Webcasting, video blogging, and video conference calls – for the past few years, tools such as these and more have cropped up to help businesses make the most of their tech resources and reach out to an increasingly large customer base – and an equally growing employee list.
It’s not just enterprises and corporations that need to use tech like this to efficiently manage their manpower. Smaller companies can utilize technologies like this to reach out to clients and customers, broadcast messages and tips, create real rapport and a distinct brand-customer relationship. Furthermore, the utilization of long distance video communication shows that you’re a cut above the average competitor – a large cut, in fact.
But it doesn’t just end there. Video blogs are beneficial in different ways to webcasting – which, in turn, is an entirely separate thing from a video conference call. Of these, webcasting may be the least straightforward and known technique – which is why it’s so critical to know how to properly apply it.
That’s what we’re here to discuss today – how webcasting can entirely change the way you approach customer communication, and how it can not only massively improve rapport with customers, but spread the word on how best to utilize your product, creating more satisfaction, brand recognition, and sharable information.
What is a Webcast?
Have you ever heard of a podcast? It’s a portmanteau of the iPod and broadcast, and it effectively described a new medium eventually native to the Apple device that allowed radio talk show hosts and other individuals to record lengthy audio dialogues, presentations, conversations, and readings.
The webcast is an offshoot of the podcast’s popularity, born from the fact that since the 2010s have rolled in, both Internet capabilities and advances in commercial technology have made video broadcasting unbelievably easy. Virtual webcasting, as per Webopedia, entails delivering a live or delayed video transmission, typically through the use of a multimedia application such as Blue Jeans. The point of a webcast is to:
- Make it incredibly easy to share and join a video broadcast.
- Easily spread an important message.
- Make training and demonstrations simpler and available to a larger audience.
Webcasting sets itself apart from all other forms of video broadcasting and recording through the fact that it’s a.) typically live, and b.) designed for exceptionally large audiences that cannot simply or readily be handled/included in a video conference.
This makes a webcast – also known as a netcast – the perfect medium for a number of clever marketing applications, such as the promotion of your product or service, or alternatively as an informative tool to build up your reputation as an industry specialist and excellent source for actionable tips. Webcasting can perfectly supplement any existing content strategy – in fact, it’s not a bad call to build your content around upcoming webcasts, and broadcast them as a series of informative sharable video conversations.
Why Utilize Webcasts?
All in all, a webcast can surely sound like a wasted effort. You need good lighting, a great camera, an amazing microphone, and a laundry list of other technical needs, right? And then you need to make sure you’re constantly online, uploading former webcasts and streaming new ones – and while that may all sound like a massive handful to say the least, however, that’s not necessarily true.
You can start off as humbly as possible, so long as the quality of your content is great. If it’s really exceptional quality that you look for, then getting yourself a videographer to help can immensely.
Either way, what really truly matters is that you get started in using webcasting – specifically for your customer’s sake. And here’s why:
- Connect with your customers like never before.
- Educate them and foster real rapport.
- Schedule and promote little webcasting events.
Webcasting can take your business to the next level in terms of reputation and brand awareness. A webcast is not a simple little thing – it’s a lengthy event that requires preparation, concentration, and if you play your cards right, you can impress your customers like never before through the use of a properly-handled virtual webcasting event.
As per International Podcast Day, it’s been over 12 years since the podcast was released, and since then, it’s become a term for any form of on-demand Internet radio. In the same way, the webcast is a relatively new medium – and it’s sure to grow and evolve more over the next few years into a training and education’s tool, a media tool, for the syndication of political debates and speeches, and much, much more. Make use of its potential today, and get in early in a world of tomorrow’s possibilities.
How to Do a Webcast Right
When it comes to webcasting, the key is to be prepared. There is no all-purpose game plan – you have to consider who you’re talking to, how many people are potentially joining your webcast, what you’ll be talking about, and how best to structure the content of your event.
From there, you have to facilitate the creation of marketing material to drive awareness regarding the event. Build lists, take existing ones, invite as many potential audience members as possible, and utilize your existing content and social media/traditional media channels to build a list of attendees.
Then, start producing content related to the topic handled by the webcast, in order to introduce your company blog readers to the questions you’ll be tackling, and the topic you’ll discuss.
Finally, start the event. It’s impossible to know how many people actually join a webcast from a list of potential audience members, but don’t expect an overwhelming majority.
That being said, anyone joining a webcast can safely be converted into a potential new or recurring sale – especially with proper follow ups. With the right toolset, the webcast will be an invaluable part of your company’s marketing arsenal.
