Wondering which virtual event platform to choose? We review the key choices to help you make a better decision. This time, welcome to our BigMarker review.
Our BigMarker Review Verdict
BigMarker is a strong webinar tool made for learning and sharing. It can host up to 1,000 attendees. Key features include screen sharing, recording, and audio conferencing. Plus you can integrate a Twitter chat into your live webinar session.
If you’re looking for a tool for your webinars, then BigMarker is a good choice. Beyond the basic webinar, we found BigMarker to be limited.
Prefer video format? Check out our video review.
Our In-depth BigMarker Review Analysis
The idea for BigMarker came from a former employee of Accenture. BigMarker was launched in 2010. It was build to make communication between like-minded people easier. The video conferencing tool isn’t as innovative as one might hope. It comes with standard event features such as file sharing and recording. This is perfectly fine if you’re looking to cover the basics.
BigMarker features include bulletin boards, desktop sharing, and a community calendar. The tool is well-known for their event registration capabilities. This includes email invitations and a meeting page that you can customize. This is not unknown in the event app space. Most webinar tools provide similar services. BigMarker just does an okay job on this level.
Why is this a leader in video conferencing space you ask? Well, for one, they shine with native CRM integrations. The tool integrates easily with the biggest CRM platforms. Among those are SalesForce and HubSpot.
Downloading BigMarker isn’t necessary on a desktop. If you’re using this cloud-based tool, you can use it in your browser. This is an advantage seen in similar tools like Zoom Meeting. However, mobile users do need to download the app first.
Do you still have people dialing in via a normal phone call? BigMarker supports that. Again, similar to Zoom Meeting. Once your attendees are in, they can interact with each other via live chat.
As the event organizer, you can moderate, mute, or block attendees. It includes a feature to record all your webinars. This is usable for your on-demand content after the event. BigMarker is a multi-language platform. This makes it interesting for international companies.
The tool lacks advanced event features. It doesn’t offer break-out sessions. This, among many other missing features, will limit event organizers. It will be a pure webinar, not a virtual experience. The streaming quality and ease of use is of high quality.
BigMarker Review: The Type of Events It Is Designed For
Based on our BigMarker review, it is perfect for large scale webinars.
Like most webinar tools, hosts and attendees communicate via chat. And there are few custom options for speakers and attendees. If interactivity is important, this tool is not the best option.
The tool offers good features to help generate leads from your webinars. It has the webinar tool basics of recording, screen sharing, Q&A, and polls. Plus It supports on-demand content.
In addition, the tool has a range of integration options. Including popular sales and marketing tools.
BigMarker Review of Features
This review is the result of first-hand research of the BigMarker tool.
Event Management
The tool allows invitation sending through Outlook. Plus the chance to promote webinars via social media.
Each webinar has a landing page for registration and marketing. The designed landing page templates are a good starting resource.
The templates only support limited colors and themes. Giving you little choice for registration assets. If design is important you will need another tool for registration. The tool does give the option to embed registration forms on websites.
We found the registration flow to be simple. This allows for fast registration. The fact that they can register on the app, saves time. Allowing you to reach your audience fast.
Users can choose to change email invitations and send text reminders. Plus you can set auto-reminders to make the process easier.
Branding
During this BigMarker review, we found the tool to offer branding. You can add company colors and logo to your webinar. This helps your webinar remain consistent with your brand and business website.
During this review, we found picture resizing to take time. Picture resizing should be automated to save time.
Whiteboarding
Whiteboards are offered for use. A feature which helps with engaging audiences.
Capturing Data
As with other registration set-ups, you can choose the data to collect. This data can then be sent to other marketing tools.
BigMarker has some good lead generation features. Plus the ability to integrate with CRM and marketing tools. This makes it useful for a broad range of webinar marketing tactics.
Mobile Responsive
Launching a webinar through the tool’s interface is simple. The landing page templates are optimized for all devices and screen sizes.
Tracking
The tool allows you to track and measure the performance of your webinars. This gives the data needed to make informed decisions on their webinars. Helping marketers spend their budgets well.
Importing Contacts
Our review found that you can import contacts from a CSV file, Google, or Outlook. You can also sync your webinars with other tools, including Salesforce.
Customizing Emails
Users can choose to change email invitations and send text reminders. Plus you can set auto-reminders to make the process easier.
Social Sharing
You can link your social media account to help with marketing efforts. This feature is available on the free plan.
Selling Tickets
Our BigMarker review found ticketed events to be easy. You can sell tickets or even present users with offers. This makes the tool useful for paid webinars, workshops, and training events.
Recording
If you want to record webinars for later viewing, BigMarker allows that. Storage is on the cloud. So no storage headache with this tool.
The audio and video sync of recordings can be an issue. Especially if you’re not using an updated version of your browser.
Solution support
Support on lower level plans is via chat or email. Enterprise plans do include solution support through the phone. There is an option for operator help during live webinars.
There is a range of tutorials on offer. These are suitable for event planners and speakers.
What Other Reviews Tell Us about BigMarker
Here are the common pros and cons of the tool:
PROS
- Browser launching. Many reviewers love that it launches within a browser. The process of downloading a tool before use is time-consuming.
- Webinars of all sizes. BigMarker reviewers think the tool provides good value. It seems to be suitable for webinars of all sizes.
- New features. Users love the fact that new features get added based on user requests.
CONS
- Confusing interface. Some first-time users found the BigMarker interface quite confusing. The steep learning curve can be a deal-breaker for the not-so-savvy users. But, after using the tool for a while, most users are happy. Once you finish creating the basic webinar, the tool runs smoothly.
- Latency and bandwidth. Issues can occur where the internet is an issue. If you don’t have any ISP concerns, your virtual events will run fine.
- Limited beyond webinars. This tool is not the best for virtual events other than webinars.
- Other webinar solutions offer more engaging experiences. When compared to Adobe Connect, BigMarker lacks key features. Including limited custom options and interactivity.
BigMarker Review of Competitors
According to G2, here are top competitors to BigMarker:
- BlueJeans: 4.3 out of 5
- Livestorm: 4.6 out of 5
- Zoom: 4.5 out of 5
- ON24: 4.2 out of 5 (Read our full review of ON24)
The BigMarker Review Summary
Our BigMarker review found the tool to be a great choice for webinar hosting. The tool is suitable for webinars of all sizes.
When it comes to other virtual events, this tool will struggle. If you need something more engaging and immersive you should look elsewhere.
We also did a video review: check out our BigMarker video review.
Wondering where to get started with virtual events?
- Looking for a virtual event platform? Check out our 2020 virtual event platform comparison guide
- Considering a virtual conference? Read our 2020 virtual conference platform guide
- Thinking about a virtual event RFP? Use our free RFP guide and template to get started.
- Planning for hybrid events? Take a look at our 2020 hybrid event platform guide
Disclaimer: This review is provided by SpotMe. While we are a marketing event management software vendor, our reviews aim to help buyers make better informed decisions by providing honest feedback about the product being reviewed. SpotMe’s reviews are not used to deliberately promote or disparage any software vendor’ products and to the best of our knowledge the information contained herein is recent, relevant and objective.
