There is great value in adding an analytical step for any marketing video deployment. Customers can look at the number of plays, where the plays are occurring and the hours in which they’re viewed.
“These are very powerful tools when it comes to analytics,” Matus says, because they allow organizations to grow their understanding of what customers want and what action they take as a result of viewing videos.
For integrators, MediaFusion provides a reseller portal that can be made accessible to customers.
“So they can collect that information and help their clients do a better job in extending their capability when it comes to lives streaming or on demand. They can also collect that data for troubleshooting purposes. And MediaFusion is continuing to see what we can do to provide additional data. So when integrators see another way for us to provide data on different things, we will work with them…and see how we can collect that.”
Addressing Live Streaming Needs – Whether it’s for a multi-location company meeting or a distance learning, training or multi-site worship scenario, many organizations are attempting to live stream events. MediaFusion sees it frequently, Matus says.
“Sometimes they use outside contractors. Other times they have a camera crew on site. In each case, the customer will have unique needs,” he says.
The first step for integrators is simply letting customers understand that they can help.
“I think that’s the key. Let them know you have the expertise with the backing of MediaFusion to make that happen because we will help set them up, get them ready, let them know what they need to do. The integrator can bring in the video team if they need one. In any scenario, they can take that feed, have everything set up to take it out to the audience and we can do that quite quickly with the help of that integrator in place.”
Having somebody on site to monitor live streaming is “a huge piece,” Matus adds. “It assures that they can get a quality live stream, keep it up and working well, minimize concerns and ensure they have a good recording at the end. Plus, they can do minimal edits if necessary.”
Setting Up Video On-Demand—Many organizations can benefit from creating an on-demand video library, which they can turn into either a profit center or simply a customer relationship management tool.
However, most organizations need help recognizing that opportunity and even more help setting it up.
“On-demand is a powerful piece. When you get your content organized, on-demand is an effective way to make it available to a lot of people,” Matus says. “Part of the benefit is that MediaFusion makes it easy to organize the content player and integrators can be involved in doing that for the customer. It makes content available either through password protection or you can have corporate clients where only a specific crew can see some content.”
Of course, leveraging MediaFusion’s on-demand feature makes it easy for integrators to monetize customer’s content programs by allowing them to charge for access to content.
“There are lots of opportunities and ways to do that,” Matus says. “There could be a donate button. People are often interested and willing to pay an amount to watch something if it’s going to benefit them. There are lots of powerful ways to utilize on-demand.”
Removing the Recurring Headache – Most organizations don’t have the time or resources to manage their video and, furthermore, they don’t want to deal with it. As such, integrators have an opportunity.
After setting up a system, Matus sees great value in integrators stepping in to manage the content.
“Once the content is in there, they can help set it up so it’s ready to go out to any method of launch – whether it’s through Apple TV, through emails or whatever,” he says.
Through MediaFusion integrators can create a dedicated content channel for an organization.
“Integrators can easily, through our system, set up live events organized for a certain time of day, a time of week, and just manage that over time,” Matus says.
Customers often need help creating and updating graphics, which MediaFusion can address.
Simple troubleshooting mechanisms can also provide peace of mind for organizations.
MediaFusion’s platforms make managing content “pretty straight-forward and easy,” Matus says. “However, there are always things that need to be monitored through that process and customers often are happy to have somebody on site to actually manage that feed for them just to make sure it’s in place. We can set that up and help that integrator understand what they have to monitor and who they have to work with back at our location so that everything is taken care of and they can get a very high-quality team and troubleshooting can be done in that instant if necessary.”
Beyond simply solving a common customer challenge, which is the essence of an integration firm’s role, offering video management makes simple business sense.
“Equipment costs are getting lower all the time,” Matus says, making a case for selling this as a logical managed service.
“Media Fusion believes that our future really is with the integrators, in really helping us find clients and customers but also developing those relationships. You’re being asked all the time to make the connections so we feel that’s a great way for us to work with you. We are interested in offering a way for you to make money in that process as well and build upon that with other managed services around it, whether it’s production of some of the video material, whether it’s just providing additional advice and consulting.”
For integration firms struggling to create and sell managed services, Matus adds that with MediaFusion’s help, this one is easier than they probably think.
“Once you set it up, you walk away and you continue to get revenue year after year. But not only that, it’s something you’re doing to solve a problem for your customer.”
