How to Use Webinars for your Business? Tips and Recommendations

What is a webinar?

A webinar is equivalent to a seminar, a conference, or any other type, of course, that is given through the web. If we get more specific, these are given through recorded videos or that are broadcast live.

It is more or less like teaching an online class that, in the end, has time to ask questions and resolve doubts. This tool is characterized because there is continuous feedback, becoming an excellent option in many sectors.

The contents of the webinars are mainly focused on the educational field.

What is a webinar for?

Webinars can pursue different objectives, but one of the main ones is to present a product or service, talk about it and its advantages, among other things.

Due to their versatility, they are used more and more in the academic world and are often useful to teach classes or workshops without the need to be gathered in a physical space.

Likewise, webinars are also used to provide introductions to paid courses, as a promotion of them to attract more people and make them interested in what you have to offer. Some agencies hook discounts to those who take free webinars.

These are just some of the more conventional uses, but there are many more and, hand in hand with a strategy, you can get a lot out of this tool.

How a webinar works

Now that you know more or less what a webinar is, I'd like to get down to business and talk to you about how it works. As I mentioned earlier, a webinar can be through live broadcasts or through recorded videos that are broadcast at pre-established times.

The first option is usually the most used because it allows interaction in real-time, where the public can participate through questions and obtain an answer, achieving greater involvement among recipients.

The first thing you should do is to promote your webinar. Posting it on your different networks, on your website, and in other means that you have.

This tool is usually eye-catching because, generally, to access the webinar it is necessary to put a contact email and, they will !: you have leads. That is, it is another of the means that serve to generate contacts and achieve growth in your business, as long as those leads are nurtured.

The dynamics are simple: the webinar must have an exhibitor, presenter, or lecturer who will be at the forefront and will be the one who will speak all the time on the subject or issue in question unless there are invited speakers.

For their part, viewers will only listen, until the final stage, in which, most of the time, there is room for doubts or questions.

The most recommended thing is that, once the webinar is over, you upload to a platform, be it Facebook or YouTube, so that those who could not connect have the opportunity to view the content when they have some free time.

Uses of a webinar

With everything you have read so far, you can see that webinars can be used in many ways. We would like to focus on those that I consider the most common so that, finally, you are encouraged to experiment with this digital marketing technique.

Present a product or service

Webinars are very useful to promote a product or service and talk about the benefits it brings to people, what advantages it can bring to their day-to-day life, and what it solves, to get their attention.

Promote a course

If you are an expert in any subject and want to share your knowledge through courses with cost, an excellent option is to promote your course through a first free webinar.

In this way, people will be able to know what they can obtain if they decide to buy your package of the complete course and if it suits what they are looking for or not. Always try to be clear with what you offer so as not to avoid bad experiences and bad comments later.

A proposal that is used in these types of dynamics is offering a percentage discount or a gift in case those who attend the free webinar decide to enroll in your course. To incentivize more, you can choose to only keep it for a short time.

Conduct online meetings (networking)

Webinars can also be used perfectly to maintain contact with the members of a company and communicate any type of information, discuss a topic, brainstorm or work with them in case they are in another country or that is not possible. hold a physical meeting.

This tool facilitates the sharing of documents and the screen of the participants so that consensus can be reached and facilitate the decision-making process.

The possibilities are vast. These three options are just the tip of the iceberg, but a webinar can be very useful for many other things.

Advantages of a webinar

We already know what uses can be given to a webinar, but now it is time for us to focus on the benefits that this tool offers so that you decide to implement it.

You must bear in mind that it is an option that, at this time, can make a difference concerning your competition, but with time, we do not doubt that it will become a condition to position your brand or business.

Now let's see what are the main benefits of integrating webinars into your marketing strategy.

Capture the attention of users

It is nothing new, but it is important to emphasize that the preference for content in audiovisual material is growing. Users often prefer to consume information through videos, webinars, and any other audiovisual resource, instead of reading a blog article.

This in no way means that you leave aside the part of the texts, but rather that you seek to complement both parts and the webinars join your current strategy so that you achieve a greater reach and permanence.

