It’s not an “or” question; it’s the classic; what’s the most appropriate tool for me to use to support the delivery of my content?
So why does CPS use GoToWebinar to deliver its webinars? The first clue is in the name of the product. It’s been honed over the years to offer a complete solution for managing and hosting webinars. I have used GoToWebinar since 2012, and it’s my go-to (pun intended) solution that delivers exactly what’s required in a simple and easy to use package.
The heart of this “or” is that GoToWebinar is an excellent tool for managing the complete lifecycle of the event – from invitation to follow-up. Teams is a perfect tool for meetings, and Teams live events are great for 1-to-many events.
Teams live events is an extension of Teams meetings, enabling users to broadcast video and meeting content to a large online audience. These are meant for one-to-many communications where the event's host is leading the interactions, and audience participation is primarily to view the content shared by the host. The attendees can watch the live or recorded event in Yammer, Teams, and/or Stream and interact with the presenters using moderated Q&A or a Yammer conversation.
CPS can set up webinars and make the sign-up link available in minutes. As the date of the event comes closer, various dashboards can be reviewed to understand sign-up volumes. Once the event has concluded, you can understand who attended and didn’t and automate email feedback afterwards. I can also post a recording of the event and make that link available.
Some of the items in the paragraph above can be achieved with Teams – the significant difference is that the book ends – setting up an event and tracking sign-up – followed by post-event statistics, including how much time people spent with GoToWebianr as the primary application they were viewing.
This is where Teams / Team live events and GoToWebinar have a blurred use case. Sure, I can set up a Teams meeting and add individuals; what I don’t get is the ability for people to sign-up for a Teams meeting. I have to do more work. Team live events are different and provide some additional post-meeting data, just not the comprehensive way GoToWebinar provides.
One super helpful item is that GoToWebinar Pro and Plus enables you to stream video to your attendees. This is a great way to run webinars with additional engaging content, not just the usual “PowerPoint / live demo” approach.
In summary
- GoToWebinar does precisely what it says and delivers an end to end solution suited to marketing and sales teams delivering one to many webinars.
- Teams is an excellent tool for bringing teams together and working collaboratively. I could use it for running webinars; it’s just not as complete a solution.
- Teams live events is closer to the webinar part of GoToWebinar; again, it’s just not as complete a solution.
Facts and opinions correct as of 06 April 2020
Author
Christopher has close to over 25 years of experience in Project Portfolio Management. His experience ranges from advisory services to deployment and training. He now focuses on delivering CPS' objectives to help customers of all sizes innovate and transform their business.
