Knowing webinars , knowing how to structure and organize them in the best way, as well as inserting them into a marketing strategy could become a source of new contacts for different realities engaged in multiple sectors. From a freelancer to a company with many years of experience, everyone can use them, but the important thing is to know the strategies to structure them correctly and without improvising on the spot.
Going in order let’s try to define the webinars. This term, the result of the fusion between the nouns web and seminar , identifies real seminars that can be used online and public , where several people, through an internet connection, can take part remotely, interacting with each other, on a specific topic. Those who organize an event of this type will be able to show slides and videos, share their desktop with the participants, and discuss in writing, through chat, or by voice .
What do you need to organize and attend a webinar? An internet connection, a special platform, and the related software or plugin for the realization or participation in a virtual seminar. Finally, to take part in an event of this type, registration is usually required by filling in a form.
Once this is done, anyone wishing to organize a webinar will only have to establish the date and time of the event, choose the topic dealt with, and then better organize the materials, the topics to be considered, as well as the possible presence of one or more speakers.
What are the benefits of webinars?
Those who do not love technology and prefer human contact can find a compromise between the two worlds in webinars. Here, in fact , you will not interact with a machine, but with real people , in flesh and blood, with all the convenience of not having to leave the house to participate in this type of seminar. However, this is not the only advantage that makes webinars so popular, there are others that we will list below.
- Webinars make communication one-to-one , that is, despite being managed remotely and potentially accessible to several dozen people, they will be able to interact through chat and messages . The possibility of having a realistic view of the promoter of the online seminar, as well as his propensity to answer questions directly, will help to increase credibility and trust in him .
- There are no content marketing tools capable of monopolizing users’ attention for so long , as the average duration of webinars is often around 30 or 60 minutes.
- Pre-recorded events can be broadcast , if the webinars do not include a real-time question session, or if the speaker does not like to talk live. Since these are also quite long contents (we are talking about a minimum of 30 or 60 minutes usually), they could include a part of the explanation by the speaker himself and pre-recorded, with a following live session to answer questions sent from time to time in the course of the first part of the webinar.
- The public can interact in different ways within a webinar, for example by commenting and asking questions to the speaker, or by comparing with other participants.
- It is an important tool for analyzing the behavior of users who choose to follow the webinar, in fact, data relating to the number of participants, the duration of their connection and engagement are provided in real time.
- The materials shared during a webinar can then be sent to participants via email , making this information usable even in the long term.
- Participation in an online seminar for users represents an economic saving , in terms of stays, transport and connections. The same condition for those who organize the webinar, in fact they will not have to worry about booking a room of the right size, providing a maximum number of participants, organizing any breaks and breaks, as well as moving resources from the company to the place chosen for the event.
- Those who participate in a webinar usually have a real interest in a given topic , therefore they will help to collect contacts and potential leads of value that can be contacted later during targeted marketing campaigns.
In which sectors to exploit the potential of a webinar?
There are no limits in this sense, that is, online seminars today touch on topics of any kind. It is also true, however, that there are some areas in which it has been highlighted, these tools gather particular consensus, finding in their structure and organization a certain appreciation by the users who populate the web.
Probably the best known webinars are those related to online training courses , but there are press conferences, presentations of new products and services, meetings, interviews and interviews that involve the intervention of several participants.
Finally, webinars represent a very valid lead generation tool , in fact organizing them will inevitably attract an audience that is really interested in a given product or article, therefore a series of high value contacts will be collected which, if well “nourished”, could conclude their customer journey with a purchase.
Structuring a webinar, planning ahead is the real winning weapon
Password: organization!
Well yes, as in everything, even webinars must be organized in every detail so that they are effective and really useful. Therefore, although they may include live interventions, improvisation is not appreciated in this sense, also because it could bring with it unpleasant inconveniences, primarily damage to one’s image.
For this reason it is good practice to choose the topic to be treated and the points to be touched upon , identifying any speakers who are able to provide the necessary information in a clear and fluent manner. The team that will be involved must be able to create unique content , think about the material to share at the end of the event without ever losing sight of the objectives of the people who will participate. The latter in fact, if analyzed from every point of view, will be the starting point for the creation of the contents to be proposed during the online seminar.
In carrying out all these steps, do not lose sight of the company ROI, or the return on investment. It is true that the webinar could be thought of with a view to positioning, but there must be a certain return, starting for example from the creation of a database to which you can then submit the registration to paid courses, or the sending of material.
Lastly, the platform to be used for the webinar, according to the objectives and the type of event organized. In fact, the same must be able to allow the sharing of the material created and usable both by those who organize the event and for those who will participate.