If you didn’t already know, a webinar is an event where you can relay information to your audience online, much like an online presentation. Whether it’s the induction of new employees or pitching a product to your potential clients, webinars are a great way to engage your target audience and generate leads.
Of course, it’s easier said than done – you’ll need to set up a suitable webinar with the right amount of information for the right audience to get those results. In this article, we provide helpful tips on how to host a successful webinar.
Without further ado, Let’s dive right into this secret sauce!
How To Host A Successful Webinar
1. Get the audience talking
The entire point of a webinar is to stir up a conversation, meaning it must always be a dialogue. The audience will feel uninvolved if it’s a monolog, and the webinar might quickly turn into a snore-fest. It’ll be a waste of everyone’s time, and you can kiss those leads goodbye.
So how do you keep your audience engaged? The key is to make them part of the webinar! Start with something that will catch their attention before delving into the topic. For instance, if it’s about a new product launch, ask the audience what they think about the teaser video you released.Â
If it’s a webinar on employee induction, get them to introduce themselves and share their experiences of joining a new company. Whatever it is, communication should be two-way!
2. Deliver an unforgettable presentation
A fantastic webinar calls for much more than an enticing topic. While you should be prepared for your presentation, that alone isn’t enough to make the webinar music to your audience’s ears. To make it stand out, you need to sprinkle in catchy visuals, graphics, audio, and sometimes, even memes if you want everyone to have a good time!
The more engaging the presentation, the higher the retention rate of your audience. So with that in mind, make sure every slide is interesting enough to keep viewers hooked! It would be best to steer clear of boring topics altogether, but if that’s not up to you, try turning that boring topic into something excitable. Try using images, easy-to-understand graphs, and colors to make the content digestible for the audience.
3. Keep it short and sweet
Much like how you shouldn’t talk too much during an actual presentation, a webinar is the same! Keep things straightforward and to the point. That’s challenging, especially if you’re trying to sell something, because then, there’s a looming temptation to start advertising right away, which will only push the audience away.
Remember that your audience is lazy and probably has a short attention span. Therefore, it’s best not to dwell on a slide for more than 3 minutes unless you have to. A static slide in your presentation can turn your webinar into a full-blown virtual yawn contest! If you’re having difficulty condensing your thoughts in that short time, practicing aloud in front of friends or family might be helpful.
4. Encourage feedback
What’s the use of hosting a webinar if you can’t gauge how well it went? One way of measuring its success is through polls and surveys. Please take this opportunity to ask your audience about their thoughts on the webinar. Was it helpful? Was the information presented clearly? This kind of feedback is essential in understanding what you did well and where you can improve for your next webinar.
Not only that, but getting immediate feedback allows you to address any issues that might have arisen during the presentation. Sometimes, a question might pop up that you weren’t expecting. When this happens, feel free to take some time to think about the answer before answering it! Your audience will appreciate your honesty, knowing you accept their concerns seriously.
5. A call to action is a must
If you’re selling a product, make sure people know how they can purchase it after the webinar. A call to action (CTA) is vital in making your audience take that next step towards purchasing or signing up for whatever you offer! If your presentation is convincing enough, your audience will share their feedback on social media with hashtags. Content that keeps sharing should be one of your webinar’s goals because there’s nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth marketing.
Your CTA should be crystal clear and concise for the audience. If you feel there’s an element of vagueness in it or the steps are hard to follow, make a short video clip outlining what the audience needs to do. A first-hand look is always better than a third-person account.
6. End with a bang
If all goes well and your successful webinar, it’s time to wrap things up! Before you sign off, ensure the audience has all the necessary information. If your webinar was about a product launch, mention any available offers and how people can purchase them online.
If it’s an employee induction webinar or something similar, ask if there are any other questions before concluding. Again, ending on a high note will ensure you leave a good impression on the audience.
But that’s not all. You need to make sure your webinar accomplishes its goal. And how do you do that? By finding out whether you delivered the information clearly and transparently. Have a little Q&A session at the end of the webinar to see how well the audience understands you.
Parting thoughts
Hosting a webinar is no easy feat, but it can do wonders for your work if done right. Remember to keep things engaging and relatable, even if you’re talking about something as dull as accounting standards. It’s all about how you present yourself that’ll determine whether or not your webinar was successful!
If you’re hosting a webinar to showcase your products and want as many people to join, consider creating digital flyers and posting them on various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I recommend using a poster maker to craft colorful and appealing digital leaflets to lure in scores of people to your webinar.