Have you heard what a webinar is? Probably you’ve seen ads on the Internet or on your social networks that say “free class” or “free webinar.” This concept became popular in the quarantine context, as people had to migrate entirely to education and remote work.
However, companies have discovered a webinar’s potential in their digital marketing plan and social media advertising strategy. Do you want to know about it too? You’ve come to the perfect place!
In today’s article, you’ll learn what a webinar is and what it’s for, as well as what the advantages of a webinar are. Plus, you’ll learn how to make a webinar and use a webinar as a marketing strategy.
Take pencil and paper to start taking notes on this innovative strategy! Shall we start?
What is a webinar?
A webinar is an educational video where the host speaks and, in turn, shares applications, presentations, audios, videos, or relevant documents to accompany the presentation. Viewers can also participate by asking questions and making comments. A webinar is often an educational and practical format.
In the same way, one of the most important webinars features is interacting between the host and the attendees and receiving, giving, and analyzing information in real-time.
How does a webinar work?
As we mentioned, you need a technology provider with interactive elements such as audio and video presentation and the ability to share other applications or the exhibitor’s screen. In the same way, some platforms allow you to schedule events or meetings and keep track of attendees.
Also, most webinar programs have additional digital tools, such as chat to ask questions and comments, surveys, questionnaires, add downloadable and send links. All you need is a computer, a microphone, headphones, and a webcam.
As far as webinar topics are concerned, they are very varied, but the most common issues are related to the digital world, such as software mastery.
If we are talking about webinars as digital marketing tools, webinars are usually free, as this help generate traffic and attract more customers, leads, and conversions. However, it is widespread to find paid webinars, such as online classes or lessons, by some famous or recognized personality in the industry.
Now that you know what a webinar is, we will tell you the objectives of doing webinars. It is online education + marketing tool.
Over the last couple of years, online classes have revolutionized the world of education. Teachers can now deliver lessons remotely with educational webinars while students ask questions and interact with each other and the presentation. It has also proven to be a great training tool in companies.
On the other hand, webinars in digital marketing are a new type of content to attract potential customers and educate them about your products or services. This strategy boosts loyalty, as it represents a different value proposition. As stipulated above, these are usually free access to produce traffic at a specific time, and users need to register to generate leads.
Advantages of a webinar
Understanding what a webinar is and how it works has been advantageous for companies dedicated to e-learning and brands that want to try different content in their digital marketing strategy and social networks. Among some of the benefits of webinars that are observed, we have the following in the context of marketing:
Larger capacity
Compared to a face-to-face seminar, a webinar has no capacity limitations. So, how many people can register for a webinar? It will depend on the characteristics of the platform you use to deliver it, but, practically, almost all of them have a virtually unlimited capacity, either issuing a payment or for free.
Greater reach
Free webinars are available to anyone interested, regardless of their location globally, allowing different companies and professionals to reach a larger audience. It is also an economic benefit for those who offer online classes – to a teacher, an essay writer free who wants to get more paid clients, a personal trainer, etc.
It generates more attention and engagement
Videos are the type of content that attracts the most attention on social networks because they allow you to address the audience directly. So, by adding free webinars to your digital marketing strategy, users will be more engaged with your brand, you will have a higher number of leads in your inbox and more conversions.
It gives a sense of authority on the topic
The opportunities to strengthen your influence in the industry are counted on one hand. When you think of what a webinar is, you picture professional giving lessons on a topic he or she has mastered. You just need to demonstrate that you have full knowledge of what you are talking about through your online teaching skills so that people perceive it that way.
Increase traffic and sales
As we mentioned, this is usually done through registration, which will generate leads that you can add to your database. In addition, that will produce more traffic to your website and your social networks. It is worth mentioning that the power of persuasion is more potent when you talk to your customers than when you write to them; therefore, when you do a webinar, you are very likely to increase your sales.
How to make a webinar?
Now that you know what a webinar is, what it is for, and its advantages, we will explain how to make a webinar step by step.
1. Define the objectives, the audience, and the subject matter
What are the steps to create a webinar? First of all, the objectives must be clear. These will be determined according to the needs of your company.
After determining the objectives of the webinar, you need to think about what audience you want to target? You need to tailor both the topic and the content for the audience you need to target. Also, this will help you select the tools you will use and the methods of convening and dissemination, but we will see this later.
You already have your objectives and your audience. Finally, it is time to choose a good topic for the webinar. It must be relevant to your target audience and aligned with the purpose of the webinar. To do this, you should research your target audience’s specific needs and what you can do to help or educate them. In addition, it is important to select a person who is an expert in the industry to deliver the webinar.
2. Planning the webinar
Once you have selected your objectives, your audience, and the topic to be covered, it’s time to make more logistical arrangements for the planning of the webinar.
First of all, you must choose the right platform to broadcast the content. Where to do a webinar? Any platform allows you to broadcast streaming videos, such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, YouTube, Twitch, and GoToWebinar.
Some are free, and some are paid. You just have to figure out which tools best suit your needs and goals. For example, while some platforms allow you to record and save the video, others require payment. Therefore, you need to learn how the program works to broadcast the webinar in detail.
Then, you need to set a day and time for the event to schedule the meeting and generate the invitation code for people to enter the webinar. In the case of a webinar for digital marketing, consider that it should be a date and time of day when users can easily connect, such as on weekends.
An additional tip we give you is to enable the entrance to the meeting 15 minutes before the webinar’s start so that users can connect and verify in advance that their internet connection, audio, and video are working.
3. Content and structure
It is essential to be clear about the information to be shared. Also, it must be taken into account that it has to be both educational and entertaining. Use all your creativity to make the webinar an unforgettable experience for the audience.
For example, think about whether the information will be communicated through slides, demos, or just talking. However, as some of our recommendations for webinars, we suggest that you be as visual as possible and try to keep the information light and exemplify it in cases, characters, studies, and anecdotes to keep the viewer’s attention.
You can start with a short introduction to establish the proper context. Also, you must be clear about the main contents of the webinar. Start with some key theoretical concepts and explain each one in a didactic way; go from the general to the specific.
Plan time for attendees to ask questions. Encourage participants to get involved and constantly participate in making everything more dynamic. Also, it may be interesting to raise some potential doubts beforehand to solve them at the end of the webinar presentation.
Talking about the duration of the webinar is essential. The duration should be between 45 minutes and one hour, including questions and comments. The time distribution can be 40 to 45 minutes of presentation and 15 to 20 minutes interacting with the attendees.
Finally, close the webinar session with a call to action. Here the goal is to get attendees to download additional information or purchase a product or service.
4. Distribution of the event and call for participants
Finally, promoting the webinar is one of the most important steps since, in this way, you will be able to attract participants who are interested in hearing about the topic and who can potentially become your customers.
Mainly if your objectives are oriented to digital marketing, use all your channels for advertising the webinar. For example, you can generate free advertising on your website and social media accounts, as well as paid search engine ads.
We hope today’s article has helped you understand what a webinar is! Now you know what a webinar is for and what its benefits are. In addition, you know how to make a webinar step by step to boost your brand’s digital marketing plan. You can also take advantage of this strategy to train your company’s employees.
About the Author
Alice Hilligan is a marketer specialist and a blogger at medium.com and muckrack.com. She writes about helpful marketing tips and shares her own experience with others. She also likes psychology and reading non-fiction books.
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