

Posted Oct 8 2010 by in Varvid Team, VENUE Packages, Video Delivery with 0 Comments

Ok, so maybe we were exaggerating when we said Varvid unleashed an army of robots. But, we weren’t speaking with hyperbole when claiming we’ve found a way to make internet delivered video affordable for everyone. We’ve aptly named our online video solution the VENUE packages, as they provide any member of the Varvid family an innovative means of building their own personal “venue” to express themselves to the online community. Here is a video where our very own Drew Graham explains Varvid’s new VENUE Packages:

Our press release is as follows:

New Online Video Solutions Introduced

Varvid Releases Internet Delivered Video Production and Hosting Packages that Save Companies Money and Increase Online Search Results.  Packages start at $299/month & include 12 videos a year!

BELLINGHAM, WA – 10/8/10 – Varvid, an Internet Delivered Video (IDV) marketing company, announces an innovative new way for businesses to increase their web presence using the power of online video.

Video Editing Network and User Education (VENUE) packages benefit clients by eliminating travel and onsite production costs by having clients capture high definition (HD) video and audio and then upload it to Varvid for editing, post-production and delivery. Solutions start at only $299 a month and include 12 edited videos a year.

“Every single organization has a story to tell,” says Aaron Booker, founder of Varvid. “YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after Google and reaching this rapidly growing audience of potential clients is critical. With our VENUE packages, Internet Delivered Video is a very cost effective way to communicate with new and existing clients as well as presenting a fantastic return on investment.”

Each VENUE package comes with a new Cisco HD Flip camera, a professional digital audio recorder and Varvid’s unique ‘how-to’ training videos that provide guidelines for shooting the best video possible. These high quality tools allow clients to leverage Varvid’s professional video editing, post-production experience and online hosting services. Varvid provides ongoing support by educating clients on how to capture great video testimonials, product announcements, video press releases, demonstration videos, and more.

“Many people want to watch a short video, not read a PDF or download a white paper,” states Booker. “That’s just the reality today and successful businesses understand that.”

The process is simple. Clients shoot the raw footage, then upload it to Varvid’s website so Varvid’s experienced editing crew can efficiently create a professional and polished piece, ready for distribution.

VENUE packages include 12 videos edited and distributed each year, a comprehensive suite of viewer metrics reporting, custom intro and close graphics, client branded embeddable player, professionally shot on-site videos by Varvid’s crew and regularly scheduled live training/Q&A sessions. For specifics on each package, please visit: http://www.varvid.com/venue


Social Media, Branding, and Video

Posted Sep 28 2010 by in Internet Delivered Video, Social Media, Video Delivery with 0 Comments


This week, entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world gathered in San Francisco to discuss the future of technology and business at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. At the conference, entrepreneur Joe Kraus had this to say about building a brand: “The hardest thing to create is a consumer habit.” The implication here is that since it is the hardest thing, it is also the most valuable thing to have. And certainly, many of the world’s biggest corporations have understood that for years; that’s why Costco makes you sign up for a card, why the only criteria for buying a media player other than an iPod is “cheaper than an iPod”, and why people is some regions refer to all carbonated beverages as “Coke”. Consumer habits, which we all have, go almost completely unnoticed all the time. They may even keep us from purchasing a better product for our needs because we prefer the brand we know. Next time you’re at the grocery store, think about why you’re buying the big-name cereal over store brand. Is it really the taste, or is it force of habit? This begs the question: what is the role that brands play in our daily lives?

With the rise of social media in the last several years, the line between ‘company’ and ‘marketing’ has continuously grown thinner and thinner. Now, more than ever before, it is mandatory for businesses to forge a distinct brand to ensure that potential customers will instantly recognize the company name and logo, the services they provide, and easily grasp (and communicate for themselves) the “essence” of what a given company is all about. In a post written by Philip Keightley from socialmediatoday, he makes a strong case for the importance of “the brand” in our current world of social media.

Online social media and search engine optimization (SEO) are so imperative that companies like Ulistic structure their entire business model off the idea of being completely dedicated to teaching businesses about social media and SEO. In Keightley’s blog, he explains how in the past only the largest companies had the resources to distribute corporate publications or magazines. But now, as the business and online world has adapted to innovative social media, everyone has access to platforms for broadcast and conversation, and we have all become “publishers” of sorts.

With this new social media paradigm, many businesses have the opportunity to create a strong voice without massive amounts of capital, something that wasn’t available 10 years ago.  This change causes a lot of excitement among potential entrepreneurs and investors, as they know any good idea can find it’s way to an online audience. But, along with the potential for everyone to have a voice, social media has also created a lot of “noise”.

Too much noise.

We all experience this “noise” when we’re online, a seemingly never-ending onslaught of information, logos, and sales pitches. Yet, how do we muddle through it? We go with what we know and what has worked in the past. Consider this quote by the 19th-century psychologist and philosopher William James: “Ninety-nine hundredths or, possibly, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousandths of our activity is purely automatic and habitual, from our rising in the morning to our lying down each night.”

This is where branding becomes extremely pertinent to anyone trying to reach potential clients online. Consider this blog by Sandy Miller about custom branded communities. Even if your company is new, by forming and maintaining a professional looking brand, you’ve created something that can easily become associated with brands that potential clients already do “know”. Think about which advertisement you’d be more likely to click on: one that has been designed by a seasoned graphic artist or a flashing square that says you’ve won a million dollars. The reason why the former advertisement is more appealing  is because the professional look and feel communicates a strong brand, and instantly seems more reliable.

