Tips for better live webinars
Webinars have become known to a wide audience in recent years. For some, a necessary evil in corona times. For others mainly a new discovery with potential for the further development of their organization.
But why do some succeed and others not? Time for an analysis of the most common mistakes. Or tips to do it better in the future.
Context
What is a webinar?
A webinar is a digital broadcast where participants can follow along with a presentation or show online. In a live webinar, viewers can in many cases forward questions that are answered by the presenter further on in the broadcast. This is an option that is lacking in pre-recorded webinars.
Webinars are used for training, education or lectures. Both to customers and prospects as well as to internal employees. Not for nothing are webinars often used as a digital replacement for traditional classroom training.
Useful or not
Why should I organize webinars?
Webinars are interesting in the first place because your participants no longer have to make a physical move and can therefore literally be scattered all over the world. So, they increase your potential audience enormously.
Because webinars are also recorded live, you have a high-quality recording at your disposal after the broadcast, which you can also use later. As digital teaching material or as a teaser for upcoming editions.
Depending on the chosen webinar platform you get insight into the behavior of your viewers. Did your participants follow the webinar they registered for? And for how long? These insights allow you to work more effectively with your target audience after the event. The data is also useful to apply for accreditation for recognized medical training.
If you go for paid webinars, you can even make money from sharing your expertise.
Webinar tip #1
Focus on your target audience
Who are the ideal audience for your webinar? Which customers do you want to reach? Or is your webinar aimed only at professionals within your field? If so, how familiar are they with the topic of your presentation?
A webinar with impact is one that targets one specific type of participant. The more specifically your broadcast is targeted, the better participants will feel addressed. And the more interested they are in your product or learning benefits of your training.
Is your group too diverse? Consider building a webinar series with modules that each cover one specific aspect.
Do you work internationally? See if you can’t provide a separate webinar by language or country, that way you can become even more relevant.
Webinar tip #2
Choose the right audiovisual technique
For simple webinars, a laptop with a webcam and microphone will suffice. But if you want to make the difference today in the wide range of choice, then that is no longer sufficient.
With an external camera and professional microphone you can already increase the quality a little. If you really want to do it right, you need multiple camera angles and you should think about an appropriate decor.
Do you have multiple speakers who alternately present on a screen? Do you prefer a virtual background or do you think a panel discussion is a better approach? Then opt for a talkshow webinar studio. That way you have endless possibilities at a budget-friendly package price.
Webinar tip #3
Choose the right webinar platform
Indeed, a live broadcast via video conferencing or a tool like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams is usually not the best choice.
A real webinar tool like the French Livestorm or the Dutch WebinarGeek has features for buffered (RTMP) streaming that offers much higher video quality and streaming stability. In addition, you have extensive capabilities for enrollment management, interactivity and viewer behavior analysis.
For larger events with plenary keynote and additionally a series of interactive workshop, a hybrid event solution like Hopin is the right answer.
Webinar tip #4
Go for dynamism and interactivity
Your presentation is relevant and timely. The presenter you’ve provided is a true expert. And yet some viewers are dropping out?
Think about the format and structure of your webinar. Alternate viewpoints, provide a detailed case in the form of a video report or launch a poll in between to gauge the opinion of your audience. Or perhaps end with a short quiz as a summary of the presentations?
Interactivity in webinars is extremely important. Only then will your audience remain captivated and enthusiastic until the very last minute. And afterwards you can look back on a real success.