Anyone who has spent a lot of time on sites like Vimeo and YouTube has experienced the wonder of internet streaming. Internet streaming is a form of broadcasting in which videos and audio files are transmitted over the Web instead of the radio or television waves. Many companies have also taken advantage of the channels on these video-sharing sites by producing and posting private, consumer-directed internal communications. While communicating with your audience through online video and webcasts can play an important role in your overall marketing strategy, webcasting is becoming extremely useful internally. Here are some ways to use webcasting as an in-house video solution.
Internal Collaboration
From sales and marketing meetings and virtual brainstorming sessions to inspirational speaking engagements and CEO leadership, webcasting is a powerful tool that can bring geographically diverse groups together. Webcasts can be held in real time and archived for future viewing. Imagine your research and development team in New York showing your Los Angeles-based marketing team the latest prototype via live webcast. Couldn’t make it to the meeting? No problem, just watch the webcast whenever you want.
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. Enterprise webcasting solutions allow users to create, access, curate and share videos within the organization’s private social network.
Formation and development
Business webcasting can be used for training and development. Much like a learning management system, a video solution could be used to deliver video-based training to those who need it. With a webcasting platform, you could get more out of your best trainers. For example, instead of sending your best trainer to each branch for training and racking up travel, hotel, and other related expenses over an extended period of time, you could host a series of webcasts with that trainer. Not only could everyone within the organization benefit from the training as it happens, but future employees could also access it. Plus, since the trainer doesn’t need to pack up and move to the next office after a session or two, you can create an entire series that goes deeper and gives your team a broader training overall. Meanwhile, everyone who participates in the training, whether live or in the future, receives the same message, leading to a more cohesive learning experience and more consistent internal direction.
Announcements and Public Relations
Companies can also use webcasting to announce breaking news, launch new products, address investor concerns, hold advisory meetings, present research and more. This type of webcast can be private, public, or invite-only. For example, when you want to generate buzz about an upcoming product launch, you may 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 become with creating, accessing, sharing, and curating videos and webcasts, the more creative uses are likely to emerge.
