A viewer from the UK noted in the comment box just below the webcast how “blessed [she is] to be able to watch this, from England” – a great feature for both virtual attendees and on-site attendees logged on with iPads, laptops and mobile phones who want to share their thoughts and comment in real time throughout the webcast. And, for facilitators who want to respond and dialogue with their internet community.
The all-day conference, which began at 9am and concluded around 5:45Pm after audience questions, gave those unable to travel to Louisville a chance to participate virtually so they wouldn’t miss out on the breakthrough research, therapy, clinical trials and nutritional details presented by the experts for conference goers – information critical to those suffering from the often debilitating autoimmune disease of Myositis, and the professionals who care for them.
According to the broadcast host, more than 9,650 viewers tuned in to the live webcast. Combined with those on-site, that’s an impressive number of conference attendees.
Webcasts aren’t just restricted to speaker presentations. Hatfield Media has multiple cameras to show audience responses and different angles, making viewership more interesting and more real. And the capability to air the slide shows and videos presented, as well, means online viewers don’t miss a thing. They enjoy the same audio visuals as those in attendance.
Webcasts have a long shelf life well beyond the day of the broadcast. A video of the webcast was available to The Myositis Association conference organizers to upload to their website and distribute immediately following the closing session – not later in the week, which would delay the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum, energy and engagement of their audience and niche markets.
If you’re wondering what particular uses a live webcast offers conference hosts and organizers – besides increasing viewership, audience participation and real-time dialogue via Facebook, Twitter and chat roll – here are a few:
Increasing conference revenue by monetizing viewership. While some hosts prefer to offer free online access, charging a registration fee for virtual attendance is another way to generate income.
Marketing this year’s video for next year’s conference. What better way to promote next year’s conference than with footage of this year’s event and viewer comments. This increases your opportunities for registration, sponsorship, trade show participation, fundraising, media kits and online publishing.
Negotiating speaker fees for next year’s conference. Content is king, and high quality videos are gold to speakers, their agents and Speakers Bureaus!
Increasing your search result ranking on Google. Uploaded internet videos are 50 times more likely to rank high on Google search results than a textual page for any given keyword! Translation – online vides exponentially increase traction of your organization’s web presence and your ranking in the top five Google search results – much more so than written content.
Generating post-event revenue. Selling your webcast video to those unable to attend or watch online, those who attended and want the video for their personal library, and to distribution services that re-sale your video (and share the profit with you) is another way to generate income.
Web syndication is a particularly profitable way to realize revenue because other websites, online marketers and media outlets are always looking for good content and willing to pay for it.
Redistributing your webcast also increases your exposure, generates new traffic and increases your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – which continues to be critically important as increased internet competition amps up with more users, website domains, bloggers, news distributers and advertisers.
In other words, the more people view your video on other websites, the more it increases your web presence and the more likely they are to visit your website (and remember your name).
Even if you don’t charge a fee for syndicating your webcast, it’s great advertising! And free advertising is like free media coverage – it has a monetary value that if purchased would most likely be cost prohibitive.
So the next time you plan your conference, be sure to include a live streaming webcast for those who want to attend virtually and for repurposing with long-term added value. It can only help!
View samples of Hatfield Media’s live webcasts here. For more information and free consultant, contact us!
