Ever since the COVID pandemic took its toll on the business world, people have grown accustomed to shifting business processes to digital and remote formats.
This has transformed the traditional webinar from an occasional corporate indulgence into an important productivity process.
So, the question is, what are webinars today and how can you make the most of them in 2023?
The 411 on Webinars
The word "webinar" is a mashup of "web" and "seminar."
It is a forum made up of whatever channels, apps, websites, or software you choose in order to create a video conferencing type of event.
The important difference between a webinar and your typical online conference is a webinar is typically more information dense.
In a typical conference, we expect to have audio and visual capabilities, sometimes with a few extra features.
Conferences tend to be casual, without any formal presentations to be performed.
What Are They?
In a webinar setting, we typically do have more formal, pre-written presentations, and information to express in the form of graphics, screen sharing, video, and audio.
There is also the potential for interactive features.
In short, a webinar is a more formal and more presentation-oriented format.
The definition, according to Webster's Dictionary is:
-
Webinar Definition: "A live online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments."
The educational aspects and robust information sharing of webinars are what make them distinct.
Why Use Webinar Platforms?
The benefits of webinars will overlap quite a bit with those of online conferencing, but a webinar setting is richer in features and capabilities.
The functional bandwidth of webinar platforms also tends to be greater, allowing you to interact with and instruct a larger audience.
That's just the start.
Webinar Benefits
The benefits of a good webinar begin and end with the overall enrichment of the online content of your organization. It brings interactivity to the fore with robust teaching, learning, and information-sharing capabilities.
Establish Authority
Web seminars are perfectly suited to creating and presenting information in an authoritative and compelling way.
Boost Reach
Because bandwidth availability is superior with good webinar platforms, you can speak to and draw in larger, wider audiences.
Improve Engagement
With the higher quality format and interactive options, your messaging will be more engaging and more interesting.
Add Value To Branding
A webinar setting is the ideal place to demonstrate the value of your branding message to your workforce, partners, leads, and more.
In the information age, interaction is key to good brand messaging.
Generate High-Quality Leads
Holding webinars for potential clients and customers gives you the chance to add personality to your unique value proposition.
Put on demonstrations, show stats and graphs, and answer all of their questions immediately and personally.
Build Trust
Webinars let you bring a human element to your message.
The human face is the best value-producer for any audio/video presentation.
Further, a webinar is the next best thing there is to being there in person—in some ways, it's better.
Better Business Relationships
Webinars are the best way to build personal relationships with your partners.
Demonstrate how you will bring value to your partnership and get the same in return.
Accessible
Webinars are accessible to anyone with a good internet connection and a decent computer, smartphone, or tablet.
Where time, distance, and cost have kept people and groups from gathering, webinar technology breaks those barriers down.
Affordable
Webinars are an inexpensive and eco-friendly alternative to having tens, hundreds, or thousands of people physically travel to a single location.
Forget renting out expensive conference centers with catering, event staff, and organizational experts.
In cases where you offer access for a fee, the low cost of webinars can be, at the very least, offset.
In some cases, you may even make a profit from your presentations.
Scalable
There is virtually no limit to the number of people or the size of the audiences that you can address in a webinar setting.
While it is true that those limits will be based on bandwidth and the features of the webinar platform you use, additional bandwidth can be obtained with higher-level subscription packages and cloud hosting options.
This means that whatever value one service level brings you, investing in broader accessibility can boost that ratio even more.
When To Use Them?
Web meetings are great, and webinar services do not make them obsolete.
However, there is a time and use for both.
You should leverage the power of webinars when you want to present complex information to a large audience.
When the information you have to present requires control and multi-media capabilities, a webinar platform can give you an important edge.
You will be in charge of the conversation, drive decision-making, and have the ability to take input from your audience when and how you prefer.
Best for:
- Large audiences of to up 50,000 attendees
- Council meetings
- Entertainment events
- Virtual seminars and conferences
Criteria for Creating an Effective & Engaging Webinar
Just as with any information-sharing endeavor, your first consideration should be who your target audience is, how to bring them to your presentation, and how to style your message to suit their wants and needs.
Who Is Your Target Audience?
The first thing you need to know is who you intend to talk to.
If this is a webinar for your workforce, that is less of an issue.
If you're targeting potential clients, customers, investors, or partners, then you have got to direct your outreach efforts appropriately.
