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5 Reasons Webcasting Is a Winning Marketing Tool

Cast your way to more sales

Dean Gutzke, President of Webcast Planet speaks
with Meryl K. Evans, Editor of eNewsletter Journal

"Do more with less," companies cry. With heavy competition, loosening laws and regulations and overseas contracting, this howling has become a way of life and is getting old. Many businesses have cut their travel budgets, but phone calls and emails are no replacement for face-to-face visits and conferences.

Because of the growing dependence on email, conference calls and global meetings in day-to-day business, time is scarce—not only for customers, but also for employees. To adapt to the changing environment and technology, companies have to explore new ways to effectively communicate with internal and external customers. Information and knowledge need to be relayed efficiently within demanding time constraints.

Enter webcasting, an efficient way to broadcast initiatives to customers. It works around time-sensitive issues, because webcast technology can reach a wide audience, track all attendees, include interactive question and answers and be digitally archived for playback. In addition, because webcasting is free for attendees, companies can take advantage of it to help entice prospects into becoming customers.

Dean Gutzke, president of Webcast Planet, believes webcasting is a great way to build relationships and increase sales. He says, “People can offer a webcast with a specific topic, product or service. Individuals who take the time to attend are voluntarily singling themselves out and saying ‘I have a need, I want to learn more.’”

From this mindset, people are more open to what the company has to offer. In the following interview with Dean Gutzke, he explains how webcasting is effective for increasing interaction with prospects and business growth.

eNewsletter Journal: If there are any differences, what is the difference between webinar, telecast and webcast?

Dean Gutzke: All of these commonly used terms refer to the same thing - a virtual meeting. Giving individuals the ability to view, interact and comment on a topic that is being relayed to them in the comfort of their own office. Therefore, they are all the same except for telecast, which can refer to a conference call.

eNJ: How do users sign into a webcast?

DG: It is much the same as setting up a meeting in your company calendars today. Users are sent an invitation by e-mail that has the connection details. Then, all attendees have to do is click on a link and dial into a conference number.

eNJ: How does a company prepare for a webcast?

DG: Preparing for a webcast is the same as preparing for a normal meeting. You can cover initiatives using PowerPoint, forecasts using Excel or anything else you would like to share in the meeting. One of the biggest advantages is documentation. You can track all attendees, share reports on surveys, quizzes or polls results and share documents that have been modified during the collaboration process.

eNJ: What are the reasons companies should consider using webcasting as a marketing tool?

DG: Companies can disperse time-sensitive materials easily. The five main reasons for considering webcasting as an alternative or addition to a company's existing communications infrastructure are:

1. Make it easier for the people learn about new initiatives. Therefore, you can reach people you normally would not reach.

2. Gather data from prospects before during and after a webcast. (Learn who attended and track their interests with Q&As and assessment/survey results.)

3. Save time and money from a production standpoint, lowering your cost per lead. (Use your existing collateral and get instant results.)

4. Improve your company's posture as a more technically-advanced communicator. (Use the Web to augment your current marketing initiatives.)

5. Make you and your customers' business lives easier.

eNJ: How does webcasting help companies who have email newsletters?

DG: Companies can use the newsletter to promote their webcasts. Also, newsletter subscribers are familiar with this type of technology. They want information as fast as they can get it. This is an obvious alternative to educating your customer base and acquiring new business from them.

eNJ: Not everyone has the ability to attend a webcast because of audio issues (work environment might not allow it or hearing issues). If at all, how do you work around such prospects?

DG: Webcasting has the ability to offer live chat (text) during an event.

eNJ: Considering many businesses offer webcasts for free and the process of holding one isn’t free, how does it pay off?

DG: Webcasting gives people the ability to reach potential customers without having to leave your desk. This makes sense for not only the presenter, but also the attendees. Furthermore, many of the decisionmakers receive 50+ e-mails a day. This is a medium that fits into everyone’s busy schedule.

According to a study by Bitpipe, 71 percent of business leaders surveyed were likely or extremely likely to consult a webcast when making a critical buying decision.

eNJ: Why does your organization rely on webcasting?

DG: Being in sales for as long as I have, it has been hard to get used to not meeting potential customers face-to-face. On a few occasions, I have almost begged to fly out and meet them, but the customers were too busy.

Because of our aggressive revenue goals, we have had to keep the sales process moving. Sometimes, the only way we can give prospects the information they need to make an educated decision is by webcasting. Potential clients learn all of the business and technical benefits of our offering, while gaining consensus by getting all of the decisionmakers involved.

It all comes down to this: Time is a precious commodity, one that no one can buy, produce or get more of. Webcasting offers a way to communicate without burning time; it improves sales and ultimately builds relationships in every way possible except face-to-face.

Dean Gutzke is the President of Webcast Planet who has participated in hundreds of webcasts as both presenter and moderator on multiple webcast platforms. He has built a security division from start up to $14 million in two years. As a director of sales, he has doubled gross sales of a product within one year and has brought on a company's three largest accounts.

Meryl K. Evans is Editor-in-Chief of this little baby you’re reading and The Remediator Security Digest. She’s a slave to a MarketingProfs weekly column and a tour guide at InformIT. She is the author of the popular e-report, How to Start a Business Blog and Build Traffic.
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