There is no denying the fact that communication becomes more effective when it is done face to face. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, every business organization has opted for work from home to ensure productivity. This is where the need for the best video conferencing software comes in.
Once you get to see the facial expression of an individual, you know which statement was serious and which remark was made as a joke. With working from home becoming a common practice, it is imperative to have good quality video conferencing software for business and marketing.
Before we get into the video conferencing tools, let us share some of the reasons why a business organization should opt for video conferencing software.
Why should you choose video conferencing software?
Here are some of the reasons why you should opt for video conferencing for social media marketing.
- First of all, it reduces the additional expenses for travel. Apart from that cost of traveling it also saves time. Since video conferences enable a complete organization to solve issues without leaving the office, it helps in business productivity.
- Optimized attendance is another reason for choosing the best video conferencing tools. It is possible to ensure remote attendance for clients and employees, who otherwise would not be able to collaborate in any other means.
- A scheduled video conference ensures structured meetings and improved communication. How? Since people are calling from different locations, video calls are scheduled at a certain time. Thus, it allows a more focused and productive discussion instead of chit-chats and frustrating emails.
- Since video calls enhance productivity in lesser time, the participants remain in sync, and decisions are made quicker. It becomes possible to resolve problems faster and ensure quicker services for clients.
- Video conferencing software also helps in employee retention as well. Since employees are working from home; they have the opportunity to ensure a better work/life balance.
The following are some of the best video conference software for business in digital marketing and social media marketing.
The top video conferencing software in 2020
1) Skype:
For seamless video conferencing options, choose none other than Skype. Whether it is for personal connections or promotional activities for social media marketing, Skype makes this smooth as a breeze.
What are the features of Skype?
- Group video calls have become easier than ever. You can add up to 50 people at once and collaborate with them.
- Present PowerPoint slides, video recordings, and more to the entire team. The remote co-workers can work much more efficiently and it has become easy for students in long-distance learning.
- Full-screen video screens allow you in focusing on the work while attending a meeting or just engage in a casual chat with friends.
- If you are hosting an event or engaging in promotional activity for digital marketing, then you can send invites to as many people as you want (even those who are not using Skype).
- With the background blur option, you can focus on the speaker and not on the background.
2) Google Hangouts:
Speaking of classic video conferencing software, you can opt for Google Hangouts. Previously known as Gtalk, the Hangouts application has emerged as one of the most preferred tools for video communication and collaboration.
What are the features of Google Hangouts?
- It is a simple video conferencing software that supports video and voice conferences with 250 people at once.
- You will have the option to upgrade your profile by paying a certain amount. You can choose different plans according to the requirements of your e-commerce platform.
- It offers a simple user-interface for multi-person video. Even if the clients or teammates do not have the right accounts they can join in.
- With a global network, it secures all the data and video conference information shared. Thus it protects your privacy. You will have the advantage of built-in protection and safety as the video calls remain encrypted in transit.
3) GoToMeeting
Another cloud-hosting web & mobile conferencing software that comes packed with features and functionalities for digital marketing and ecommerce businesses. It is a great choice for companies that operate in different locations and have staff throughout the world.
What are the features of GoToMeeting?
- First of all, it comes with a simple and easy to use interface that helps in starting a meeting in just a few minutes.
- It will also include the same features in different pricing plans and third-party integrations that include support for Polio, Slack, Accord, LMS, Zapier, MS Office 365, and more.
- This is a great alternative for video conferencing software like Skype, Facetime, Hangouts, and more. It is compatible with iOS, PC, MacBook, and all Android devices and offers a wide range of flexibility to join the online conferences from any device at anytime from anywhere.
- It comes with personal meeting rooms, drawing tools, toll-free options, one-click join meetings, HDFaces video conferencing, hand-over control, one-click recording, and more features.
- If you are looking for more professional and advanced features, then you can opt for the Ecommerce Business and Enterprise plans.
4) Cisco WebEx:
This is another useful video conferencing software. It is a premium software that comes with a plethora of benefits. Even though it is premium software but the free package offers a lot more than just the standard features.
What are the features of Cisco WebEx?
- Just like any other smooth video conferencing software, the Cisco WebEx too is feature-rich and offers a seamless user-interface. As a user, you need to have a hosting account as a presenter for the hosted meetings.
- For scheduling, the users will be able to prepare the invitation to the meeting using the Microsoft Outlook and the scheduled conference loads within the software’s system. All you need to do is click on the “Add WebEx Meeting” tab present on Microsoft Outlook.
- Send an invitation to attendees in Cisco WebEx through email addresses and the best part is, you can change the device even when the online conference is in progress.
- The maximum collaboration happens at the training centers. The training center feature enables you in setting up the screen view automatically according to the files used. If the file is a PowerPoint Presentation it will display the slides. If it is a video file it will show a video.
- You can hold HD meetings for 100 participants and use multiple options like screen sharing and private chat rooms. It comes with 1 GB of cloud storage to store your folders online and record meetings.
5) Microsoft Teams
As the slogan goes, “work remotely without feeling remote”. Microsoft Teams is one of the fastest-growing group chat software for e-commerce and digital marketing. The reasons why it is gradually becoming a preferred application for group chat and video conferences are listed below.
What are the features of Microsoft Teams?
- Invite anyone and everyone into a chat room, call and collaborate with them in one place irrespective of where everyone is.
- Start a group chat immediately and get into a video conference with a single click.
- Add 10,000 participants in a video conference.
- Whiteboard interactions in meetings with different remote participants.
- Live captions in Microsoft Team meetings (still in testing).
- Live Events for broadcasting.
6) Zoom:
This is one of the most used video-conferencing software at present. Since ecommerce and social media marketing requires collaboration with a lot of people at the same time, there is no other app that offers such a simple user-interface.
What are the features of Zoom?
- It is cloud-based video conferencing software that allows you in creating group messaging and online meetings for multiple purposes including financial, healthcare, educations, and government sectors as well.
- It is compatible with both mobile and PC which makes it a suitable tool for digital marketing purposes.
- Improve engagements with polls and Q/A sessions. For free signup, you can add 100 participants for 40 minutes. The one-to-one meetings don’t have a time limit.
- If you need larger collaboration for web & mobile marketing, then you can choose the best plan for eCommerce purposes at a small price. You can host 1000 participants and 10,000 viewers in a meeting.
Yes, it is true that Zoom is being extensively used by a huge number of people but the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has advised the users to be careful about this application [1].
It is not safe to use Zoom because the application makes users vulnerable to cyber threats and leakage of sensitive office data in the hands of criminals. If you have no other option, then prevent all unauthorized entry in video conference calls. It will help in restricting malicious activities.
Still, we suggest you use the other 5 conference calling and collaboration software instead of Zoom.
These are the most used video conferencing software for e-commerce, digital marketing, and social media marketing collaboration and other business purposes. Have you used any one of them? Let us know your thoughts at Skyram Technologies here.
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