Television-friendly business videos and webcasts will soon be the hot ‘new’ multimedia.

For decades, B2B marketing professionals have been writing for the print medium, and more recently for videos and webcasts. But as all the lines between gadgets get blurred and more people get hooked onto video on demand, being able to communicate outstandingly with sight and sound will be just as important as being able to develop great content.

Forget websites with long scrolling text or PDFs you need to download.  By that time, we’ll be vying for people’s attention as they switch between watching local news, Bloomberg TV or Discovery Channel, playing X Box games and surfing websites – all on one gadget. Having a TV remote control makes it easy to switch in and out from any part of a room, without the hassle of clicking on a mouse.

We predict that the advent of Web TV will change B2B communications – forever. What does this mean for marketing professionals? Here are a few implications.

Implications

• Production and entertainment values of online videos will have to become much higher than they are today (think CNBC or BCC quality) as ‘channel flicking’ takes over from clicking
• Corporate executives will need to become more comfortable with speaking into a mic and looking at a cameraman.
• Companies should develop their own corporate tunes and moving graphics, and invest in good recording and editing equipment.
• More corporate meeting rooms will be purpose built as mini-studios.

Are you ready?

Where to start

It’s not difficult to get started by building a library of videos, like a television station has archives of TV programs, using your existing resources. There’s no need to necessarily start from scratch.

Here are some ideas:

1. Turn your print library into an AV one

Take a look at your past white papers or articles that have been written by your staff. Think about turning them into videos. You have the contents. Now, you just need to find a cost effective way to deliver the same content over video.

2. Re-package past videos, webcasts and webinars

If you have produced videos or webinars in the past, consider how to re-package them. Can you slice and insert updated material, case studies or a Q&A with an executive, for example?

3. Create trailers

You can think of audio-visual executive summaries or company announcements as trailers. Make one for your new CEO, product, corporate program, white paper, webinar or event. Get creative!

4. Shoot events

Take a camera crew to your next event or trade show, interview some experts, industry peers or speakers and see how you can use the material.

Whether you decide to invest in inhouse equipment or to outsource, the important step is to start building your library of online videos now.

Photo shows a Samsung Smarthub Web TV.