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Video production involves a myriad of product and service providers all solving a particular part of the puzzle, yet very few are tackling it from a strategic point of view. So what is the right approach to take when developing an enterprise video strategy?

What is enterprise video?

Enterprise video is the ability to effectively communicate with your chosen audience through video. First you need to have a channel available. This requires the technology to get the message delivered via video from the source to the person watching it – whether they are on a smartphone or desktop computer.

How can an enterprise video strategy improve your business?

Developing a successful strategy means reviewing how you are currently using video across the business. A strategic approach to video in the enterprise can help reduce costs, streamline resources, increase adoption and improve communications and results for the business.

What is your communications problem?

Communication is often at the top of the corporate agenda during change. It could be that there has been a change of CEO, or a big success or failure in the company. This is often the point when a business realises that it is not set up to communicate with everybody through the most engaging medium – video.

So what happens next?

• Intranet: As the culture of the business evolves and video increases in popularity, the growth and size of the content takes up too much space on the intranet. The outcome may be to set up a private Vimeo channel.

• Analytics: Businesses realise that Vimeo doesn’t provide the required per-user analytics, and as it isn’t built into the corporate intranet, it looks unprofessional.

• Bespoke portal: Then comes the crunch moment – it’s time for a dedicated video channel to be integrated into the business.

Challenges along the way

Businesses will face at least 20 challenges when implementing an effective video strategy. These might include:

• Reach: Employees who work remotely or in smaller satellite offices tend to have the least interaction and communication from the business, yet are most affected by poor video quality due to internet bandwidth issues.

• Language: Most companies have an official language, but at some point there may be a need for close caption subtitles or audio tracks.

As a business, it’s important to prioritise – you can’t solve every problem at once, nor should you attempt to. It’s about setting realistic targets along the way.

What are the cost drivers of video production?

Costs will always feature highly in any strategy, so it’s important to decide what approach to take. For example, you need to decide if you will:

• outsource video production on a piecemeal basis

• outsource video production in bulk

• create video content in-house.

What is the future of enterprise video?

The corporate culture and behaviour varies widely when it comes to video. Unlike email where there is an accepted way of using it, video adoption in the enterprise is relatively new. There are no clear guidelines about how to get the most out of video or rules on how employees should communicate.

Companies generally fall into one of two mind-sets:

1. Employees can freely upload videos: With the provision that something that can be reported or taken down if it is inappropriate.

2. All videos require approval: Content is pre-moderated by a manager before going live.

If your business doesn’t have an enterprise video strategy, you are likely to be behind your competitors. Most organisations have some elements already in place, but only when the business processes and technology come together will video become more widely adopted and drive better results from improved communication.