Using webcasting in a business environment
Anyone who has spent a lot of time on sites like Vimeo and YouTube has experienced the wonder of webcasting. Internet streaming is a form of streaming in which videos and audio files are streamed over the web rather than through television or radio. Many companies have also taken advantage of the channels on these sites to share videos by producing and publishing private and consumer-facing internal communications. While communicating with the public through online videos and webcasts can play an important role in your overall marketing strategy, webcasts are becoming extremely useful internally. Here are some ways to use webcasting as an internal video solution.
Internal collaboration
From sales and marketing meetings and virtual brainstorming sessions to inspiring talks and CEO leadership, webcasting is a powerful tool that can bring geographically diverse groups together. Webcasts can be done in real time and can also be archived for future viewing. Imagine your research and development team in New York showing your Los Angeles marketing team the latest prototype via live webcast. Couldn’t attend the meeting? No problem, just watch the webcast at your leisure.
Depending on the video solution your business uses, additional tools and features may be available. For example, some webcasting platforms add social media features where employees can comment, chat, bookmark, or share favorite videos. Business webcasting solutions allow users to create, access, select, and share videos within the organization’s private social network.
Formation and development
Business webcasting can be used for training and development. Like a learning management system, a video solution could be used to deliver video-based training to those in need. With a webcasting platform in place, you could get more out of your best coaches. For example, instead of sending your best trainer to each branch for training and accumulating travel, hotel and related expenses over an extended period of time, you can host a series of webcasts with that trainer. Not only could everyone in the organization benefit from the training as it takes place, but future employees could also access it. Also, since the coach doesn’t need to pack up and move to the next office after a session or two, he can create a full series that goes in-depth and provides his team with more extensive training overall. Meanwhile, everyone who participates in the training, whether live or in the future, receives the same message, resulting in a more cohesive learning experience and more consistent internal direction.
Announcements and public relations
Businesses can also use webcasting to announce the latest news, launch new products, address investor concerns, hold advisory meetings, present research, and more. This type of webcast can be private, public, or by invitation only. For example, when you want to generate buzz about an upcoming product launch, you probably want to create a public webcast, while investor meetings or research presentations are likely to be less publicized or sent to members of the scientific community.
These are just a few of the many ways you can use webcasting in a business environment. The more familiar your employees with creating, accessing, sharing, and selecting videos and webcasts, the more creative uses are likely to emerge.