Achieve greater involvement

Establishing a closer connection and allowing users to see you when you talk about the topics you specialize in is key to creating a stronger bond with them and making them more involved.

The level of participation increases because, for example, through a webinar, you can answer the doubts that are generated in a reduced time and in a more specific way through the oral.

Receiving an answer to a question within a blog may take longer or may never arrive, which breaks the possibility of creating a closer relationship with your audience, which has a positive impact on conversions.

Build authority

Authority is very important to gain reputation in the area in which we are experts and a good opportunity to do so is through webinars, articles, and other written or visual elements.

The relevant thing is to really show yourself as an accessible person and explain the topics that are addressed in a simple way and without more technicalities than necessary.

Being too technical can be seen as showing off, which is a negative trait, and alienate the audience, so it is best that you use your experience and knowledge wisely, and make the information digestible.

If you show a real command over what you are talking about, the audience will notice and perceive it in the same way, which will help you to continue to gain authority and reinforce your image and that of your brand.

Increase traffic

A webinar can be very useful within the chain that must be formulated to nurture and guide the users and followers of your website and brand towards your products or services (sales funnel).

From the moment they provide you with their email, the positive chain reaction begins, which can be strengthened and reach a conversion through webinars, without neglecting the other elements that can (should) be considered within a marketing strategy.

Achieve sales

Sales are a fundamental part of any company; they are what sustains it and closing a deal is not easy.

Convincing people that they need your products or services to satisfy a need is less complicated when there is a face-to-face talk involved than just through written media.

The webinar is an exceptional tool to bring your leads closer to the next stages and finally reach the sale. It works as an adequate channel to clarify points or doubts that may exist regarding the solution you offer to undo the objections of the prospects.

There are many possibilities and many ways to take advantage of a webinar, the only thing you should be clear from the beginning is the objective, based on it you will be able to develop the rest in an orderly and focused way.

Tips to create a successful webinar

Several factors must be taken into account for a webinar to be effective and for the intended results to be achieved. Therefore, here I give you some tips and advice so that you can achieve the task successfully.

Focus your content on what your buyer personas are looking for

To create any type of content, including webinars, it is necessary to be clear about who our buyer personas are. You can search and see what your prospects want to find on the web.

With this as a basis, you can start to think about what you can offer them to make them feel attracted to you. Always try to create attractive titles and not merely informative, since there are already many of the latter on the net.

The information can be focused on the same topic, but a good title, which impacts, can make the difference between being chosen for you or your competition, so do not underestimate this element, which is key.

Steer your webinar towards a goal

One of the most common mistakes is to think of strategies without even being clear about the objective of them. Before launching a webinar, you should know what you will do with the leads that are generated.

If your webinar, for example, seeks to promote a product or service, you have to think about how you will follow up with leads, either by mail or through other means. You should always start from a segmentation because you cannot send the same email to those who did buy your products as to those who have not decided but are interested.

Create a landing page

Creating a landing page for each webinar is very important. In this way, you can provide all the information related to it and will allow you to get contacts.

You do not need to do an endless questionnaire, which could tire even the most interested, just ask for their email, name, and company. If you want to go further and get help with targeting, you can include a list of interests in which they select theirs.

Too much segmentation can be seen in two ways: negative because it gets less response or positive because it can narrow your audience and leave those who are really interested in your offer.

Run a strategic promotional campaign

People, sadly, will not come to your webinar independently. You need to create a promotional campaign that is based on a strategy. From blog posts and social media distribution to a free starter webinar to capture their attention.

Ideally, start promoting your webinar a month or two before launching to have a substantial audience. As the date approaches, the promotion should be more intensive than at the beginning.

Another tip that usually works is, if a free first session is not offered, make a promotional video. This will allow you to more precisely explain what they will get if they sign up and help convince the undecided.

Record your webinar

A webinar not only works the moment it is broadcast but also over time. For this, you mustn't forget to record it and upload it to one or more platforms (YouTube or Facebook).

