Webinars aren’t just another way to promote your business.It is way more powerful and engaging than other methods of marketing.
It allows you to have direct connection with your target group. It is interactive, allowing you to directly engage with and respond to your attendees. Needless to say, via webinar the participants connect more actively rather than in a physical meeting (where it is passive).
Also, unlike most physical meetings you can also watch your webinars afterwards and observe your impact and reach. It will even help you really know your audience.
You can also set up polls, call to actions, PowerPoint slides and videos alongside your webinar, allowing you to diversify your engagement and increase the impact.
And of course, by conducting webinars you effectively eliminate long distant travels, which can be time consuming and expensive to both you and your target group. Also organizing a physical event (especially when it engages a lot of attendees)could get quite expensive, particularly if you have to consider hiring a meeting venue.
So, now that we have established how switching over to webinars can complement your long-distant business meetings, let’s have a look at some of the different options that you have when it comes to webinar platforms.
Here’s a list of 10 webinar platforms that are wildly popular!
Choose the one that best suits your business.
ClickMeeting is different from other webinar platforms; while others try to build all possible options into one environment, ClickMeeting customizes your package by collaborating with different application-integrations.
Why ClickMeeting:
- Global web conferencing
- Live webcasting
- Webinar & attendee statistics
- Screen sharing
- ClickMeeting mobile application
- Recording & storage
- Social media sharing and rating
- Polls, surveys & presentations
- Toll-free phone number
- Integration: Microsoft Office, Adobe, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Price: Paid
Amongst one of the most popular of webinar platforms, GoToWebinar brings advanced and rich features to the table.
Why GoToWebinar:
- HD video recording
- Full desktop sharing
- Online & local recording
- No download
- Customized branding
- Supports products such as HubSpot, Eloqua, Marketo, etc.
- Attendee registration with customized registration forms
- Polls, surveys & PowerPoint presentations
- Reporting & analytics
- VoIP, phone audio & tool free
- Recording archives
- Automated emails
- Up to 100 attendees
Price: Paid (Free Trial)
WebinarJam was another tool that rode on theGoogle+ Hangout platform, offering you the marketing features that Hangout lacked; however, a recent update called the “JamSession” works with Amazon’s Cloudfront servers to offer you super fast & crisp webinar secession.
Why WebinarJam:
- Unlimited broadcasts & webinar attendees
- Screen sharing option
- Auto record webinar sessions & choose to publish on YouTube
- Point & click setup
- Built-in monetization controls
- Attendee spotlight
- Trademarked Feedback Flow
Price: Paid (Free Trial)
Most effective for small businesses who like to set up meetings – big or small
Why AnyMeeting:
- 6-way video conferencing via built-in conference calling
- No download for attendees
- Screen share
- Allows you to play YouTube videos
- Mobile friendly
- Facebook & Twitter integration
- Custom registration forms
- Personalized meeting URL
- PowerPoint & PDF sharing
- Recording &hosting
- Allows follow up emails
- PayPal integration
Price: Free up to 10 attendees (ad supported)
Cisco WebEx is a professional web conferencing & webinar tool, that’s perfect for high-scale businesses with high-end requirements.
Why Cisco WebEx:
- Up-to 7 video feeds
- VoIP or phone call-in
- Record meeting (High-quality audio/video)
- Polls, surveys and chats
- Free mobile apps
- Integrated lead-generation tools
- Markup tools & whiteboard
- Branded registration & invites along with registration tracking
- Up to 100 people per meeting
- Webinar planning and production add-ons
Price: Paid
Adobe Connect is a powerful & feature rich package developed by one of IT’s giants.!It’s a highly interactive platform that makes hosting an online meet, conference, webinar, training, etc. a walk in the park for even large enterprises.
Why Adobe Connect:
- Totally customizable events
- Rich multimedia options
- Built-in analytics
- Recording & editing tools
- Real-time collaboration with presenters
- Access across devices
- Breakout rooms
Price: Paid (Free Trial)
Built into the all familiar Google+ Social platform, Hangout shares your Google profile; so, all you need is your free Google+ account!
Why Google+ Hangout:
- Live stream to your YouTube channel or website while being live on Hangout simultaneously
- Up to 10 attendees at the same time
- Screen share
- Share emojis, photos, chat messages, etc.
- Works on all devices & platforms
Price: Free
OnStream is an enterprise grade webinar platform that scales to your business.It utilizes cloud-based setup for webinars.
Why OnStream:
- Real-time polling
- Screen sharing
- File sharing, messaging & chat
- Recording & archiving
- Event management
- Participant list & rights management
Price: Paid (Free Trial)
iLincin corporates seamless social media integration along with multimedia content sharing options for a very linear and easy-to-use webinar solution.
Why iLinc:
- Up to 1000 attendees
- Fully integrated audio bridge or free VoIP
- Easy login access for attendees via PC & Mac
- Promote events through Facebook & Twitter
- One interface for: webinar setup, invites, registration, & follow-up emails
Price: Paid
One big downside to Google+ Hangout is that you can’t charge your users directly. And, that’s exactly what WebinarOnAir lets you do. Also, since it is built on top ofthe Google+ Hangout platform, you get to experience all of Hangout’s features as well, plus some more.
Why Webinar OnAir:
- Charge attendees to join your webinar
- One click sell
- Custom post-registration redirect
- Social media share
- Attendee tracking
- Autopilot email interactions
- 10 moderators/speakers at once
- Direct stream to YouTube & your website
Price: Paid (Free Trial)
Make your best impression:
Webinars give you instant trust and authorityover your competitors;it helps you position yourself as a thought leader / influencer in your industry. But, don’t make the mistake of choosing the wrong platform.Hope this list helps you make the right choice…happy webinaring!
