Ultimate Guide For Conducting Webinars For Small Businesses

You can’t scroll down on Facebook for more than 30 seconds and it’s impossible not to run into some kind of webinars hosted by companies.

Since the popularity of webinars has increased, marketers have turned their approach to the webinars, and why not when the end results are far better.

According to 89% of respondents to a survey on ON24 said that webinar is the best platform where they can grow their business.

After the pandemic, the growth of webinar boosted and now it becomes much more important for the small business to understand the importance and upgrade their game

If you are going in the same direction, this guide will help you.

Contents

What Are The Basics You Should Know About Webinars?

Before you jump to understand how you should conduct the webinar. You should know more about the webinar first. The more knowledge you have, the better approach you can take.

The webinar is an online video presentation, workshop, lecture, seminar, etc that gets delivered to the targeted audience via the internet.

Webinars are mostly live or in real-time, but they can be recorded before sharing with the audience.

However, it doesn’t matter if it’s live or not, the content should be interactive so the viewers can participate too. It includes asking questions, collaborates with the host, makes comments, etc.

What Are The Purpose & Benefits Of Webinar?

Well for businesses, a webinar is a way of hosting digital and interactive events for their targeted audience regardless of where they are or the location.

The purpose is:

boost the conversion
improving the brand awareness
Increasing the revenue
Establishing as expert

As for the benefits, Webinar has a lot to offer for a small business. It’s an effective way that can increase the reach to the targeted audience.

Along with being interactive and engaging, it doesn’t need everyone to be in one location.

Personalizing Your Content And Event

It helps in creating personalized and unique content for the business as well as the brand.

There are different presentation features that you can add for enhancing the viewer experience and numbers of audience.

Including :

Drawing tools
Interactive activities
Slides
Surveys

Budget-Friendly Approach

Webinars Are not costly, also it fits perfectly to the budget. For example, when you host the in-person event, you need to rent out space, arrange food, buy the equipment for the presentation, etc.

But with the webinar, you can cut all those costs and even do it for free.

Educating Your Prospects More About Product or Service

It’s a great tool that can help in educating your customers as well as prospects about what you sell. You can explain more about your products, their benefits, and advantages.

Pick what makes your product different and how it can resolve the challenges that your customer might be facing.

Boosting The Revenue And Conversion

You can also use this for boosting the rates in conversion and revenue. You can build trust by establishing yourself as a thought leader. You can get more brand awareness through the webinar which automatically affects the conversion rate too.

Demonstrate What You Sell

To educate more, you can demonstrate how your services or products work. This can help in boosting the trust and also solve the queries of your customers.

They will know how to use the product or services to get the best benefit from it.

What Are The Formats You Can Consider For Webinars?

There are different formats in webinars that you can choose. But it depends on what you are aiming for and what can go well with that.

For knowing the options, here what you need to know:

Interviews

When you are hosting the industry expert panel,

you require to get the team or members of experts, loyal customers, and even someone who is outside of the industry just to get the perspective.

Here you need to consider what your audience might need and like to hear about. Once you get it, you can find the interviewee and interviewer to have the discussion.

When To Consider: Interviews are an interesting format when you are looking for a more engaging and knowledgeable webinar.

You can get followers who are interested in knowing more information and insight knowledge.

Industry Expert Panel

With this format you can get your audience hooked, here you need the experts voicing their thoughts and opinions on a certain topic.

The discussion between experts can engage more of your audience. Also, you will need a moderate that can lead the conversation and coordinate the discussion.

When To Consider: Industry Expert Panel is ideal to get a more engaged audience especially those who are interested in knowing more about the business and industry.

It’s a great format that can give the inside knowledge and how things work. Also, each expert has their own audience, so it will bring more followers too.

Master Class

You can consider masterclass as it’s one of the formats that work well for educating the audience.

Masterclass requires one or two experts, directly having a conversation or speaking to the camera. You can add videos, slides, and other elements to make it a visually stimulating webinar.

Also, add the real-time interaction to make it more engaging such as polls and Q&As.

When To Consider: Masterclass can be your ideal format if you want to grow your audience. here you offer the opportunity which helps the viewers to learn something new.

So it can be an option to consider building more business through the webinars.

Case Study

The case study format requires inviting the customers for sharing their experience that they had used the product or service.

