Webinar – a method of communication of the present and the future

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15 min read
Webinar – a method of communication of the present and the future
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The popularity of webinars has skyrocketed in recent years, and for good reason. Marketing webinars, for example, have an impressive conversion rate of over 39%, while research shows that up to 40% of webinar attendees turn into qualified leads.

No matter how big or small your business is, you need to host regular webinars if you want to be successful. However, if the thought of creating or hosting a webinar has left you scratching your head in confusion, don’t worry. This helpful guide is written to tell you everything you need to know about webinars for your business, including a step-by-step process to quickly and easily create your own, even if you’re on a tight budget.

What is a webinar?

Webinar – a webinar, derived from the words “Internet” and “seminar”, is a video event, presentation, lecture or seminar that is and is held exclusively in the Internet using webinar software and complete with an online audience. They are also sometimes referred to as “webcasts”.

They are often used by businesses and organizations to exchange ideas and news. Visual elements are transmitted through an Internet browser or web conferencing tool, while audio elements can be transmitted through the speakers of a computer or phone. During the presentation, the presenter can share PowerPoint presentations, multimedia content, web pages, and more. In addition, participants can answer and ask questions in real time, creating a collaborative environment.

Webinars allow creators to spread messages that are not limited to the visitor’s location, helping to achieve many goals – from building brand authority to building relationships. While they save you the hassle of renting a physical venue, they have their own set of requirements that can be difficult, such as choosing the right venue, the right software, and providing good sound quality.

Andrey Popov | Dreamstime

What is the purpose?

Companies can host webinars for a variety of purposes, such as:

  • Position as an expert and thought leader. A webinar gives you the opportunity to put yourself or someone from your organization on a virtual pedestal. When a webinar is full of useful information and delivered in a professional manner, it can help your brand gain the trust, respect, and confidence of attendees.
  • To help attract new quality customers. While leads can be generated in a variety of ways, it can be difficult to find quality leads that can convert. However, by hosting a webinar on a topic that is relevant to your business, you will have the opportunity to make a lasting impression on attendees who have already shown interest in your business’ area of ​​expertise. It takes a higher level of commitment and engagement than just clicking a link or downloading an asset in exchange for their email address.
  • To tell your target audience about a topic they want to learn more about, especially one that helps them overcome a problem or achieve their greatest desire. This is possible thanks to the ability of the webinar to include slides, invited experts, chat boxes for questions and more, which makes the learning process easier.
  • To demonstrate the features of a product or service and their benefits. This is especially useful when a company is launching a new product or service, or even updating an existing product or service.
  • To instruct how a product or service works and how to use it. Webinars can get your audience interested in buying products and services, or even upgrading to premium features, as they allow you to showcase, rather than just tell them, the value of your product or service.
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Why host a webinar?

Webinars have many benefits for your business, each of which we will discuss in more detail below.

  1. Allows you to keep up with the big leagues: Major companies such as LinkedIn, Harvard, and Procter and Gamble host regular webinars, both internally and externally, as part of a multifaceted approach to management and communication. They reap the success of webinars, and you can too – no matter the size or budget of your business.
  2. Connect with audiences around the world: Webinars are viewed online from anywhere in the world, allowing audiences from different geographical regions to connect in real time, regardless of their time zone. This greatly increases your potential reach as audience members are no longer limited by time and place.
  3. Interact directly with real people: Brands prefer the live nature of a webinar, but additional interaction tools such as chat boxes, polls, etc. allow you to interact directly with your audience in real time. This allows you to test viewer reactions to your content as the webinar unfolds, rather than after.
  4. Saves time and money: Hosting a physical event can be expensive, but virtual events eliminate the need for travel, food, and printing costs. The low cost of hosting webinars makes them extremely beneficial for businesses of all sizes, and they can be quickly and easily set up with no special skills required.
  5. Education Promotion: Promotion business webinars educate your audience on why your products or services are worth buying and therefore provide value and also aim to sell. When your webinar content focuses on identifying the needs of your audience that your proposal can satisfy, as well as explaining why and how they can do this, you dramatically increase your chances of success.
  6. Position yourself as an expert: Webinars are considered a valuable content offering, so when you host them on a topic you are particularly good at, you immediately position yourself as an expert in that niche. Even if your webinar is free, people are essentially “paying” with their time, which means they’re willing to make that kind of sacrifice to learn from you.
  7. Effective for learning: Webinars are also incredibly versatile, meaning you don’t have to create them for the target client. They can also be used within an organization to train employees or teach them additional knowledge. All this can be offered in person, virtually. This means employees can follow a topic from the comfort of their home or office elsewhere. Webinar replays also allow them to access information again when needed.
  8. Build brand awareness: Online events like webinars are a great way to engage your audience and increase their interest, making them ideal for building awareness of your brand, products, and services. They allow you to make a statement about your brand and discuss things like your values, purpose, and what sets you apart from the competition.
  9. Expand Reach with Reusable Content: You can record your webinar for reuse or later, helping you further expand your initial reach and save time creating additional content. A recorded webinar can also be used as a lead magnet or gated content type, which means people must first provide their information or pay to view the webinar, which will increase your leads or sales.

