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MOBILE SDKS: SERVING VIDEO NATIVELY IN CUSTOM APPS

bsp-admin-1 on February 24, 2017

Brightcove SDKs are built on top of the native player framework. This means you can take advantage of the performance and speed of the native OS and create really compelling video experiences in your apps. Beyond adding video simply and easily for your audiences, our native SDKs enable you to manipulate the player to accomplish the advanced features you require, integrating into tools for security, monetization, and performance analysis.

Fundamental diagram of the Brightcove Player SDK

The SDKs follow established conventions in naming standards, memory management, and design patterns in order to make getting started as simple as possible. Brightcove maintains SDKs for iOS, TvOS, and Android platforms while our mobile team updates the SDKs on the regular basis.

Beyond maintaining these resources, Brightcove has extended our native player frameworks to handle key integrations for digital rights management (DRM) and advertising. For our SDKs, simplicity is key. Each feature released is designed to be integrated with the least lines of code.

How to Add Video to Your App

Depending on the platform you want to develop a mobile video app for, you will need to acquire the necessary prerequisites such as Xcode for iOS/TvOS or Android Studio for Android. Visit the Brightcove Native Player SDKs Resource Center to find instructions broken down by platform, IOS, TvOS, Android.

Brightcove Player SDK for iOS Overview DiagramBrightcove Player SDK for iOS Overview: some of the components in the Native SDK for iOS and how they relate to each other.

In this resource center, you’ll find general overview information for each platform, the location of the SDK, a step-by-step guide to building your first video app, and additional material on plugins for the SDK. But that’s just scratching the surface; there are even sample apps which can be downloaded and used as a playground.

Brightcove Player SDK for Android Overview DiagramBrightcove Player SDK for Android Overview: some of the components in the Native SDK for Android and how they relate to each other.

Working with hundreds of Brightcove customers, we’ve seen it all. Here are some of our top-of-mind tactics for SDK implementation.

Testing and Troubleshooting Strategies

  • If there is an issue with playback, we will use a software proxy like Charles Proxy to look at the network traffic. That way, we can see the request, its parameters, and the response.
  • The Android market is more diverse than the iOS market in terms of devices. Brightcove maintains a device lab, and we have multiple Android devices which represent the most popular devices running different Android OS versions.
  • When we develop/debug an Android app, we make judicious use of logging and events.
  • Interested in using a plugin? Review all documentation, and the notes sprinkled therein. For example, when we first started working with the SDKs, we were trying to get a DRM stream to appear on Android, but it kept failing. After looking the usual suspects, we found the cause: DRM would not work in the emulator. Moral of the story? Had we looked at the doc carefully, we would have saved ourselves a lot of time. Avoid the tendency to skim.
  • Lastly, Brightcove offers and maintains a Developer Forum. Request to join, and then subscribe. As a subscriber to the Brightcove Native Player SDKs forum, you can review current questions, search through the archive, contribute answers, and of course, pose your questions.

PREPARING FOR THE ADVENT OF VIRTUAL REALITY TV

bsp-admin-1 on February 9, 2017

In 2016, the BBC documentary blockbuster Planet Earth II became one of the most talked-about TV programs. In the UK alone, 9.2 million viewers tuned in to the first episode, making it the most-watched natural history program in 15 years and one of the most successful TV shows of the year.

Building on this enormous success, BBC Worldwide has announced a mini-series based on the documentary for 2017.

However, this new series comes with a twist: It will not be available on television or on-demand platforms. Instead, BBC Worldwide is producing the series in virtual reality (VR) format. Across three episodes, viewers will embark on adventures with wild animals from a fully immersive 360-degree perspective. Using Oculus Rift VR glasses or Samsung Gear VR headsets, audiences can experience the natural world as though they are right in the midst of it, rather than passively watching from their living rooms.

The BBC’s shift to VR is significant for every industry, but it is especially noteworthy as the UK’s largest broadcaster leads the charge. This move sets a milestone and establishes VR as the next big trend for broadcasters.

WILL 2017 BE THE YEAR OF VR TV?