Also, the viewers get the testimony live from another user which boost the trust. Also, you can ask about what or how the product helped them.

When To Consider: A case study webinar is extremely effective as a sales tool. here you get the live testimonials and the story from your audience’s point of view.

It is also good for interacting more with your customers and understanding how your product works in the real world.

Casual Chat Show

If you are looking for something that can be less formal, you can consider the casual chat show format.

You can choose the nighttime chat show which can give in-depth insights along with showing the charisma of the experts.

However here you will need the presenter who can bring the energy and keep things moving.

You can invite the experts as a guest and talk about the topics.

When To Consider: The chat show style for a webinar adds an interesting layer which not just provides insightful knowledge but also keeps things much more fun and formal.

You can consider this when you don’t want to go too formal but casual yet effective.

The Coffee Time Talk

Unlike the chat show, coffee time talk takes a much more casual, relaxed, and friendly approach.

Here three or four experts talk about a topic, but the conversation can be informal and normal.

The format allows shining the personality that each expert has. Here you don’t need to add the slides or presenters.

When To Consider: The coffee time talk can be your format when you are going for authenticity and genuine conversations.

This will allow your viewers to connect with the personalities and see the real side. Also, it’s good for connecting your brand with the audience.

Staff Training

Webinars are a useful tool when it comes to connecting with your employees who are working remotely and help in developing their skills.

Since the pandemic made business flexible, webinars are helpful for your business as well as for the staff training.

You can do the small and intimate webinar that can allow the intensive sessions. Also, it will help the employees to get the most from it.

When To Consider: This can be a great way to continue the training of your employees and making sure that they are improving their skills.

Aso when you are looking for a way to get better communication and ensure the development they require professionally.

The Product Demo

You can use the webinar to show your side of perspective about your products. Customers or existing clients will understand better about how they can use your products and know their full efficiency.

Choose the host who has complete knowledge about your product.

When To Consider: The Product Demo format is an effective tool that you can convert more leads to sales. This can get better chances of showing your product to get more interested buyers.

Q&A Sessions

You can do the Live sessions of Q&A, and this can be the perfect way to let the audience take the lead. The opportunity can help them in asking the questions they have.

Here you can have one host or multiple ones, so it can add more perspective from different sides. Also, this allows the audience to get a better understanding.

You can do the unscripted Q&A. Ask your audience to send their queries and questions directly.

When To Consider: Q&A sessions are a great way to clear more about the product and services and answer the questions that the audience have

Also if you want more interaction with your customers and grow a relationship with them. This can be the format that you can choose for your webinar.

How To Plan For Your Webinar?

There are few basic but important steps that you need to follow. The planning is a crucial aspect and as much you prepare yourself here, the rest of the journey will be smooth for you.

To start with your planning, here are the steps you should follow :

Step 1: Create Your Customer Persona

When you are planning, the first point where you need to make up your mind is trading with the audience.

The goal here is to generate more leads that can get you more conversation too. Therefore, understanding who is your targeted audience will help in directing your webinar in that direction.

Start by creating your ideal customer persona. well, persona means the profile of your ideal customer including their challenges, demographics, information, job interest, etc.

Step 2: Think About Something Great For The Topic

The webinar is based on the content, if you don’t have something solid to say then it won’t work. So think about the topic first, and what you are going to talk about.

Set your goals regarding what you are aiming for. Let’s say you are hoping to get more investors or maybe new leads, your topic should align with what your services are.

This is important to have a topic that can complete the right audience. When you have the right thing to say to the right people, you will get more signups and benefits.

Step 3: Setup Your Webinar

There are different formats, you can do the lecture followed by the Q&A. Well, it’s one of the common, however, you get more options here.

You can do the webinar based on Q&A or you can feature the panel of multiple speakers or the discussion.

Again it depends on what you are going for and what your goal is about.

Setup is not just about choosing the format, you also have to make sure that everything looks polished and professional.

Make sure your background is uncluttered and has good lightning. Also check your net connection, audio, and dress professionally.

Step 4: Do The Scheduling

Now you need to schedule depending on when it will suit the audience. If you are targeting the professionals, avoid the days like Friday or Monday. These days are the busiest for them.

Also, don’t schedule your schedule on the weekend as most people enjoy their free time. they unplug themselves from work and spend the weekend with family or friends.

