The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Webinar

successful webinar

Conducting a successful webinar is arguably one of the best ways to connect with your audience. Webinar hosting often leads to increased audience engagement and conversion rates. This is because a webinar is meant to be an online seminar–a gathering so to speak–where attendees learn and discuss.

Successful webinars add value to the viewers. If you are wondering how to hold a webinar, the key is engagement. Training webinars are a common way to do this – creating webinar content that trains or teaches the viewer. But conducting effective webinars can also entail simply creating discussion.

However you choose to host a webinar, webinar marketing is certainly one of the most crucial ways to interact with your target market. So keep reading to discover some of the top webinar tools and learn how to host an engaging webinar. Also, be sure to study Valoso’s successful webinar examples included below.

Hosting a Webinar: Deciding the Details

successful webinar

Conducting a webinar comes with a lot of decision making. You have to decide the specifics: the what, who, when, where, and how of your event. Let’s get started with these basic steps.

1. Decide what the webinar will be about.

What topic are you qualified to speak about? What topic will interest your audience? Creator by WeWork recommends only hosting a webinar if you have one of the following:

  1. A clear message to share.
  2. Something new to show or a message to reinforce something that cannot be expressed in any other medium.
  3. A desire to get feedback from your audience.

Make sure your topic idea follows one or more of the themes above. Otherwise, your webinar may not be focused or significant enough to succeed.

2. Decide who your target audience is.

Obviously, your webinar should be focused on people who matter to your business – your target audience. But perhaps you want to get a little more specific for your webinar. If your target niche is restaurant managers, then maybe your webinar could be for night managers or for managers looking to move up the corporate ladder.

successful webinar

3. Decide when and where to host the webinar.

HubSpot suggests hosting your webinar in the middle of the week, and most experts agree. The time of day that you choose to host your webinar largely depends on your audience. Consider the time zone(s) they live in and their work schedules. Pick a time accordingly and experiment with different times to see what works best for your audience.

You will have to decide on the physical and digital location of your webinar. We’ll get into the digital location (software) later, but for now, it’s time to decide on a setting. The main decision you will have to make here is whether or not your audience is going to see you. In other words, slide shows or camera?

Either way, make sure you are in a quiet setting with minimal background noise so your voice is highly audible through your microphone. If you choose camera, try to set the mood with your location. Wherever you are, make sure you have more in the background than just a blank wall.

4. Decide how to distribute your webinar.

Do not neglect to promote your webinar on all of your distribution channels, including email, blog, website, social media, and live events. The more exposure you can get, the more attendees you will have. Of course, remember to include the time & date of the webinar and instructions on how to access it when the time comes.

Delivering a Successful Webinar

successful webinar

Alright, now that you have all the details worked out, it’s time to get to the preparation and presentation of the actual webinar. As with almost any other aspect of business, preparation is key. Prepare, prepare, prepare so you aren’t thrown any curve balls during your webinar.

Preparation includes webinar script writing and practicing, planning answers to possible questions, and going through a test run of the webinar software. Read the tips on conducting a webinar below to make sure you are set for success.

Script

Creating a successful webinar introduction script is important not only so you are prepared but also so you do not waste your audience’s time. Come prepared with concise topics, ideas, and key points to share. Of course, the script should sound natural, so your best bet is to script only an introduction and a bulleted outline of the webinar.

You should include the key messages that you are going to share with your audience. Do not address all of the key points at the beginning, and do not save them all until the end. Instead, keep your audience engaged by providing valuable content piece by piece and wrapping it up with a conclusion and discussion at the end.

Software

One recommendation for webinar software is Instant Teleseminar. With this software, it’s easy and affordable to construct a successful yet simple webinar. However, you may also want to research some alternatives that better suit your business. Check out this list of the best webinar services for businesses of all budgets, sizes, and niches.

successful webinar

Action!

During your webinar, speak clearly. You might want to have a dress rehearsal so you are comfortable with the flow of words and topics. Remember, the more webinars you host, the more experienced you will become. Don’t worry if your first webinar isn’t perfect. Just focus on getting the message to your live audience in an effective, personal way.

A successful webinar should not last more than an hour, and less than 45 minutes is ideal. We can’t reiterate this enough: in the video world, shorter is better. People in 2016 and beyond do not have the time, patience, or attention span to view longer videos. Remember this during your webinar–keep the audience engaged, not bored.

No matter your niche, webinars are a valuable resource for improving audience engagement and conversion. If you want to amplify your webinar’s success, visit Valoso to find professional videographers and video editors to make your webinar a masterpiece. Start today by following the guide above and checking out Valoso to guarantee yourself a successful webinar.

Image by QA InfoTech.