- What are their pain points?
- What do they want, need, or crave?
- Are they looking for a specific business solution, product, or service? If so, then people with those needs are your audience.
So, your first goal is to draw them in with the promise of a solution to their needs.
Once they arrive, you need to deliver.
How To Attract Your Target Audience
Your target audience/s will not only have specific needs / pain points, but they will also have a personality, a lifestyle, and a point of view.
The larger your audience, the more these things will vary among the total group.
You need to do some marketing research and isolate and profile your target audience and its segments.
Once you have their personality profiles down, you need to craft language and a presentation style that they will find agreeable.
Make no mistake: that is a big task.
Style Your Messaging Appropriately
In addition to the forms of rhetoric you use, the style of the spoken portions of your presentations, the theme, color palettes, layout, and format of your presentations need to be amenable to your target audiences as well.
This is where your branding choices can really shine.
Webinar Best Practices
So far we've talked about everything you need to know about webinars except for making the right choices in terms of technology and crafting your message format.
Pick The Right Webinar Software
Even in the same software category, some products will suit certain individuals and others won't.
That means it's best to take the time to shop around and find the webinar platform that's right for you.
With the right tools and technology to suit your needs and your user style, you will be empowered with the ability to create engaging presentations and content for the audiences that matter to you most.
Build An Effective Presentation
This part is up to you.
You will need to use all of your creative skills to develop a presentation flow and style that will be both effective and engaging.
Activate Webinar Recording
Don't make the mistake of not recording your sessions.
Your presentations and interactions will be excellent informative resources in the future.
You can use the webinar sessions you host to fill out video content sections on your website.
With some video editing skills, you'll be able to offer video content that is authentic and informative.
Plan Subsequent Webinars In Advance
When your presentations go well, your audience will look forward to future sessions.
They will come with better-informed comments and questions.
Plus, you will have begun to create a relationship with your audience that you can build on.
Test Your Content
It may be helpful to run test webinars with trusted colleges, friends, or partners.
This can be especially useful if you don't have much experience in live online communications.
It is also a great way to boost your confidence.
Check For Tech Issues & Bugs
There's a lot that can go wrong with online communications, especially when audio/video, interactive elements, and multiple participants are part of the equation.
It's best to test your sessions with trusted partners to make sure things will go smoothly.
Choose The Right Time
Your target audience is likely to be more receptive and available on certain days of the week and times of the day.
Consider publishing polls or sending emails to scout out optimal scheduling.
Craft A Persuasive Registration Page
Your sign-up page should be easy to find and it should present the value points your audience can expect to enjoy simply and effectively.
Send Out Reminders
A good webinar will be planned well in advance.
You will need to make sure everyone has the chance to set aside time.
This is mostly a courtesy, but it shows good faith and will boost attendance numbers.
Don't forget that you also need to promote your webinar.
Add Q&As
Often, question and answer sessions are especially popular.
It gives your audience the chance to be heard.
It demonstrates that you care about the thoughts, feelings, and needs of your audience, and it helps ensure your message is clear.
Follow Up
After a good webinar, be sure to reach out with emails or phone calls.
Let your audience know you appreciate their attention and encourage them to look for future installments.
How To Build A Webinar Strategy
It's important to understand that your webinars represent an informational journey that your audience will take in order to make the decision or gain the skills you have in mind.
Guide them down the decision funnel with relevant, timely, and compelling content.
The best webinar service providers will have a useful webinar strategy template to help you out in the creation phase.
Marketing & Promotion Tips
Spreading awareness of your webinars is not a one-time thing.
Be ready to lay the groundwork for your presentations, and follow up with reminders and exclusive content that make your audience feel that they are part of the conversation.
Pre-Webinar
- Know your audience.
- Use effective social media outreach.
- Prioritize your landing pages.
- Consider a virtual/in-person hybrid format.
Post-Webinar
- Be mobile-friendly.
- Keep your blog relevant with updates.
- Encourage employee advocacy.
- Deploy an effective email campaign.
- Offer incentives.
- Include showcase speakers.
Conclusion
Having the tools and the skills to put together compelling webinar experiences for your audience is like a superpower.
You will be bringing potentially massive groups together for a common purpose.
In the best-case scenario, you will create a clear path to a win-win situation for everyone.
Learn more about creating winning webinar strategies with LX Studio’s 5-step process to supercharge your webinars!
