Businesses reevaluated their strategies at the start of the pandemic. The recent health crisis led many brands to close their doors. If you look at your emails, you may notice that it’s more loaded than usual.

Many companies seek digital platforms to compensate for their economic loss. Many started hosting company meetings online. Others focused on refining their social media strategies.

To conform to social distancing policies, webinars are becoming the norm. In this article, we show you how to boost engagement with webinars. Read on to discover more about online business growth.

What is a Webinar?

A webinar is a compound of the words web and seminar. This refers to a lecture, workshop, or presentation conducted with a video. Many people use webinar software like Zoom to host these online seminars.

Many schools use webinar platforms for online learning. You can use webinars to educate a new audience or a recruit. Recently, marketers have been using webinars to generate leads and introduce their brand.

Are you new to webinars? Here’s a short guide on the features of a webinar. Read on below to discover how to integrate webinars in your business plan.

Features of a Webinar

Depending on your chosen platform, a webinar can provide different features. Some marketers host webinars through free software or with a digital marketing podcast.

Webinar software often has a wide spectrum of uses. You need to choose a platform that can provide you with the right tools to host a successful webinar.

Live Chat

The easiest way to engage with audiences during a webinar is through a live chat. This allows your users to leave questions or answers to your queries. It can be difficult to get someone’s attention when you’re not in the same room.
Live chat allows you to do this. At the same time, it allows your users to interact with the presenter if they desire. Answering a user’s questions, no matter the medium, allows you to build authority.

Recording

Most webinars run live to promote interactivity. Both the presenter and audience can ask and answer questions in real-time. One feature that some video conference platforms offer is screen recording.
You can use this to track the performance of your webinar. You can also host it for users who couldn’t make it to the live meeting.

Screen Sharing

Screen sharing is an essential feature of a webinar app if you require a demonstration. This feature allows your audience to see what you’re doing on your own screen. You can have them follow your instructions and replicate it on their own.

You can also use screen sharing during a demonstration. If you have a PowerPoint presentation prepared, screen share comes in handy.

Surveys and Polls

If you have a large audience, it can be difficult to keep track of their answers. Managing responses can be difficult when the chat fills up with various replies. A survey or poll option allows you to avoid this.

Polls and surveys give you an organized platform to keep results. You give your audience a set of options to answer your questions.

Whiteboard

It can be difficult to explain a complex topic with only a PowerPoint presentation. Having a whiteboard feature allows you to illustrate notes. You can also highlight and draw arrows to important parts that you want your viewer to remember.

Are you planning to integrate webinars into your marketing strategy? Here are some of our tips to keep your users engaged with effective webinars.

Know Your Goal

Before planning a webinar, you need to know your goal. Identifying your goals beforehand will allow you to track your success after it. Whatever the goal of a webinar is, it usually directs to your audience.

Make sure that the purpose of your webinar will help you achieve something for your business. Choosing a topic that is relevant to the audience ensures that you get engagement. This will allow you to plan out what you need for a successful webinar.

Rehearse and Attend Other Webinars

Not everyone is familiar with the use of webinars. Online conferencing platforms only became popular in recent months. Make sure to spend some time learning webinar software to ensure no disruptions.

Consider attending other webinars to get an idea of what you should be doing. Take note of how presenters interact with their audience. You can also take note of things you didn’t like in the webinar so you can avoid those mistakes.

Choose the Best Time and Day

Be strategic when choosing the best time and day to hold your webinar. Most people spend their Mondays catching up on emails or planning for the rest of their week. Fridays are also less likely to gain attraction for a webinar.

Reports show that people prefer webinars that are only 30 to forty-five minutes long. Most people also spend their evening winding down and preparing for the next day. The best time to host a webinar would be between 11 am and 2 pm.

Promote Early

The best way to ensure attendees is to promote your webinar early. Aim to advertise your webinar a few weeks ahead of the expected date. Include details like the purpose, the speaker, and any rewards for the viewer.

This may include free giveaways or download links for resources. You can post these on your social media or send an email notifying your list.

Stay in Touch

One of the primary things you can use to track a webinar’s success is the audience’s response. At the end of the webinar, include a strong call to action. Be clear about what actions you want your viewers to take.

Stay in touch with your viewers by answering their queries. You can also lead them to a link to subscribe to your email list and stay updated. Doing this will allow you to start email lead building for future prospects.

Top Ideas to Engage your Base through Webinars

Webinars can be a great tool especially with the changes in the business landscape. Now you know the best webinar practices for engaging an audience. Contact us today for more tips on lead building.

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