3 Tips for Holding a Successful Webinar
Remember when webinars used to be a novelty? Some organizations may have been a bit reticent to make them a part of their routine and implemented them sparingly instead of in-person meetings, while others eschewed them entirely. However, as we’ve continued to shift to a more remote world, their value and necessity as a critical communication tool for businesses has increased. Now more than ever, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) can use webinars to highlight their solutions and expertise in a variety of subjects while also reaching and growing their current audience. Because they will likely be a part of our professional and personal lives for the foreseeable future, here are three tips to ensure you have the right content and technology so your next webinar runs smoothly.
Make the Content Count
With webinar fatigue setting in for many business professionals, how do you make sure your virtual content makes it through all the noise and is sufficiently engaging to interest your participants and keep them coming back? You don’t want to leave your audience thinking your presentation could have been sent in an email.
As you begin ideating your webinar content, it’s crucial to think about what your company’s expertise is and how you can use this to help your audience, fulfilling a currently unmet need or providing insights they can’t get anywhere else. Additionally, make sure your presenters know how to captivate an audience. Never read your slides verbatim! The best webinars are those where with a dynamic speaker and/or an interactive component. When it comes to populating content on slides, try to err on the side of less text, instead including just key points, visuals and ideas, which you can use to offer additional insight as you continue guiding the audience through your presentation.
Utilize the Proper Technology
The technology you use to present your webinar plays a key role in displaying professionalism and optimizing the overall audience experience. When planning a webinar, you’re probably thinking the same thing as most people in your position: “What if there’s a tech issue?” Indeed, the last thing you want is for your speaker’s audio to fail or for participants to be unable to see the screen-share presentation.
While this is a valid concern, if you’re using and maintaining the proper tools, tech won’t be an issue. Make sure you are working with the most up-do-date software and features that will enable you to effectively communicate with your audience, such as a built-in microphone and a camera that will allow high-quality audio and video. You may want to encourage your presenters to use a good set of wireless headphones, but if so, double check that they are integrating properly with the rest of your tech. Overall, you’ll want to frequently test your audio/video capabilities before your webinar as well as any transition elements, such as separating into breakout sessions. This comprehensive preparation can make all the difference when virtually presenting.
Collaboration & Connection Are Key
Technology also plays an important role in audience collaboration and connection. Is your presentation set up in a way that audience members will be able to ask questions? While you may be the host, other participants will likely have experience in the field as well and allowing their input will only enhance the overall experience of the group. So be sure to make it clear from the outset that there’s a place available for questions or comments to be dropped in as you go. When the webinar is over, you should also encourage post-event commentary and participation, via email follow-ups and providing relevant content to support and enhance the presenter’s information. The tools you’ve chosen should be set up with the proper software to allow this. Your presentation and the tech you’re using should work together in an engaging way in order to ensure you’re creating a cohesive environment for all.
As an SMB, you may be working with a smaller tech team, or you may not have a dedicated tech team at all. Don’t let this stop or overwhelm you! By focusing on the elements mentioned above, you’ll be a webinar pro in no time.
By the way, Sharp offers a number of webinars on industry-rated topics. You can listen in to them from our Webinar page located at https://business.sharpusa.com/Webinars.