No, we’re not talking about the red carpet, popcorn and the silver screen – okay, you can keep the popcorn if you want. What we are talking about could very well serve as the equivalent of the stars’ silver screen. The “big screen” for businesses this year is widely thought to be video communications, and the proof is in the predictions. For example, Cisco (News - Alert) predicted a few years ago that 90 percent of all Internet traffic would be video by 2014 – or in other words, taking place this year. And with companies like Netflix, Skype (News - Alert) and other popular Web video services, it looks like we’re right on track to reach these staggering numbers, too.
Today, businesses of all sizes are increasingly turning to mobile video collaboration for a number of reasons – training sessions, interviewing and advertisements only being a few that immediately come to mind. Video is extremely influential and prevalent; it’s no wonder businesses want a piece of this tasty visual pie.
For example, Business 2 Community reported yesterday how small businesses can leverage video marketing strategies for increased productivity, awareness and cost savings. These strategies include landing page intros; customer testimonials; video blogs (vlogs); social media; yelp integration; and product and service descriptions.
About a year ago, I thought I was on the cutting edge of business operations when I was asked to interview for an internship via Skype. But alas, tons of organizations were already one step ahead. One such organization trying to stay ahead of the curve via video is Harvard University. The Ivy League school revealed its plans last October to begin conducting interviews using the video service for its Law School applicants, TMC (News - Alert) reported. Even more, with Skype, each interview will be extended to 15 minutes and 200 more applicants will be offered interviews.
Slimming down this process by removing physical presence and wait times will undoubtedly prove advantageous.
Needless to say, enterprise video implementations have far surpassed their traditional limitations of conferencing and collaboration. Video Expert Bob Wallace divulged on this topic last summer, where he wrote that “there’s far more to enterprise use of video than fixed and mobile conferencing.”
Wallace cites video surveillance and in-store marketing as one a couple promising outlets for this rapidly growing market. For example, he explains that well-known cable provider, Comcast (News - Alert), has been pushing to include video surveillance in its bundle of broadband-enabled services. He adds that big names like Walmart and 7-Eleven are also driving sales by utilizing monitors and digital signage strategies.
So it’s not necessarily a question of if - but why enterprise video will explode in 2013. Want to find out more? “Why Enterprise Video Will Explode in 2013” will be presented at ITEXPO (News - Alert) Miami 2013 happening this week.