Wondering if and how webcasts can benefit your company? Understanding webcasting and its benefits will help you determine how and when to use this technology.

Webcasting pros and cons include making a professional interview accessible to viewers

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following definition, information, pros, and cons about webcasting and how you can use it to give your company an extra edge with your audience.

What is Webcasting?

A webcast is defined as a media presentation distributed over the internet using streaming technology (a streaming media service). With a webcast software / platform, you can distribute content to multiple remote attendees and viewers simultaneously. Webcasts can be distributed live or on demand, and webcasting is simply “broadcasting” via the internet.

Webcasting Advantages

Webcasting pros and cons include the ability to view the webcast from anywhere

Webcasting is typically used by event organizers to broadcast live events. This allows them to reach multiple audiences (in person and remote) and spread their message significantly further. It is also used to communicate company, product, or service information with investors and clients and build healthy, well-informed relationships. Consider the following webcasting pros:

Audience – Webcasting is a solution that allows the presenter to reach a wide remote and worldwide audience. Then because the content is virtual in nature, you can promote to and leverage internet traffic to expand your audience, event viewership, and simultaneously grow your brand.

Cost – Webcasting is more cost-effective than traditional broadcasting. Traditional broadcasting requires satellite connections that are significantly more costly than internet streaming platforms. Several apps for smartphones and other devices allow users to stream content live on social media platforms at a fraction of the cost of an internet service subscription.

Mobile Devices – Modern tech makes webcasts widely available and accessible to anyone with a mobile device and internet connection. Also, you can save the webcast to a mobile device and watch it later. Additionally, most virtual event platforms archive and keep a list of the events that you can go back and access.

Target Audience – For advertising, webcasting is more impactful than print. The reason being, a magazine or catalog editor must keep its content broad and able to appeal to a wide audience. However, a webcast that is specific to a product or service can help viewers with specific use cases, information, and solve unique problems.

Webcasting Disadvantages

While this technology has many benefits, it certainly comes with its challenges. Before deciding if you want to use webcasting as a marketing tool, consider the following webcasting cons:

Professional Audio and Visual Services – Until you or your marketing department develop superior audio and visual skills, a professional communication specialist will be required to produce your high-quality content for distribution. These professionals should be familiar with the best media settings and bandwidth for a seamless broadcast. Special cameras, lighting, and audio devices will be needed for a top-quality production. Ultimately, this will increase your costs.

Webcasting pros and cons include needing an audio visual professional

Tip: You can control these costs by hiring a professional company (experienced in video conferencing) that can provide the required equipment.

Internet Disruptions – Your internet connection’s reliability and effectiveness are essential for successful webcasting. This mode of direct communication quickly fails if there are poor internet connections or interruptions to the network. Poor connectivity can cause audio and video distortion, transmission delays, and cause remote attendees to bounce in frustration.

Note: Webcasting has the disadvantage of being more susceptible to disruptions than satellite broadcasting.

Audience Engagement – Like traditional radio and television broadcasts, webcasts offer you and your advertisers opportunities to directly engage a targeted audience.

Non-Interactions – This type of broadcasting does not allow for two-way interaction or conversation. Webcasting does not allow for interactivity-oriented communication. As the viewer, you cannot ask questions or get specific clarifications in the same presentation.

Note: Webcasting is not the same as web conferencing. Webcasting has no possibility of interactions between the presenter and the target audience, while web conferencing is a fully interactive medium.

Are Webcasting and Live Streaming the Same?

Not exactly. Live streaming is the transmission of any audio and video live over the internet, and webcasting is the act of broadcasting an event over the web. Live streaming transmits any type of media, while webcasts are events and presentations.

However, by live streaming, you are in fact webcasting, and in principle they are often used interchangeably.

Webcasting Benefits

In this article, you discovered what webcasting is, and some of the benefits and cons you may be confronted with when using it to reach your audience.

Knowing how webcasts efficiently convey presentations, audio, and video to your online audience will help you successfully reach them with your message while potentially increasing your data collection and boosting your company’s revenue.

Ignoring the potential of using webcasts to reach your audience will leave you struggling to communicate with potential customers and failing to significantly increase revenue.

Sources:
iml.esm.rochester.edu/polyphonic-archive/article/webcasting-a-technology-that-can-reach-audiences-beyond-the-performance-hall/
ucumberlands.edu/blog/benefits-video-conferencing-and-virtual-meetings
en.wikibooks.org/wiki/The_Computer_Revolution/Internet/Communication/What_is_Webcasting
finalshop.org/advertising-differences-radio-vs-webcast-18859.html