Other broadcasters are likely to follow with similar formats, as growing user demand for immersive experiences cannot be ignored. However, VR is still in its developmental phase, and several hurdles need to be addressed before it can become a mass-market format for broadcasters.

  • Monetization: To make VR financially sustainable, broadcasters must first navigate the question of funding. While ad-supported videos pose issues such as intrusive overlays, alternative approaches like sponsorships, product placements, or subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) models offer viable solutions.
  • Quality: The VR experience differs significantly from the linear OTT or VOD formats we are accustomed to. For viewers to embrace VR, the experience must be seamless, with high-resolution visuals and smooth workflows. At this stage, broadcasters will need the expertise of video specialists like Brightcove to deliver premium VR content.

A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR VR

VR will likely grow far faster than the industry currently anticipates, especially as hardware becomes more affordable and accessible to the general public. Broadcasters will need to address these challenges head-on and embrace VR as the future of OTT TV.

The BBC’s VR mini-series will showcase the potential of advanced virtual reality formats, setting a high standard for others to follow. Regardless of how successful the BBC’s VR pilot proves to be, one thing is clear: Virtual reality is more than a fleeting trend. It is a groundbreaking format poised to establish itself as a long-term staple in the entertainment industry.

HOW LOWE’S USED EPISODIC VIDEO TO CAPTURE MILLENNIALS

bsp-admin-1 on January 4, 2017

Lowe’s hit series “The Weekender” is a story of transformation—and not just about each of the weekend DIY projects featured in the ongoing series. “How-To” videos had once been the mainstay of Lowe’s video department: the small video team produced huge volumes of solid “How-To” content, available mostly on YouTube, where the customer rarely returned to the Lowe’s site.

As content evolved, the team identified a gap in their video strategy, and moved beyond “How-Tos” to storytelling content. First came a blog: Lowe’s Creative Ideas. Then Lowe’s teamed with DIY designer Monica Mangin to complete a home office makeover for Season 9 Bachelorette, Desiree Hartsock. Eventually, the team started focusing on showing the content as part of a story and telling the story episodically. However, the rise of the  millennial consumer posed a new challenge for Lowe’s: ad blocking.

Ad blocking is an issue amongst millennials in particular: 2 out of 3 millennials use an ad blocker on a desktop or mobile device and 14% use an ad blocker on both their desktop and mobile device, according to Anatomy Media. How, then, do you reach your audience if they are not seeing ads?

For Lowe’s, the content became the answer, and The Weekender was born. Storytelling and episodic content authentic to the Lowe’s brand helped differentiate them in the marketplace. The concept of a brand producing a TV show was certainly radical in and of itself, but by distributing the show to streaming devices, Lowe’s was able to extend their reach to new audiences, especially millennials.

The Weekender is a show DIYers and millennials want to watch on YouTube or on streaming apps. Because there is no advertising, Lowe’s knows that every download is a Lowe’s targeted person watching the show. Using Brightcove’s template for streaming apps, Lowe’s was able to get to market quickly.

Reaching the “emerging consumer” via targeting, interesting creative, and storytelling content, Lowe’s is using Brightcove to segment its content and target it to different channels. They can curate what they want and where they want it, publishing some content on YouTube and other content on streaming apps. With The Weekender, Lowe’s has reached a new customer type and audience, and has given the company increased street credibility in terms of style to the average DIY homeowner.

How does the Lowe’s team rate the success of The Weekender? The results speak for themselves. Lowe’s launched its streaming app Lowe’s TV in 2016 and just completed the first season of The Weekender, pulling in more than 3 million views for the inaugural season.

Video Marketing Automation

bsp-admin-1 on December 26, 2016

Video is the best way to dramatically increase the ROI of your MA tool. It is said that a one-minute video contains as much information as 18,000 characters. By making good use of video and linking it to your MA tool, we hope you will be able to predict your customers’ customer journeys and use this to nurture them.

