Should we re-energise our webinars? If we’ve learnt nothing else over the last 12 months, it now must have dawned on us that what we did before Covid is possibly not as suitable as it once was, and just because it previously worked doesn’t mean we shouldn’t change it for something better or more appropriate for our current situation.
I good example of a well-established format that could now do with a refresh are webinars.
Webinars are commonplace. They are a popular go-to marketing tactic that many organisations use for varying reasons. Nevertheless, the often ‘rigid’ PowerPoint-led presentation format that the vast majority of webinars adopt is becoming tired, and although the slide-driven approach sits comfortably with many marketeers and presenters alike, it’s time for a change.
It’s time to step outside what we all know and are comfortable with and try something new.
Let’s refresh our approach to webinars and move away from an online slide presentation towards a more engaging and ‘entertaining’ experience!
Working from home means many more of us are spending an increasing time online consuming digital content. Great, this represents a growing opportunity for those of us who want to engage with an audience, but it also means that it’s much harder to ‘cut through’ the noise and stand apart, so we can secure a share of the ‘Attention Economy.’
Even before Covid, I’d suggest that webinars had begun to become a little tired, and that those of us who run and host them had started to see a gradual reduction in registration and participation. At the time, this was not serious, webinars still worked, but this issue is now more pressing, and we should all respond accordingly.
In this short blog, I’m not going to go into detail about the ways we can refresh and re-energise our webinar strategies, but I would like to suggest some general areas that are worth consideration.
Style
Are slide presentations the only way to deliver informative webinars? Not always. If we’re really serious about delivering an experience, as apposed to simply taking up our hard-won audience’s time with a series of dry bullet points and diagrams, then we must find a new approach:
- Ditch the slides and embrace the webcam.
- Try and find a more conversational style that really engages the presenters and better involves the audience.
- It’s reasonably easy to be distracted away from a series of slides. A dynamic conversation is much more engaging, which means your audience is more likely to be involved, rather than simply hearing the webinar in the background.
Structure
Mix up the elements of your webinar. Start with a Q&A session rather than end with it. Introduce short breaks during which you can encourage attendees to chat amongst themselves. Not only does this make the whole style of the event more informal, but it provides you, the organiser, with other engagement points during which you can, for example, test out additional issues or opinions not included in the main body of webinar.
Dates and Times
On what days and at what times do you run your webinars? Why? Mid-week, mid-afternoon are very common. Once again, try another time. How about shorter webinars on a Friday lunchtime?
Always Live?
Do your webinars always have to be live? Many of us will recognise that webinar recording downloads and replays can often perform just as well, if not better, than the live event itself. Embrace this fact. Create some webinars specifically as on-demand content. At any time, this can be broadcast to a live audience with a live Q&A element to enhance audience engagement.
Simply a Sales Lead?
Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Build a relationship not just a lead. Collecting someone’s contacts details in return for registering for a webinar is fine, but is this all we want to achieve? Webinars present a fantastic starting point for building deeper, longer-lasting relationships. Those who register for a webinar are giving a direct and positive indication that they:
- Are interested in the webinar’s subject
- ‘Trust’ those who are hosting the webinar, and
- Are willing to commit their time to the event and you.
These are invaluable indicators that can be used to much greater effect with some imaginative follow-up. I’d suggest that a simple ‘Thank you for attending our webinar’ email simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
So think about it. How can you transform traditional webinars into more engaging online experiences that deliver greater value both to your audience and you? One will certainly lead to the other.
