News

Webcasting: The Swiss Army Knife of Marketing Tools

Webcasting is the Swiss Army knife of marketing tools as it offers an array of means to converse with customers and employees. It can take many forms, from audio synced with PowerPoint slides to live television-style studio productions. Following are five ways marketers can add webcasting to their arsenals.

1. Web Conferences
   

   The next best thing to being in the same conference room, web conferencing enhances the experience of telephone conferencing by allowing attendees to hear the presenter, see his or her PowerPoint presentation, and use collaboration tools like chat, whiteboards, and polling. Participants log into a console such as Microsoft® Office Live Meeting or WebEx™, and the conference can be recorded and archived for future reference. Web conferences are great for client reviews, presentations and meetings with remote teams.

2. Training
   

   Instead of paying the one-off costs inherent with each live training session, you can build out an on-demand webcast curriculum complete with online assessments. Employees can access institutional knowledge, job-relevant information, and deepen their skill sets for much less cost and downtime on their own schedules.

3. Webinars
   

   Webinars are informational seminars conducted as one-to-many presentations. Content is created that is useful to an audience, but serves the dual purpose of collecting demographic information and piquing interest in products or services. If the presentation is live, presenters can poll listeners and instantly share the results, and attendees can have their questions answered during the presentation. Excellent for lead generation, positioning employees as experts, and providing in-depth product or service information, webinars are just like hosting sponsored break-out sessions at a conference that offers free admission to qualified attendees.

4. Product Launches
   

   People are increasingly using web-based information to make purchasing decisions. When launching a new product, don't simply put some copy on a site— show it in full video webcast glory. Let people converse directly with product planners, designers and developers, solicit feedback, and watch sales skyrocket. It's almost the same as test-driving a new Audi in Germany with the car's designer in the passenger seat.

5. Webcast Events and Webshows
   

   The heavyweights of the medium, Webcast Events and Webshows offer an ocean of opportunities to connect with customers. Here content is king. Webcast a monthly series Tonight Show-style with company execs and industry leaders discussing hot topics. Develop a sponsored series of "how to's" a la HGTV for that desired niche audience. Extend the reach of your live conference by holding a simultaneous virtual conference. Events and Webshows are great for developing ongoing relationships with customers.

So what about podcasting? Although one accesses podcasts via the web, technically podcasting is not webcasting because you can't view or listen to them live. Podcasts are on-demand files that you can watch or listen to on a computer or mobile device. This allows them to be downloaded automatically via Really Simple Syndication (RSS) through a variety of software programs and platforms. The beauty of webcasts is that they can be recorded and converted to podcasts so your content can extend its reach through online syndication.

Melinda Partin is CEO of Worktank. You can reach her at 206-254-0950 ext. 105 or melinda@worktankseattle.com. ( www.worktankseattle.com)