What is a webinar & How Does it work?
What is a webinar, exactly? And how does it work? A webinar is a live event or virtual event: a seminar, a client meeting, an instructional presentation, or even a live stream of a concert.
Although webinars have been around since the early 90s, they have become increasingly popular as of 2020.
You can use webinar presentations for business, education, as well as entertainment. Imagine being able to conduct business from anywhere. Plus, you can even make money streaming!
Webinars are the voice of the future!
You may still be wondering what webinars are exactly? And how do webinars work? In this post, we’ll answer those questions and give you tips on making the most of your next webinar experience.
What is a webinar?
Webinars are a powerful and effective way to connect with large groups of people in a virtual environment. Whether you are aiming to host a live event, educational training, or broadcast a presentation, a webinar is a versatile tool.
Webinar Benefits
A webinar plays an important role in business today, as it is a way to communicate. You can use webinars to connect and stay connected to your customers and partners. You can also use webinars to drive leads and increase brand awareness. Plus, did we mention they are free?
Most organizations already use online meeting tools, but there is an ocean of alternative webinar ideas besides just virtual meetings. Given the ever-changing world of technology, most businesses recognize the importance of utilizing online tools to stay connected.
But even in our digitally connected world, face-to-face meetings with customers and clients remain one of the most effective ways to communicate. However, while traditional meetings continue to be a standard practice for many organizations. New webinar technologies are opening up even more opportunities for businesses to connect with their audiences and promote their products or services.
Live Webinars
Set up a livestream to educate your clients on your business, or to teach people how to use your product. Rather than selling your product and letting the customer figure it out, you can offer support before, during and after their purchase.
During a livestream, you can show your webinar attendees your product and how it works. You can then answer any questions potential buyers might have. Once an item is purchased, make sure to follow up with shipping details and expectations and offer to send promotional emails for other relevant products in the future. This effective way of communicating can lead to increased sales and a loyal customer base.
If you are selling to other businesses, use a webinar to show your unique selling points and why they should choose you above the competition.
Webinar Online Training
An online event or webinar can also be used to educate your team, or your employees in real time. It can be a briefing on how many sales were made the previous month, any updates regarding your business, and goals to improve over the next period. Alternatively, it can be an engaging conversation to learn about experiences of people in different positions in the company, in order to continue to improve your business over time.
As more and more companies are turning to online training and courses, it is clear that these methods are an effective way to engage and educate employees. Whether you choose live classes or asynchronous coursework, there are many options available for training your team effectively.
For those who prefer a more traditional classroom setting, you can set up live webinars for your employees to attend. This allows everyone to benefit from the knowledge of a trained professional or expert, with the added bonus of face-to-face interaction for questions or clarification. And for those who need a more flexible option, you can offer certified courses available at any time. These are ideal for anyone with busy schedules or who would prefer to study independently when it is convenient.
At the end of the day, whichever method you choose, it is important to keep in mind that employee training should be tailored to the needs of your team. By investing in their education, you are helping them achieve their full potential and grow as professionals. So whether you choose online courses, virtual classrooms, one-on-one mentoring sessions– go forth and train! After all, with great knowledge comes great success.
How To Prepare For Your First Webinar
If you’re thinking about hosting a webinar, or have been asked to present one, it’s important to be prepared. To prepare for your first webinar, it is important to do your research and learn from the experiences of others. Take a look at these webinar statistics.Before you join a webinar, be sure to try out a few different ones to get an idea for how they’re run and which techniques work best when engaging your target audience. Make sure to take notes, such as:
- Which platform is used, how did you find the Webinar and how was it promoted beforehand?
- How many people are presenting and what is their tone (formal/informal)?
- Are any props being used (slides, website links, videos, graphics)?
- What happened when the webinar finished (wrap-up email, invite for next webinar)?
Webinar Checklist
You are hopefully excited to host your own webinar once you have gained an understanding of how webinars work and the potential they have.
Preparation may differ depending on the type of webinar you’re hosting. However, there is a simple process you can follow to avoid forgetting anything.
1. Set a goal for your webinar
Set a goal for your webinar. With so many ways of communicating your message, it is important that you focus on the goal at hand. For example:
If your goal is to train your staff, an online meeting where you present might be sufficient.
When you’re aiming to sell your product to investors, your speech and tone should be different and you may have to create some graphics to support your pitch.
When trying to sell to potential customers, make sure to include visuals in your presentation and include a Q&A moment where people can ask questions.
2. Choose a platform
Choose a platform on which your Webinar will be held. This will greatly depend on the type of content you are wanting to communicate, so research some different options before deciding on one.
3. Invite your audience
Invite your audience (you may need to create a client base first) and make sure they have everything they need once the webinar starts. Think of a link to the webinar, login details (if required), any materials they might need (if you’re talking about a product you offer, make sure attendees can access information about this product before and during the event).
4. Prepare your presentation materials.
This can be a PowerPoint presentation, a fully prepared speech, or just some simple bulletpoints to cover during the event. Don’t forget to promote the webinar ahead of time and send reminders to your audience. In some cases, you may want people to rsvp for the event.
5. Be accessible
Make sure the platform and all your materials are relevant and easily accessible to your audience. Think of your ideal customer and make sure everything is adapted to meet the intellect and expectations of this persona.
6. Provide valuable content
Show how you stand out from the competition
If applicable to your target group and webinar platform, create engaging content to keep people interested
7. Introduce a co-host
Offer support before, during and after the webinar
Include a question section where the audience can ask questions
Set up your “movie set” ahead of time and test your camera, microphone, powerpoint and anything else you might need during your livestream to make sure it’s ready to go.
8. Have fun!
There’s nothing less attractive than a boring lecture, so make sure you appear energetic, have fun content and offer an interactive experience (depending on your audience).
When the Webinar is over
Congratulations, you presented your first online event! However, you’re not quite done yet. After your webinar is finished, make sure you reflect on how it went. Don’t just focus on the numbers (how many people attended), but more on how attendees behaved. Did they stay for the entire webinar and did they show interest? In short, was your audience engaged with your content? Take notes on what you can improve next time and maybe on which things to scratch. After all, practive makes perfect!
Still looking for inspiration for your livestream? Check out these 13 fun and creative live stream ideas.
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