HOW SALES CAN USE VIDEO TO TURN PROSPECTS INTO LEADS

bsp-admin-1 on December 15, 2016

As video marketers, we want to educate interested prospects through content focused on our personas. We hear it all the time: If we want our video marketing efforts to pay off, we have to create rich, engaging stories, rather than push our product. But are we forgetting our friends in sales?

Sales reps are trying to determine which leads have a real interest in the product and, of those, which ones are a good fit and actively looking to buy. This is where things can get messy. Content certainly isn’t one size fits all. The ways in which we can approach prospects via content are becoming more varied every day: video, interactive video, flipbooks, quizzes, even social chat bots.

Sales needs video content that speaks directly to the benefits of the products to further their conversations and move leads from interest to consideration, but are we listening?

We often write about video marketing across the customer journey. Within this, there’s been an assumption that this journey is a responsibility owned exclusively by marketing. What we haven’t addressed is how the qualification, discovery, and solution evaluation stages of the sales cycle overlap with marketing’s engagement phase of the customer journey, so activities during these stages are jointly led by marketing and sales.

This is only one such case in which sales and marketing have to combine initiatives to drive prospect and lead behavior forward. When you align the needs of both marketing and sales teams as you’re developing content, you can share resources while supporting the goals of each department.

ALIGNING SALES AND MARKETING THROUGH BUSINESS VIDEO

Customer Journey and Sales Cycle

By aligning sales with marketing, you create the right mix of videos. Armed with the right content, your sales reps can use video to have more meaningful conversations with prospects and shorten the sales cycle.

CREATING QUALIFICATION AND DISCOVERY VIDEOS

The most successful salespeople know that while it takes more time up front, the easiest way to win business is to ask questions, do a lot of listening and truly understand what the prospect is looking for. Impatience or too much excitement can ruin this, meaning many new sales people will skip the discovery phase.

But a preliminary conversation about the prospect’s search for a solution needs to take place for the opportunity to enter the pipeline. Can video help your sales team to move the discovery process forward or even secure a meeting?

Questions to Answer

  • What problems do your prospects need to solve?
  • Why is it important to solve the problems?
  • What is your brand’s solution to the problems?

Fully understanding the prospect’s problem is the common ground where sales and marketing teams meet. By developing content that answers the above questions you’ll build trust and rapport, potentially increase the size of the deal and of course, close business faster.

Types of Videos that Work

  • Video introductions
  • Tip series
  • Business use case videos
  • Webinars
  • Interactive, self-guided demos

HOW TO CREATE A PRE-CALL VIDEO VOICEMAIL

Provide your sales reps with the capability to “self-author,” i.e. create their own custom videos.To secure a sales call or ramp up anticipation for an in-person meeting, give sales the tools to send along personalized video communications.

Before a sales call, reps can send a quick video to humanize your brand, demonstrate value, and inspire the target prospect to take a meeting. This unique approach to video allows the sales team to articulate the value in working with your brand.

After a call, your sales rep can follow up with a prospect by sending a personalized demo that they recorded themselves, digging into product features and addressing the prospect’s need.

Of course, you’ll want to be able to track this data. This can be done easily if your company has an online video platform (OVP) that connects to your CRM.

Video Sales Outreach Script, A How-to

Need a little help getting your sales team started with video follow-ups? Use this handy script.

Hi {NAME},

{SALES REP} here from {BUSINESS NAME}. Thanks so much for reaching out to demonstrate your interest in {X PRODUCT}. It looks/sounds like you could stand to benefit from our {X FEATURES}. I’d love to talk with you about this more and how to solve {X PROBLEM}. I’ve outlined a few meeting options in this email, just reply back to confirm.

Thanks again {NAME}.

Alternate line: Thanks so much for making the time to talk to us at {X CONFERENCE}.

Bonus points if you house videos on their own landing pages with interactive capabilities to schedule a meeting within the video.

CREATING SOLUTION EVALUATION VIDEOS

Show prospects that you understand their concerns by giving them concrete examples of solutions that alleviate their problems and allow them to accomplish their goals.

By helping your sales team to stress the brand’s authority and leadership within the field prospects will feel confident going deeper into the evaluation process with your team and give the sales proposal more consideration.

