Webinarjam versus Zoom:
Which Is Best for B2B Marketers?
Choosing the Right Digital Event Platform
Finding the right platform to scale your webinar program is priority #1 in shaping your strategy. You need a platform that is easy to use for organizers, intuitive and engaging for attendees, and fits nicely into your existing tech stack. Itâs a tall order.
If youâre here, youâve likely narrowed it down to two options: Zoom versus WebinarJam. Both platforms can be a solid solution depending on your webinar goals. So whatâs the best webinar software?
Weâre here to help by breaking down the pros and cons of each tool and introducing you to a new option that might not be on your radar yet. Letâs get to it!
WebinarJam versus Zoom
Hereâs a quick breakdown of the features and functionality offered by each SaaS platform and how they compare.
WebinarJam
WebinarJam is a browser-based webinar platform used by over 50,000 businesses across 40 industries. The all-in-one webinar software allows organizers to host events with up to 6 presenters and up to 5,000 attendees.
WebinarJam currently offers a 14-day trial, and the pricing plans start at $39/month. Marketers will probably prefer the enterprise plan, which allows a larger number of attendees, more hosts, and a full control panel.
Despite the glossy positioning, WebinarJam is known for putting event planners and organizers into their own jams. While the tool is functional for 1:many, broadcast-style events, the platform struggles to scale with larger events. Letâs dive into the full WebinarJam review.
Standard engagement features
Engagement is an important part of webinar management, and WebinarJam delivers. The webinar platform offers table-stakes audience engagement through live chat, private chat, polls, and Q&A.
Automated recordings
One of WebinarJamâs strongest features is its automated recordings. Not only does the tool record, host, and replay webinar sessions, the platform recreates the event engagement. Things like chat comments, questions, etc., will show up as the session is watched. This is a great experience for webinar attendees.
Registration page builder
Another strong suit of WebinarJam is the plug-and-play webinar registration page builder. This allows marketers to easily add text, images, videos, etc., to a landing page. The system even supports A/B testing for conversation optimization.
Ability to organize both live and pre-recorded webinars
Live? Pre-recorded? Why not both? Livestorm allows organizers to host live events, play a pre-recorded webinar, or do a mix of both. This gives event planners the freedom and flexibility to plan dynamic content experiences.
Organizer control
WebinarJam offers flexible scheduling and the ability to reuse event templates. This adds speed and efficiency to webinar programming. The platform also offers a âpanicâ button should organizers hit any snags during a live event.
Not built for large virtual or hybrid events
As the name suggests, WebinarJam does not support large virtual or hybrid events. The software is limited to webinars, which makes it difficult to scale the platform across teams and use cases. This is a concern if you prefer consolidated tools that can be shared internally.
Complex set-up process
Many reviews mention that setting up a webinar was complex and clunky. This might require additional training to really nail and make it difficult to onboard new users, speakers, and moderators.
Lackluster customer support
The most significant gripe against WebinarJam? Many folks mentioned slow response and resolution times for support during live webinars. It seems even the âpanicâ button isnât enough to get people the help they need in real-time, which adds even more stress to an already stressful situation.
Limited integrations
If integrations are essential to connecting your MarTech ecosystem, WebinarJam might not be the best fit. The platform lacks the deep, native integrations required for automation and connection across other tools.
App required for mobile viewing
While WebinarJam does offer a solution for mobile-friendly viewing, it requires a mobile app download. There is no responsive viewing option. This could be a concern for event accessibility.
Limited branding and customization
Many marketers mention that WebinarJam is limited when it comes to building beautifully branded events. The platform lacks the flexibility to make a webinar room that looks and feels like your brand.
The Details: WebinarJam Pros & Cons
To summarize, hereâs a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of WebinarJam.
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Zoom
Next, letâs talk about Zoom. Who hasnât heard of Zoom? The virtual conferencing platform picked up major steam during the Pandemic as many teams scrambled to find a virtual event platform. The transition was natural because so many teams already used Zoom for team meetings! And to Zoomâs credit, they offer reliable streams and high video quality.
But just because something is easy doesnât make it the right choice for every business need. While Zoom now offers a webinar package, the platform itself still works best for one-way broadcast-style events. The integrations are limited and inhibit automation and the ability to track and prove event ROI. And webinars look and feel like another Zoom call â not a webinar.
Though the standard Zoom product offers a free plan, the webinar package offers a basic plan starting at $690/year/license and an events plan starting at $890/year/license. Letâs take a look at the full Zoom webinar review.
Familiar and easy-to-use
Since Zoom is already a popular platform, most folks wonât need any training to get up and running. This also applies to attendees â the experience is familiar, and most folks know what to expect and how to use the platform.
