Growing your business nowadays is all about building community and authority within your niche. People flock to websites that offer the highest quality of content and ways to connect with like-minded people over a common topic. One tried and tested way to achieve all of this is by hosting webinars. In this post, we discuss the current success of webinars, and we review the best platform for webinars to set you up for success.
Jump to:
- CoVID-19 and the Rise of Webinars
- How to Find the Best Platform for Webinars for Your Needs
- 7 Best Platforms for Webinars
- More About Kaltura Webinars
CoVID-19 and the Rise of Webinars
Building community and connecting with potential customers is not a new business strategy. Brands have been doing that for the longest time. But the 2020 pandemic, with severely prohibiting social distancing rules in its wake, created a huge obstacle between businesses and customers. At first.
Luckily, internet-based communication technology was already a fast-developing field. Marketers quickly took to webinars as a solution to connect with customers and generate leads in a time where communication turned virtual and remote, practically overnight. The success was so overwhelming that one webinar service provider recorded a 330% increase year-over-year in the number of webinars, with double the number of attendees.
Nowadays, social platforms and websites are littered with banners promoting free webinars that aim to educate, inform, and assist attendees on the most diverse topics. If you’re subscribed to newsletters or you have accounts with SaaS providers, chances are you get new free webinar invitations delivered to your inbox every week.
Because webinars done right can generate great ROI.
20% – 40% of B2C webinar attendees turn into qualified leads. [CloudIncome]
Webinars bring value in so many ways that you’re bound to rake in a few wins if you do it right. Webinars provide an opportunity to connect with potential customers on a more personal level, they help you build authority within your field and stay top-of-mind in your market. Through your webinars, you can solve critical user issues, showcase the added value of your products and services, and build community around your brand.
Though webinars aren’t the best way to generate direct sales (between 2%-5% of webinar attendees actually make a purchase at the end of a webinar), they are considered the best lead generation method by 73% of B2B marketers. Some marketers reported generating between 500 and 1,000 leads from a single webinar. [99Firms] No wonder 95% of marketers treat webinars as an essential part of their strategy. [99Firms]
Will webinars remain relevant after CoVID-19?
Though the pandemic considerably accelerated the acceptance and growth of webinars as a marketing tool, they will remain relevant post-CoVID-19. While in-person seminars certainly have their merits over webinars, the benefits of the latter will see marketers launching webinars long after the pandemic.
Webinars are relatively low-cost and easy to set up. This is why brands can make their webinars free of charge. The absence of an admission fee, combined with the convenience of attending from home or anywhere in the world, removes a lot of friction for people to register to and attend a webinar.
Webinars present a few other advantages over in-person alternatives, like digital enrichment tools, engagement features, analytics and data collecting, CTA’s, etc. Do you see why it makes sense to add webinars into your marketing mix? If yes, then your next action item should be to lay the foundation for your webinar efforts. An essential part of that foundation is the webinar software you plan on using.
How to Find the Best Platform for Webinars for Your Needs
To answer this question, let’s list the needs of both your attendees and you as a host.
For your attendees
The number one reason for attendees to drop out of a webinar is streaming interruptions. About 28% of your viewers will tune out after a single buffering. So, reliability is a big factor.
Another major requirement for attendees is engagement. It doesn’t come naturally in a virtual environment. The best platform for webinars should provide sufficient tools to foster engagement, like polls and quizzes, multimedia playlists, and Q&A features. 92% of attendees expect a live Q&A session at the end of the webinar.
The webinar platform should also be easy-to-use and accessible to all attendees. Registering and joining should be hassle-free.
For you
The best platform for webinars should make it easy for you to set up, promote, and run a webinar. Without too much of a learning curve, and without interruptions or fiddling with features to get things to work during your event. The interface should be fully brandable and flexible to truly make the webinar experience your own. You’d also want ample privacy and security features so that you can keep full control over who has access to your live stream or webinar content. To make the most of your webinar efforts, you should also look out for useful analytics, cloud recording features, screen sharing, multiple chat features, video creation and editing tools, etc.
Let’s take a look at the 7 best platforms for webinars, currently on the market.
7 Best Platforms for Webinars
1. Kaltura
The most reliable, flexible, and comprehensive webinar solution for entrepreneurs and enterprises alike. Kaltura is a market leader and expert in the field of video-based online communication solutions. Kaltura Webinars brings all this technology and know-how together in a powerful cloud-based platform to connect with your audience in a reliable and impactful way.
Main features:
- Persistent and branded rooms
- Live quizzes and polls
- Content library and playlists
- Breakout rooms
- Seamless video playback
- SSO-based user permissions management
- live captioning
- screen sharing
- digital whiteboard
- full moderator and chat controls
- Simulive
- feature-packed live-to-VOD conversion
- Performance analytics
- Session recording
Pros
Kaltura is a professional-grade solution that will help you create engaging webinars with the highest reliability, flexibility, and brand visibility.
Cons
The free trial is limited to 7 days.
