When it comes to web video, one of the mantras I’ve always had is this; even with millions of free videos floating around the web on any given topic, people will still pay for videos that provide true quality content.
A case in point is a startup called BizVision. They provide affordable online training videos (less than $5 each to free) to individuals and small businesses. They offer a few thousand videos in 90 categories…from career development, to accounting, to sales and marketing, to safety, to quality improvement and beyond.
Their web site isn’t the most attractive you’ll find. And the production quality of their videos varies greatly. But it’s the quality of the content that people are after.
In fact, people in the business world are after it so much that BizVision projects 7 figure revenues in their first year of existence. Yes, this from a dull yet easy-to-navigate site that offers cheap, instant gratification on topics that businesses are used to paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for.
So let me repeat the lesson once again. People will pay to watch your web videos. But you’ve got to offer them quality content. Do that and you will find success.
Interesting model. But how did they get so many videos? Surely they didn’t produce all of these themselves. I’m assuming they collected some of these from partners/other people/solicitations? Nice find though.
@Lynn – They pay video producers a portion of each sale for content they create.
Dave – Thanks for mentioning BizVision to your readers. I’m glad you found the site to be easy to navigate. That was one of our primary objectives. Our target market of small businesses and individual business people is not too attracted to the typical “bells and whistles” that most video-based sites feature – particularly those with Hollywood-type content. The quicker they can find the content they are looking for, the better. Our model is more similar to Amazon than Hulu or YouTube. That may explain why the site may come across as “dull” and “boring.” Having said that, we’re always looking for ways to improve the user experience. Any suggestions you have on what could make BizVision less dull would be much appreciated.
Rob – “Dull” and “Boring” were actually meant as compliments…as a means of illustrating that simple and clean design (i.e. easy to navigate) will score better with users than flashy and busy design…in fact, I preach simple, “ugly” design to my students. Of course people tend to believe that dull, boring, simple or ugly won’t work well, so I offer up proof wherever I can…like your site…which is proof that quality content, made easy to find and wrapped in a simple design will always perform better than splashy sites.