Vzaar Announces $29/month Express Plan for Small Businesses
Not long ago, small businesses that wanted to serve video on their sites were looking at $99 per month plans from online video platforms (OVPs). Prices are falling, and to stay competitive OVP Vzaar has created a $29 per month or $229 per year Express offering.
The Express plan gives companies storage for 250 videos and 100GB in bandwidth each month, enough for an estimated 18,000 plays.
"I think Express provides a really affordable price point for the small business that's looking to get involved in video," says Ian Snead, Vzaar's vice president of sales and marketing. "Once you've made up your mind you want to use video, you should really be looking at Vzaar."
Express offers strong customization options, says Snead. Customers can choose the player, player size, color, and boarders. They can also include calls to action to drive viewers to a shopping page, for example.
While Vzaar prides itself on strong support options, says Snead, the Express plan limits customers to email support. Even then, he says, messages are always answered within a day, and often within hours.
"At that price point, something's got to give," says Snead. Customers who need immediate phone support should look to the Professional plan for $79 per month.
Vzaar is based in London, but Snead notes that over half the company's customers are in the United States, Vzaar is opening a Boston, Massachusetts, office next month.
One of Vzaar's chief competitors for small businesses is Vimeo Pro, a $200 per year service introduced in August, 2011.
"I think the Express package offers a really completive and compelling alternative to Vimeo pro," says Snead, noting that Vzaar offers monthly pricing, a flexible option popular with streaming businesses that don't need video all year.
While the Vzaar and Vimeo plans offer similar features ("apples to apples," says Snead), he notes that Vzaar offers security features Vimeo lacks, such as domain locking, encrypted streaming, time stamping, and SWF verification. It can also tie into a Google Analytics account. Many of Vzaar's new customers are former Vimeo customers, he says.
"We want to be known for being one of the most secure video platforms out there," adds Snead.
Customers should expect to see more Vzaar announcements in 2012. Snead notes that sub accounts and pay-per-view features are on the roadmap for this year.
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