Take your Seminars online with Webinars

What's a webinar? Webinars are virtual events. Held online, employed as a demand generation tool for marketers, webinars stood alone online. Not presently. A supereminent generation tool with a wide reach, webinar programs have come hops and bounds as the explosion of virtual events has created a need for technological advancement, increased situations of interactivity, and heightened product value. It’s an age of digital disruption, one that's helping itineraries and marketers likewise revise the webinar format and rethink how they use webinar programs to make the biggest impact. In the past, webinars were not as productive and fruitful for attendance as it is today. The reason? Well, the biggest reason is the technological advancement and the new-age tools. As we know, supply is directly proportional to need. As the lockdown was implemented, most of the activities shifted online, including meetings and seminars, and as their demand increased, so did the apps and tools. But still, people who have never hosted a webinar in the past have a lot of confusion regarding it. Hence, I am here to provide you with the ultimate guide to webinars. This guide will provide all the basics that you require to host your first successful webinar.

What is Webinar?

A webinar is an online event lasting an hour held primarily to induce leads and educate or train attendees. They've long been used as an effective way to expand a brand’s reach, establish a company as a study leader in the assiduity, and engage with prospects and guests through an accessible platform. 

Previously, webinars were a flat and unresistant experience for attendees. There was very low branding, low interactivity, and product value was virtually absent. It was an episodic, online broadcast. And while they worked well, as technology has bettered, so have prospects. 

Now, webinars can range from a single speaker to a panel, product rally to an open forum. There are numerous ways to produce content, and with the rise in virtual event software, there are much more ways than ever to engage with attendees. After all, engagement is crucial.

Why Host Webinars?

A webinar serves numerous purposes. With a short window to engage attendees, webinars must have a clear intention. Below are many reasons to hold webinars. 

• How to create content that breaks down simple generalities 
• Education on trends in the industry
• Preface to a product 
• Cement yourself as a leader 
• Internal training for workers and leadership 
• Professional development for those in the industry
• Lead generation tool to induce interest in a product 
• Give access to leaders in the assiduity 
• Allow Guests and prospects to ask questions on a subject

How to Plan a Webinar?

Although webinars are everywhere, not everyone can host a successful webinar. To execute a successful webinar, you are required to have a proper plan, and the following steps can help you to host a successful webinar:-

• Identify why and who: Before hosting a webinar, always ask yourself these two questions; Firstly: Why do you require this webinar?; Are you launching a new product? What benefits can the attendees get out of your webinar? The second question that you must ask yourself is Who will the attendees of your webinars? Try to include everyone associated with the purpose of the webinar, i.e., employees as well as potential clients.
• How many attendees can you handle? See, if you are a newbie, you can't host and handle 100-200 at a time. Everyone has a starting point, and the capacity increases eventually. Let’s understand this by an example- When you pay your first visit to the gym, you start lifting with lite weights and gradually increase your weights. It is how webinars work too! Start with a low number, and if you can handle them with ease, gradually increase the numbers.
• Decide who will be the speaker? Not everyone has the talent of public speaking, which is an essential skill to host a webinar. Always pick a speaker who has great communication skills. See, maybe the other person has much more knowledge about the topic that is going to be discussed in the webinar, but if he does not has the talent to deliver that knowledge in the form of speech, he is useless at the moment, hence, choose a person who has good peoples skills.
• Create a production schedule! Your product schedule should work backward from your event date. Specify the crucial milestones the platoon will need to hit to meet the product deadlines. Utmost webinars have dependencies involving third parties similar to speakers, so make sure you have a plan for managing the deliverables and dates that are out of your direct control.
• Select a webinar platform! There are many webinars platforms for hosting webinars, but you have to decide which one is ideal for you. I have listed some of them below. You can go to their official site and finalize your platform:
• Demio
• GoToWebinar
• WebinarJam
• EverWebinar
• Livestorm
• Crowdcast
• Livestream
• WebinarsOnAir
• DaCast
• Zoom
• Adobe Connect
• WebinarNinja

Webinar Best Practices

Presenting online isn’t easy. Set your speakers, and your webinar, over for success by furnishing speakers with the following tips and tricks. 

Rehearse your Presentation

Your body language translates on camera, and if you aren't prepared, it is extremely amplified. It'll be clear who has rehearsed and who has not. Take the remaining time to rehearse your script and presentation inflow alone as well as with fellow presenters. A Q&A or interview will be more relaxed, but look at the questions ahead of time and formulate a figure of your answer. 

Keep the Essentials Prepared

Keep all the essentials required for a presenter prepared like; Script, IT support, laptop and charger, alternative lights and microphones, high-speed internet.

Reference script

Try to memorize your script as much as possible, but in case you forget something, keep a reference script ready below the camera just for a reference. Just make sure that the script is not visible in the camera, and while referring, try to keep it as natural as possible, do not make it too obvious that you are referring to a script.

Attire

Always wear formal clothing but make sure it is comfortable. Also, keep in mind your background before choosing your clothing; if your background is lite, try to contrast it with clothing of a bit darker color and vice-versa. Also, make sure not to wear the attire of a reflective surface as the reflection of your lighting might be distractive.

Makeup

A hint of makeup makes you presentable, but make sure not to overdo it as too much makeup can indicate unprofessional behavior. Neutral and muted shades are recommended. 

Eyeglasses

If you wear eyeglasses, check the reflections of the light and adjust your lights accordingly. Take an extra step with the angle of your shot if you wear progressive lenses or bifocals. However, your head will bend back, creating a monstrous camera angle, If you're needed to read the textbook on the screen through the lower part of your lenses. 

Audio

Make sure your microphone is at least 8 inches away from your mouth, and try to host the webinar in an echo-free environment. 

Body Language

Try to be as confident and relaxed as possible and maintain positive body language. Don’t use too many hand gestures, and don't be impatient.

If you liked reading this article, we have two more for you. Click on the link below to explore!

How to Build an Effective Brand Communication Strategy? ThinkWithNiche

5 Important Marketing Communication Strategies