Types of webinars

You can host many types of webinars, including:

  • Educational Webinar: Allows the host to showcase their expertise and educate the audience on a specific topic. These are the most common types of webinars.
  • Audience-focused (Q&A): The content of the webinar is determined by the needs of the audience on a particular topic. It is the role of the facilitator to answer these questions.
  • Panel Discussion: Allow a group of subject matter experts or influencers to participate in a webinar together, each presenting their own knowledge and insights. The moderator acts as facilitator and leads the discussion.
  • Master Class: The webinar is staged, with the host guiding the audience through a specific project or task using either screen sharing or a slide presentation method.
  • Meetings: Although less common, companies with a large number of employees working from remote locations or with offices in different geographical locations can also use webinar software for internal meetings.
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How webinars work

So how does a webinar work? Good question, and luckily you’ll learn from this section of the guide that things aren’t all that complicated, and all you need is:

Find reliable webinar software

Webinar software is vital as it allows these interactive online events to be delivered to a global audience. When choosing webinar software, consider the following:

  • How big will your audience be as the software needs to be able to handle that amount of traffic.
  • What features or integrations do you need, such as replays, phone calls, calls to action or whiteboard, or calendar or email integration.
  • How much you’re willing to spend on webinar software based on the plan’s benefits, or what might be more affordable based on the webinar price.
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Schedule a webinar

Once you’ve chosen your webinar software, it’s time to set a date and time for your online event. It’s pretty simple, just consider different time zones and pick a day that works for a wide range of people, especially your target audience.

Create the right webinar content for your attendees

This is a very important step, if not the most important. Content is king, and if your content doesn’t benefit your target audience by addressing some of their major pain points or issues, then it will be difficult to convince them that your webinar is worth their time. To make sure your webinar content is relevant and engaging to your target audience, there are a few things you should do before hosting a webinar.

  • Define your webinar goals. Start by defining a clear set of goals for yourself and your audience. In doing so, you create the beginning of a successful webinar by clearly detailing everything you want to achieve with your presentation.
  • Determine the value of your webinar. Refer to the purpose of your webinar for your target audience and how its value differs from other webinars. This is an important aspect of creating a successful presentation, as it encourages your audience to want to attend and prepares them for what’s to come during your event.
  • Select a topic for the webinar. Whether your webinar is about selling a product or learning a skill, by focusing on a topic, you can design the rest of the webinar accordingly to meet the needs of the topic and get your message across effectively.
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Promote your webinar as early and often as possible

Promoting your webinar frequently and well in advance is a good way to attract attendees. You want information about you to spread through social media and marketing on your site. By doing this early on, attendees will be able to properly prepare and prioritize for your event. To successfully promote your webinar, you need to:

