By Nick Balletta As the smartphone and tablet marketplace continues to grow, so does the need to connect with people on their mobile device. Soon enough, mobile access will be the primary form of using the Web. Remember when landlines were the most prevalent form of communication? Now, most households forgo landlines for mobile phones as their main contact point. Mobile Web access is heading in a similar direction. Casting net As mobile becomes increasingly more prevalent in all facets of life as well as business, it is clear that mobile webcasting is definitely headed down this road. The mobile delivery option not only extends audience reach and provides more scheduling flexibility – live and on-demand mobile webcasting options – but it can decrease travel costs, which ultimately increases ROI. Sales force teams are quickly transitioning to the use of mobile devices to share ideas and connect with customers and fellow employees while traveling. Mobile webcasts are also a great tool for training purposes in a variety of fields including the life sciences, education, financial and publishing industries. Since webcasts can be viewed live and on-demand, employees can participate in training sessions at regularly scheduled intervals or allot time to partake in training at their convenience versus devoting a week to training. This face-to-face training environment allows people to learn and collaborate without being in the same location. Plus, significant costs are often involved when scheduling meetings and trainings. Many times, it involves employees, experts or trainees traveling to perform interactive exercises and stage sales scenarios. The cost of flights, accommodations and the loss of productivity from employees being out of the office are considerable. Planning the event Now that the benefits of mobile webcasts are clear, the next step is to account for how your mobile viewers may be receiving the information in your presentation beyond the type of mobile device. Here are a few tips to consider when planning a mobile webcasting event: • Content – Consider the mobile device screen size when developing webcast content. Do not overload the slides being presented or rely on them to convey messages. Mobile viewers, especially those using smartphones, may only be watching the video or have trouble viewing details. • Emphasize key elements – Although mobile webcasts provide both audio and visual elements, viewers may be accessing the webcast from a variety of locations (e.g. while traveling, in a crowded or busy location) and may only be listening to the webcast. Therefore, it is important to highlight important components of your presentation more than once so that “viewers” will be able to recall the main points from the event. Also, if there is more than one speaker on a webcast event, ensure that the moderator announces who is speaking so that there is no confusion over who is providing commentary. • Registration –Simplify the registration process. Mobile registrants are typing on a small keyboard, so limiting the data that needs to be entered to join an online event will make it faster and easier for viewers. • Social Media – Social media is a great way to promote a webcasting event. The use of interactive social media sharing buttons is particularly effective for mobile webcasts. However, active social media elements such as Twitter feeds or Facebook postings can lead to multitasking by the viewer. Consider your viewer’s screen size, and thoughtfully incorporate interactive social media elements so viewers can fully engage in all aspects of the mobile webcast. • Post-event viewing – Provide mobile webcasting viewers with a link to watch/review the webcast at a later date. This provides webcast attendees with another opportunity to access the material from the event. MOBILE WEBCASTS provide an interactive online training platform that will save time and money. Say goodbye to scheduling hassles, expensive flights and hotels, jet lag and inefficiency. Training can take place anywhere, at any time around the globe with the same level of face-to-face interaction as in-person meetings. Nick Balletta is CEO of TalkPoint, a New York-based specialist in global communications technology. Reach him at nballetta@talkpoint.com.