Chris Zaloumis
Senior Director, Enterprise Video Offerings, IBM

Video has taken the enterprise by storm. B2B video is poised to grow exponentially in the years to come. To understand how enterprises could leverage video for B2B outreach, we spoke to Chris Zaloumis, Senior Director, Enterprise Video Offerings, IBM.

Tell us about your role at IBM and the team and technology that you handle.

I am the Senior Director of Enterprise Video Offerings at IBM, where I lead a team of product managers and strategic technology partners to create cutting-edge video solutions for the enterprise. I’m responsible for corporate strategy and partner development, the product roadmap and management, as well as global R&D marketing.

How do you see trends in Video performance influencing the purchasing cycle in real-time?

Rapid innovation in video technology has affected content creation and consumption, and consequently the overall purchasing cycle. More and more, brands are looking for agile providers that are equipped to acclimate to the latest advancements in video technology. It’s the reason we’re seeing on-premise solutions going out of style, in favor of more dynamic cloud-based solutions that can adapt and grow with the needs of a business.

What are the core tenets of IBM Cloud Video’s streaming video technology?

IBM Cloud Video is focused on enabling brands to drive better results for their on-demand and live video content. We equip companies like Herman Miller and IBM’s own CIO Office with solutions that simplify every aspect of workflow management and streaming video through an array of tools and AI-powered technologies. Ultimately, our goal is to help brands power higher engagement with their audiences, while improving workflow efficiency and boosting overall ROI.

Which markets and industries are best suited to benefit from IBM Cloud Video?

Our on-demand and streaming video technology has enabled brands across industries to improve everything from sales and marketing efforts, to employee training and development. Using video as an internal communications tool is becoming critical for enterprises, especially as remote work continues to be a driving force in the modern workplace. IBM Cloud Video gives organizations a scalable, reliable video communications tool for conducting meetings, town halls, employee training, and more. For brands looking to connect directly with their consumers via live and on-demand video content, IBM Cloud Video’s offerings provide advanced analytics to track audience engagement, demographics and lead quality.

What are your predictions on video in sales for 2018-2020?

In the near term, video will have a sizable impact on sales and marketing. In B2B scenarios, we’re already seeing shifts in the utilization of video for customer testimonials, case studies, and live demos, which give prospects engaging content in their path to purchase. It’s also a valuable tool for training sales teams. As an example, Herman Miller uses our platform to train their sales representatives and give them in-depth product learning. Similarly, B2C brands are using video as a tool to interact with customers, particularly with live streaming. Salesforce leverages IBM Cloud Video’s live streaming platform to drive viewers to their annual Dreamforce event, connecting millions of remote viewers. Closed captioning will likely also become a part of almost all video content in the next few years, due to lowered costs and improved efficiency from leveraging AI and machine learning. Ultimately, this will make sales and marketing video assets more accessible for both internal and external use. As innovation in video technology continues to make content easier to produce, deliver, and access, we’ll certainly see more of these use cases in the future.

How should businesses unlock the value of their First-party and Third-party data for better video delivery?

First-party data is a valuable asset that helps companies better understand audience engagement, whether it’s for internal or external communications. As an example we have an array of features available through our live streaming platform such as live Q&A, audience polls, chat, and more. The resulting data provides insights on overall engagement, which can then be used to inform future content decisions.

For external communications, leveraging third party data empowers marketing and sales teams to fill the gaps in audience targeting. This helps to drive highly relevant, personalized video content.

Why should businesses look for workplace video communications? How could it improve overall productivity and direct revenue?

At a high level, the goal of video communications is to get people in sync, whether that’s through town halls, meetings, employee training, or otherwise. There’s an element of interactivity and accountability that you simply don’t get with verbal or written communication. I’m sure we’ve all experienced tuning out on a conference call, or talking over one another, all because we don’t have access to visual cues. Adding video into workflows addresses these challenges by enabling employees to collaborate and work more efficiently and productively — which naturally affects the bottom line.

In larger organizations, video is extremely valuable for creating a more open culture. For example, if a CEO is broadcasting a live stream, and employees are able to submit questions, feedback, and comments in real time, the overall interaction becomes more genuine and engaging. For global enterprises, features like speech-to-text and automated captioning ensure that all viewers are able to fully understand and digest content. In turn, this boosts employee morale and overall productivity.

Thanks for chatting with us, Chris.

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