Questions to Answer

  • How, specifically, does your product solve the prospect’s problems?
  • What are your product’s features and benefits?
  • How can your product impact the prospect’s users and business?
  • What sets your brand/product apart from your competitors?

Because you are demonstrating authority in your space, sales will readily utilize both product-centric and customer-centric content that marketing has created, or in some cases, can create their own.

Types of Videos that Work

  • How-to/tutorials
  • Webinars
  • FAQs
  • Buying guides
  • Personalized demos created by sales rep

Many companies believe video belongs exclusively to marketing. But as with sourcing any type of content, sales teams offer terrific insight into the types of content needed and the compelling messages that convince prospects to listen. Listening and developing a video plan together allows both marketing and sales to hit their numbers.

MONETIZING CONTENT WITH A TURNKEY OTT SOLUTION

bsp-admin-1 on December 7, 2016

Brightcove OTT Flow, our turnkey OTT solution, maximizes the value of your content. With an OTT solution, you can expand your content’s reach by distributing it across platforms, giving viewers access anytime, anywhere. As you advance your OTT strategy, it’s essential to consider how you plan to monetize your content.

Whether you choose to monetize through advertising (AVOD), subscriptions (SVOD), or a combination of both, OTT Flow provides the features and functionality needed to bring your content to market quickly and effectively. OTT Flow offers a comprehensive AVOD and SVOD solution, enabling you to deliver a flexible service tailored to your content. This includes advertising models, discount options, and payment gateways, making it easier to reach new subscribers in diverse regions. With video, application, and subscriber analytics, OTT Flow offers a detailed understanding of content consumption patterns, advertising effectiveness, and key subscriber activities. These insights allow you to define and measure key performance indicators (KPIs), optimize content delivery, and minimize subscriber churn.

The combination of AVOD and SVOD models is increasingly popular. For example, ad-supported content may be offered alongside “locked” content available through a subscription. In advanced models, ads can be removed from the ad-supported content once a subscription is activated.

For short-form and non-premium content, AVOD is a common monetization method. OTT Flow supports Google’s ad-serving platform, DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP).

For long-form and premium content, SVOD is a typical approach to building an OTT subscriber base and monetizing content. However, not all SVOD services or providers are the same. Key factors to consider when evaluating an SVOD service include:

  • Subscriber management: Integration with existing subscriber databases and access to dashboards and reports to manage users and reduce churn.
  • Flexible subscription models: Options for weekly, monthly, or annual subscriptions.
  • Support for promotions: Features like video metering, trial periods, subscription vouchers, promotional campaigns, and flexible discount models.
  • Paywall support: Compatibility with specific local and regional payment gateways through secure (SSL), PCI-DSS-compliant transactions.

OTT Flow incorporates technology from Cleeng, a global leader in subscription management and monetization services. This integration ensures that Brightcove delivers a market-leading OTT solution. Through Cleeng, OTT Flow supports SVOD, pay-per-view (PPV), video rentals, and electronic sell-through (EST) in 19 currencies and 180 payment methods. Additionally, it includes a subscriber dashboard, enabling you to monitor and manage subscriber activity related to video and application usage, providing a comprehensive view of your OTT service.

HOW TO DRIVE SALES AT EVERY STAGE OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

bsp-admin-1 on November 8, 2016

Getting time with prospects is more challenging than ever. When it comes to communication, there are few mediums more powerful than video. Brands that strategically use video for marketing distinctly set themselves apart in marketing performance from those that don’t. Video creates a 66% greater increase in MQLs delivered to sales (11.2% vs. 6.7%), 2.5 times the growth in marketing’s contribution to revenue, and 54% more growth in brand awareness year-over-year (10.5% vs. 6.8%).

But that’s only the beginning. Your sales team can use video to better engage prospects and communicate value at every stage of your sales cycle. With relevant content, you have a good reason to follow-up and stay top-of-mind with prospects, keep them engaged, and accelerate the sales cycle. Sales guides the customer journey as marketing qualified leads (MQLs) become sales qualified leads (SQLs), and as SQLs are converted into buyers. Ditching the sales-marketing divide and using video strategically throughout the entire customer journey creates a holistic approach to outreach and provides a seamless customer experience that delivers business results.