You can distribute it using a thank you email to the attendees and also make it known on your different social networks, so you will continue to generate leads even if it has been a while since it was recorded.

Show confidence while conducting the webinar

The idea of webinars is that they are focused on the topics that the exhibitor dominates, to transmit confidence and security in what is being communicated.

You can use support material, such as slides, but you mustn't just read what it says in them, as the experience can become monotonous and boring for the attendees.

The best thing is that you write some agenda and that you include a couple of sentences that help you remember the path that the webinar should follow and do not get lost out of passion or nerves.

Determine the webinar format

Webinars can have more than one presenter or speaker. Even inviting other experts can be more attractive and enriching for viewers.

The important thing here is that you carefully analyze which format is more convenient according to the topics and your experience.

Some formats focus, for example, on discussion tables. First, they talk about the subject in question and then a kind of dialogue opens with the audience. For this type of webinar, the number of people must be reduced, otherwise, the order and the educational factor could be lost.

Other ways to present a webinar are interviews and discussions. Everything will depend on the objective you pursue through the webinar and the target audience.

Open communication channels with your audience

As already mentioned, it is important to seek interaction with the audience, giving room for questions and doubts to strengthen the connection that could be created through this type of content.

To achieve this, you must choose platforms that allow you to establish communication with your followers and with the people who are connected to the webinar. Most software includes a kind of chat; just check that it is so to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Another way to communicate with your audience is through questionnaires or surveys in which users evaluate the webinar and also have the opportunity to submit questions. These questionnaires can be launched before the webinar (not including the evaluation stage).

This preliminary questionnaire can help you focus your webinar on the topics that interest you, to fill expectations a little better, but without neglecting those areas that are not mentioned in the questionnaires, but that are relevant.

Rehearse before the webinar

No matter how expert you are nervousness, stress, and other factors can always play tricks upon you. Therefore, it is recommended that you do some rehearsals before the actual presentation.

You can ask some friends or colleagues to attend the virtual rehearsal event so that you can check that everything works correctly (audio, video, chat, etc.).

In this way, you will also be able to know what to do in the event of a technical problem and you will be able to solve it as soon as possible, not allowing this to affect your webinar.

Best tools for conducting a webinar

You already almost know everything important to create and launch a webinar. We have listed a few reputed paid and free tools for webinars and conference calls in the following article.

Latest recommendations for your webinar

The first recommendation I already gave you a few lines ago: do not take more than 45-60 minutes in your presentation. Ideally, it should be less than 45 minutes to allow time for questions.
Here are other recommendations:

When starting the webinar, do not forget to introduce yourself briefly and give a short introduction to the topic that will be covered, mentioning what aspects you are going to address.

Use simple language that makes it easier to understand what you are saying, especially if the webinar is not focused on experts, but beginners.

Focus on providing concise, useful, and valuable content that can help your audience understand the topic and put it into practice.

Send a thank you message that includes the webinar recording so that users can replay the content if in doubt.

Do not miss the opportunity to continue nurturing the leads that are generated from the webinar. Create strategies that allow you to continue in contact with them.

Conclusion

A webinar can become a positive experience and help your business grow and achieve more leads and customers, since, well applied, it is a technique with a high percentage of effectiveness.

You must be clear that, although it offers many advantages, it also requires a lot of dedication and investment in terms of time.

It's not just about creating a landing page and promoting the webinar. The entire process involved, if you want to do a good webinar, involves hard work that begins months before its launch.

Do not neglect the part of the platform that you will choose to carry out the webinar either. If you have a lot of time, the best you can do is try all the ones that interest you, so that, based on experience, you can choose the best one.

It is key that you feel comfortable with the platform you are going to use and that you understand it very well to avoid setbacks, which could hinder your experience and that of the attendees.

We are sure after reading this; you are more than ready to start designing a marketing strategy that includes a webinar. Do not miss the opportunity to get closer to your audience and generate more sales.

If you have already had the opportunity to do a webinar, tell me, how was your experience? You could also help us by leaving a couple of tips that we have overlooked. It will be a pleasure to have your contribution in the comments section.