Webcasting Information

What is webcasting?

Webcasting is the broadcast delivery of multimedia information (such as streaming video and audio) over the internet. If you are using the web to broadcast streaming video and/or audio to an audience, then you are webcasting.

(If you're not sure about the definition of streaming, then check out the info page on streaming video ).

So showing my latest TV ad on the web is a webcast, right?

Actually that's not correct. Without getting too tied up in the semantics, webcasting and a webcast are not the same thing, in much the same way as in a television context broadcasting and a broadcast  have different meanings.

Strictly speaking a webcast is the streaming of a specific event (often but, not always, "live" or "as live") and webcasting is a more general term to describe the actual delivery medium. There'll be an information page about delivering a specific webcast when we launch our icommunique webcast software in the summer.

Who uses webcasting?

Communication through streaming video and audio is no longer the exclusive domain of large corporations with money and bandwidth to burn.

Over the last few years more and more organisations and individuals have wised up to the fact that providing web video isn't just a add-on to their internet activity but an essential communication tool in its own right.

It's a fact that people take in more information if they can see and hear what you you are describing.

It's a fact that you can fit more information into a three minute presentation than you could realistically cram onto a webpage.

It's a fact that video content is ten times "stickier" than static web content.

If you have a strong message that you want to get  across to your internet audience then webcasting is the medium for you. It's powerful, it's personal and it works!

How do I know it works?

Study after study has shown that video content increases awareness of your product or service and engages the viewer, making them much more likely to request further information and so on. In fact, the latest full scale survey of internet users reaction to web video shows an amazing 44 percent of viewers taking action based on the video that they had seen (check out the full story here).

How much does webcasting cost?

Prices vary depending on the complexity of the presentation, the overall length of the content and the number of viewers that you are expecting.

Your webcasting provider should be able to give you a quote for a specific production very quickly but only if you can provide them with a good description of the scope of the project. The more online examples a provider can show you (from existing clients), the easier it is to say "how much is one of those?"

If you already have video content then prices fall drastically but you should also consider repurposing the existing footage to be more effective on the web. A short introduction and conclusion for an existing piece of video with a  web specific call to action can be filmed very economically.

A CEO style message introducing the company or a new product or service is also a cost effective way of engaging your website visitors. Those of us old enough to remember Victor Kiam ("I liked [the shaver] so much I brought the company") are grateful that this sort of direct sell has become much subtler in recent years. But a simple, honest and personal message is actually much more powerful on the web than on any other medium.

We use the phrase "your best sales pitch every time" and it's true...webcasting enables you to deliver a powerful, consistent message time after time to thousands of potential customers.

At the other end of the scale, an all singing, all dancing production (sometimes literally) will obviously cost more. However, while quality should not be diminished just because the final version is for internet delivery, simplicity is the key to a successful web campaign and that means the production should cost a fraction of what you'd expect to pay for a full scale TV ad.

Streaming costs are determined by the number of viewers to a particular video and prices vary dramatically. This is often because a client cannot give an accurate indication of the number of viewers they are expecting. The more specific you can be ("it's going on the homepage which currently gets 20,000 unique impressions a month"), the more cost effective the quote. That may sound odd but we buy wholesale bandwidth depending on the number of live projects we have on the go. Being able to predict the requirement accurately makes our buying more efficient and we can pass that saving on to you.

Always decide on the criteria for what you consider to be an acceptable ROI before you embark on a webcasting project - an experienced streaming provider should be able to help you with this. One of our customers - an established online retailer - was surprised when their sales doubled from the day they added video demonstrations of their products to their website. We weren't surprised at all and by analysing the live stats coming back from the twenty or so different videos, we were also able to tell them which were the best sellers.

Can I do it myself?

Absolutely! Small scale webcasting is relatively easy to do, it requires a few bits of software, an understanding of the basic concepts of encoding and some programming skill, but if you are only expecting a few viewers then you can get video on your site without involving the pros.

MediaCollege.com  (www.mediacollege.com) is a site offering articles and advice on filming and encoding for streaming delivery.

Be warned though, getting an acceptable result can burn many hours that could have been better spent concentrating on your key areas of expertise.

If your requirements are more substantial - or you just don't have the time to do it yourself - you should at least talk to a experienced webcasting provider to get an honest appraisal of what may be involved. That will take the strain off your servers and free you up to get on with the day job.

If you would like advice on this, please contact us. A few minutes of our time could save hours of yours.

How do I choose a webcasting provider?

Experience - Have they had experience of the sort of work that I have in mind?

Surprisingly few companies that advertise streaming services can show you real world examples of their work for actual clients (as opposed to demos set up for their sales pitches). Experience should be a key factor when deciding on a service provider - if they haven't got it, don't use them.

Empathy - Do they understand the message that I want to get across?

If you just have an ad that you want to stream this may not be a big issue but do they understand the importance of protecting your brand and delivering the service in a way which matches your corporate style?

Equipment - Can their infrastructure handle the potential load and is their player design robust?

Reducing the 'frustration factor' (too many clicks before the presentation is delivered; prolonged buffering; and stuttering delivery) means well thought out player mechanisms and industrial strength hosting. Ask yourself whether their systems make it easy for any number of viewers to watch your message or will the frustration of network congestion and/or badly designed players provide a poor experience and reflect badly on you?

One final thought

95% of Streamcity's work is "repeat business". That's because our clients agree that webcasting works.