We’ve all been there: struggling with an automated service to the point of severe frustration until this option comes up—speak to a representative. Whether trying to sort something out online or over an automated phone call, everything tends to become easier when we speak to another human being. When we get in touch with an actual representative either over a call or video conference, we gain the luxury of explaining ourselves, our problems, and our concerns in a way that only works with face-to-face communication.
When humans interact, we are able to pick up on each other’s body language, understand things better than a computer, and interact with mutual understanding. Usually after speaking to another person, the problem is solved, understood, or at the very least, recorded so it can be fixed and prevented in the future. This level of personalized contact is proven to make things go smoother for people on both ends, so it makes sense that the amount of personalized contact available during a webinar can only help, and not hinder, your customers.
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Understanding Webinars
Webinars are online seminars that are a part of the larger scope of online collaborative services known as web conferencing. The primary allure of a webinar is that it allows individuals to hold meetings and give presentations with participants that are geographically dispersed. This means that whether presenter and audience are states apart, in different countries, or even on different continents, they can access one another through a video conference.
Webinars are commonly made up of two parts: the video presentation, which can consist of a wide variety of media, and the interaction portion, which can also be accompanied, by different media and tech options. These two components of a webinar make it a highly modern and efficient way to do business, convey information, and interact with your customers.
Webinars are also popular because they save money and reduce your carbon footprint. Traditionally, getting information to people who are geographically dispersed requires travel which can cost a lot of money. Whether traveling by car, train, or plane, the exhaust and fuel used to get from point A to point B can also add to your carbon footprint, which can harm the earth over time. Webinars cut out both of these factors, saving you money as well as helping the earth. This is one of the most attractive benefits of webinars, but it is one amongst many.
What Kind of Personalized Contact Do Webinars Offer?
The entire webinar process offers a number of opportunities to connect personally with your customers. Though things are done virtually, the ability to see one another via video and interact helps participants to connect in much the same way they would if the seminar were held in the same room. In order to really break down how your customers can benefit from this personalization, however, let’s dissect a webinar step by step:
Sign Up and Registration: Typically, you begin the entire webinar process with signup and registration. During this process, you can gather general information on your audience and pick up trends and themes throughout the group. With this information, you’re more likely to create a better webinar for both yourself and your customers. You’ll be able to cater to their interests, answer their questions, and provide resources that they really care about. This also helps you to create an email list that can glean even more customers over time.
Development, Script Writing, And Creating the Presentation: When you develop your presentation, you can include all the data you’ve collected about your audience to fine tune it to what they want to see, hear, and experience. How you put your presentation together is incredibly important because how you keep your webinar moving affects whether or not your audience stays engaged. Since webinars allow a higher level of interpersonal interactions, treat it as a conversation with your audience rather than strictly a didactic presentation. Add in some jokes, questions, and creativity to really make your webinar stand out to your audience.
Practice: It’s best to do a practice run or two of your webinar before going live. This will help you to work out the kinks of your presentation so that when you deliver it to your audience, it’s next to flawless. This is also a great way to work out any technical glitches they may arise. Since webinars rely solely on the internet and use a lot of different technologies, plenty of things can go wrong that can put a damper on an otherwise great presentation. Practice makes perfect, so be sure to get a few test runs in before doing the real thing—it’ll ensure that things go smoothly.
Go Over the Guidelines: Since webinars are held virtually, you will have to employ some guidelines that will help both you and your customers work together. Typical guidelines will include how customers can engage in a chat, ask questions, and interact. This is linked to working out tech glitches, so again, this should all be tried and tested during practice.
Go Live and Connect: Connectivity is the lifeblood of your webinar, so once you go live, you’ve got to make sure you connect with your customers straight away. Start out with a story, a round of questions, or some icebreakers to make your audience feel like participants rather than just listeners. This is one of the best ways to personalize a webinar and it can help you to keep up a dedicated following for each webinar you do.
Why Personalized Contact Is So Important
As already discussed, when there is a human connection made, things tend to go smoothly. When it comes to your customers, you want to be as personable as possible. It strengthens relationships, builds trust, encourages understanding, and expands your business far and wide. Webinars connect you virtually, but if done correctly, they can connect you personally as well.
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