Guidelines For Creating A High-Impact And Memorable Webinar

​Did you know that webinars are fast becoming the training and selling technique of choice among organizations and attendees alike? More than 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders chose webinars over other more timeless methods according to the 2017 ON24 Webinar Benchmark Report. Not only are the overhead costs of webinars extremely low but most can also be downloaded by attendees who would like to watch them at their own leisure. While webinars are fairly easy to create and market, they need to be executed in a certain manner to ensure that enough interest is garnered and that the feedback received is positive, resulting in return bookings for future webinars. A few basic guidelines will help you to create a presentation that is bound to appeal to your target marketing, providing them with an overall favorable experience.

Choose a dependable platform

It cannot be reiterated enough how important making use of a trustworthy webinar hosting platform is. A good platform will make the entire process stress-free for both you and your attendees, allowing people to register with ease and join in a number of ways including via PC and smartphone. Try to steer clear of platforms that limit the number of attendees your event can have as well as those that are riddled with frustrating advertisements. There are a number of very reputable hosting services available such as Adobe Connect, GoToWebinar, and WebEx that are known for their reliable, easy-to-use services.

Make sure your content is relevant and interesting

If the topic of your webinar isn't attention-grabbing, chances are you won't have many people signing up for your webinar. Make sure your topic is very specific and that it will resonate well with your target market. Your content needs to be both interesting and informative, adding to the overall professional appeal of the webinar. Present your content in an accurate and clear manner, like a good storyteller would. If you can't write a convincing story yourself, make use of the services of a copywriter or ghostwriter. While you need to be focused on your content, you cannot forget to engage with your audience as they can give you valued feedback. Make a point of asking them questions at regular intervals and leave enough time at the end of the webinar for a Q&A session.

Make sure your sound is good

The sound is undoubtedly one of the most important components of your webinar. Be sure to choose the right location for your recording – a sound-proof room generally renders the best sound. While wireless internet connections are commonplace these days, they do tend to lag more than fixed line connections. Make use of a good-quality external microphone instead of relying on your PC or laptop's built-in ones. During the recording session, you will be focusing your full attention on delivering the content and won't have the time to attend to any technical issues that may occur. If you can afford to have a technical assistant on standby, make use of one. By using good-quality equipment, you can ensure that your webinar will sound great and that it will be well-received by the attendees.

Other points to remember

If you want people to sign up for your webinar you have to market it well. Promote your webinar well in advance, creating a landing page that includes all relevant details as well as a very clear call-to-action for prospective attendees to sign up to attend. Incentives generally work very well when it comes to encouraging people to sign up. Remember to create an enticing hashtag and utilize social media marketing as much as possible. After the webinar has run its course, follow up with your attendees, thanking them and asking them for feedback. You can even put together a summary of the webinar or include a preview of a future webinar, creating interest well in advance.

If you are planning to host your first webinar and feel somewhat overwhelmed, don't despair. The guidelines above, coupled with your own creativity and business sense will give you the confidence to not only create a professional and informative webinar but to market it effectively as well. As long as your content is interesting and your presentation is exciting your attendees are bound to give you great feedback and return for future webinars as well.