In the last two years, webinars have emerged as one of the most popular video-based marketing and communication formats. In a 2021 report by TwentyThree, 51 percent of marketers said they would spend more on webinars over the next 12 months, and the market nearly doubled last year. Some 41 percent of companies even have a dedicated individual or team to design, deliver, and manage webinars as their sole responsibility. The format allows highly interactive discussions between subject matter experts, with engagement from webinar participants through polls, Q&A sessions, etc.
Defining a Webinar
A webinar (short for a web-based seminar) is an online video conference between two or more webinar hosts where many participants can passively join in, view the video stream, and engage in interactions during host-moderated sessions. Webinars are typically live sessions, and organizations may store the video recording in an archive for future reference and marketing purposes. TwentyThree’s report found that 91 percent of webinars today are live.
Webinar Components
A webinar will have the following key components:
- The webinar host
The host is usually a representative from the company conducting the webinar or an objective industry expert. They are familiar with the entire session’s agenda, know which guest will intervene at which time, and how to engage the audience.
- The webinar guest(s)
Webinar guests are industry experts, B2B customers, technical professionals, and other individuals of note. They appear on the video feed alongside the host and share their unique viewpoints through the course of the session. A webinar may have more than one guest, and multiple guests may either speak one after the other or participate in a moderated discussion. All of this depends on the agenda design.
- The audio, video, and chat feed
A webinar typically has three types of media feeds – audio, video, and chat. The host must mandatorily appear on video. Most webinar guests appear on video, and those unable to access strong internet or a webcam may join in via an audio-only feed. Webinar attendees can participate in the session through the chat feed.
- Question and answer sessions
While the chat feed is technically accessible to the audience throughout the webinar, the host will sometimes open it for public participation during the Q&A session. This is a moderated session where the host introduces a topic, and attendees ask their questions via chat. The relevant webinar guest will take up the question and answer it via their video or audio feed. All of this takes place live, in real-time.
- Presented content
Most webinars have presentation capabilities so that guests can visually illustrate the under discussion. Webinar platforms typically support a PowerPoint integration so that the guest can directly stream the slideshow onto the video feed instead of pointing the webcam at their computer. Some platforms even allow webinar attendees to pause and inspect specific slides without interrupting the experience for everyone else.
- The webinar solution
This is the technology powering the webinar for the host, guests, and attendees. Next-gen webinar solutions are robust, with support for paid and free webinars, co-hosts, multiple engagement options, virtual lobbies for attendees, etc. It can support resource integration so that attendees automatically receive reading materials, webinar recordings, and related resources once the session ends.
Type of Webinars for Organizations
While it is true that webinars are mostly live, there are other types that you can explore. An organization can conduct one of the following types of webinars:
- On-demand webinars – An on-demand webinar is a pre-recorded video session with a host and multiple guests on a highly relevant topic. This means that interest in the topic could continue even after the webinar ends, so the organization makes it available on demand. It may or may not be conducted with a live audience before it is hosted on the organization’s website for on-demand access.
- Automated webinars – An automated webinar is a live session where several of the host’s tasks are now automated. For instance, the webinar begins automatically, it plays a video without human intervention, the audience may receive automated polls, and the recording is made available for future access. In this manner, the experience is live for the audience but is pre-recorded at the organizational end.
- Live webinars – This is the most common type of webinar and requires minimal setup and configuration. The host can use any video conferencing tool to bring together guests and participants, although it is advisable to leverage a purpose-built webinar platform.
Top Webinar Platforms for 2022
Organizations’ top platforms for webinars include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, GoTo Webinar, Webex, and Livestorm. These platforms have their pros, cons, and USPs, but they have a few features in common. To begin with, they support large audiences so that you can engage with participants outside the organization. They also support paid webinars, allowing hosts to implement a payment gateway and monetize the video session. Finally, they also have tools for audience engagement and engagement analytics and reports.
Webinars are now a staple for enterprise communication. Particularly in the era of remote and hybrid work, it makes it easier for organizational leaders and subject matter experts to engage with employees, customers, and partners to share crucial information engagingly. Webinars also play an essential role in the education sector, where teachers may leverage it as a remote learning tool.
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