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WSI Internet - No. 1 Internet Franchise Opportunity WSI Introduces Video Email Technology - 11/3/2005 TORONTO, ON, November 2, 2005 -- WSI Internet Consulting & Education today announced their global multi-language video email product called WSI Live Video Email; opening up exciting and affordable multimedia marketing opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. WSI Live Video Email allows business owners to quickly and easily capture full-color video messages, using a Webcam and microphone, which can then be sent to any number of prospects via email from a Web-based Control Panel. In addition to the video message, the emails deliver a complete custom-branded experience by positioning ad graphics and hyperlinks for the business alongside the video. Business owners can also upload pre-recorded video to be used in their video email campaigns, leveraging off any existing video they may have already prepared. “Video email has outstanding potential as a cost-effective marketing vehicle that cuts through the clutter and gets noticed,” states WSI President Ron McArthur. The impact of online video is up to four times greater than that of any other format. And, statistics show that Web users on average watch 21 seconds of a 30 second Web ad. These features sold us on the technology but as a global Internet service provider, it was particularly important that our video email suite support our global network of clients. We’re proud to offer our Internet Consultants and their clients with video email in multiple languages.” Email, widely regarded as the Internet’s first “killer application” has long been used to send different files as attachments along with text messages. In fact, an estimated 30 billion emails are sent everyday and email penetration is at an all time high with 80% of active Internet users accessing email on a daily basis (Nielsen/NetRatings). But large file sizes and incompatible standards made sending video by email impractical. WSI Live Video Email solves this problem by using a multi-format encoding scheme that automatically converts each video into any of the leading video standards, such as Widows Media, QuickTime, RealPlayer and Flash. Instead of sending the actual video file, the email contains a preview image and special link to the video file which is located on WSI’s streaming video server. When a recipient opens the video link, this server automatically detects which format the recipient is capable of viewing and serves the appropriate file. Some of the technology highlights of WSI Live Video Email include:
By adding video to email marketing campaigns business owners can describe their products or services in a more dynamic way, using proven sales techniques like demonstrations and video testimonials from satisfied customers. “It’s like putting an infomercial in their inbox,” explains Ron Adelman, a WSI Internet Consultant located in St. Louis, Missouri who has had great interest in the product from his client base. And, with pricing that’s easily accessible to WSI’s target market of small to medium-sized businesses, WSI Live Video Email packages offer everything a business needs to create and manage multimedia marketing campaigns. All customers need is an inexpensive Webcam and microphone. The Web-based WSI Live Video Email Control Panel works like popular email applications such as Microsoft Outlook or Hotmail and has many of the same features, like contact management, appointment setting and calendaring. It also has an easy step-by-step video recording “Wizard” to simplify the video production process and reporting views so business owners can track performance statistics for their campaigns. “We’re always looking for innovative tools that can help our customers use the Internet more effectively,” adds McArthur. “WSI Live Video Email is the latest product in our interactive suite of services including WSI Live Video Conferencing and WSI Live Video on Demand for Websites.” As an introduction to this new service, WSI Internet Consultants are offering businesses a free personal demonstration and WSI Live Video Email trial account to try the product hands-on. More information regarding WSI Live Video Email is available at www.wsiconsultants.com/VideoEmail.asp. To find a local Internet Consultant, business owners should visit www.wsiconsultants.com and use the Internet Consultant Locator feature. WSI President Shares Internet Marketing Expertise with Prestigious Canadian Newspaper - 10/7/2005 WSI President, Ron McArthur, this week shared his organization’s expertise regarding online marketing and the benefits and expanded possibilities that improvements in the ability to measure the effectiveness of such activities is making. Mr. McArthur shared his views as a guest expert for the Globe & Mail’s Front Lines features section which offers the Globe’s 2,692,000 strong weekly readership perspectives on current issues and events from people working at the forefront of Canada’s technology industry. As the President of the leading Internet services business, Mr. McArthur is an ideal candidate to discuss online marketing and how it is evolving. He chose to focus on how marketing on the Internet has progressed from a leap of faith, due to the virtual inability to measure results that was once the norm, to a viable and worthwhile investment. As he describes, organizations are moving towards a mandate that requires their marketing departments to provide measured results (cost/value) so that promotional efforts can be benchmarked and evaluated against alternative options. And this makes sense for small and medium-sized businesses as well. In his piece, Mr.McArthur outlines how online marketing was once considered a risky endeavor that smaller firms refrained from participating in due to the lack of budgetary wiggle room that larger firms have; essentially preventing them from taking the leap of faith once a prerequisite to online marketing. Smaller firms have a lot to look forward to however as the on-line marketing measurement tools that larger firms have, have become readily available to everyone. On-line marketing tools take the form of new technologies developed to meet the need for scientific metrics and the innovations in eMarketing such as video email. WSI forecasts that video email will prove to be a real breakthrough in on-line marketing based on its ability to enable businesses of any size to create and distribute entertaining and personalized video messages at a low cost. And they can track how many viewers and responders they have to each and every email sent. The marketing field is now leveled - smaller firms can compete with their larger competitors who have cornered the market on television and print advertising; further strengthening the Internet’s position as the “great equalizer” in business. And, unlike the early days of online marketing, the introduction of video email to the masses comes with an inviting technology that has measurable results. Click here to read the interview in its entirety. About WSI
WSI’s VP of Knowledge Management Tagged as Expert in Web Accessibility -
7/20/2005 In an article entitled “Empowering the disabled with Web Accessibility” written by Mari-Len De Guzman of IT World Canada (19 Jul 2005), Valerie Brown, Vice President, Knowledge Management, WSI was extensively quoted on Web accessibility and what it means to business. The IT World article states: “The UK, Australia and France are pioneering Web accessibility initiatives through domestic legislation. In these countries, Web site owners are mandated to provide a level of Web accessibility, according to Valerie Brown, Vice-President, Knowledge Management at WSI, a Toronto-based Internet consulting firm.” The article goes on to quote: “WSI is offering Web accessibility as an option to clients building a Web site.” "When serving our clients, we come to them with the latest information like accessibility, making sure that if there is legislation that they need to abide by, that we can build that for them. Or, if there is no [accessibility] legislation, at least help them understand that it is coming and that at certain point we may have to build or upgrade their Web site to be accessible", Brown said. The IT World article will appear in Computer World Canada, Network World Canada and Network World US (with changes for the US market). WSI Corporate will be sending an informational press release to all of our markets the week of August 15, 2005. Stay tuned for more coverage on this important topic. For the full article please visit: For those who have not registered with the ITWorld site and just want to read/download text, please visit: About WSI Observatoire de la Franchise Interviews WSI President - 9/30/2005 Observatoire de la Franchise is a leading supplier of information regarding franchising for the French speaking market in Europe. With a listing of over 700 global franchises, complete with analysis of the key selling points of each, the website www.observatoiredelafranchise.fr receives over 200,000 visitors a month. In their ongoing effort to assist individuals considering franchising as a business opportunity, L’Observatoire recently interviewed WSI President, Ron McArthur, regarding his experiences as part of the WSI family. The interview quickly turned to the future of the Internet and WSI’s position within its evolution. n closing, Mr. McArthur outlined WSI’s approach to the French market in Europe and noted that the organization is also turning its’ sights on Japan and China as important emerging markets.
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