Live stream to media platforms
If reaching a large, global audience is your goal, Zoom is your friend. The tool allows marketers to live stream to social media platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and more.
A variety of filters and studio effects
Level up your virtual video production with built-in tools. Zoom offers studio effects like fun filters, backgrounds, and more, which is especially handy for at-home recording.
Post-webinar surveys
Zoom supports post-event surveys in a variety of formats. Organizers can choose from single-choice, multichoice, a star rating, or open-ended questions. This makes it easy to solicit attendee feedback in a flash.
Standard engagement features
Event organizers can get a pulse on the audience through built-in engagement features like live chat, reaction, screen sharing, and polls. While theyâre not best-in-class, they get the job done.
No custom CTAs or content
Do you use webinars for demand generation? If so, know that Zoom can limit your ability to drive leads from your events. The platform doesnât support custom CTAs or embedding relevant content, like handouts and one-pagers. While organizers can share links and content in the chat, the platform doesnât collect this data for lead scoring.
App download required for mobile viewing
A flaw of many webinar platforms, Zoom events are not responsive or mobile-friendly. Attendees must download the Zoom app to attend and even on their phone or tablet.
Limited networking and interaction
Zoom webinars are designed for events that do not require much interaction. While attendees can live chat during the events, the platform doesnât offer networking rooms or peer-to-peer messaging to foster connections.
Limited branding and customization
Zoom webinars look and feel like a Zoom video. This is a huge barrier for brands looking to customize the look and feel of the experience and can feed the âZoom fatigue.â
Essential features only available on enterprise plan
Zoom webinar packages do not have essential webinar features like breakout rooms, which is limiting if youâre hosting a large webinar or community event designed for networking.
Not built for B2B marketers
Zoom is a great webinar tool for small to mid-sized organizations and educational institutions. However, it is not the best webinar platform for B2B marketers. It lacks the customization and integrations to create memorable experiences that drive pipeline and revenue.
The Details: Zoom Pros & Cons
To summarize, hereâs a simplified chart that outlines the top pros and cons of Zoom.
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Goldcast: The Revenue-Driven Event Marketing Platform
Looking to run a digital event that will engage your B2B audience and drive pipeline? Look no further than Goldcast. Top B2B brands like 1Password, Mailchimp, Lattice, Drift, Salesloft, and others use Goldcast to power their digital events. With Goldcast, you can easily set up and run high-quality digital events that provide a great experience for attendees while also driving pipeline.
Your sales team will have access to actionable analytics and real-time insights through our native CRM integrations. We make it easy for you to run pipeline-driving events.
Proven results
Rate
every month
That was the best partâwe made the decision to pivot on a Friday, and I didnât have to work or stress over it on the weekend. I knew that Iâd be able to move the whole event into Goldcast on Monday. It wasnât even a concern.
Goldcast was super easy to use compared to other platforms for both our employees as well as our guest speakers
Our MQL goals saw an increase of 20% through Goldcastâs video production capabilities. The experience was super engaging and very modern!
Goldcast enables B2B marketers to create incredible experiences and engage prospects and customers like never before
Flexibility: Goldcast can support a plethora of B2B use cases, which include community events, webinars, product launches, demos, field events, hybrid events, user conferences, and more
Ability to embed CTAs and resources in your event to drive conversions and engagement.
Built-in audience engagement features like chat, polls, and text and video Q&A in a completely customizable interface, which helps keep attendees engaged throughout the event
Enhanced attendee experience through video production tools that include overlays, lower thirds, and tickers for an enhanced attendee experience
Duplicable event templates, making it easy to create, manage, and scale events of any size and complexity
Accessibility: Goldcast makes accessibility simple with captioning, subtitles, and translation in 14+ languages
Actionable insights: in the form of post-event analytics. Organizers have access to 16+ engagement points that are synced into CRMs and MAPs. This allows you to track and measure your event's success as well as get cracking on follow-ups
Seamless integration with your existing MarTech stack: Deep, native integrations with popular marketing tools like HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, and more
Slack + Salesforce integration sends notifications to sales teams when prospects engage in the event, which ensures timely and relevant post-event follow-ups
On-demand access to all recordings within 24 hours
Dedicated customer success team with live customer support for ALL your events
Generous pricing model that allows multiple teams to scale digital events
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily set up and run events of all types and sizes, even if youâre not tech-savvy. Goldcast is fully customizable and supports a variety of use cases, including webinars, community events, product launches, hybrid events, and employee engagement events.
With deep, native CRM and MAP integrations, Goldcast provides you and your sales team with robust analytics. You'll have everything you need to set up and run pipeline-driving events.The white-label support you get with Goldcast is second to none. You can count on us from event set-up to execution and beyond.
Want to see how easily you can start scaling your webinar program?