  • Create a hashtag for your webinar. Creating a hashtag is one of the simplest yet effective marketing tools to spread the word about your webinar online across multiple platforms. Hashtags serve two main purposes. First, they allow you to organize all of your promotional, informational, and marketing content under one heading. Secondly, you can encourage your audience to also post using your hashtag to promote your webinar and get more attendees.
  • Create a registration landing page. The landing page is where you encourage your audience to sign up for your webinar. This is where you will include all the details they need to know in order to prepare them for their upcoming presentation. An important detail to keep in mind is to include the speaker bio on the registration page. It should be short but effective because this is where your audience will evaluate the level of knowledge offered in your presentation. This is a good opportunity to show your audience why you are qualified to speak and educate on this topic.
  • Place the banner prominently on your website or blog at least a week before the scheduled date. Banner placement allows you to advertise your webinar in advance to generate more interest and anticipation for your event. Advertise the event on your banner with a sense of urgency using tools like countdown timers and a call to action using phrases like “join today”. Don’t forget to link directly to your registration landing page for easy registration.
  • Send out webinar invitations for registration. Be sure to stay up to date with potential attendees who have expressed interest in participating in your webinar but have not yet registered. Be active with your audience and send out invitations to register for the webinar as a reminder to them.
  • Send confirmation emails to potential members. After your members register, be sure to send a confirmation email right away. This should include all the details of the event as well as the technical requirements they will need to participate in the event so they can prepare in advance.
  • Send email reminders the day before or on the day of the event. Send out reminders with a link to the webinar before the event. This is a useful way to make sure your attendees are ready for the webinar. An extremely important detail to include is any software they may need to download in order to participate, as well as internet connection requirements. This will ensure the live streaming of the event with minimal technical interruptions on their part and ensure a hassle-free and smooth online experience overall.

Do a practice run

It is extremely important to do a test run of the webinar as this will help you anticipate any issues that may arise on the day of the actual webinar. In this way, you will be able to solve any technical problems so that your webinar is professional and runs smoothly.

Andrey Popov | Dreamstime

Once you’ve chosen your webinar software, scheduled your webinar date and time, planned your content, promoted your webinar in advance, and done a test run, it’s time to get your webinar up and running.

How to host a webinar?

Here are 7 tips for running a successful webinar:

  1. Connect to the Internet using a cable (must have an uninterrupted connection). For the best possible Internet connection, connect to your router with a cable. Since the Wi-Fi connection can be somewhat unreliable, using this method will ensure a smooth and uninterrupted online presentation.
  2. Use interactive tools such as desktop sharing to display digital graphs, tables, keynotes and images. Having a strong visual component of your webinar can enhance your presentation. Since many people learn visually, use technology and prepare visual aids. Also, for the presenter, having visual aids can help your presentation run smoothly and coherently, ultimately creating a better learning environment for your audience.
  3. Start by introducing yourself in an interesting way. It is always a good idea to briefly introduce yourself and explain why you are an expert in this field. Reach out to your audience and show them that you were once just as inexperienced in this area, but over time, with the right education and training, you have become an expert in this area. This helps confirm their decision to join the webinar and sets them up to give you their undivided attention throughout the event.
  4. Speak passionately about what you represent. If you expect your audience to be excited about your content, you should reflect that during your presentation. Be passionate about the topic you are talking about because it will ultimately reflect on your audience and how they absorb the information you convey to them. Your audience has dedicated their time to your webinar and you should devote the same amount of energy to making sure their experience is the best you can give.
  5. Make relevant comments throughout the webinar. Make sure it sounds personable and respectful. You are by no means a robot, and while reading the script will help speed up your presentation, stepping back is also a good way to keep things interesting. It can be as simple as talking about your personal experience on the topic under discussion or a little joke. This will not only captivate your audience but also help them make a personal connection to further understand the subject.
  6. Answer all questions and all comments. Be sure to answer all questions and concerns. Take this opportunity to refine and dig deeper and share as much knowledge as possible.
  7. Ask your audience for feedback. Constructive criticism is the key to improving your webinar in the future. If you are new to the webinar world, feedback is extremely important in improving your presentation skills and eliminating any mishaps that may have occurred during your webinar.
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Now that you’ve learned everything there is to know about webinars and how to create and host them for your business, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice.

Remember that webinars offer a wide range of benefits for businesses of all sizes, including the fact that they’re easy and cost-effective to create, increase brand awareness, help you reach a wider target audience, and more. All you need is webinar software (free or paid), a device with an internet connection, audio input, and video recording capability. If you need help writing a webinar script or presentation, or if you need a webinar host, get help from a professional independent contractor.
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