Table of contents
- What Are Webinars
- How Can Webinars Benefits Your Business
- Tips For Hosting Successful Webinars
Internet and social networking is no longer restricted to only interacting with people we already know. In fact, internet has now given all of us a global reach, allowing us to know, interact and engage with people from all over the world. This has given the biggest advantage to businesses since people can now reach a wider audience for marketing purposes.
As digital marketing is on a roll these days, businesses are realizing the importance of webinars as a means of building strong relationships with their potential or existing stakeholders. Whether it is your supplier, customer, or a potential lead, webinars can be a great way to enhance and establish a good relationship with them.
Webinars can also be a great way of digitally marketing your new start up, especially if you are a small business and have a tight budget. We will tell you all about webinars, their advantages and how to host them effectively in this article.
What is a Webinar
Webinar as the name suggests is a combination of the words “seminar” and “web”. It is an online seminar that does not necessarily require a physical gathering or presence of any parties included in the presentation.
It is an interactive video session that includes real-time presentation of images, text, videos, audios and all kinds of digital content. It uses a particular platform to air the video session, which allows for two-way communication between a host and guest of the webinar as well as the audience.
Webinars are typically meant to be real-time, but can also be recorded. The similarity between recorded and real time sessions is that both have a particular start and end time that the audience must attend the webinar in.
Advanced platforms these days allow host of the webinar to share their screen. They can also share files, quizzes, and follow-up surveys. Some well-reputed, common platforms for webinars include Zoom, Adobe Connect, Google Hangouts Meet, Facebook Live, and YouTube Live. Platforms like Demio and Easy Webinar are paid platforms. Other than a reliable webinar platform you will also require a larger bandwidth and higher speed internet connection. You can check out fiber internet packages and AT&T internet plans to get started with your webinar sessions.
How Can Webinars Benefits Your Business
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Increases your online content
Social media is a great tool used by businesses of all scales for marketing purposes. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube allow you to host a real-time live webinar, and also keep this video on your page once the session is over. You can also record these sessions and add them on your business websites and social media pages. As a result, your digital content will increase, ensuring greater online engagement and traffic on your website and social media. This is just a cost-efficient way of generating more online content.
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Become more credible
Everyone reaches out to Google to learn about a product, a service or a brand they just heard of. Hence, it is imperative for businesses to get online and become digitally existent to be credible enough. If you have a record of successful webinars with industry experts, it will definitely increase your credibility. Plus, with all the hype and engagement, your business will be much easier to find!
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Knowing your customers
Since webinars are an excellent medium of two-way communication, one cannot deny the relationship they can help build with customers. You can host Questions and Answer sessions and answer their queries as well as hear their feedbacks on your product or service. This also acts as a gateway to insightful information about what your customers are like, what they expect from you, and what future strategies will work on them.
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Cost-efficient
The cost benefits of webinars are also commendable. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on these webinars, as they require minimal resources. You will not need to rent a location to host the session, so there’s that too! You get to interact one-on-one, or one-on-many through these sessions without having to spend any money.
Soft sell
Many businesses make the mistake of explicitly using webinars as a means of advertising and marketing their product to increase sales. As a business, you need to be smarter about this and don’t make this mistake.
Webinars should inform and educate the audience about the product, while ensuring that this information and interaction will also sell the product. You must not end your discussion with a sales pitch that directs or pumps up the audience to buy your product or service. Instead, your focus should be on the quality of your webinar’s content. It should be so engaging that the audience becomes intrigued and interested in your product automatically. You can do this by having open conversations about who your product is most suitable for, what should be the cautions (If any) while using it, and the process of manufacturing your product and getting it till customer. Listening and catering to your potential customer’s queries, and welcoming complaints from your existing customers is also an effective way of soft selling through webinars.
Tips For Hosting Successful Webinars
There are some important steps and considerations to take before you actually go ahead and host a webinar. A lot of things can go wrong before, during and after the webinar, which is why thorough planning is a must. Here are a few tips you can use to plan and conduct a successful webinar:
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Choose the right topic
The whole thing depends on your idea, your innovative topic that you will base the whole webinar on. Therefore, you must pick a topic that not only interests your audience, but is also meaningful to you. You must have necessary knowledge about the topic, personal interest and some personal stories surrounding the topic. If not, some research will be necessary. You can also invite guests to the webinar who have relevant expertise or experience.
You need to map out the pain points of your targeted audience. Figure out what are the topics that they will relate to, what is trendy these days, and what your buyers/customers are struggling with.
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Sound quality
Since you will be using audio-visuals means of communication with the audience, your sound quality is very important. You can work alright without the best quality webcam, but without sound, the whole thing would be a waste. Arrange good quality mics, speakers, and have somebody assist you with all the technical sound issues. Having a good and consistent internet connection can also play an imperative role in ensuring that your sound quality is perfect.
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Pre-plan your conversations
You should try practicing and planning the conversation many days before it is actually going to happen. Take out the fluff, non-valuable things from your discussion and practice extensively. We are not telling you to write yourself a speech and just use that like a robot. But your conversation should have a direction and confidence, and for that, practice is a must.
The bottom line
Webinars can be a useful resource to generate sales and improve brand image. However, all of it depends on how you pull them off. If you dive into them without preparation, don’t be disappointed with the results.
Baldwin Jackson is a successful digital marketer with expertise in search engine optimization and content marketing. The perfect balance of his analytical ability and creative thinking is what sets him apart from other practitioners in the digital marketing realm. He has helped a lot of small and medium-sized businesses in crafting their digital marketing strategies that are not only cost-effective but delivers results as well.
Baldwin is also a proud father of two kids and a Sports enthusiast. When he is not working, you will find him watching ESPN and NFL network. He has been able to get an amazing package on his favorite channels from Buytvinternetphone.com.
