Webinars have become an essential tool in the arsenal of many salespeople, lecturers, educators, and marketers, to name a few. They can be amazing ways of connecting with large groups of people at once, sharing knowledge, or selling products. This year, many more of us have been working from home, making the appeal of webinars far higher than they have ever been before. So, you may be considering hosting webinars for your business, product, or school. We have spoken to experts to gather a few top tips for hosting a successful webinar, and we will discuss them below.
Use A Great Webinar Platform
One of the most important factors in planning your webinar is the software or platform you choose to use. There are so many options, but we have really loved using a particular one - webinarJam. It can do so much, so you may want to check out a webinarJam software review for more details on what it can do for you! There are many outstanding features of this software, all of which can really set your presentation apart from others. Let’s take a quick look at some of the most important features available to you:
- Excellent interactive features allowing the audience to ask you questions, answer polls, share notes, and view slides. This, arguably, is far more interactive than an in-person speech or lecture.
- The ability to host a webinar with multiple speakers at once is a real bonus, allowing different people to co-present and really entertain and engage the audience.
- Multiple chat functions allowing a whole-group chat as well as private individual chat rooms, excellent for sending notes and sharing ideas.
- A whiteboard feature allowing you to draw and write notes in real-time, whilst sharing them with your entire audience.
These are just a few of the great things webinarJam or other types of webinar software can do for you. They help engross the audience, improve your presentation, and create a welcoming feel. Without a great platform like this, you are simply speaking to a room of potentially bored individuals.
Prepare Well
Webinars can be scary, just like any other form of public speaking. Some people really struggle with this, and that’s entirely understandable. If you are about to perform your first webinar, the top advice we can give is to prepare. With your webinar platform, you will be able to plan slides, images, questions, and more to help your presentation flow. Use the tools to your benefit, helping give you cues and ideas for how to keep engaging your audience and not get stuck on your words. Practice in the mirror or using an offline mode if you need to. Get used to seeing yourself presenting on a webcam. Once you’ve planned out your talk through the software and rehearsed it a few times, you’ll be ready to go.
Hardware is Key, Too!
One of the best things about the webinar is the ability to log in from anywhere in the world. Whether presenting or participating in a webinar, you never want to be kicked off by the system for having a poor internet connection. And, if you are hosting, this is even more important. Using a poor internet connection could lead to not only yourself, but everyone else also getting kicked off the system. That would be unprofessional and, frankly, quite embarrassing. Make sure your internet connection is of the highest quality, and also that your webcam and microphone are in perfect working order.
Marketing Tips
For the most part, webinars are aimed at selling products or services. This means that you need to be able to attract people to join your webinar in the first place. Give your webinar a catchy and professional name, then put out some ads on social media or relevant websites stating the time, purpose, and length of your webinar. Before people start tuning in, you need to make sure your webinar has a professional landing page. This could simply provide more info on the speaker, the subject matter, or include graphics or pictures. This keeps people interested whilst waiting for the talk to begin, and sets the tone for a professional and engaging presentation to follow. You know, that one that you have rehearsed and are ready to perform!
With these tips, you simply cannot go wrong when putting together and selling your own webinar. Remember, get some excellent software and put it to good use with graphics, interactive features, and chats. Plan your words well, and rehearse if you have to - there is no need to be nervous then! Good luck setting up and hosting your webinars.