Scheduling also depends on your targeted audience’s countries, region, and their time zones.

Pro Tip: the best days you can pick is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Also for timing can be between 11 am to 2 pm.

Step 5: Keep Your Materials Ready

Well now you are all set for the webinar, but before you go make sure you have all materials handy and ready.

You should have everything well ready to know what and where you should be directing your webinar.

How Does The Webinar Works & Its Best Practices?

The webinar is hosted by the presenters or the host. It should have the date set as well as the time when the event will be conducted.

Also, the host requires to send the invite to the audience for registration and attending the webinar on its scheduled date.

The webinar is for educating, instructing, demonstrating, and explaining the attendees.

When you are doing it in the right way, you can see the results as making your brand awareness better, boosting sales, conversions, etc.

Make sure you record your webinars, you can use this for later as future reference. Also, it can be used as a great source for every green content.

To know better about how it works, it also means that you need to understand the best practices too

Here are some of the pointers that can help you :

Choose the presenter that can be personable and intriguing so they can get the attention of your customers and hold it till the event ends.
Make sure you know that the webinar is going to be recorded or live. Include the factors like presenters, topics, industry, and audience.
Invite the people who suit your buyer persona and get them registered for the webinar.
Make sure you are sharing the important details in a precise manner. It includes the webinar’s date, time, and logistics that the attendee requires to log in, participate and view.
Keep your topic stick to one thing, it will reduce the chances of getting confused and out of the way.
Record and save the webinar, you can share it later with those who didn’t attend the event.
Establish your format for the webinar first.
Complete a dry run until you get the assurance that everything will go smoothly for the main event.
Pick the right software for hosting your webinar, depending on what your business needs.
Allow enough time so the attendee can join you.

What Are The Tips That You Can Follow For Webinars?

When you are hosting the webinar, there is a different aspect that decides how your webinar will end.

By understanding the correct way you can make sure that you are heading in the right direction. Also, you can prepare the material and set your goals, so you know what to expect.

To improve your webinar, here are some of the tips for you :

Pay Attend To The Audio

Audio is the important factor when it comes to a successful webinar, No matter how good your material and preparation is but if your audience can’t hear you clearly, it will go in vain.

That’s why focus on how you sound and if the audience can hear clearly or not. For that, you can do the test with different other devices.

Apart from this, you can also pay attention to :

Your locations: See where you are recording, make sure it’s a quiet or soundproof room.
Your Internet Connection: Instead of using a wireless connection, use the landline.
Your Technical Support: Keep your technical assistant with you to handle the issues if It happens.
Your Microphone: Don’t depend on a built-in microphone, use external mics.

Maintain Your Conversation Tone

When you are talking in front of your camera, it’s important that your webinar have a conversational tone. It will help the audience to get connected and also engage them.

To make your conversation more personalized, here you can do :

Imagine yourself talking to someone you know, it can be your friend or colleague.
Use Q&A for breaking the presentation so it doesn’t bore the audience and also they can ask their questions.
Address your audience by using ‘ You’ in the sentences, it helps in making your conversation more engaging.
Don’t shy away from using humor. It can be a funny remark or comment to make it fun.

Focus On The Story

Narration is an important part of your webinar. Instead of using long introductions and listing agenda, look for a creative way to share the experience and story.

People connect with the story better than anything, also its energy and holds their interest. However, make sure that your story is not too long. Keep it brief and personalized by adding a few elements of suspense.

Pro Tip: Smile when you talk, keep it genuine, and show your enthusiasm. It will connect better and the audience will engage more.

Take Some Time Before You Start

Take your time, everyone does that before they go live. No one is ready to keep an enthusiastic face for long hours.

That’s why you need to warm up before you go live. Practice what you are saying and what you want to convey.

Also, remove the chances of using err or umm from the sentences. When you practice, you get more confident.

When you are talking, listen to these things :

Your vocal pace
How you are speaking, is it clear or not?
Your tone, is it flat or friendly?

Make sure you are not rushing things. Focus on your voice so you sound to relax and calm. Choose your style and be genuine for yourself.

The more original you are, the better engagement you will get.

Pro Tip: Record yourself when you are practicing, so you can see how it looks. The footage will help you in understanding where you are lacking.