Whether you are a first-timer in the art of hosting webinars or someone who is already intimately knowledgeable of the ins and outs of doing a live online presentation, you will likely agree that doing an informational webinar is not any easy task. From identifying the scope of your topic to plotting out the flow of your presentation to actually delivering your webinar so that you deal squarely with what matters to your audience, doing a webinar really can be a complex job.
And we’re not here to tell you that doing a webinar is a complete no-brainer – because really, it requires preparation and a dash of pizzazz – but yes, a kick-ass informational webinar can be done. So let’s say it again: You can do a kick-ass webinar. But how, you ask? And here lies the rub, doesn’t it?
The answer may be simple, but it really is the truth: Make your webinar interesting by utilizing presentation elements that are best suited for informational webinars.
Table of Contents
Video
Being in the age of HD video is something that webinar presenters should bear in mind and take comfort in.
Why?
A handful of B2B and content marketing studies show that audiences are drawn to webinars more than any other type of informational campaign because webinars enable live, real-time in-person communication. Another study shows that next to receiving informative content, seeing an energetic and passionate speaker on screen engages audiences the most.
The credibility of information shared on a webinar increases when the audience is able to see presenters, hear their words and pauses and see their facial expressions and gestures. This is why most informational webinars feature a presenter or an expert discussing information or sharing insight. A video presentation can be done live or prerecorded and inserted in a webinar presentation to infuse credibility, trust and a more personal process of engagement with the audience.
Images and Graphics
You can have a presenter talk unendingly in your webinar but you will lose out on the necessary variation and visual appeal in your presentation. As much as expertise is important, variation also keeps things interestingly informative and the audience engaged.
Use powerful and evocative images, photos and infographics to add a punch to your webinar. Images are helpful especially when discussing analogies and metaphors in your webinar. Images also simplify complex and sometimes contentious ideas because these are pared down to visual basics that are emotive, engaging and interesting.
Graphs and charts
Think visually. Less is more. Always keep these adages in mind when doing presentations, especially something that is done online as a webinar. Studies show that the average attention span of online information consumers is a mere 8 seconds-and this is precisely why you should keep it short and sweet. When presenting complex ideas, use diagrams, graphs and charts that provide a simpler visual representation of your point and allow you to interact with data.
You can use a variety of tools from custom made charts and diagrams to stock images of flowcharts and technical drawings in your webinar presentation to grab and keep the attention of your audiences and also to help them be on the same page as your discussion. Remember that human beings are primarily visual learners.
PowerPoint slides
Visual storytelling is a powerful tool when doing webinars because it hooks audiences and facilitates interest, and while images and graphs can help you achieve a more visually appealing presentation, sometimes PowerPoint slides prove to be the visual nail in the coffin of your battle with audience disengagement.
Using PowerPoint slides allows you to build a visual roadmap of your whole presentation, all the while highlighting keywords, flashing powerful quotations, animating static images and other visual elements to guide your audience and keep them engaged.
Social Media Integration
Utilizing social media does not only mean popularizing Twitter hashtags or encouraging your audience to do status posts on Facebook or LinkedIn. Incorporating the element of social media integration in your webinar is great for sharing content, engaging audiences and prospects and driving traffic back to your site, which could tremendously multiply interest to your webinar and your organization even after your event is done.
Allow your webinar audiences the capability to share parts or even the whole of your presentation. Think of that nifty chart you will be using to visually present a groundbreaking idea that you will introduce in your webinar and make sure you include a social media tool that will enable your audience to bookmark and share your content.
Q & A Sessions
If you are planning to host an informational webinar without a Q&A session, think again. Nothing could be a more fool-proof way of gauging your audience’s interest and positive response to your webinar than when you see them engaged enough that they are going out of their way to pose questions and seek further information.
Use chat room elements in your webinar so audiences can field their questions as you go through the presentation. You then have the option to answer questions along the way or allot a specific time towards the end of your presentation to answer relevant questions.
You may also gauge from the questions of your audience what possible topic needs to be discussed further on your next webinar or in some other venue or platform that you use to complement your webinar.
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