It's always a challenge deciding where to invest our business dollars. We know we have to spend money to grow our business, but we can't afford to waste a cent. Web conference software can grow your business, if you understand how to select it.

Often, owners are afraid the service will cost too much. Worse yet, they might get locked into a fee for something that doesn't do what they need. Does this sound like your fears? If so, this article will help.

Web conferencing software is much less expensive than you think. Webex's MeetMeNow prices out to as low as $35 a month for an unlimited number of meetings. The other companies (Cisco, Microsoft) have similar plans.

The trick to deciding whether the finances make sense is to figure out what you'll save. Are you traveling to meetings? Internet web conferencing will save travel dollars. Are you spending a lot on long distance phone calls or cellular minutes? Web conferencing provides a toll-free number for all the participants. When you calculate your savings you'll probably agree that web conferencing software is a good investment.

Now, of course, you have to figure out what features make sense for you. If you've used internet conferencing before you probably already know what you need. If this is new technology to you, I suggest you use one of the free trials to see which of these features make the most sense for you.

Audio Conferencing: Your web conference vendor should provide a toll free number for participants. If possible, they should also allow for VoIP calling (calling over the Internet).

Video Conferencing: Do you have a webcam on your PC? If you like the personalization offered by webcams, many web conference vendors integrate video streaming into their software.

White Board: A shared, online white board is one of my favorite web conferencing features. Meeting participants can work together on an idea, drawing and erasing, just as if they were in the same room.

Annotating Documents: Tired of reading through documents over the phone, or trying to integrate a slew of "track changes" documents? Instead, the group can review and edit documents together.

Meeting Quantity and Size: Plans vary here. Some give you unlimited meetings for a monthly fee. Some are priced per-meeting. Also, the number of participants allowed per meeting may vary. Take a look at the quantity and size of your current meetings to estimate what you'll need in the future.

Now you have an idea of the features and plans available for internet web conferencing. The best way to decide what features will benefit your business is to sign up for a free trial. Give the software a spin and see your productivity grow.

Business Products on our marketplace

Tyler Vaughn used web conference software while employed at a virtual office. Find out more about getting web conference free trials at his website.