Pssst, the password is: Joshua

Do you remember when the word “viral” only conjured up images of fluish passengers on a commuter train?  Nowadays, we aspire to it.  Every new website, application, and tool promises to make your content viral, particularly when it comes to video.  The problem is, there are still many instances when you don’t want every Tom, Francois, and Shin Sung in the world viewing your videos.

Maybe your project is still in the collaboration stage.  Maybe your tutorial is only intended to be viewed by paid subscribers.  Maybe your message is targeted to a very specific demographic.  Or, maybe you’re recruiting for the Stone Masons. Whatever the reasons may be, sometimes your content requires a bit of crowd control.  That’s where password protection comes in.

Passwords ensure your videos reach your intended audience, and no one else.  Think of them as your video’s own personal bouncer, ushering VIPs towards your content while keeping out the riffraff.  You can assign  passwords to individual videos, or apply a global password to your entire video library.  Learn how in our help documentation.

Keep in mind that Password Protection is part of vzaar’s Pro Toolkit, which means it is only available to Professional, Business, and Enterprise subscribers.  Basic subscribers interested in password protection and the other advanced features like Playlists, White Label Embed Codes, and Podcasts can  upgrade to the Professional from their account page .

Read more about how he’s managed to do so in our latest case study.

Which is why vzaar has partnered with MPP Global Solutions.  vzaar is a video hosting service, not a payment processor, so when vzaar clients began asking more frequently for guidance on setting up paywalls, we sought out the people who do that best.   MPP processes payments for some of the biggest media sites out there and is a perfect fit for vzaar clients.  We recommend any vzaar member looking to secure videos behind a paywall to pair MPP’s services with vzaar.

In order to gate your content, simply upload your videos to vzaar as you normally do.  Make sure your videos are set to private(they are by default, but you may have edited your security settings), and  we recommend using our domain control feature to restrict plays to your own domain as an additional security measure.  Once you’ve embedded the video on your site, you can add a paywall by setting up an “ePayment page” with MPP.  When your customers  hit this page, they’ll be required to enter their payment details in before they can continue on to watch your videos.  While this page will be hosted by MPP, it’s fully customizable and it will appear like an extension of your own site.  They use session specific keys to ensure that your video page remains  inaccessible until payment is provided.  Whether you’d like to setup a subscription model or charge for individual plays, MPP has options for you.  The result is completely secure video content that makes you money.

If you have any questions about how to setup a paywall, reach out to MPP, or get in touch with us , and we can help  you get started monetizing all that really great video content you’ve created.

We love speaking with  different businesses about their online video strategies and how they’re making use of their vzaar accounts, and recently we had a chance to do just that with Arena Flowers.  Arena has managed to become one the UK’s leading florists by doing things a little differently–from the way they source flowers direct from suppliers across the world, to the professional writer they’ve hired to build up a following of thousands on Twitter.  At the moment they’re A/B testing how different promotional videos perform on their homepage, but that just cracks the surface of the creative use of video on their site.

Once Arena began integrating video into their marketing, it didn’t take long for CEO Will Wynne to realize they could make much greater use of vzaar’s technology.  Will conceived of a video messaging service customers could opt in on while in the checkout phase of their flower order.  Arena’s team came to vzaar with their idea, and a few days later, Arena Flowers became the first florist in the world to offer a video message accompaniment with flower delivery, and their customers couldn’t be more delighted.  Video messaging gives them a unique opportunity to truly personalize gifts the gifts they send loved ones.

Read more about how Will and his team are using vzaar to offer their customers a truly special flower delivery experience in our latest video case study.

April 10, 2012. Top video hosting platform vzaar is pleased to announce a new partnership with MPP Global Solutions, the media industry’s leading payment services and eCommerce solution.  The partnership will make it easier for online video producers and distributors to gate and profit from original content.

Content producers can use MPP’s eSuite to create a paywall on their site, requiring viewers to pay a fee before receiving access to high-quality videos hosted by vzaar.  Both MPP’s eSuite and vzaar’s player were designed to blend into any web environment, ensuring a seamless customer experience with every transaction.

vzaar offers secure quality video hosting and streaming, totally customizable video players, and video marketing tools to a variety of online businesses with very different requirements.  The demand for an easy and elegant paywall solution has been increasing steadily amongst content producing clients.

“This partnership allows us to provide a solution to the growing number of vzaar customers eager to monetize their content,” says vzaar CEO Stephen McCluskey.  “MPP Global Solutions is the leader in online payment technology, and they were the obvious first choice for easy and secure checkouts for our clients.  We’re thrilled to partner with MPP and help our members profit from their original content.”

Paul Johnson, CEO of MPP Global Solutions said: “Partnering with vzaar to help video producers to monetize their content online is another fantastic announcement which demonstrates MPP’s commitment to providing the most advanced and broadly integrated media payment services.”

“Having spent the last decade continually advancing our eSuite payment products specifically for the media and entertainment sectors, we are perfectly positioned to help vzaar’s customers to drive revenues for their content and we are very excited about this announcement.”

About vzaar

vzaar is the go-to video hosting and distribution platform for businesses large and small. vzaar’s refreshingly easy to use interface intuitively formats video content for audiences across the globe, ensuring it’s playable on every device on the planet. Built expressly for professionals with a service or product to promote, vzaar comes preloaded with all the customization, security and analytical tools needed to get the job done – with no distracting bells and whistles. Founded in 2007, vzaar is based out of London, UK, although you’d never guess it by the variety of accents found in the office. Over 50% of vzaar’s business clients are based in the US.

About MPP Global Solutions

MPP Global Solutions are the provider of Payment Services and eCommerce Solutions to the Media and Entertainment Industries.

With well over a decade’s experience providing advanced universal and secure eCommerce Payment Solutions MPP offers a breadth of payment functionality which has helped to attract such high profile clients as BSkyB, News International, Philips and Universal Music Group.

Together with being fully compliant with PCI-DSS and regulated to process, store or transmit payment details means MPP Global Solutions are a name to trust.