A webinar is an online meeting or presentation held via the Internet in real-time. Simply put, it is an online event that connects individuals with viewers worldwide.

Features of the Webinars

The main feature of live webinars is interactivity, or the ability to discuss, send and receive information in real time. Below we’ll speak about webinar features, benefits, spheres of usage, etc. I hope this helps you to understand what a webinar is better.

Table of Contents

• Webinar’s Advantages
• Online Webinar and What it is Used For
  • Webinar for Online Education
  • Webinar for Marketing
• What Is Necessary for a Webinar?
• How Does a Webinar Work?
  • Plan and Schedule
  • Host a Webinar

• Sharing video and presentation
• Call-to-Action (CTA)
• Chat
• Whiteboard
• Polls, surveys, and testing online
• Desktop sharing
• MP4 Recording and sharing
• Automated webinars with virtual chat & CTA

Webinar’s Advantages

Webinars are convenient for both presenters and attendees. This is why the format is becoming more and more popular every year.

Webinars make holding conferences and meetings possible at any time and place. Anyone can participate in a webinar without leaving work or staying home on a business trip or vacation.

No more headache concerning venue rental, coffee breaks, and transfers — holding a conference is as easy as several mouse clicks!

Online Webinar and What it is Used For

Webinars can be used in all spheres, from education to business and corporate training.

Webinar for Online Education

As an educator, you can reach a wider audience of students, as they will not have to spend time and money traveling. Instead, participants can tune into your training from anywhere.

You can also avoid venue rental, food, and other costs, which will allow you to charge less for the event and, thus, have more attendees.

Businesses primarily use webinars for training and updating their employees. However, only those who keep up with the industry’s latest trends can succeed in today’s fast-paced world.

Moreover, many companies have employees scattered worldwide, so it would only be too expensive to bring them all under one roof.

Webinar for Marketing

Marketing is an area where webinars can bring the most benefit.

First, an online meeting showcasing your product is likely to draw more attention, as video content generates, on average, two times more engagement.

Secondly, such events help you build a long-term personal relationships with your customers. When you explain how the product works, answer questions, and follow up with the survey afterward, you show that you care.

Related Story: 7 Lasting benefits your business can gain from webinars

What Is Necessary for a Webinar?

For attendees, internet access and an audio headset (headphones, microphone) are vital.

You no longer need to install additional webinar software and special equipment for a presenter. It is enough to have a computer with an internet connection, an audio board, acoustic speakers, and a microphone.

Practically all modern computers have the required components out of the box. On top of that, you do not have to possess any special technical knowledge. For example, if you can use search engines or watch videos on YouTube, you can hold a webinar.

Related Story: Equipment for Webinars: What Do You Need for a Webinar?

How Does a Webinar Work?

Let’s say you already know the topic of your webinar and how long it will take you to present it. What do you do next?

Plan and Schedule

First, you need to schedule the event. It’s easy: create an account on a unique platform and use the dashboard to set the event’s date, time, and duration.

Then comes the most critical phase — planning. This is where you can customize the settings to make a webinar go along with your goals and audience’s expectations.

You can also upload additional materials to make the information easier for your audience’s perception. Always double-check your webcam, microphone, headset, and internet connection before you jump into the event.

Host a Webinar

So you sent the invitation link to your attendees, checked everything was ready, and started the event. This is your chance to make a lasting impression on your audience and achieve all your goals.

Communication at live webinars goes like the following: you talk to the audience while sitting in front of a computer or a tablet. But this is not the whole story.

It would help if you used interactive tools such as desktop sharing to show digital graphs, tables, keynotes, and pictures. This will help visualize the information and make it easier to understand.

Participants watch, listen, and communicate with one another and with you via the chat or the forum.

Make sure you answer all questions and reply to all comments. When necessary, any attendee can be given a floor. However, it is not possible for you, as an instructor, to see any of the attendees during a webinar.

If you get hecklers or trolls at your live event, do not panic. Just block them yourself and ask the moderator to do it for you. Focus on providing quality content for your audience.

At the end of the session, attendees can exchange questions and answers with one another. Usually, an event recording is sent to all participants just in case someone was late or missed the online meeting.

It is also a good idea to send a quick survey to the attendees so that you know how to improve in the future.