The Global Pandemic triggered the shift towards digital channels; quickly changing face-to-face interaction to online engagement. What started out as a crisis response has now become the ‘New Normal.’ Companies around the world have had to adapt to new ways of keeping in touch.

With this in mind, there is a changing need for companies to virtually deliver company-wide messages, connect to global audiences, and speak to teams around the world in new and exciting ways.One way to do this is through ‘Webcasting’.

What is Webcasting?

The term ‘Webcast’ can be defined as a live video stream of an event or conference. Webcasts are polished, high-quality videos that bring your online events to life. They can be streamed live, or on-demand, and require your audience to tune in, watch your webcast video stream, and engage by submitting questions and participating in polls.

Webcasts often incorporate elements that video conferences cannot. Some examples are:

• Pre-recorded video
• Polling questions
• Interactive features like a live Q&A
• Social media integration
• Polls
• Group chat
• Detailed reporting
• Slideshows

How can you use webcasts?

Webcasts are really versatile. They can be used to make almost any type of event more engaging. Here are just a few ideas to show you how you can introduce webcasts:

• Conferences and Tradeshows
• Corporate communications
• Product launches
• Thought leadership

What are the benefits of webcasting?

Greater engagement ‍

A webcast not only offers video and audio functionality, but also includes possibilities for displaying text and pictures. Many studies have shown that the use of such elements helps viewers to better understand and stay engaged.‍

More professional ‍

Zoom and Teams are good, but for something a bit higher profile wouldn't it be nice if things were on brand, looked professional, and sounded great? Webcasting provides for good quality audio and video broadcasts.‍

Ability to reach a wider audience‍

Reaching a wider audience, geographical and travel restrictions are not a problem with this virtual solution as it is accessible for audiences all over the world. Webcasting also allows delegates and/or your audience to access the event from anywhere, which alleviates the stress of having to find a space to tune in.‍

Available on-demand‍

A live webcast can be found on demand for those who attended the live broadcast but would like to view parts of the broadcast again or share them with others. This way, organisations gain a permanent record of knowledge, which can also be easily shared. This video can also be repurposed to create more content.‍

Creation of content urgency ‍

With webcasting, streaming live content is only for a limited time therefore you can create excitement around your event before streaming as users will feel the need to access the content urgently with the knowledge that time is limited.‍

Access to reporting ‍

After the webcast, you can view details on how many people attended, their demographics, and how long they stayed tuned for to help make improvements for the next one.

Things to consider

So, the benefits are clear. But there are a few embarrassing risks that you will want to avoid:

Sending out incorrect or broken links to attendees and/or presenters ‍

This is a common webcast mistake. A good way to avoid this is to send yourself and your team a test email first in order to double check links and ensure they work correctly. The test also gives you a second chance to review the email for any mistakes that may have been missed the first time around (we have all done it).‍

Not preparing and practising beforehand‍

If you want to ensure your presentation runs smoothly, make sure you are prepared. This will allow the presenter(s) to perfect their speech, while the rest of the webcast team adjusts webcams, lighting, and sound as needed.‍

Failing to test content on the platform before the event

Often times, these issues are the result of failing to take into account the technical parameters of the webcasting platform used. This is why it is important to test any and all content on the chosen platform before the web event.‍

Forgetting to send reminders to presenters and attendees

With email automation, it easy to schedule reminder emails in advance. Best practice is to send out a reminder emails 2 weeks out, 1 week out, and the day before the event.‍

Failing to manage the live attendee experience

‍Have someone monitoring any questions coming in through the Q&A and make sure you set aside enough time to address any and all questions.

Can we help?

Using this technology, we have recently been lucky enough to produce and manage a brand launch for a client. Webcasting helped us to produce an engaging, exciting, and a highly successful live presentation. This included:

• Bespoke branded event emails and registration
• An easy-to-use registration platform
• Branded webinar with live presenters and film content presentation including live Q&A to the presenters
• On-site studio set-up and management for the live event with film and technical crew

Are you ready to start using webcasting to create a more engaging experience? Get in touch with our team to find out how we can support you.