Common Mistakes Made When Webcasting An Event
Webcasting is one of the most popular ways for businesses to live stream events online. And in the current pandemic situation, as a business owner, you can transform your company’s operation online and directly interact with your viewers all over the world regardless of their location. However, you will need to create a full-proof marketing strategy for a successful webcast that involves the right script, enjoyable visual media content, professional equipment, and a nice backdrop.
If this is your first webcast, you may commit a few avoidable mistakes that could be prevented if you had a professional around. They know how to plan a perfect set, offer effective ideas, and make sure you feel confident. The professionals at Lumera Productions Inc. have come across several online event errors and would like to help you avoid some of these basic errors that could prove costly for your business. So, here is a list of the most common mistakes made when webcasting an event.
1. Bad platform choice!
A lot of clients have ideas about sending video content out to their audience. They assume that Facebook or Youtube are the best ways to do that, but these platforms don’t suit EVERY event. Sometimes it is discovered too late that they chose the wrong platform for their event. It is critical in pre-planning to decide on the desired outcome of what the event should look like, then choose a platform that suits the need.
Lumera Productions Inc. can provide custom solutions that fit the needs of an event as well as the standard destinations such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch.
2. Insufficient lighting
Another common mistake is not planning for enough light. While the stage may look good to the human eye, cameras like the light. It is essential to make sure you have enough front and ambient light on the stage. Cameras can compensate, but the compensation introduces grain in the image and reduces image quality.
3. Not enough content
The third mistake is not planning enough content for a webcast event. Some clients have gaps in their events, and most online viewers will disengage if they are bored. If your event has gaps, make sure you can roll some pre-recorded material to keep your online audience engaged.
This could range from certain ads about the organization, interviews, or even fun fact clips.
4. Poor internet connectivity
A fourth mistake many clients make is miscalculating internet availability. They assume that because WiFi is usually readily available that it will just work. WiFi is one of the biggest pitfalls of a successful webcast. It is always best to ask for a hardline connection to the network if it is available.
If a hardline is not available, then access to a private WiFi network is preferred over a public one. Public access WiFi networks in hotels and other venues are heavily saturated and create a high risk for failed connections.
If a private WiFi network is not available, then the best fallback is a mobile internet device. We are not talking about tethering to your phone. This is a mobile hub that provides internet access over cellular networks and is usually available through small business plans with mobile providers.
A side note on this solution is the bandwidth is somewhat limited, so you will have to test and be careful not to try to set quality too high for the connection. This causes a lot of buffering.
5. Lack of planning
Another important mistake I would like to highlight is not planning an intro or ending to your webcast.
A lot of clients like to simply start an event online straight to someone giving a welcome.
If you want your event to feel like higher quality, create a simple “We’ll be starting in a few moments’ slide or even a fifteen-second intro video that rolls before casting the person giving the welcome. As well, create a five-second wrap-up video that brings your show to an end. It doesn’t have to be credited! Even an animated “Thanks for watching” ties all the ends together for a nice packaged feel.
6. Poor audio
The last mistake I would like to highlight is POOR AUDIO. Many clients don’t put enough emphasis on good audio. The human brain can put up with an image that isn’t super high quality, but if the audio is terrible, it drives people crazy, and they’re more likely to leave!
Suppose you are in a venue where you can only get substandard audio into your webcast. In that case, it is more beneficial to connect your mic into a small audio mixer then send that audio to the venue mixer. This will ensure that your webcast has the highest quality sound possible.
To avoid these and other mistakes while webcasting, reach out to the experts at Lumera Productions Inc. We are a video production and film company in Victoria, British Columbia, offering full film and videography support from concept to completion as well as a live stream and webcast services. Our Services include corporate video and commercials, live stream or webcast services, single and multi-camera production, and scripted factual/documentary video production.
For a complete list of our services, please click here. If you have any questions about webcasting, commercial video production, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us here.