Marketing’s role in leading the customer journey during the Awareness stage, and the Interest phase of Engagement, is well-understood. What might not be understood widely is that for your sales team, the opportunity lies in using video to complement the team’s calls, pitches, and proposals. In fact, video-enabled salespeople outperform those without video in critical success metrics like customer retention rates (72% vs. 66%), lead acceptance rates (56% vs. 47%), and percent of reps reaching quota (54% vs. 50%).

But first, for career marketers, let’s make sure we’re all using the same language. How can we make the traditional funnel or pipeline that sales uses and turn it into a continuum that matches the customer journey?

Sales StageWhat Happens in the Stage
AwarenessProspect has made initial contact with your brand but has not engaged. No sales action is required at this stage.
QualificationVet opportunities with prospects who have engaged with your brand at a high level (e.g. took a phone call with an outbound sales rep or viewed marketing video/downloaded collateral).
DiscoveryVet opportunities with prospects who have shown interest in your product to determine if your solution might be a best fit and if the prospect is actively looking to buy.
Solution EvaluationFor opportunities considering your product as an option, create a vision of value for how your solution and brand addresses their business pain, and how it’s different from competitors. Build a business case.
Proposing/ClosingFor opportunities that have committed to purchase your solution, finalize the contract terms, provide proof-of-concept, and address any lingering reservations the prospect has.
DealThe contract is signed and the deal is closed/won.

Video Marketing with Sales and Customer Success Teams

At Brightcove, we often educate our prospects and customers on using video across the customer journey, integrating video into a multi-channel strategy. Strategically done, video is just one of the mediums prospects interact with across the stages: awareness, engagement, conversion, retention, and advocacy. And while we’ve charted the journey, there are nuances within this process during which sales becomes involved. Have you planned for these interactions? Without appropriate foresight your video marketing can become disjointed.

After all, all three teams—marketing, sales, and customer success—share focus on the customer journey and contribute to each stage. Which department leads the journey changes as the customer moves across the stages is displayed below, with video content suggestions.

Sales StagesAwarenessQualification DiscoverySolution EvaluationProposing and Closing  
Customer Success Stages    Client Health LoyaltyBrand Recommendation
Marketing StagesAwarenessEngagement InterestEngagement ConsiderationConversionRetentionAdvocacy
Department Leading the StageMarketingMarketing, SalesMarketing, SalesSalesCustomer SuccessCustomer Success
Types of Video Content that Work in Each Stage

-Brand promotion videos

-Infographic videos

-Expert interviews

-Thought leadership presentations

-Teaser videos

-Interactive video

-Explainer videos

-Tips series

-Business use case videos

-Webinars

-Self-guided demos

-Interactive video

-How to/tutorials

-Webinars

-FAQs

-Micro-demos created by sales reps

-In-depth product demos

-Technical demos

-Customer testimonials

-Case studies

-ROI videos

-Contract overview videos

-“Meet Your Support Team” videos

-Onboarding videos

-Knowledge base videos

-Training videos

-How to/tutorials

-New product videos

-Troubleshooting videos

-FAQs

-Brand videos promoting your values and culture

-Customer reviews

-Testimonials

-Case studies

-User-generated videos

-Customer panels at events (live streamed and recorded)

-Executive videos (live streamed and recorded)

-Employee-generated videos

With this change to customer-journey alignment, brands are improving the customer experience by communicating in one seamless motion as the prospect becomes the customer becomes the advocate. With marketing, sales, and customer success teams focused on the journey, the only question becomes which group leads at each stage and how the hand-off between these organizations is handled. It’s worth sitting down with your sales and customer success teams however (your greatest source of content in my option), to brainstorm and figure it all out. Your organization has everything to gain: reduced sales time for converting prospects to customers, higher customer satisfaction, and more loyal brand advocates who make repeat purchases and recommend the brand’s products to others.