A single video can communicate more than what an entire book or a single image can. It is perhaps the most powerful means of communication in our times. Considering the pace and extent to which video content has become embedded in our daily lives, it is certain that it will remain the most dominant format in the days to come.
Having a growing video library is great! It gives ammunition for businesses to go after new markets, reach their target audience, and establish a presence for their business. It also aids in selling better and faster without trying hard to convince customers.
But, there is a challenge.
Videos are heavy files and require more storage space than other file formats. As video assets grow in size and volume, organizations struggle to cope with video asset management. Managing 10 HD videos of 15 minutes each is easier. But, managing 10 departments that have a growing library of diverse video formats and length is nerve-racking.
Also, a sea change is happening in the video space where video file sizes, formats, resolutions, and several other attributes are changing rapidly. Handling several video files of heavy sizes could prove to be difficult.
However, video asset management software can make a difference.
What is video asset management?
Video asset management (VAM) is the end-to-end process of creating, organizing, storing, and retrieving video assets using a digital asset management tool.
A VAM software ensures that videos are easily accessible to stakeholders based on role-based access; they can be reused or repurposed according to business needs and keep all video assets organized and streamlined in a single location.
Although there are traditional methods to manage the video assets of a business they do come with a set of problems that hampers the workflow of creative teams.
So, What's wrong with traditional video management systems?
Traditional video management systems are not feasible solutions for the future. As video creation and consumption leapfrogs at staggering rates, businesses sticking to traditional video asset management systems will confront several challenges like some described below:
- Time-consuming to import/download heavy video files
Let's take the example of a brand marketing video.
The same video asset will have to be used by multiple stakeholders from sales, marketing, public relations, etc. Every time the need to use the asset arises, individual team members are required to download the video or copy it from another system in the network. If it is a heavy video file, which is the case with most HD videos, the upload/download activity can consume a significant amount of time.
Further, if the video is revised or a variation is created for any purpose, the video creators will have to upload the revised version. It is time-consuming and resource-sensitive.
2. Collaboration is cumbersome
A single video cannot meet the requirements of all end-users who might need it. For example, the video needs of a field marketer would be starkly different from that of a social media marketer. In addition, depending on the platform and the purpose, the video may have to be of a specific duration, file size, or file type.
Finally, one of the most common problems that teams face is the feedback management on a video asset. Traditional video asset management solutions are rigid, making it difficult to make changes on the go. This makes collaboration cumbersome. If all the team members who need the video are not located in the same office, sharing and publishing the video could even become impossible.
3. Hinders global content delivery
Have you ever wondered how live videos from the US, UK, or other locations other than yours get buffered to your screen in high-definition? It is a video CDN that does the magic.
CDN stands for Content Delivery Network, a network of geographically distributed proxy servers and data centers that allow for fast streaming of videos and data. CDN works by choosing the proxy and server data center close to your system location. Channeling data through such servers and data centers ensures you can stream HD videos without buffering issues.
Without a CDN, videos will take forever to load or continue to buffer in low-resolution. As a result, it severely impedes viewer experience, which can impact a business. This is the case with traditional video management systems that lack CDN or optimized delivery capabilities.
4. Unorganized video metadata
Metadata makes it easy to find assets that have corresponding traits. They are tiny data snippets attached to a file that indicates what the file contains or represents. For example, video metadata makes it easy to find videos of a specific format, nature, purpose, etc. For example, you can use metadata to find a stock video of a person working or an animated video of a product screen.
A lack of metadata will force users to manually sift through each video to find the right one that suits their purpose. Unfortunately, that was the case with traditional video asset management systems. They lacked the capability to optimize metadata for quick video discovery.
5. Weak asset protection
Given the resources required to create a single video, videos are expensive assets that must be protected from unauthorized use, duplication, and distribution without prior consent. This calls for tight asset protection measures that prevent unauthorized users from accessing, downloading, or even tampering with the video.
Unfortunately, traditional VAM systems lacked these crucial security features. Due to the lack of encryption or role-based access systems, anyone can access the raw file and use it as they wish. Further, these systems left no digital activity log trail, making it difficult to retrace changes. To summarize, traditional video asset management systems offer weak video asset protection.
All these downsides point toward the inevitable need for a modern video asset management software that is agile, secure, flexible, and built for the on-demand generation.
But, before we explore what such a solution would look like, it is necessary to understand who would benefit from using such a video asset management software.
Right then,
Who can benefit from using Video Asset Management (VAM) software?
VAM software makes it easy for video creators, marketers, and all stakeholders to use video assets efficiently.
Here's a quick look at the benefactors:
Now, let's dig into the details,
- Video creators
Videographers, video editors, and professionals in adjacent capacities have to handle video assets frequently in their regular course of work. VAM will simplify video logistic operations of editing or revising assets and then upload them to a centrally shared repository from which users can access and use without hindrance.
2. Illustrators/Visual designers
Creative professionals who participate in the video creation or editing process by supplying illustrations, animations, visuals, etc., are integral to the video. The VAM software will allow them to see video versions in real-time, thus giving a better sense of how their works are used in the resultant videos.
3. Marketers
Content marketers, video marketers, social media marketers, etc., can find video assets in any format or variant as desired from a single file directory. They can also change the file format or resolution to suit their marketing requirement.
4. Business development representatives
Customer-facing professionals who have to get prospects' attention or trust can benefit a lot by using VAM software. It will provide them instant access to assets without downloading the video. The same video can also be streamed to prospects via a link or a built-in video player.