Here at Varvid, we are firm believers that the number one way to create a strong brand is the use of video as central part of any marketing plan. Consider our culture’s fascination with television and movies, and how there’s a sense that someone you see on film seems more legitimate than some random joe you meet on the street. Internet delivered video is a direct, concise, and simple way to combine your company’s logo, brand, and message into an appealing and interactive medium that potential clients and customers are familiar with and know they can trust. In an online world filled with “noise” and mediocre brands, video is the ultimate way to forge a distinct company brand and optimize your online presence.

(Top image taken from: http://sierrafriend.com/)

Video as the Ultimate Form of Communication

Posted Sep 17 2010 by in Social Media, Video Delivery with 0 Comments

We’ve all been there. Re-reading our pending email, wall posts, tweets, or any other online written communication, and getting the sense that the written word isn’t properly expressing the message we’d like to convey. “Will they understand my sarcasm? Will the reader pick up on my urgent tone without thinking I’m demanding? Will the people love me!?!” These are all thoughts that often take hold of our minds. The eons of human evolution have conspired such that our communication is only fully comprehensible through body language, facial expression, tone of voice, and countless other social attributes besides the words we choose to use. Fortunately, cheap and accessible HD streaming video is here to save us all from misrepresenting ourselves online.

The advantage to using video in online communication is that the audience only needs to sit back and receive the message whereas, when one reads, they must do work to extract the meaning. In a sense, video allows the person who is communicating an opportunity to gain closer proximity to their audience’s minds, which is one step closer to successfully executing an Inception. Video serves as a more precise means of expressing oneself that can function in vastly more powerful ways when employed correctly.

In the VAR Guy’s 9/15 blog about the state of Vendor Channel Blogs, video is named as one of the top 5 things that successful Vendors are implementing into their social media. He even goes as far as stating “video is everywhere”. This claim is not made without sufficient evidence, as he shows that the Cisco’s Channel Blog and Oracle Channel Chief Justin Althoff’s Blog (both major blogging sites) have multiple videos posted directly on their main page. The VAR Guy also provides the video social media site Ustream.tv as another example of the growing success and omnipresence of video on the web.

Over a year ago HD video capabilities on a cell phone, or even a device the size of one, were unheard of. Now it’s mandatory for next generation phones to be providing HD video if they want to compete on the market, thus making the ability to capture professional quality video one of the easiest things to do. We’re at the point where people will no longer be laboring at the keyboard attempting to construct concise messages in prose form; why force your audience to extract meaning from text when they are eager and ready to receive it in video form?

Varvid finalizes annual contract with Botanical Laboratories

Posted Aug 5 2010 by in Local Business, Video Delivery with 0 Comments

Varvid is pleased to announce they have finalized an annual agreement to create, produce and distribute video content for Botanical Laboratories, based in Ferndale, Washington. Varvid has signed on to produce internet-delivered videos for Botanical Labortories, including event coverage for the 2010 Bellingham Jingle Bell Run in December and the  2011 Northwest Women’s Show in Seattle. Other projects will include a series of product pieces, corporate profiles, and multiple press release videos. Varvid has worked with BotLab’s flagship brand, Wellesse Premium Liquid Supplements, in the past to help promote their ongoing support of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with the Puget Sound affiliate of the national organization.

Along with capturing, producing and uploading content for Botanical Labortories, this agreement includes a unique service:  an internet-delivered video distribution platform.  This offereing allows BotLab the opportunity to completely control the marketing and branding seen by visitors. Varvid will also provide a number of user training courses to educate BotLab staff on how to maximize video marketing’s full potential by understanding analytics, increasing search engine optimization and controlling channel distribution.

To put Varvid to work for your organization, drop us a line.

Live Webcasting and MSPU – Success Squared

Posted Jun 16 2010 by in Event Coverage, MSPU, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

We find our band of troubadours fresh off the heels of HTG Summit in Dallas and prepping for WPC in July. Does that leave any room to help others in the internet delivered video arena?  Of course it does.

The Varvid team recently returned from a triumphant excursion to Southern California for the live webcasting of MSPU’s Boot Camp in Santa Ana. Here’s the quick overview of what MSP University offers.  Whether you’re a Managed Services startup, or a $100 million dollar a year Managed Services Provider, Managed Services Provider University has the resources and the experience to help you improve your IT business by decreasing costs and increasing revenue.

Aaron at the helm...

Not only did Varvid stream live from the event, they were on site to record a myriad of classes for the MSPU catalog, available exclusively to MSPU clients. Some of the topics that were discussed included Sales 101, Marketing, Service Delivery and CEO Tracks. Now if you didn’t get the chance to attend this Boot camp, not to worry. They offer these all over the nation.

In a nutshell, MSPU provides MSP’s the opportunity to continue to learn the ins & outs of this industry. Visit their site for more details and to learn more about this incredible organization.

A special thanks to the Varvid crew on hand for this stellar event; Traci, Trevor & Jeremy really stepped up to the plate and took charge.  And what can we say about “King” Aaron? Simply put, he is the reason Varvid continues to be an industry leader in internet delivered video, from event coverage and webcasting to client testimonials and case studies.