Verdict
If webinars are an important part of your marketing strategy, then you must invest in a robust webinar solution that enables you to set up webinars exactly the way you want them and with a maximum chance for success, at any scale. Kaltura is the best platform for webinars currently available.
2. On24
On24 calls itself the Digital Experience Platform, providing cloud-based webinars, virtual events, and multi-media solutions to its customers. On24 webinars enable live and on-demand delivery with good customization capabilities.
Main features
- Branding
- Multiple chat functionalities
- Screensharing
- Social promotion
- Polls
- Playlists
- Simulive
- Session recording
- Easy live to VOD conversion
- Real-time engagement analytics
Pros
Good option with great simulive feature and useful reporting.
Cons
Lack of like breakout rooms and editing features for live to VOD conversions and PowerPoint presentations.
Verdict
On24 is a great choice, but it lacks a few features many customers will miss.
3. Webex Events
Webex by Cisco is a good solution for webinar hosts who need advanced security features.
Main features
- Branding
- HD video quality
- Screensharing
- Breakout rooms
- Polls
- Live chat
- Moderated Q&A
- Performance analytics
- Role-based permission management
- Advanced security features
- Session recording
Pros
Easy to use. Great security features.
Cons
Limited customization. Outdated UI.
Verdict
Using Webex as a webinar solution will make sense to organizations that are already invested in Cisco hardware or companies that require Cisco’s powerful security features before anything else. For other customers, Webex might be too basic, compared to other contenders on this list.
4. Adobe Connect
Connect is software giant Adobe’s solution to webinars, online meetings, and training sessions. Its LMS integration capabilities and its organization into pods for chat, note-taking, whiteboards, etc. make it a popular option for educators.
Main features
- Branding
- Screensharing
- Whiteboards
- Polls
- Live chat
- Content library
- Breakout rooms
- Session recording
- Moderation controls
- Permission management
- Performance analytics
Pros
High flexibility and customization. Great screen and file-sharing features.
Cons
Complicated user interface makes for a steep learning curve. Some users reported audio and connection issues.
Verdict
Adobe Connect is a great option for training if you’re ready to put in some time figuring out the user interface.
5. Zoom
Zoom gained fame during the 2020 pandemic as an online meeting app. Now they also offer a webinar solution that is equally low cost. But how does it stack up with the competition in terms of performance and features?
Main features
- Branding
- HD video
- Screensharing
- Whiteboards
- Polls
- Session analytics
- Session recordings
- 1:1 and public live chat functionality
- Social promotion
- Google Calendar and MS Outlook integration
Pros
User-friendly interface. Free tier up to 100 participants and 40 minutes webinar time.
Cons
More prone to freezing and lagging than some of the other solutions on this list. Poor customer service. No marketing or sales features
Verdict
Zoom is a great solution for customers who plan on hosting small webinars on a small budget. The more discerning customers will rather pay a bit extra for more features and stability.
6. GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar is one of the pioneers in the industry and has plenty of features to deliver professional webinars, up to 5,000 attendees.
Main features
- Branding (logo)
- Flexible scheduling
- Webinar templates
- Automated emails
- HD video
- Polls
- Session Recording
- Analytics
Pros
Integration with GoToMeeting makes GoToWebinar a logical choice if you’re already invested in their ecosystem. Also, integration with Salesforce, Zapier, and many other platforms.
Cons
Outdated. The Starter plan limits the number of attendees to 100. No live chat, CTAs, offers, paid webinars, or marketing features.
Verdict
GoToWebinars is a reliable solution that can handle scale. However, for its high price tag, it’s missing many important functionalities, such as marketing tools, live chat, … There are better options out there.
7. WebinarNinja
WebinarNinja is a complete cloud-based webinar solution aimed at coaches and creators.
Main features
- Easy-to-use dashboard
- Choice of 4 webinar types (live, automated, series, hybrid)
- Questions, polls, and offers
- Screensharing
- Landing page templates
- Branding options
- Event analytics
- Session recording
- Email automation
Pros
Quick and easy to set up. Good sign-up flow, easy payment integration.
Cons
The user experience of the platform is not as good as the other solutions on this list. No one-on-one chat. Poor video resolution.
Verdict
WebinarNinja chose its name right as it is good enough for the weekend warrior webinar host. It’s quick to set up and easy to customize. You can choose between 4 webinar types. But, while WebinarNinja has plenty of merits, the low video quality and UX issues will be unacceptable to most professional users.
More About Kaltura Webinars
Kaltura Webinars provides an A-Z solution to create convenient, educational, and engaging experiences for your audience with minimal interruptions. With Kaltura Webinars, you’ll be setting up, promoting, and running highly effective webinars in no time. The branding features and many customizable options will help you create the experience you want, while keeping full control over who has access to your content.
But don’t take our word for it… Try all the Kaltura Webinars features for free so you can get a feel of what Kaltura can do for you, without committing. Keep an eye on this page as we unlock the 7-day free trial plan for Kaltura Webinars, the most robust and best platform for webinars currently on the market.
Looking for a powerful webcasting solution? Kaltura can help!