5. Customer onboarding experts
Customer onboarding experts are entrusted with the hard job of introducing customers to the product interface. Their interactions should enable new customers to become adept at using the product. Onboarding videos that showcase workflows, user journeys, and generic how-to-use the product are critical to their role. A video asset management software can make it easy for them to have instant access to the videos that bear the latest product interface and controls.
6. Customer support reps
Customer support reps spend most of their time making new customers understand how to use the product better. While knowledge base and support articles aid in providing quick resolutions, demo videos go a long way in hand holding customers to use a specific product feature. A VAM software can help customer support reps find relevant videos on short notice and share them with customers for rendering support.
Is it to help all these stakeholders that your business needs a Video Asset Management Software? Yes, and for some more reasons as well.
Why do you need Video Asset Management (VAM) software?
Video management software can add muscle to your media operations.
It can bring to the table several unique capabilities that will maximize the value of your video assets, secure them, and make them available to all stakeholders who might need them.
- Centralized storage - All video assets are stored in one location. Organized file management that simplifies localization and translation efforts.
- Team collaboration - Users can collaborate and use a single video file and avoid using system resources to store and use duplicate files. Edits to files or feedback can be shared with comments.
- Version protection - Eliminates redundant or obsolete versions by ensuring the updated version is made to all stakeholders. History of versions is also available with the team to verify changes and progress
- Built-in video editing and resizing- Editing and resizing on the go to make video assets available for ready use across the web, social media, and other platforms.
- Quick file format conversion - Quick file format conversion from parent format to other formats like .mov, .mp4, .avi, etc.
- Test and optimize - Maximize video performance through testing and optimization of videos.
- Copyright protection and DRM - Diligent management of video patents/copyrights and DRM rights.
Well, If you have read here and understand a VAM's impact, I'm pretty sure your mind would have popped this question.
Is a future without VAM possible? No way.
Let's take a quick look at how the world's interest in video has recently changed.
86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
With 79% of consumers saying they prefer to consume videos about a product rather than read about it on a blog, the rise of video popularity makes sense.
96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
88% of people want to see more videos from brands in 2022.
87% of marketers say video has helped them general good ROI.
You can read more on this report here.
All these statistics point towards a future where videos will become the primary content format for winning attention. It is only logical that a lot without VAM is impossible. Those businesses that attempt to work without one will find themselves grappling with traditional video systems' challenges.
The last few frames - make a case for video asset management.
Videos occupy the most space and post maximum logistic challenges of all the assets that a business will produce. In an organization where a sizable amount of videos are produced, video asset management software can make things easier.
It can heighten collaboration and reduce friction in file upload and sharing, making it easier for stakeholders to reuse and repurpose the videos in myriad forms.
The statistics above indicate that we are inching towards a future where video asset management assets are not a nice-to-have option but a necessity.
Can the right Video tool for video management on your side make a world of difference to your organization?
If you are looking for a capable video asset management software, here is something that can stand up to your needs.
Introducing, Imagekit - a future-ready DAM for video asset management
Imagekit is a DAM solution that can help your business with real-time image and video optimization. It enables you to deliver exceptional visual experiences on the web without letting file sizes, formats, or other operational challenges get in the way. Simply put, you can host a vast library of assets and run your operations seamlessly across the globe, across functions, multiple product lines, and target markets.
Imagekit has proven to be hugely beneficial for developers who work on the backend side of things, designers who create media, and marketers who use it for various purposes.
Here is what you can get from Imagekit:
- URL-based video cropping of your videos
Transform your videos for any screen size with a simple URL input. There is no need to know video editing or transcoding techniques. Also, video cropping happens in real-time effortlessly! With that, you can quickly take your videos live.
- Reliable video storage for all your video needs
For videos that run into 15 seconds or 15 minutes, or 1.5 hours, Imagekit can store and render videos at any quality you desire without buffering or pixelation. In addition, ImageKit has its in-built video storage, i.e., a media library in which you can manage your videos. Still, if you'd like to manage them in your current storage, you can use ImageKit's native integration to go live quickly.
With ImageKit's library, you can just copy the video asset URL from the library and directly use it as you please.
This removes the logistic challenge of uploading, downloading, or moving around files throughout the creation to publication stage.
- Metadata tagging to narrow down assets
Searching and locating videos could be daunting, especially when you have a huge library of videos. However, metadata tagging can narrow your media library search results to the exact videos with the traits you are looking for. Not just that, Use ImageKit's Advanced search to combine multiple filters to find the exact video asset you are looking for.
- Global CDN for a superfast delivery
Deliver videos to a global audience with our globally located content delivery networks. With the 200+ nodes distributed across 6 GEOs, viewers will experience faster video loading and smooth playback while ensuring your video asset security.
- Uninterupped video buffering
Laptop, mobile, tablet, or anywhere - with Imagekit's adaptive bitrate streaming, your videos will play smoothly on all devices, on all platforms in the bandwidth desired at that moment, with no more video buffering and poor user experience.
- Dynamic video overlays for personalization
Editing a single video requires multiple hands on deck, but not so with Imagekit. Instead, dynamic video overlays using the video URLs lets you change videos in real-time for the best visual experience possible. With video overlays, you can watermark your videos, add images to your videos, add a video on top of a video, and more!
Well, that's a gist of what a modern-day DAM with video management capabilities can do. If you have read till here, I'm sure you'd want to try it.
With the rise in video usage, a video asset management tool is more of a necessity than a luxury. ImageKit has helped 1000+ businesses in 50+ countries across the globe to manage their digital assets efficiently. It's time you took it for a spin; try ImageKit's forever-free plan today!