Indeed, economic times are tough.  I think it’s fair to say that communicating with press, employees, channels and shareholders has never been more critical to managing perception, winning business…and perhaps even survival.  At the same time, corporate communicators are faced with smaller staffs, fewer agency resources, pressure to do more, and the need to reach wider and further.

It is mind boggling, quite honestly, even as you look at the past three or four years, how much more “on demand” our PR, corp comms and marketing initiatives have become.  The Web 2.0 explosion is driving increased traffic to our sites, with visitors eager to find timely content that resonates. 

If you are considering a move to an online video strategy to address your communication challenges in 2009, here are five things to consider:

• Establish a partnership with your video publishing provider. They are going to be the experts in video usage. Use them to garner best practices from organizations with whom they work.

• Look at whatever metrics you can gather from your Website. Understand which pages have the highest amount of traffic. Find ways to apply relevant, rich media to these pages.

• Combine live streaming events with on-demand video. These don’t have to be passive, one-way affairs. Focus on interactivity, including Q&A, rating, commenting and polls. Give your audience the ability to embed your live stream in their blog or site to expand your audience virally and extend the dialogue after the event is over.

• Marketing and PR pros must become educators, sharing communication responsibilities into the work force. Train your managers in the basics. If you include a plan for employee-generated content, teach them how to use a digital video camera, basic editing software and the upload process.

• Encourage some degree of calculated risk-taking. Continuously experiment. In many ways we’re still at the forefront of video usage. There aren’t a lot of rules. To circle back on my first tip, find a partner who knows video, can share best practices and collaborate on your best ideas.

As the world gets smaller from a technology standpoint, the barriers to entry for applying online video in enterprise communications are coming down.  In these tough times, a solid online video strategy can make the difference in your ability to do more with less.  -Lisa C.